Composition and Rhetoric

At UMass, students interested in studying composition and rhetoric at the graduate level will find a well established program focused on the study of writing in academic and public spaces, emphasizing the intersections of theory, pedagogy, and literate practice.

People sitting around a table for a meal outside

Learn more about the graduate program in Composition and Rhetoric

Requirements Requirements Faculty Faculty Current Graduate Students Current Graduate Students Program Alumni Program Alumni The Moran-Herrington Fellowship The Moran-Herrington Fellowship Walker Gibson Lecture & Prize Walker Gibson Lecture & Prize Elbow Symposium Elbow Symposium Professional Development Professional Development

Coursework

Graduate students specializing in rhetoric and composition take core courses in composition theory, rhetorical theory, literacy studies, and research methodologies. These core courses are supplemented by a wide array of special topics courses on public discourse, genre theory, race and writing, gender and writing, and writing and emerging technologies, to name just a few.

The English Department's extensive graduate-level course offerings in literary and cultural studies, creative writing, and American Studies allow graduate students further flexibility to define their own course of study and research projects.
 

Funding and Professional Development

Our graduate students work closely with a distinguished composition and rhetoric faculty and enjoy a wide variety of paid teaching and professional development opportunities. This includes opportunities to grow as teachers in our nationally recognized first-year Writing Program, writing-across-the-curriculum program, and computer-equipped writing classrooms.
 

Our Community

Rebecca Dingo and Haivan Hoang smiling into the camera at Rebecca Dingo and Haivan Hoang at the WRAB Conference in Norway

Composition and rhetoric graduate students and faculty form a friendly community, coming together outside of the classroom for a variety of activities, including student-organized writing groups, program potlucks in the spring and fall, and monthly "comp shares."

Comp shares are informal gatherings where students and faculty share their research, receive feedback on writing-in-progress, and discuss professional development topics.
 

Admissions

We welcome applicants at both the MA/PhD and PhD level. Applicants to the PhD concentration in Composition and Rhetoric must have the MA in hand before enrolling in the program; the degree should be in English or a related discipline. The strongest applications will include theoretical or research-oriented study in composition and/or rhetoric, ideally more than one course. Applicants at the MA/PhD level should have earned their bachelor's degree and have enough familiarity with the field of Composition and Rhetoric to thoughtfully claim it as their focus. Read more about how to apply.