M.A. English and African-American Literature
A Legacy of Excellence
Join one of the oldest and most respected MA programs at an HBCU, where the study of English and African American Literature pushes you to sharpen your mind, deepen your voice, and carry forward a legacy of scholarship and cultural insight.
You will engage with critical theories that challenge and expand the way you see the world. You will learn to read with precision, think with nuance, and write with power. The work you do here equips you for the classroom at both the secondary and college levels, and it positions you to thrive in doctoral study.
This program leads directly to opportunities for a Ph.D. in African American, Comparative, or English Literatures, as well as African American, Africana, Cultural, Ethnic, Gender, Subaltern, and Women's Studies. It offers both depth and breadth, inviting you to explore the intersections of language, culture, identity, and history while developing the skills to shape the conversations of the future.
Key Features of the Program:
- Focus Areas: English studies and African American literature, with courses in multicultural literature, rhetoric, grammar, linguistics, folklore, and postcolonial theory.
- Thesis & Non-Thesis Options: Students can choose between completing a thesis or a non-thesis track.
- Credit Hours: 30 credit hours are required to complete the degree.
- Admissions Flexibility: No GRE required, and applicants don't need a BA in English—just 24 credit hours in undergraduate English coursework.
- Funding Opportunities: Includes renewable assistantships (e.g., in the University Writing Center), scholarships like the Satterfield White Scholarship, and other financial aid options.
- Career Outcomes: Graduates have gone on to become professors, teachers, lawyers, judges, curriculum managers, and more.
For more information contact our graduate coordinator:
