MA in Applied English Linguistics: Comprehensive Examination
M.A. candidates are eligible to take the final comprehensive examination when they have fulfilled the foreign language requirement, have removed all incompletes or deficiencies from the academic record, and have completed all course requirements or are in the final semester of completing course requirements. Students who wish to take the examination must register with the Graduate Division of the English Department not less than six weeks before the examination date in the fall semester or in the summer session.
The final comprehensive examination is administered twice a year, in January and in July. The examination is administered in Madison; under extraordinary circumstances a student may petition the Graduate Committee of the Department to be allowed to take the examination at some location other than Madison.
The final comprehensive examination is based on material covered in the curriculum and on the MA (AEL) Reading List, which is periodically updated. The examination is given in two parts. Part I (2.5 hours) focuses on discussing basic concepts in English linguistics, in particular in (a) English grammar (structure and use), (b) the English sound system, and (c) recurring themes in applied English linguistics. Typically, linguistic data are provided and the candidate is asked to present an analysis of those data or to explain the concept(s) associated with them. Part II (3.5 hours) of the exam is devoted to the analysis of advanced, more complex topics. The focus is on problems and issues in three of the following areas: (a) syntax and morphology, (b) phonetics and phonology, (c) learning and using a second language, (d) language in education, (e) language variation and change, (f) language in interaction. Candidates will have choices that enable them to respond to those areas that have been the focus of their interest.
Back copies of the MA (AEL) comprehensive examinations are available for student review in the Graduate Office (7195H Helen C. White Hall).”
A candidate who fails the examination may take it a second time. Only on petition to the Graduate Committee may a student take the examination a third time. However, no student is permitted to take the examination after five years have elapsed since last taking course work in the Department. Students who present themselves for the M.A. comprehensive examination will be counted as having written the examination even if the examination is not completed.
Distinctions of Degree
The M.A. degree is awarded on the basis of the student’s overall performance in course work and on the comprehensive examination. Distinctions in the level of Pass are made but are recorded only in Departmental records, not on the official transcript or on the diploma. The Pass levels are: Pass with Distinction; Pass 1; Pass 2; Terminal Pass. Pass with Distinction and Pass 1 enable the student to be considered for admission to the Ph.D. program in English Language and Linguistics. Admission to the Ph.D. program is dependent on the student’s research interests and academic qualifications. Pass 2 allows the student to continue to take courses in the department but, in order to be admitted to the doctoral program, the student must retake the comprehensive examination within one year and achieve a Pass 1 level. A Terminal Pass bars the student from any further graduate course work in the UW-Madison English Department.
(rev. 10/2005)
