English, Bachelor’s/Master’s Combined Program

Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Meghan Sweeney

The bachelor’s/master’s degree program is designed to provide exceptional students in English a means to complete the requirements for both degrees in a period of five years. The key feature of the program is that a student can count up to 12 hours of graduate level courses satisfying requirements for the B.A. toward a non-thesis Master’s degree in English.

A. The program is designed for students in the B.A. program in English who have:

1. Completed a minimum of seventy-five (75) and a maximum of ninety-eight (98) credit hours in their undergraduate programs in English. Transfer students must have completed a minimum of two semesters as a full-time student at UNCW, a minimum of 24 hours.
2. Completed ENG 204 or 205. Completed a minimum of of nine (9) hours of 300-400 level English.
3. A minimum accumulated grade point average (GPA) of 3.5/4.0 and a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.7/4.0 on all 200-400 level English courses at UNCW.

Students who meet the above criteria may request permission from the department chair to apply up to 12 hours of graduate-credit earned during their senior year toward their future master’s degree in English. Departmental permission to apply to the bachelor’s/master’s degree program does not guarantee admission to the Graduate School. Admission to the Graduate School is contingent upon meeting eligibility requirements at the time of entering the graduate program. Acceptance will be provisional and contingent on meeting specified degree requirements including completion of the bachelor’s degree.

B. Students must submit the standard English application for admission to the Graduate School by the posted deadline for the semester in which the student intends to enroll.  This includes:

1. An application for graduate admission
2. Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate)
3. Official scores on the verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing sections of the Graduate Record Examination (no more than five years old)
4. Three academic recommendations to be submitted through the online application
5. A ten-page analytical writing sample that includes a bibliography citing secondary sources in MLA format
6. A statement of interest that addresses the applicant’s purpose for graduate study, focusing on how attending graduate school in English will help the applicant to achieve their professional goals. The essay should be no longer than 1-2 pages (approximately 500-600 words)

C. Students must submit to the Graduate Coordinator a Graduate Degree Plan during the first semester of their senior year, signed by the prospective student, the department chair, and the graduate coordinator.  This Graduate Degree Plan for the master’s degree must clearly indicate:

1. The specific 500-level ENG courses (maximum of 12 graduate credit hours) that will be doubled-counted for both bachelor’s and master’s degrees (contingent upon acceptance in the MA program)
2. The student’s intention to fulfill course requirements for the master’s degree no later than a year after receiving the bachelor’s degree; and
3. The intended graduation date for the master’s degree

D. Upon review of the submitted materials by the Graduate School, a letter of acceptance (or denial) to the master’s program will be sent to the student. Acceptance will be provisional and contingent upon meeting specified degree requirements, including completion of the bachelor’s degree.

E. A student who is ineligible to participate or continue in, or withdraws from the bachelor’s/master’s degree program, cannot double count any courses for both bachelor’s and master’s degrees. For more details, see the graduate coordinator.