Students concentrating on creative writing have the opportunity to study with renowned writing faculty in three genres (fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction). The coursework is conducted in small seminars combining workshop and academic approaches. Outside of the classroom, students have the opportunity to work on the department's literary journals and to interact with visiting writers.
English M.A.
English M.A.
The M.A. degree in English can serve either as preparation for a Ph.D. and a career in English studies or as an extension of education in the liberal arts beyond the bachelor’s degree.
We believe that all students should have a thorough grounding in the basic elements of literary study; thus all students must satisfy a common set of core requirements.
We also believe that students should have the opportunity to give their studies a particular emphasis, and thus we offer a choice of three departmental concentrations. These concentrations, Creative Writing, Literary History, and Rhetoric and Composition, are carefully selected groups of courses that give each student’s program of study a distinctive focus. This is a full-time program: completion generally requires two years.
Small by design, our graduate program offers a comprehensive curriculum, an award-winning faculty and the intimacy of small classes. Students in the Creative Writing M.A. program enjoy:
- Graduate stipends, up to $15,000 per year, with opportunities to teach a wide range of courses, including creative writing workshops
- Generous graduate student travel funding
- Editorial fellowships on New µÛÍõ»áËù Review, Quarter after Eight, and Brevity
- Opportunities to interact with distinguished visiting writers
Pursue What Interests You
English M.A. students can concentrate in one of three areas.
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Literary History
Students concentrating on literature history have the opportunity to study a diverse array of literary periods, national literatures, and genres. The coursework is conducted in small seminars, ensuring a high level of interaction between graduate students and faculty.
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Rhetoric & Composition
Students concentrating on rhetoric and composition explore rhetoric and composition theory, history, and research, and the ways these relate to the teaching of writing. Because most of our students are also teaching assistants, this theoretical, historical, and pedagogical coursework is supplemented by practical teaching experiences and administrative opportunities.
Careers with a Master's Degree in English
English Teaching & Graduate Assistantships
Graduate candidates who receive Teaching Assistantships benefit from professional development opportunities to teach courses such as First Year Writing and Rhetoric, Introduction to Literature, Critical Approaches to Poetry, Critical Approaches to Fiction, Critical Approaches to Drama, Advanced Composition, and Technical Writing.
Graduate Assistantships also are available for positions such as Writing Tutor and editorial positions with the department's literary journals.
Degree Requirements
Graduate Handbook for English Students
English Foreign Language Requirements
Culminating Experience
Students either complete an M.A. Essay or an M.A. Thesis. Students in the Creative Writing concentration must complete a thesis (a portfolio of their creative work with a critical introduction), while students in the other concentrations may choose either to complete a thesis (at least 50 pages of scholarly or critical writing) or a publishable essay (at least 25 pages of scholarly or critical writing modeled on the academic journal article).
Related Programs
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English Ph.D. – Literary HistoryDoctoral students in Literature aspire to a comprehensive knowledge of a literary period, genre, or movement through a systematic historical, theoretical, and critical course of study.
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English Ph.D. – Rhetoric and CompositionDoctoral students in Rhetoric and Composition study the history and tradition of the discipline from classical rhetoric through contemporary theories of writing.
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English Ph.D. – Creative WritingDaffodils drape a hill beside a rain-drenched sidewalk on OHIO's campus.µÛÍõ»áËù is home to a thriving, widely respected graduate program in creative writing, with concentrations in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.