Brandeis University

Program Information

Degree Offered

MA in English; joint MA in English and Women's and Gender Studies, PhD in English

Format: Campus

Program Description:

Brandeis offers the M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in English, as well as a Joint M.A. degree in English and Women's and Gender Studies. The graduate programs in English offer training in the reading and analysis of texts from a variety of perspectives, ranging from formalist to historical and political approaches. Department faculty conduct research and teach in the periods, genres, and geographies of English-language texts, and in such fields as literary history and theory; philosophical approaches to literature; feminist, gender, and sexuality studies; visual, media, and performance studies; Marxist and cultural studies; and post-colonial studies. In recent faculty and student research, the categories of texts studied have included film, video, photography, and the internet; communication and economic technologies; performance; and cultural discourses and objects, as well as the traditional literary genres.

By pursuing an M.A. in English, 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 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 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.

We encourage you to learn more about our program, located just outside of Boston with its world-renowned academic resources -- an ideal location for internships, research, academic, and career opportunities. As part of the Boston Area Graduate Consortium, Brandeis students are welcome to take advantage of the curricular opportunities at several area schools.

Generous scholarships and fellowships are available. Successful applicants to the Ph.D. programs are offered full tuition waivers, a stipend, and health insurance allowance. Most of our master’s students receive generous scholarships in the form of merit- and need-based aid.

Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: Yes

Classification: Doctoral/Research Universities - Extensive

Institution Sector: Private not-for-profit

Locale: Small City

Size & Settings: 5,000 - 9,999