Welcome to American University's MA program in literature, a vital and exciting program that brings together dedicated teacher-scholars and a varied group of students. This program appeals to:
- recent college graduates and returning students planning to pursue doctoral studies in English or comparative literature
- recent college graduates or returning students interested in pursuing careers as teachers, editors and writers
- career professionals exploring the possibility of a career change
- current teachers seeking to update their credentials and develop their skills
- individuals seeking a broad background in literature for personal fulfillment and/or professional enhancement
Program Overview
The program for the MA degree in literature at American University offers students challenging courses in a wide variety of areas, taught by outstanding scholars who are deeply engaged in their fields of intellectual inquiry. Because our department also offers an MFA in Creative Writing, students in the master’s degree program also have the opportunity to study with distinguished creative writers. In graduate seminars and other courses with unique—often interdisciplinary—topics, students develop intellectual confidence and strengthen their skills in critical reading and analytical writing. Courses, supplemented by our Graduate Speaker Series, focus not only on traditional periods and national literatures but on African, African American, and Asian American literatures; Latin American and other literatures in translation; literary theory; feminist theory; and cinema.
Special Features
The size of our program—approximately thirty students—promotes a true community of faculty and students, with frequent opportunities for students to work closely with individual professors both inside and outside the classroom. The program offers students the unique opportunity to customize their program of study through concentration in one of four specialty tracks: teaching, pre-doctoral, interdisciplinary, or generalist. Two scholarly research opportunities—a mentored scholarly essay or a master’s thesis—enable students to work one-on-one with a professor in their chosen area of concentration while developing experience in scholarly research or sustained argument and interpretation. Students may arrange internships with a variety of organizations that focus on the arts, journalism, and other areas that complement the study of literature. A required comprehensive exam provides intellectual focus and the expectation that students achieve both depth and breadth in their study of literature.
Location
American University’s 84-acre campus, located in a quiet residential neighborhood of Washington, D.C., offers a sequestered pedestrian campus—a designated national arboretum—with easy access by university shuttle and public transportation to the full resources of a lively metropolitan area, the capital of the United States.
Through their course of study and related opportunities, students leave the Master of Arts program in literature prepared for a wide range of professional paths, including doctoral study and careers in education.
