Graduate Home / Explore Graduate Programs / English, MA
English, MA
Degree
Master of Arts in English
Department
At a Glance
Personalize your Master of Arts in English to focus on contemporary literary and theoretical trends in literary studies. You can study abroad, conduct an independent study, write a master’s thesis, and/or earn a certificate in gender studies. A teaching practicum at a local community college also offers invaluable hands-on experience.
Program Coordinator: Jo Carney, carney@tcnj.edu
Duration
- full time: 2 years or less
- part time: 2.5–3 years
Availability
- on campus
Requirement
- comprehensive assessment
10
- courses
30
- credits
$1129.40
- per credit
Who Should Pursue This Program?
If you’ve already earned your bachelor’s degree and are a working professional, this program offers the flexibility you need. While many students are part-time, full-time students can complete the degree in less than two years. You can also earn credit for an independent study, research conducted with a faculty member, and independent research culminating in a master’s thesis.
Careers
Be well-prepared for careers in areas including teaching, business, human resources, writing/editing/publishing, web/social media content, public relations/marketing, librarianship, arts management, the nonprofit world, and government.
Application Requirements
For your application to be considered complete, you must submit the online application as well as all supplemental documents.
Recommended Application Deadlines
We consider applications on a space-available basis. You can apply up to and including the first day of the semester.
Tuition/Aid
We offer the same tuition rates no matter where you live. And there are a range of financial aid and assistantship options for TCNJ graduate students.
Curriculum
The Master of Arts in English at TCNJ offers students an advanced program of study with specialization in literatures in English. The program stresses contemporary literary theories and sound practices in research and writing. Classes are taught in the evenings, allowing people who work full-time to take any of our offerings. (Note: summer courses are offered during the day and evening hours.) A six-year cap on this graduate program track allows students to attend part-time. However, full-time attendance makes it possible to complete the degree in less than two years.
Students are required to take 30 credit hours. Every graduate course offered at TCNJ is 3 credit hours.
There are two required courses in this program:
- ENGL 505 – Contemporary Literary Theory and Methods
- ENGL 550 – Seminar in Poetry
The student must also complete 24 elective credit hours. Of these, at least 18 must be 500—or 600-level English Department courses. Recent elective courses have included Shakespeare, The Modern British Novel, Gay and Lesbian Young Adult Literature, and Seminar in Drama. For additional flexibility, credit is awarded for supervised independent study, research conducted with a faculty member, and independent research culminating in a Master’s Thesis.
A student is allowed to take up to 2 courses outside of the TCNJ English MA program. These courses could be offered from other graduate programs at TCNJ or classes offered at other university graduate programs (with permission granted by the TCNJ English graduate director).
