What's arts and humanities grad school (preferably MA) in the US really like?

[Rekhmire]

Hi from a confused European,

I've been accepted to grad school (NELC, Egyptology) at Indiana, and it's made me realise that I know nothing about the American education system. In the UK, our MAs are super independent and there are barely any contact hours per week, with only a few assignments per semester.

Obviously I realise it will differ by subject and discipline, but should I expect regular testing? Do I make my own notes or are you given course notes? Are there lots of presentations and tests or large assignments?

Thanks in advance!

[BlakeWhite]

I would ask someone from your program. There is SO much variability that it is hard to speculate. I can say, typically, that MAs are not independent. Really in the United States, only the last three or four years of a PhD are "independent", if ever.

[fossati]

This is what my humanities ma is like (I also took an anthropology course):

there are no exams, just final essays about 15-20 pages per class

then a presentation 

then each week I have to write a sort of mini essay or response to the Readings — maybe 150 dense pages each week total. It’s a ton of work.