Graduate Program

Program
The Master of Arts in English program provides training for students interested in reading, writing, and thinking about English and American literature at an advanced level. The basic curriculum emphasizes the major critical approaches rather than specialization within historical periods. The program is designed to serve the needs of those whose eventual goal is the Ph.D. degree, those who teach in secondary schools and who are preparing to teach in junior and community colleges, and those seeking an opportunity to enhance their skills in responding to literature. All courses in the program are offered weekday evenings.

Admission Requirements
Admission to the program is selective. Chief qualifications are a Bachelor of Arts degree from an accredited institution and academic ability as indicated by the applicant's past record. An English major is not regarded as an indispensable background, but a substantial number of undergraduate English courses will normally be expected to appear in the applicant's record. For details, please visit the M.A. in English overview on the graduate studies Web site.

Admission Procedure
Applicants must complete the Application for Admission to Graduate Study and explain in a statement their reasons for wishing to pursue the advanced study of literature. Please visit the M.A. in English overview page for information about additional requirements.

Degree Requirements
Please visit the M.A. in English overview page for information about degree requirements.

About Oakland University
For information about Oakland University and the surrounding community, please visit the About OU Web site. For information about Oakland University specific to graduate study, see the Why OU? section of the future student Web site.

Literary and Cultural Events
The English Department hosts a variety of literary and art events on the Oakland campus, including the annual Maurice Brown Poetry Reading which features nationally eminent poets, and the Cultural Events series, which features guest creative writers and lecturers as well as English Department faculty.

Teaching Assistantships
The English Department every two years selects two teaching assistants, who have the opportunity to work closely with a professor and to teach, grade, and tutor undergraduate students. While competition for the assistanceships is rigorous, those chosen to be English Department teaching assistants gain particularly valuable experience in preparing for careers in teaching or graduate work at the Ph.D. level.

For more information please visit the graduate assistantships page.

What Our Graduate Students Say

"Professors teach the courses, bringing their specific expertise, knowledge, and passion to every session. I was amazed and gratified by the careful attention paid to my personal educational needs..."

Cynthia Harrison
M.A. in English, 1994

"The size and friendliness of Oakland's program enabled me to make a smooth transition from a business career in advertising to a professional academic experience. For me Oakland has been a building block at the base of my Ph.D. program in English at Vanderbilt."

Lisa Siefker Long
Ph.D. Candidate in English
Vanderbilt University

"The department's faculty members are committed to excellence in research and teaching. They actively engage in research and publication in their respective fields, but they also carry full teaching loads and remain highly accessible outside the classroom."

Donna Chaloult
Lecturer in English
Thomas More College

"One of the things about education is that at its best, it's a liberating experience. It gives one a sense of worth, when one is able to read text and get a sense of what other people have lived through, what their lives are like, what they've undergone -- it's emancipating. It takes you out of your own little parochial cocoon. It expands your mind."

Cornel West
The Council Chronicle
February, 1995

To receive application materials for graduate study in English, call the Graduate Office at Oakland University, at (248) 370-3167 or visit them online at http://www.oakland.edu/grad.