Why Earn a Master’s Degree in English?
The Department of English offers a Master of Arts degree with two study options, each requiring 33 credits. Both concentrations require courses in research, theory, and literature, as well as courses outside the area of concentration. Moreover, both programs require the culminating experience of a master's paper, creative project, or thesis.
Programs Designed for Your Career Goals
The Master of Arts in English with a Concentration in Literature (British and American) prepares students for further graduate work in British and American literature or related areas. It also serves those preparing to teach at the high school or college level.
The Master of Arts in English with a Concentration in Writing is designed for students planning further graduate work in creative writing, rhetoric/composition, or related areas; for those preparing to teach at the high school or college level; and for those planning to practice writing or editing in other professions. For the culminating experience, creative writing students produce a lengthy project—for instance, a novel or a collection of stories or poems.
Assistantships and Scholarships
The English Department supports graduate students with assistantships that provide a stipend and tuition waiver. Each teaching assistant shares an office in the Department with one other teaching assistant. Teaching assistants teach one composition course each semester and work ten hours a week in the University’s Writing Center. In addition, graduate scholarships, with waivers of most fees, are available. Other financial aid is available through the Office of Student Financial Aid.
Faculty Excellence and Service
The English Department has long been recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and service. Recent awards include the Caleb Mills Distinguished Teaching Award; the Theodore Dreiser Distinguished Research and Creativity Award; the Faculty Distinguished Service Award; and the President’s Medal, the University's highest award for faculty.
As a graduate student, you will benefit from small classes taught by faculty with diverse specialties, including British and American literature, rhetoric, and creative writing. Most hold doctoral degrees, and many publish books and articles, conduct research, edit journals, and speak at national and international meetings within their specializations.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
The English Department recognizes the need to promote a spirit of camaraderie. Thus, as a graduate student, you will be invited to department activities, including lunches, dinners, and receptions for guest speakers.
The Department sponsors a variety of activities including the Joseph S. Schick Lecture Series, a showcase of distinguished scholars from around the world who present formal lectures on British or American literature and language before 1900; the Bash Lectures in Modern American Literature Series, which focuses on contemporary American writers; and the Theodore Dreiser Visiting Writer Series, which brings writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction to campus for readings of their work and for informal visits with students.
Cunningham Memorial Library
Cunningham Memorial Library provides access to more than one million volumes and includes excellent holdings in English studies. Among the special collections, the internationally known Cordell Collection of Rare Books and Early Dictionaries contains more than 5,000 titles representing the evolution of Western dictionaries from 1400 to 1900. Recently the Cunningham Memorial Library received the Floyd Collection of more than 2,500 English composition textbooks covering more than 100 years and providing an exceptional resource for anyone interested in the history of instruction in rhetoric/composition.
What You’ll Learn in the English Program
As a graduate student in English, your studies will include courses in research, theory, and literature plus a concentration in literature or writing. In addition, you will complete a culminating experience, which can be a master's paper, creative project, or thesis.
Career Possibilities in English
Indiana State’s English MA provides excellent preparation for writing or editing professions, for those preparing to teach at the high school or college level, and for those planning further graduate study. Many of our graduates pursue PhD and MFA programs in top-caliber programs. Others teach at community colleges and high schools.
In addition, our graduates obtain professional positions as technical writers, publication editors, and university administrators.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects growth in a variety of career fields, including technical writing (6%), advertising, promotions, and marketing (10%), management (8%), post-secondary teaching (12%), writing for various types of media (4%), and web content development (23%), from 2021 to 2031.
Admission Requirements and Application Instructions
Applicants to the English MA program must meet the following minimum requirements; however, meeting the minimum requirements is not a guarantee of admission to the program.
Admission Requirements
Applicants must hold a baccalaureate degree granted by a regionally accredited institution (for international students, a degree granted by a recognized institution) with an undergraduate major or minor in English or a strong background in undergraduate studies in English.
Those lacking an appropriate major or minor should consult the Director of Graduate Studies in English concerning departmental admission criteria.
Applicants must have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.7 in all undergraduate coursework; or have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in the last 60 hours of undergraduate coursework; or have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in the applicant’s major field of study; or have earned a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in all courses taken at the graduate level.
Conditional admission to the master’s program may be granted to applicants on the basis of grades in language and literature courses, undergraduate grade point averages, GRE verbal and advanced literature scores, faculty letters of recommendation, and writing samples.
Enrollment is accepted only for the Fall semester. To be assured of consideration for fall admission, all materials must be submitted by February 15. Financial aid applications must also be made by February 15.
Application Instructions
Returning ISU students must apply for re-admission if they have not attended Indiana State University for more than two calendar years.
How to Apply
Complete the online application for admission to Indiana State University at apply.airllevant.com/apply/
Submit a nonrefundable application fee of $45.00 (or $65.00 for international students) payable by Visa, MasterCard, or check or money order to Indiana State University. Submit payment to: Indiana State University, Graduate Admissions, Welcome Center, 318 North Sixth Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809.
Submit official transcripts for all undergraduate coursework at the time of your application. (For international students, upload unofficial transcripts from all previously attended institutions. Official transcripts are required if an admission is received.)
To be official, transcripts must be sent directly from the college attended to: Graduate Admissions, Indiana State University, Welcome Center, 318 North Sixth Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809. E-transcripts should be sent to admissions@airllevant.com. (Students who have previously attended Indiana State University do not need to have their transcripts sent to Graduate Admissions. We already have access to transcripts from Indiana State.)
International students must meet the University requirements for English proficiency. In order to be considered for admission, applicants must have the official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score report or equivalent evidence of language proficiency sent directly from the testing center to: Indiana State University, Graduate Admissions, Welcome Center, 318 North Sixth Street, Terre Haute, IN, 47809.
See additional information about applying as an international student.
Enrollment is accepted only for the Fall semester. To be assured of consideration for fall admission, all materials must be submitted by February 15. Financial aid applications must also be made by February 15.
Next Steps
Once admitted, students receive notification from the University as well as their University ID number needed to activate their University Username on the MyISU Portal. The Portal offers access to online registration, University records, and other important University services, including e-mail, and University announcements.
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History (MA)
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