The English Department offers five MA degrees, including a master's in teaching.
The Master of Arts in English, with Emphasis in English and American Literature, is an excellent program for students interested in advanced study in literature and culture. Graduates complete the degree well positioned for admission to doctoral programs as well as for careers in fields including teaching, higher education administration, grant writing, and publishing..
The Master of Arts in Composition and Rhetoric is well suited for students looking for a program that will strengthen their writing and research skills. Graduates with this MA degree have found satisfying careers as teachers or writing center administrators in community colleges, as grant writers or technical writers, as editors or corporate communication managers in business and industry, and as communication specialists in or consultants for government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
The Master of Arts program in speech communication and rhetoric offers students an opportunity to undertake inquiry in the areas of rhetorical theory, textual interpretation and criticism, argumentation, critical social theory, visual, performance and cultural studies, and the philosophy of rhetoric. Throughout its curriculum, the program places particular emphasis on how the close reading of rhetorical practice yields theoretical insight and the ways in which rhetorical theory supports the capacity of speech to invent the terms of everyday life, energize public debate, and foster new forms of political and social engagement.
This is a joint degree. Prospective students must apply independently to the Department of English and to the School of Library and Information Science.