Master of Arts in English - Rhetoric and Writing

A Master of Arts degree in English meets today's global challenges by equipping graduates with a range of professional options, including teaching college English or English as a second language, technical and professional writing, work in the non-profit sector, and doctoral study leading to the Ph.D. degree. Students pursuing Wright State's M.A. in English may choose from one of three concentrations: Literature, Rhetoric and Writing, or Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). The concentration in Rhetoric and Writing provides students with an advanced understanding of written, visual, and oral texts as well as the ability to produce documents in genres appropriate to various audiences, purposes, and contexts - Graduates with a focus on teaching college writing pursue careers as writing instructors, program staff, advisors, and administrators at community colleges and universities. Their subjects of study include curriculum design, writing theory, and pedagogy.Graduates with a focus on professional/technical writing pursue careers in technical writing, grant proposal writing, communications and marketing, publishing, documentation analysis, public relations and public affairs, academic advising, and software development. Their subjects of study include documentation and web design for business, industry, and non-profit agencies.

In addition to meeting the admission requirements of the School of Graduate Studies, applicants for regular standing in the M.A. program in English must present a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university with an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 2.7 (based on a 4.0 system) or an overall undergraduate GPA of at least 2.5, but with a 3.0 or better for the last 60 semester or 90 quarter hours earned toward the undergraduate degree, if an applicant to a master's degree program has previously completed 9 semester or 12 quarter credit hours at the graduate level, then the overall graduate grade point average must be at least 3.0.
Those seeking regular admission for whom English is a second or other language must also meet one of the following minimum language proficiency requirements: TOEFL IBT 100, IELTS 7.5, or PTE-A 68. To be considered for conditional admission, those for whom English is a second or other language must present a score of TOEFL IBT 80, IELTS 6.5, or PTE-A 53.

All applicants must also present a satisfactory writing sample of 5-8 pages that demonstrates their preparation for advanced study in English.

Upon petition of the student seeking admission, reasonable exceptions to these requirements may be made for sufficient cause.