Master's Program

We offer two tracks leading to the M.A. degree, depending on your academic and professional goals.
Track I requires a minimum of 30 semester hours plus a foreign language requirement, and track II requires 36 semester hours .
All students pursuing the M.A. in English are required to take a final comprehensive examination or complete an M.A. thesis after completing a minimum of 24 semester hours in the Department of English.
Students pursuing the M.A. in English may choose one of seven areas of study:
- British and American literature;
- English Education;
- Linguistics;
- Film and Literature;
- Literature and Rhetoric/Writing;
- Rhetoric and Writing; and
- TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)
Substitutions within each area of study may be made at the discretion of the department's director of graduate studies.
M.A. Program Links
- Handbook (PDF)
- Comprehensive Exams and Thesis
- Degree Requirements
- Foreign Language Proficiency
- Student Forms
- British and American literature
- English Education
- Linguistics
- Film and Literature
- Literature and Rhetoric/Writing
- Rhetoric and Writing
- TESOL
- Learning Outcomes (PDF)
- NIU at Oxford program