Master of Arts in English
The M.A. in English places its students and their academic and professional goals at the center.
We offer a flexible, innovative, and rigorous program focusing on advanced content knowledge, professional preparation, and individual support.
For more information, please contact english@westga.edu.
For admission to our program, see UWG Graduate Studies.
See this page for Admission Requirements
We offer students several focus areas, providing opportunities for academic as well as professional specialization and preparation.
- Literature, Theory, and Film
- Pedagogy and Teaching
- Creative Writing
- Professional Writing and Editing
A focus area consists of several content courses, directed studies, teaching options, internships, specialist exam areas, and a thesis or capstone project developed in collaboration with a faculty member. Students individually craft their focus area in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and professors in the field of their specialization. Academic tracks include the thesis, non-thesis, and capstone options.
Courses
Graduate courses are taught in an intimate setting by full-time graduate faculty. We offer evening classes as well as some online partial distance courses to accommodate students' personal and work obligations.
Students have the opportunity to apply for assistantships, which provide professional training, a partial tuition waiver and a modest monthly stipend. Assistantships are competitive and will be awarded based on available projects and applicants' individual qualifications. Assistantships in the English program are generally the following:
- research assistantships, which pair graduate students with faculty working on specific research projects,
- administrative assistantships, which train students in various administrative aspects of higher education, or
- teaching assistantships, which allow graduate students to gain pedagogical skills.
Contact english@westsga.edu for more information on applying for an assistantship.
The greatest strength of our program are the close individual relationships our students build with their professors. Our faculty all hold doctorates from nationally and internationally acclaimed institutions. Faculty specializations include:
- American and British Literature
- Pedagogy and Young American Literature
- Creative Writing
- Gender and Sexuality Studies
- Film Media, and Digital Humanities
- Composition and Rhetoric
- Africana and Minority Studies
All faculty are leading experts in their fields, publish extensively, and have won prestigious awards such as Guggenheim and NEH fellowships.
Our Graduates
Graduates of our program teach in secondary schools, technical schools, and colleges. Many have received PhDs and MFAs at prestigious research universities and now hold tenure track jobs in higher education. Others have pursued careers in the fields of professional writing, public administration, media and journalism, library and information services, and public relations.
Professionalization
We work closely with students to pursue professional opportunities in academia such as conference presentations and publications. We assist in arranging internships to complement academic training. Faculty also advise students to identify job opportunities and to apply PhD/MFA programs.
Alumni Voices
My experience as a graduate students has been worthwhile, rigorous, and enlightening. My appreciation for literature has not only broadened, but I have located in African American literature a specific area of scholarship in which I plan to specialize. It is because of professors in this wonderful program the my live has been enriched and will continue to be enriched. I am proud that I chose the University of West Georgia's M.A. program in English. --Jimmy Worthy, Ph.D. program in English, Emory University
My focus was creating writing and poetry. The creative writing program is truly unique and so many of the department's student writings have moved forward to succeed at so many conferences, writing seminars, graduate school, national workshops, Fulbright positions, and so many have publications in renowned publications across the country. --Trista Edwards, Ph.D. program in Poetry, University of North Texas
UWG's graduate classes are scheduled to meet the needs of working teachers, their curriculum includes commonly taught books and authors, and their professors are approachable, engaging, and are leaders in their fields. As an added bonus, the program is very affordable. I would recommend West Georgia's Masters in English program to any English teacher looking for an advanced degree and/or looking to increase his or her content knowledge in literature. --Micki Byrnes, AP English Teacher at East Coweta High School
The M.A. in English prepares students for a variety of career goals and academic opportunities, including
- Certification upgrades for secondary school teachers seeking advanced content knowledge and pedagogy
- Teaching in collegiate settings, independent schools, and abroad
- Doctoral programs in English, Creative Writing, Rhetoric and Composition, Media Studies
- Professional writing and editing
- Non-profit and university administration
- Media and public relations
Our program and department offer a range of social, extra-curricular, and community-building opportunities:
- Creative Writing readings
- Scholarly lectures
- Film screenings
- Colloquia on professionalization
- English graduate student organization
- Community service projects
- Social events