The Master of Arts degree in English is designed for students who wish to expand their repertoire of literary, rhetorical, and pedagogical knowledge, often in preparation for careers in teaching, editing, or public service.
Close faculty-student mentoring relationships and small class sizes allow our graduate students to develop their critical, creative, and professional skills to an extent many larger programs cannot match.
Graduate Program Director:
Dr. Dustin Hoffman
hoffmandm@winthrop.edu
803/323-2545
GA Positions
Students have the opportunity to work in their departments and around campus as graduate assistants.
Quality Program
Each member of the graduate faculty holds a Ph.D. and is an active scholar in his or her field. The department also includes widely-published fiction writers and poets.
Travel Support
Travel support is available for graduate student presentations or performances.
Immediately upon entering the M.A. in English program, the student should develop—with the assigned advisor—an individual course of study that meets the requirements for the degree and the student's objectives.
Time to completion: 2 years
Total Credits: 33
Format: Campus-Based
Students are introduced to rhetorical theories that enhance their critical thinking and communication skills, preparing them for the ever-changing media landscape and training them to be critically engaged citizens.
Time to completion: 1.5 years
Total Credits: 30
Format: Campus-Based
This option is intended for well-qualified students in the Winthrop B.A. in English program who will complete up to 9 hours of the work for the M.A. in English degree program while enrolled in the undergraduate degree program.
Time to completion: 1.5 years
Total Credits: 30
Format: Campus-Based
Eligibility: Current Winthrop students in the B.A. in English program only
No deadline—rolling admission
Note: All admission materials must be received by the Graduate School office before an application will be reviewed.
Application requirements for the Master of Arts in English (all concentrations) program include:
The online Graduate School application with the non-refundable application fee.
Official transcript(s) from all institutions attended for undergraduate and graduate coursework. Transcripts must be sent directly to Winthrop's Graduate School office from the issuing institution(s).
Admission to the Master of Arts degree in English requires successful completion of 24 semester hours of approved courses in English, such as a major figures course, a period course, and a course in advanced composition or its equivalent at the undergraduate or graduate level.
Applicants are expected to have a GPA of 3.0 or better in all English courses and an overall GPA of at least 2.8 on a four-point scale.
Submit a writing sample consisting of an original critical paper on a literary or rhetorical/composition subject of at least ten double-spaced typed pages.
Application requirements for the Accelerated B.A. -M.A. Program program include:
Submit Intent to Pursue form (PDF - 550KB) no later than fall of senior year at Winthrop University; consult the Graduate Program Director for the specific date when applications are due.
Submit a writing sample consisting of an original critical paper on a literary or rhetorical/composition subject of at least ten double-spaced typed pages.
Have an overall GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.25 in ENGL, ENGE, and WRIT courses;
Have successfully completed at least two of the following: ENGL 203, 208, 211
Be enrolled in ENGL 300 or have successfully completed it with a grade of B or better
Have successfully completed a foreign language through the 102 level
Be enrolled in or have completed at least one 500-level ENGL course with a grade of B or better.
"My skills as a scholar, writer, student, and just as a person improved vastly, and I really do attribute it to the rigor of the program and the professors. My degree has allowed me to climb to higher positions in my career quicker and has given me the tools I need to take on multiple responsibilities and challenges."
M.A. in English graduates go on to careers in a wide variety of English-related fields or continue to further their education and earn doctorates in English. Here are some directions our students have gone in:
Highly competitive doctoral programs
Careers in secondary education and college teaching
Professional writing
Creative writing
Digital content creation
Editing