Advanced study in literature, creative writing, and linguistics are offered in this program. It is intended to be not merely a continuation of undergraduate work but a distinctly different educational experience requiring study in greater depth and the development of critical thinking. The Department of English offers both onsite and online M.A. degree programs, the programs share the same classes. The M.A. in English is a 36-semester-hour degree, available under a thesis and a non-thesis option. The thesis option requires students to complete 30 hours of graduate courses and write and defend a thesis (6 thesis hours). The non-thesis option requires students to complete 36 hours of graduate courses and assemble and defend a portfolio of revised essays or creative pieces. Areas of concentration include: Early British Literature, Later British Literature, American Literature, Comparative Literature, Globalization and Translation (CLGT), Film and Media Studies, Linguistics, Book History/Digital Humanities, Literature, Social Justice, and Environment (LSJE), and Creative Writing. Each emphasis involves a common set of core requirements: foundation courses, British, American, and Comparative literature courses, and literary genre courses. M.A. students must also demonstrate reading knowledge of one language other than English or proficiency in linguistics, translation methods, or other language-related practices by taking two graduate courses in these fields.