Comparative Literature Department
Dual Master's Degree
- The Dual Master's Degree Program in the Graduate School
- The Dual Master's Degree in the Comparative Literature Department and the School of Library and Information Scinece (M.A./M.L.S.)
The Dual Master's Program in the Graduate School
Students admitted to the Dual Master's Degree Program will earn two Master's degrees through a combination of work in two departments of the Graduate School's COAS divisions that allows them to count credit earned to satisfy major requirements of one department simultaneously as elective credit in the second department, provided that the second department accepts elective credit toward the degree requirements. Specifically, the dual Master's degree is governed by the following regulations:
- The student must be formally admitted by both departments and by the Graduate School;
- The student must meet fully all degree requirements of both departments (course credits, research and foreign language skills, examination, and essay or thesis or preparation of portfolio, etc.);
- Where both departments require a thesis, the student will be allowed to write a single thesis that meets the standards and requirements of both fields, with equal representation of both departments on the thesis committee, and the thesis credit split between both;
- The dual degree program must be completed within six years from the semester in which the student first enrolled in courses counting toward a dual degree;
- The student must complete the requirements for both departments at the same time (i.e., not receive the degree in one department before the other).
Since Comparative Literature allows up to ten credits earned toward the M.A. degree to be taken in courses offered by other departments and not cross-listed, admission to the dual M.A. Program will result in a reduction of course work by at least ten credits; where the second department has similar rules, the two degrees may be earned with as few as forty credits. Students taking a course that is cross-listed with the second department must ask for a ruling as to how the course is to be counted.
A dual M.A. student will have a file and an adviser in both departments. Registration tickets will go to the department where the student was first admitted; grades will be sent to both. Both departments must certify completion of the degree requirements.
Dual M.A. students who are subsequently admitted to the Ph.D. Program can count the work done to satisfy the second degree toward completing an intensive minor.
The Dual Master's Program in the Comparative Literature Department and the School of Library and Information Science (M.A./M.L.S.)
The interdisciplinary nature of graduate studies in Comparative Literature, including the demonstration of proficiency in two foreign languages, provides students interested in pursuing a librarian's career with a strong background. Students with a dual master's degree in Comparative Literature and Library Science will be competitive for positions in academic libraries and for certain positions in public libraries. Language skills and a strong liberal arts background are two qualifications sought after by academic libraries.
The joint degree consists of a total of at least 50 credit hours--a minimum of 30 in Library and Information Science and a minimum of 20 credit hours in Comparative Literature. The student must be admitted by the Department and by both the Graduate School and the School of Library and Information Science.
LIBRARY SCIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
- Completion of SLIS courses from the common core (9 credit hours minimum) and M.L.S. - specific (9 credit hours minimum) cores for a total of 18 credit hours.
- At least 12 credit hours of SLIS elective courses appropriate to the student's background and interests.
- Elective courses in Comparative Literature (6 cr.)
COMPARATIVE LITERATURE REQUIREMENTS:
At least 20 credit hours of course work in Comparative Literature, including C501, C505, a course taken as a Proseminar, and completion of a Master's Project. Emphasis in course work may be on Western literatures, cross-cultural literary relations, or studies in literature and the arts (music, film, and the visual arts). Certification of reading proficiency in two foreign languages is required, but no credit for courses in foreign language study will count toward the required 20 hours.
The dual degree must be completed within six years from the semester in which the student first enrolled in courses counting toward a dual degree. The student must complete the work in both Departments at the same time (i.e., not receive the degree in one Department before the other). A dual Master's Degree student will have a file and an adviser in both departments. Registration tickets will go to the department where the student was first admitted; grades will be sent to both. The student may apply for financial support from either department, or from both. Both departments must certify completion of the degree requirements.
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