The mission of the Master of Arts program in the department of English is to foster the growth of scholars, teachers, and writers at the early stage of their professional lives. It is also our mission to use literary study to broaden the horizons of students whose work lies beyond the traditional occupations of the English graduate. For these reasons, ours is a rigorous and broad curriculum. It seeks to enrich the knowledge of language and literature of the undergraduate, drawing on the community of scholars and teachers within our program to create for each student the best possible circumstances for intellectual maturation and creativity. We expect all of our graduates to read and think with disciplined insight, to be grounded in literary history, to explore both traditional and non-traditional canons, and to be adept at greeting new works and understanding various critical perspectives.

Ours is a small focused program that provides advanced training in language and literature in a challenging and supportive environment. Historically we have served three constituencies: students who desire intensive preparation for application to major Ph.D. programs, teachers who wish to enrich their disciplinary knowledge and hone their research and writing skills, and students for whom the M.A. in English will support and enhance careers in editing and publishing, marketing and public relations, law, advertising, library fields, and writing of all kinds.

In recent years our graduates have been accepted into Ph.D., MFA, and law programs at Rice, Penn State, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Duke, University of New Mexico, George Washington University, Florida State University, Rutgers, Arizona State University, University of Maryland, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Emory, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, George Mason University, and Baylor University. Graduates have also pursued a variety of careers in both the public and private sectors; indeed, career counselling is a growing component of the program.

For more information, please contact:
Dabney A. Bankert
Director of Graduate Studies in English
Associate Professor of Medieval Literature
206 Keezell Hall, MSC 1801
Office 540 568 3752
Home 540 887 6177
email bankerda@jmu.edu