Master's in Literature
The English Department's Master's in Literature program is flexible in its requirements, allowing students considerable freedom in choosing courses in English and in related disciplines. However, this program appeals to a select audience, including students who may not have earned a Bachelor's degree in English Literature but who want to increase their knowledge of the literary canon and critical theory. Running in tandem with the PhD program, admissions standards for the Master's program's are exceptionally high, while it's important to note that there is no financial aid available for students in our MA in Literature program. As a result, the program matriculates a small cohort each year. Graduates of the Master's program have gone on to pursue careers in secondary teaching and publishing; they have also entered PhD programs at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the University of Southern California, the Miami University in Ohio, among others.
Because an MA is not a prerequisite for admission into our PhD program, students accepted into our Master's program who are interested in pursuing doctoral work must apply separately to the PhD program and compete with its annual pool of applicants. Subsequent admission into the PhD program is for these students more the exception here than the norm.