The Department of English offers four areas for the master's degree:

• MA English in Literature and Writing
  
• MA English for Teachers
• MA TESL (Teaching English as a Second Language)
• MA Comparative Literature

The master's program offers a broad range of courses and allows intensive study of special interests through electives. Students benefit from small classes and close interaction with faculty.

Applicants are usually expected to have a 3.00 GPA in at least 16 hours of undergraduate work in English or related subjects beyond the freshman level. Applicants are required to present transcripts of previous degree work, GRE scores (General test only) or comparable evidence of aptitude for graduate study (e.g., successful post-baccalaureate academic work, appropriate publications, conference presentations), three letters of recommendation, and a brief (1-2 page) statement of purpose.

The Department of English offers two doctoral degrees:

• PhD in Rhetoric and Composition
• PhD in English

The Department has particular strengths in composition and rhetoric, psychoanalysis and literature, and 19th- and 20th-century British and American Literature.