Graduate Study in English is a professional program of study leading to a degree of Master of Arts in English, with a concentration in one of three areas: Literature, Composition and Rhetoric, or TESOL. All students in the graduate program must complete 48 to 50 hours of graduate study, including a required graduate research methods course and a number of required seminars. Students in the Literature and Comp/Rhetoric emphases may select up to 20 hours of elective courses in English or in an approved related discipline. Graduate students must maintain a 3.0 average or face probation or dismissal. In their final quarter or two, all graduate students in English must complete a graduate portfolio, which includes a cover essay, an abstract, and a final independent research paper. Students must pass the portfolio requirement to be eligible for graduation.