A Master of Arts in English helps students prepare for a host of professional careers,
including community college teaching, writing and editing positions, research-intensive
professions, law and library schools, professional or technical writing and doctoral
programs.
Students take a broad array of classes and choose a concentration in one of three
areas:
Literature
Professional Writing
Rhetoric and Composition
Graduate Scholarships
We are excited to announce that our Master of Arts (MA) in English program has new
graduate tuition scholarships to award -- $5,000 per year for two years. Decisions
are being made quickly, and we encourage students to apply soon! Interested students
should contact Dr. Paul Worley, the Graduate Program Director (pmworley@wcu.edu or 828-227-3921) and apply at .
Ìð¹ÏÊÓƵapp the Program
As a graduate student in the program you will:
Study creative writing with Ron Rash, author of Serena, and other notable faculty teaching fiction, poetry, and nonfiction writing classes.
Study literature with faculty whose research interests range from medieval and renaissance
literature to southern, twentieth century, African American, environmental, postcolonial,
and Latin American literature.
Hone technical, professional, and business writing skills with faculty who complement
their teaching expertise with real-world experience.
Cultivate teaching and training skills in classes that focus on both the theory and
practice of pedagogy and instruction.
Take classes with faculty who have won every teaching award WCU offers, from the Chancellor’s
Distinguished Teaching Award to the Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Develop research techniques with faculty who have won NEA fellowships, NEH grants,
and WCU’s University Scholar Award.
Gain access to outstanding academic library resources and reference librarians.
Students in our M.A. program receive individualized attention from our highly accomplished
graduate faculty.
From Creative Writing Professor and Author Ron Rash
Classes are offered at both our campus in Cullowhee and in Asheville at Biltmore Park.
Program specifics can be found in the Graduate Catalog.
Graduate Assistantships
For students holding graduate assistantships in English, our program often serves
as a professional apprenticeship in teaching at the college level. However, graduate
assistants can also work as research assistants with English faculty, as professional
writers in a variety of university offices like the Coulter Faculty Commons or the
Graduate School, or in other capacities. For those who want the teaching training,
the typical path is to work as tutors in the Writing and Learning Commons (WaLC) during
the first year, as well as observing a writing class each semester and taking ENGL
514 Teaching Writing, which is designed to provide both a theoretical base and practical
pedagogical training. Usually in the second year, after completing eighteen hours
of graduate English coursework, students gain classroom experience by teaching their
own writing class under the mentorship of an experienced instructor.
Graduate Assistants are required to take nine hours per semester (except for their
final semester, in which they take six). The assistantship is a 20-hour/week commitment.
For more information on scholarships, tuition waivers, grants, fellowships, and awards,
see the Graduate School's "Tuition and Funding."
