Brandeis' graduate program in English and American Literature offers training in the interpretation and evaluation of literary texts in their historical and cultural contexts.

By pursuing an M.A. in English and American Literature, you will sharpen your analytical skills, develop an advanced writing style, and improve your close-reading ability. Our program prepares students for high-level careers in teaching, law, business, publishing, writing, and administration. Teachers with master's degrees often earn higher salaries than those with only bachelor's degrees. In Massachusetts, earning an M.A. is one of the requirements for moving from an initial license to a professional license. The M.A. also serves as excellent preparation for a Ph.D. program.

The Ph.D. program in English and American Literature emphasizes individual scholarship, offers training in research, teaching methods, and other professional development skills, and encourages graduate student innovation and initiative. Our doctoral students serve as teaching assistants and direct their own writing courses, participate regularly at scholarly conferences, and have the opportunity to work closely with our distinguished faculty.

The English department offers a Joint Master of Arts program in Women's and Gender Studies that integrates the study of women's experiences and gender roles with the English and American Literature course of study. This joint program may be a terminal degree or may be earned as part of the Ph.D. program. The joint M.A. is for full-time students only.