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The most important reason for choosing to pursue graduate study in English is because you are fascinated by or passionate about a specialized area of study within English language, literature, creative writing, critical theory, cultural or textual studies, etc., that you'd like to explore in an academic setting where you can participate in the academic discourse within a community of scholars, under the guidance of faculty mentors, and be trained to engage in scholarly research.
MA/PhD in English: If an institution offers both an MA and a PhD in English, the MA program is often not designed as a terminal master's program, though students who are accepted to the MA/PhD program but decide not to complete the PhD can often earn an MA by fulfilling specific requirements. Some schools do offer a terminal MA program: these are typically schools which do not offer a PhD program, or are offering a specialized terminal master's (such as an MFA, an MATESOL, etc.). You should investigate each program carefully, bearing in mind that, in general, if a school offers an MA/PhD program in English language/literature, those who apply for an MA only will not be competitive applicants.
An MA typically takes two years or longer to complete on a full-time basis. A PhD typically takes an additional three to five years (beyond the master's level) to complete on a full-time basis (i.e., those who enter an MA/PhD program after earning their bachelor's degrees typically complete the program in five to eight years). Most schools have specific course requirements along with essay/thesis/dissertation requirements and (for some MA and for PhD candidates) exams. Most graduate programs also have foreign language requirements, which vary from school to school. Graduate study is built on mentorship; graduate students locate faculty mentors with compatible scholarly interests (usually in a committee format) and work under their supervision.
MA/PhD programs in English prepare students for scholarly pursuits and college-level teaching. Those who've earned an MA/PhD are qualified to teach at the college level, though this field is extremely competitive as there are far more qualified candidates than there are jobs. Those with a PhD will obviously have an advantage over those with an MA only. In recent years, many graduates from MA/PhD programs have had to seek careers outside academia.
For some information about non academic careers for those with advanced degrees
in the
humanities, visit the Chronicle of Higher Education site "Beyond
the Ivory Tower
." There is also a good
article on the subject, "A
Little Advice from 32,000 Graduate Students," which comes from the Jan 14,
2002, issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education. You can also consult
the 2000 National Doctoral
Program
Survey, which includes information on student satisfaction with English and
American Literature Programs rated in a number of categories by recent PhD students.
You can subscribe to WRK4US,
an open international discussion group devoted to nonacademic career options
for people with graduate degrees in the humanities. Consult, as well, the UW
site, Re-envisioning
the
PhD, which includes a discussion of career pathways.
MATESOL: The MATESOL is typically a terminal master's program in teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. A MATESOL degree typically takes two years to complete and usually involves specific course work in TESOL, linguistics, English composition and rhetoric, etc., along with a practicum (supervised teaching experience) and foreign language proficiency.
MATESOL programs prepare students to teach English to speakers of other languages at the secondary* or college level and to pursue scholarly research in TESOL.
*Note that those who wish to teach ESL in a K-12 public
school format must also be certificated as teachers. If you are not a certificated
teacher already, click here for information about UW's College of Education
Teacher Education Program.
MFA: The Master in Fine Arts in English is a terminal master's program in Creative Writing (usually in either fiction or verse, sometimes in creative non fiction or other genres). A Creative Writing MFA or MA degree typically takes two years to complete and usually involves graduate writing workshops, courses in English literature and critical theory, a creative thesis, and (often) a critical essay. Foreign language proficiency is often required as well.
MFA/MA Creative Writing programs train writers and assist them in developing their craft, and their primary mission is to offer a curriculum through which students can devote a couple of years to an intensive, mentored writing experience. Although it is possible for those holding an MFA to teach creative writing at the college level, these jobs are extremely competitive, and hiring decisions are typically based on the candidate's body of published work as opposed to his or her academic background. While some who've earned an MFA may be qualified to teach composition or literature at the college level, this field is extremely competitive as there are far more qualified candidates than there are jobs. Those with a PhD will obviously have an advantage over those with an MFA/MA only.
.... Read on for How Can I Decide if Graduate Study is the Right Choice?
