The Department offers three graduate degree programs taught by faculty experts in 14 areas of study

Our MA/PhD program trains students in advanced study and research in English studies. We support graduate students specializing in a number in areas of English, including rhetoric and composition, narrative theory, folklore, U.S. ethnic and postcolonial literature and all historical periods of English literature — from the early medieval era to present day.

Our MFA in Creative Writing program offers admitted students a three-year program that trains students in poetry, fiction and nonfiction prose with the aim of developing each student’s artistic talents and abilities. We offer substantial support to our MFA students in the form of a strong community, dedicated faculty, and full funding. Our MFA faculty and alums have published widely and won numerous national and international awards for their creative work.

The MA in Medical Humanities and Social Sciences is housed within English but draws additional faculty from a range of other departments, including Classics, Communication, French and Italian, History, Psychology, Public Health and Sociology. This innovative, interdisciplinary program provides students in-depth training in studying, writing about, and developing novel insights into cultural discourses about illness, wellness, doctor-patient relationships among other practices of contemporary medicine.

We also offer an English Graduate Minor and Interdisciplinary Specializations. All of our programs benefit from our large, diverse community of faculty and students who demonstrate their excellence through their strong records of research, creative publication, and job placements in academic and nonacademic organizations.