Welcome

The Department of English offers two concentrations, one in English Studies and one in Creative Writing, which both lead to the same degree, the Master's degree in English.
Our graduate program is fairly small, enrolling fifteen to twenty new students each year. We deliberately limit the size of our program so that we can offer close working relationships between faculty and graduate students. For this reason, our graduate seminars are limited to twelve students, and two graduate classes per quarter is the normal load. Graduate students work closely with faculty in graduate seminars, through internships, and on academic and literary journals published by the Department. We consider our intellectual environment to be an essential part of our graduate program.

Hallway and office conversations among and between faculty and graduate students, seminars where faculty teach the material they are working on, and various colloquia and readings--all contribute to our stimulating and vibrant community of scholars, teachers, and writers. We schedule an exciting and diverse range of graduate seminars each year, with topics in national and global literatures, creative writing, composition and rhetoric, cultural studies, film, linguistics, literary theory, and pedagogy. Additionally, for those interested in becoming college-level teachers, our program offers in-depth experience and training.

Our program can benefit you if your future plans include:

• Application to an MFA or Ph.D. program;
• Teaching English in a two-year college;
• Returning to a public or private school teaching job with refreshed ideas and knowledge;
• Working as a technical writer;
• Expanding your reading and writing abilities and enriching your experience with literature.

Note: The Office of the English Graduate Studies Program closes during the summer and reopens in early September.