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Online Master's Degree MA in English

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Register By: April 4 Classes Start: April 6

Turn Your Love of Literature into a Professional Asset with a Master's in English Online

If you love literature and enjoy analyzing literary works, Southern New Hampshire University's Master of Arts in English online will enrich your knowledge and expand your critical analysis and communication skills. You'll explore the great works of English and American literature, and you'll be able to customize the program to best suit your interests. 

Upon completion of your Master of Arts in English, you'll have myriad career options. You can pursue a doctoral degree in literature, teach at the community college or secondary levels, earn a professional degree in law or business, or work in publishing or public relations, just to name a few.

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See Yourself Succeed with an MA in English

Your MA in English will provide a strong, in-depth foundation in British and American literary works, after which you can tailor the program to your interests. Traditional and nontraditional course topics in the master’s in English online range from Shakespeare, Victorian literature and the Renaissance to Romantic literature, American modernism, and gender and multi-ethnic studies.

As a private, nonprofit university, SNHU has one mission – to help you see yourself succeed. The benefits of earning your MA in English online at SNHU include:

  • Affordability. Take advantage of some of the most affordable tuition rates in the nation
  • Convenience. Attend class when it’s convenient for you – online education means 24/7 access
  • Efficiency and flexibility. Complete your graduate degree in as few as 15 months, with two courses per 10-week term
  • Expert instruction. Learn from instructors with relevant, real-world experience
  • Minimal requirements. No GMAT or GRE required for admission
  • Networking. Tap into our nationwide network of alumni for internship and career opportunities
  • Student support. Count on the ongoing support of dedicated academic and career advisors specialized in your area of study

Admission Requirements

Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year for our 5 graduate terms. You can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials. To apply, simply contact an admission counselor, who can help you explore financial options. Your counselor can also walk you through the application process, which involves completing a graduate application ($40 fee) and providing undergraduate transcripts.

Candidates must also submit a personal statement. Students with an undergraduate GPA below 2.75 are eligible for provisional acceptance. Based on your educational background, some Master of Arts provisional students may be required to take SNHU 501 – Introduction to Graduate Studies – which will provide students with the scholarly tools to be successful in their Master of Arts program of study.

Career Outlook

A master's in English online opens up many career possibilities, including writing and teaching. You can pursue a doctoral degree in literature, teach at the community college level, or work in publishing or public relations, just to name a few. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts 8% growth in demand for writers and authors through 2026.*

Curriculum

The MA in English curriculum is designed to strengthen your skills in the critical analysis of literature and provide a broad understanding of literary traditions. Our courses are taught by accomplished instructors who are dedicated to your success.

View Full Curriculum in the Catalog

MA in English

Courses May Include

ENG 550 Graduate Studies in English Language
This course is an introduction to the following topics in English linguistics: history of English, etymology, vocabulary 'morphology', phonology, dictionaries, syntax, semantics, dialects, discourse analysis, and child language acquisition. The course is designed for students who want to learn about the English language as preparation for teaching, or becoming better writers, or for studying literature. Students will have the opportunity to research, write about, and present on a linguistic topic of individual interest, such as the language of advertising or propaganda.
ENG 555 Composition Theory & Teaching of Writing
Students in this course will study key histories, theories, and technologies on which we ground composition pedagogies. They will research, discuss, and write about how theoretical concepts impact the teaching of writing; they will reflect on, develop, and share their own pedagogical practices.
LIT 500 Graduate Studies in Literary Theory
This course is an introduction to the major schools of contemporary literary theory, and an examination of principal exponents of these theories. The student will become familiar with the most important features of psychoanalytic criticism, Marxism and feminism and examine the meaning of structuralism and post-structuralism. In addition, the course affords an opportunity to practice applying the theories to specific literary texts.
LIT 502 Topics in American Literature
This course traces the development of American literature from the nation's founding to the late Twentieth Century. Readings may include classics by Bradford, Bradstreet, Wheatly, Crevecoeur, Emerson, Thoreau, Dickinson, Hawthorne, Whitman, Melville, Douglass, James, Crane, Chopin, Gilman, Fitzgerald, Faulkner, Hurston, O'Connor, Pynchon, Major, Morrison, Cisneros, and Alexie among others. Different authors are highlighted in each term, and all readings are situated within specific historical, cultural, philosophical, political, and literary contexts.
LIT 503 Topics in British Literature
This course examines major prose and poetry of English writers from the Anglo-Saxon period to the late Twentieth Century. Readings may include classics by Chaucer, Spencer, Milton, Shakespeare, Wollstonecraft, Wordsworth, Keats, Shelley, Tennyson, Eliot, Bronte, Browning, Hardy, Woolf, Barnes, Barry, and Mieville among others. Different authors are highlighted in each term, and all readings are situated within specific historical, cultural, philosophical, political, and literary contexts.
LIT 652 Graduate Seminar in Global Literature
This course uses a thematic approach to the works from many literary traditions outside British and American. Specific selections and authors vary each term according to the theme. This is an upper-level course involving close reading, analysis and writing in seminar format.
LIT 690 Master of Arts in English Capstone
Students register for this course in their final term, as a culmination of their work in the program. They satisfy the requirement by completing a thesis, submitting a portfolio of their literary-critical writing along with a retrospective evaluative essay, or passing an examination on English and American Literature.

Total Credits: 36

Program Outcomes

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates for SNHU's online degree programs are among the lowest in the nation. We offer a 25% tuition discount for U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty.

Online Graduate Programs Per Course* Per Credit Hour*
Degree/Certificates $1,881 $627
Degree/Certificates
(U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty) 		$1,410 $470

*Tuition Rates are subject to change and are reviewed Annually.

Additional Costs:
$40 Application Fee, $150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)

University Accreditation

Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) as well as several other accrediting bodies.

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*Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the Internet, at https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/home.htm (viewed online December 13, 2017). Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.