The Master of Arts in English degree launches students into the study of literature, writing, and rhetoric at the graduate level. The program offers 1.5-2 years of intensive study in the major fields of British and American literature and rhetoric and composition, covering the debates and approaches that animate the discipline of English. Our MA in English graduates are fully prepared to proceed to study at the doctoral level, and their training in critical thinking, language skills, and cultural history has also proven to be fruitful preparation for a range of careers outside of academia.
Graduates of our M.A. program are able to:
Employ primary and secondary materials to analyze critical debates and positionality within subfields of English.
Demonstrate expertise in theories, methods, and social, cultural, and political histories of three subfields of English studies pertinent to the student's plan of research and teaching.
Formulate and defend original and critically significant arguments, communicating them effectively in genres relevant to English studies (e.g., research papers, conference presentations, digital projects).
Career Outlook
Many successful MA English graduates have been accepted to well-regarded PhD programs throughout the country, including Cornell, Loyola University Chicago, Notre Dame, Princeton, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the State University of New York at Buffalo, the University of California-Davis, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, University of Minnesota, and the University of Washington. Others have found the program valuable for enhancing their credentials and opening opportunities for advancement in a variety of fields, including teaching, publishing, writing, law, and business.