Master of Arts in English Literature

Career Opportunities

Earning the M.A. in English has many benefits. It can serve as solid training for a career in teaching literature at the secondary level and as a strong foundation for the Ph.D. in English. But, in truth, pursuing an M.A. in English—and pursuing literary studies in general—can help you to cultivate talents and strengths that are useful for just about any career, trade, vocation, or calling. To be able to read texts both carefully and creatively, to think through ideas with clarity and insight, to write incisively and cogently, and to advance arguments that compel your reader's interest—these are skills that are applicable in just about any walk of life, including publishing and government, public service and human resources, law school, digital marketing, or international business. In fact, these days, even medical schools are placing a premium on literary studies and on the sensitivities to language, narrative, and the varieties of human experience that a program like ours seeks to cultivate.

Our emphasis on rigorous analysis, scholarship, and lucid writing as well as library and online research prepares students for a range of careers and for continued advanced study in English. Program graduates have applied the M.A. toward:

• Careers in writing and editing
• Teaching (with further course work in education)
• Careers in public relations
• Opportunities in publishing
• Pursuit of a doctoral degree in English