The Master of Arts Program in English at Virginia Tech is a general master's degree in the study of literature and language. Students explore their own interests in British and American literature through a variety of courses. Some classes are shared with the Masters of Fine Arts students in our Creative Writing program. Some classes are shared with doctoral students in our Rhetoric and Writing program.
Students will develop core competencies in

• British, American, and World Literatures
• the analysis of texts
• the writing and development of arguments
• defining a problem and/or creating a research question
• the processes of academic research

The interdisciplinary nature of English studies enables students to also take classes in other programs such Women's and Gender Studies, Science & Technology Studies, Africana Studies, and History. This cross-disciplinary focus provides students with exposure to various dimensions of English studies. Students then apply that exposure and pursue independent research either as a thesis or capstone project. Students work in a close relationship with our award-winning faculty to develop their thesis or capstone projects toward their unique career and academic goals.

Since our program builds core competencies in critical reading, writing, research, and analysis that can be applied in a variety of ways beyond the MA degree, our graduates typically move into a variety of fields including business, law, technology, marketing, design, teaching, and technical writing. More recently, our students move in one of three directions upon completion of their degree: enrollment in a PhD program in literature or writing; high school- or instructor-level teaching; writing or document-related jobs in technical writing. The interdisciplinary nature of English studies allows students to strengthen these core English competencies while developing and shaping a curriculum that speaks to students' individual interests and career goals.