The graduate program does not offer a stand-alone M.A. degree; the M.A. is linked to the Ph.D. program, and students completing the M.A. must be approved for continuation into the doctoral segment of the program. Students may choose from a variety of courses in English literature and language, rhetoric and composition, and theory/cultural studies.
The department offers an excellent college-level teacher-training program, and all graduate students in English have the opportunity to serve as teaching assistants. Students usually begin by teaching basic composition courses, but there are opportunities for advanced students to teach courses in business writing, technical writing, fiction writing, poetry writing, literature, and humanities, and to serve as tutors in the Writing Center.