Meet Our Students
M.A. students hail from a wide range of backgrounds and conduct scholarly work on diverse genres, authors, and periods.
Master of Arts Program
The M.A. in English is a standalone, two-year program that provides a challenging and wide-ranging intellectual experience rooted in the richness of literary study.
Overview
M.A. students have access to a full range of courses across genres and historical periods, from medieval poetry to the contemporary American novel, as well as seminars in a variety of theoretical approaches including performance and post-colonial studies. The program encourages interdisciplinary study in American Studies and Irish Studies, and our faculty regularly introduce new courses, drawing on their research interests in areas such as visual culture, literary non-fiction, and digital humanities.
The English MA program at Boston College provides students a challenging intellectual experience that maintains a core focus on exploring the richness of literary study. It also offers plentiful opportunities to acquire skills applicable to a wide range of academic and professional settings. Through their course of study, candidates should be able to:
- read texts closely;
- write more capably;
- demonstrate familiarity with varied and current theoretical approaches;
- gain more knowledge about advanced research practices;
- attain a thorough understanding of historical periodization.
The English MA program is explicitly designed to be a two-year standalone degree program. In the second year, selected applicants have the opportunity to design and teach their own college writing course both semesters, for which they receive training, faculty mentoring, and ongoing support and instruction. Students also have the opportunity to work with accomplished faculty in literature courses, gaining hands-on experience teaching literature, administering complex assignments, and designing specific lessons.
M.A. Opportunities
This M.A. concentration allows you to design an interdisciplinary course of study drawing from literature, Irish language, history, women's studies, American studies, fine arts, music, and cultural studies.
The M.A. program is committed to teacher training. We offer opportunities for the study of pedagogy, practical instruction in course design, and hands-on teaching experience.
The American Studies program connects scholars pursuing the interdisciplinary study of American culture from several departments, including English, History, Art History, Psychology, and Communications.
Additional Programs
Boston College also offers an acceleratedÌýB.A./M.A. programÌýthatÌýenables qualified undergraduates to earn a B.A. in English and an M.A. in English in five years.
Students in Ï㽶Ðã's Lynch School of Education and Human Development who are interested in teaching English at the secondary level can apply to earn an Master's of Arts in Teaching (M.A.T.)Ìýin English, in collaboration with the English Department.
By the Numbers
2
years
10
courses
50+
full-time faculty
M.A. Graduates
Ìý
Wellesley High School
English Teacher
University of California Riverside
Ph.D. Candidate
Hendrickson Publishers
Associate EditorÌý
Greenleaf Health
Researcher
Wakefield High School
English Teacher
University of Connecticut
Ph.D. CandidateÌý
Lesley University
Adjunct Professor of HumanitiesÌý
Boston University
Ph.D. CandidateÌý
United States Military Academy at West Point
Visiting Assistant Professor
