Department of English
Director of Graduate Studies: Professor Ricardo Ortiz
Academic Coordinator: Allison M. Dunlap
Welcome to the Master of Arts Program in English and American Literature at Georgetown University.
For students contemplating a Ph.D., for present or prospective teachers of English in secondary schools, and for people with already established careers in writing and editing, Georgetown's M.A. program in English offers a breadth of choice and a variety of opportunities for specialization. Master's students do not compete for attention or funding with Ph.D. students, and the Department offers a supportive environment for the transition from B.A. to graduate level work, with courses in theory and methodology meant to aid in this transition. The twenty seminars offered each year reflect the faculty's broad interests but also suggest several areas of concentration, including specialties in ethnic and race studies, cultural studies, critical theory, pedagogy and rhetoric, the early modern period, and gender studies. All graduate classes are seminars with an enrollment maximum of 18. Close student-faculty contact is a hallmark of the program.
Our program prides itself on helping students prepare themselves for the Ph.D. We have an excellent placement record: recent graduates have gone on to Ph.D. programs at Oxford University, Yale University, Columbia University, Brown University, Duke University, Princeton University, Cornell University, the University of Chicago, the University of Pennsylvania, New York University, the University of Virginia, the University of Michigan, Northwestern University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and many others.
We also have a strong placement record with local private schools and community colleges. Currently our graduates are in tenure track positions at Montgomery Community College and Prince Georges Community College as well as many others. Local private and public magnet schools have also hired many of our graduates. Thus, we have a strong alumni base that supports current graduates in their job searches.
The program is enhanced by the library facilities in Washington, DC, especially the Folger Shakespeare Library where our students take advanced courses with nationally recognized scholars in the early modern period and in the long eighteenth century. M.A. candidates also have access to a network of libraries through the Washington Consortium of Universities and have the opportunity to enroll in graduate level courses at these institutions.
We are committed to funding our graduate students to every extent possible by offering them fellowships that involve working in the University setting in mentored positions related to teaching and learning.
Specialized training is offered in the teaching of writing at the high school/college levels through the Writing Center Associates Program. Additionally, the M.A. Program offers opportunities to work in specialized writing programs at Georgetown, one of which is committed to working with minority and working-class students, and to work in many community outreach programs related to literacy and writing.
The department offers two plans for the M.A. degree: Plan A, consisting of eight courses (24 credits), an oral examination on a topic developed by the student, and a thesis; or Plan B, consisting of ten courses (30 credits). Under Plan A, most students complete the program in 2 years by taking 2 courses per semester for 4 semesters.
For a detailed map of the Georgetown campus and environs, click here.