Within the 30-31 credits required for the MA in English, graduate students must complete at least 6 credits in one or more related fields outside the major. In consultation with a faculty adviser, graduate students should choose related field courses that complement, in a coherent and reasoned way, the individual student's overall program of study. Since part of the comprehensive examination will test students on the related field, the adviser and student should discuss the student's desire and ability to develop competence in the chosen field. Related field courses may be at the 4000-, 5000-, or 8000-level and must be offered for graduate credit.

Linguistics as an Internal Related Field or Designated Minor
While a related field is often outside of the English major (course prefixes other than Engl and Comp), Linguistics can be taken as an internal related field or as a designated minor. A student may choose to do the minor in Linguistics in lieu of the related field requirement. A minor is recorded on the student's official transcript (the related field is not).