The Stetson Master of Arts in English: Flexibility and Unparalleled Faculty Interaction
The Stetson MA in English cultivates independent research skills and the capacity to understand and resolve complex problems the traits universities and employers seek most avidly, because they are the bedrock of sound decision-making and leadership. We also value them for the depth and pleasure they add to life. Our MA program can help you change careers, pursue professional development or personal enrichment, or lay the foundation for PhD work in English or the Humanities.
People with Master's degrees earn, on average, $8000 per year more than those with only Bachelor's degrees, but not all Master's degrees are the same. Their value varies by discipline, by institution, and most important, by the kind of scholarly experience you forge with your faculty. Consider what people do with the degrees they earn.
Graduates of our program have earned or are earning PhDs from top programs like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Northeastern University; have written popular books like Meals Worth Stopping For: Local Restaurants within 10 Miles of Florida Interstates; are teaching in universities, community colleges, public schools, and private preparatory academies; and are practicing law and managing programs large and small throughout Florida and the United States.
You can begin the application process by downloading our application form and our recommendation form.
Information about graduation and course requirements, the typical course of study, transfer of outside credit towards the Stetson M.A., possibilities for fulfilling the foreign language requirement, and the master's thesis is available on the degree requirements page.
Contact Information
To apply for admissions, request additional information or check on the status of your application, please contact:
Diana Belian
Office of Graduate Studies
College of Arts and Sciences
Telephone: 386-822-7075
Fax: 386-822-7051
e-mail: dbelian@stetson.edu
All admissions correspondence should be directed to:
Stetson University
Office of Graduate Studies
College of Arts and Sciences
421 N. Woodland Blvd., Box 8419
DeLand, FL 32723
Inquiries regarding program requirements, and other academic information should be directed to:
Dr. Joel Davis
MA English Program Director
Department of English
Stetson University
DeLand, FL 32723
e-mail: jbdavis@stetson.edu
Preparation for Graduate Study and Application Requirements
Undergraduate Grade Point Average: Applicants should present a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Undergraduate Preparation: The Master of Artsprogram in English consists of advanced study in the discipline of literary analysis and criticism. Academic standards in the program assume that students have a basic knowledge of the discipline equivalent to an undergraduate major or substantial minor in English. Applicants who are admitted to the program without demonstrating such undergraduate preparation may be required to take additional courses in English at Stetson. Such courses do not count toward the total hours required for the degree. (Courses such as the history of theory and criticism and the historical surveys in British and American literature are typical courses used for this purpose.)
GRE Scores: Applicants are required to submit scores for the Verbal and Analytical Writing sections of the Graduate Record Exam. These scores will be taken into consideration in the admissions process, but no minimum score on either section is required. In the recent past, successful students in the graduate program have attained a score in at least the 50th percentile.
Letters of Recommendation: Three letters of recommendation should be supplied from persons who can address theapplicant's intellectual abilities, maturity, and academic motivation. Letters from instructors at the college level with specific knowledge of the applicant's academic work are preferred.
Writing Sample: Each application should include a sample of the applicant's academic writing. An essay written for an upper-division English course or a course in another discipline in the humanities is preferred. If such a sample is not available, some other substantial writing demonstrating the students ability to organize information, develop an argument, and express ideas clearly should be supplied.
International Students:All applications whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and submit a combined score of 550 or better (new scoring of 213 or better) or the Internet based test scoring of 80 or better. Please contact the Office of Graduate Studies for additional information.