Master of Arts in English
A master’s program with an interdisciplinary approach to literature.
The English master’s program boasts a distinguished faculty of scholars and writers committed to research and teaching, a diverse cohort of graduate students, and a rich array of resources in the Five Colleges.
We offer a wide range of graduate courses and encourage interdisciplinary approaches informed by cultural studies and contemporary critical theory. The program’s areas of strength include African American literature; American studies; colonial, postcolonial, and transnational studies; composition and rhetoric, early modern and interdisciplinary Renaissance studies, Native American studies, and popular culture.
The MA program includes the terminal master’s degree for students who do not plan to go on to pursue a PhD and the predoctoral master’s degree. Students in the terminal master’s program complete 10 graduate courses, or eight courses and a master’s thesis. Predoctoral master’s students take 10 courses, including Theorizing the Discipline, two courses in English or American literature pre-1800, two courses in English or American literature pre-1900, and five electives. All master’s students must demonstrate intermediate proficiency in a non-English language.
Benefits list
Terminal Degree
Students in the terminal master’s program complete 10 graduate courses, or eight courses and a master’s thesis—perfect for those who don’t plan to pursue a PhD.
Predoctoral Master’s Degree
For students who plan to pursue their doctoral degree, this track is ideal, offering focused areas of study in American studies, composition and rhetoric, and early modern and Renaissance studies.
English
Develop your capacity for empathy and critical thought in an English program noted for small classes, engaged faculty, and diverse educational opportunities.