Online English M.A. Curriculum & Degree Requirements

About the Curriculum

The Master of Arts in English curriculum has been structured to provide secondary teachers with the opportunity to gain depth in literature and writing.

The program coursework spans literary history and analysis, composition and rhetoric, and creative writing.

Finish in 16 Months

Each course is only seven weeks long. Students can focus on a single course every seven weeks and complete the program in four semesters (16 months). Or if a student's personal schedule dictates, he or she may choose to take only one course each semester, finishing the program in three years.

Degree Requirements

This degree requires eight courses, for a total of 32 credits.

All students begin with ENG 5950 Introduction to English Studies and finish with ENG 6930 Culminating Master's Essay.

Additional courses may be offered in the following categories.

Introductory Course

ENG 5950 Introduction to English Studies

Literature before 1640

ENG 5090 Medieval English Literature
ENG 5320 Renaissance Drama excluding Shakespeare

British or American Literature from 1640-1830

ENG 5230 Literature of the Romantic Period
ENG 7300 American Literature 1776-1865

British or American Literature from 1830-present

ENG 5260 19th Century Prose
ENG 5330 American Literature 1865-1918

Multi-Ethnic/Cross Cultural Literature

ENG 7800 Multi-Ethnic/Cross Cultural Literature

Rhetoric & Composition

ENG 5900 Digital Literacies
ENG 5990 Major Rhetorical Theories and Teaching of Composition

Creative Writing

ENG 7000 Creative Writing Workshop

Culminating Master's Essay

ENG 6930 Culminating Master's Essay

Upon completion of the first seven courses, students complete a scholarly master's essay (ENG 6930) of publishable quality and length, written as an extension of work done across the coursework, but researched and reshaped to meet professional standards of scholarly publications. Students are encouraged to link their research with classroom applications in grades 7-12 teaching.

Previously Earned Credit

Up to eight semester hours (12 quarter hours) of previously earned credit may be accepted into the program upon review and approval by the program director. Applicants must be formally admitted into the program in order for previously earned credit to be reviewed. In order to be considered, each course must have been taken within the past five years and have an earned grade of "B" or better. Requests will be considered on merit in a case-by-case basis.