Master of Arts in English

The English master’s program offers 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 College community. The MA program includes the terminal master’s degree for students who do not plan to go on to pursue a PhD and the pre-doctoral master’s degree.

Students in the terminal master’s program complete 10 graduate courses, or eight courses (24 credits) and a master’s thesis (6 credits). Pre-doctoral 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.

Students may transfer credit for two graduate-level English courses taken at other schools or at UMass before their formal admission to the graduate English program (courses counted toward a completed degree are not eligible for transfer). While in the MA program at UMass Amherst, students may also take two courses in departments outside of English.