Why do your MA in English at Dal?

The MA thesis is an important part of the program at Dalhousie; there is no non-thesis option. The student should discuss the projected thesis with likely supervisors by the beginning of November, and have found an agreeable supervisor by the end of the first term. Adjunct professors from other universities in the Halifax area may be considered as co-supervisors. A prospectus for the thesis must be prepared by the student and submitted to the Graduate Committee by mid-February with the approval of the supervisor. The prospectus should be no more than 1500 words long, contain an outline of the proposed thesis, a brief review of scholarship already done in the field, and a general account of the student’s own approach to the topic (a sample prospectus is available for your assistance). 

The MA thesis is considered to be the equivalent of two full-year seminars. It should be about 10,000-12,000 words in length. It should show the student’s ability to master a limited scholarly or critical topic and be presented in an acceptable scholarly form. The latest edition of the MLA Handbook should be consulted for information on the conventions of presentation; it is the student’s responsibility to get a copy of the most recent requirements on format from the Office of the Faculty of Graduate Studies before preparing the final version for submission. FGS is available for advising.

Thesis Evaluation

Evaluation of the thesis is done by an examining committee, made up of the supervisor, second reader, and an examiner. Students have the opportunity before formal submission to make the revisions required by their second reader. All members of the examining committee must be willing to approve it for it to pass. After formal submission, dated reports from all members of the committee must be filed in the student’s departmental file. If the examiner does not judge it to be passable, the Chair of the Department and the Graduate Coordinator must review the written evaluations from the committee members. The Chair of the Department may invite an appropriate new examiner to decide whether it passes or fails. If two examiners do not judge it to be passable, it fails. If the thesis fails, the student is disqualified from the program and may not resubmit. Such a final failure must be reported to the Dean. The examining committee will grade the thesis according to the following system:

Pass with Distinction: Theses that earn the highest grade are rare. They are original and innovative, and add to the scholarly discussion on the topic(s) at hand. They also show considerable command of critical and other secondary material. The student who receives this grade will have demonstrated, from prospectus to final draft, the ability to produce polished writing, coherent argumentation, and thorough research. Portions could, with minor revisions, be considered publishable in academic journals specific to the field. The thesis submitted for formal evaluation should require no more than a few minor revisions, and must be recommended for Pass with Distinction by all members of the examining committee.

Pass: To earn a “Pass,” the thesis must be original and strongly written, and show generally thorough command of critical and other secondary material, but would need significant revision before being considered publishable.  The thesis submitted for formal evaluation may require some substantial revisions and minor corrections, and must be recommended for Pass (or higher) by at least two members of the examining committee and receive no recommendation of “Fail.”

Marginal Pass:  Theses that earn a Marginal Pass will generally demonstrate graduate-level writing, research, and argumentation, but only minimally so or with substantially weak sections.  This grade may also be used to indicate that a student has regularly required significant guidance on writing, research, and/or argumentation from the prospectus to drafts of the thesis itself. The thesis must be recommended for Marginal Pass by at least two members of the examining committee and receive no recommendation of “Fail.”

Fail:  To fail, much of the thesis must fail to exhibit graduate-level research, argumentation or writing, or the thesis must fail to meet the basic requirements of the thesis (length, documentation, etc.). Theses not judged to be passable by the supervisor and second reader do not go forward to the examiner. If the examiner does not judge a thesis to be passable, the Chair of the Department and the Graduate Co-ordinator must review the written evaluations from the committee members, and the Chair of the Department may accept the examiner’s assessment or invite an appropriate new examiner to decide whether the thesis passes or fails. If two examiners do not judge it to be passable, the thesis fails. If the thesis fails, the student is disqualified from the program and may not resubmit. Such a final failure must be reported to the Dean.

These definitions draw on language in our policy on graduate grading, associating Pass with Distinction with the rare grade of A+; Pass with A and A-; and a Marginal Pass with a B+, B, and B-.

Evaluation of the thesis is done by an examining committee made up of the supervisor, second reader, and examiner.

MA students must satisfactorily complete 6 half-year graduate seminars: three in the Fall and three in the Winter.   

• At least one half seminar, and preferably two halves, must be in the area in which the student will write the thesis.
• At least one seminar must be in a field unrelated to the thesis area.
• One half or one full seminar may be taken from another Department, where the student’s thesis plans make such a choice appropriate, with prior approval from the Graduate Committee.
• One half or one full seminar may be a reading class in the thesis area, if a regular seminar is not being offered, if the student is able to persuade a member of the Department to offer the reading class, and if that faculty member submits a schedule of work to be done and methods of assessment that are approved by the Graduate Committee. (Where the enrolment in a listed graduate seminar is below three non-auditing students, the instructor is entitled by Department regulation to change the seminar into a reading class. The instructor will inform the Graduate Committee of the decision and students may then, but need not, transfer into another class).  

At the end of August, the Graduate Coordinator sees all new students to arrange their enrolment in appropriate graduate seminars. The Graduate Co-ordinator will review the student's undergraduate record to ensure any chronological or area gaps are covered in MA seminars, and that the student has chosen courses appropriate to his or her program in accordance with the requirements listed above.

View current graduate seminars

Seminar Evaluation

The possible grades in the Faculty of Graduate Studies are A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, FM (marginal failure), F, incomplete and ill. A minimum of “B-” is required for credit. Dalhousie Graduate Fellowships are contingent upon students maintaining good standing in the program, and good standing is normally interpreted as obtaining credit for all graduate classes (i.e., “B-” or higher). Students are also advised that their overall average is more important than any single standing in a given class. Instructors of the graduate classes provide their students, usually at the beginning of the term, with a clear breakdown of the method of evaluation to be used.

Instructors may have policies regarding extensions or late essays. The issuing of “incomplete” is at the discretion of the instructor. In any case, the Registrar automatically converts all “incomplete” grades to “F” at the end of the month subsequent to that in which the class ended.  “Ill” grades can only be issued if students provide adequate medical documentation. Passing grades in ancillary classes (by which term is usually meant undergraduate language classes taken at Dalhousie to fulfill the language requirement) include all grades from B- to A+. The grade IP (for in progress) is assigned to the thesis until it is completed.  For the thesis grading system see section d) Thesis.

ENGL 8000: Thesis Prospectus and ENGL 8500: Professionalizationare mandatory for all MA students. Formal requirements for ENGL 8000 are: 1) attendance at the thesis prospectus workshop run by the Graduate Co-ordinator in January; 2) the prospectus prepared by the student and submitted to the Graduate Committee by mid-February, with the approval of the supervisor. The prospectus should be no more than 1500 words, plus substantial bibliography, and contain an outline of the proposed thesis, a brief review of scholarship already done in the field, and a general account of the student’s own approach to the topic. The Graduate Committee may approve the prospectus or require changes and resubmission; 3) a conference with the supervisor in April to report on progress in reading. This is a non-credit class, graded pass/fail. To pass the student must satisfy the Graduate Co-ordinator that all three requirements have been met. 

All first year graduate students must complete ENGL 8500, a non-credit seminar focusing on professional development. As well as introducing graduate students to the principles and practices of effective teaching, the professional development seminar offers sessions on public speaking and paper presentation, career options and the job search, and on thesis prospectuses and grant proposals.  The seminar features a number of guest speakers addressing topics from application letters to careers in publishing.

The pedagogical component, which takes up much of the first term, focuses on training TAs to assist in delivering the department's first and second-year curriculum.  The class offers explicit instruction in teaching writing and teaching literature, concentrating on best practices in evaluating student work and strategies for leading successful tutorials.