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Why Pursue an M.A. in English at EKU?

Our career-oriented Master of Arts program is designed to prepare students to enter the workforce immediately upon graduating with a two-year graduate degree. Our curriculum is unique in a number of ways:

• We offer courses solely devoted to the administration of writing centers and Writing Across the Disciplines programs.
• We emphasize historical, theoretical, and practical contexts for multimodal communication.
• Every graduate seminar focuses on developing students’ rhetorical and theoretical awareness of best practices for communicating in oral, written, and digital environments.

Every student who graduates from our program receives one-on-one mentoring from faculty members as they complete one of two graduate capstones:

• a publishable thesis that contributes to a field of English studies
• a cooperative internship with an employer in the private sector or higher education

Thanks to flexible delivery methods, students in our program can complete the entire degree fully online, or they can opt to participate in low-residency experiences on our campus in Richmond, Kentucky.

Program Requirements

Our program requires 30 hours of course work, which can be completed in as little as 18 months. All students take an introductory research course, as well as courses on rhetorical theory, composition pedagogy, and writing program administration. Elective courses are offered in historical contexts, theoretical foundations, and methods and practices in writing and communication.

Admissions Requirements

• An English minor or equivalent (18 credit hours of literature and/or language classes)
• Minimum 2.5 undergraduate GPA
• Applicants with a cumulative GPA of less than 2.5 are required to complete the GRE and achieve satisfactory scores of 150 or higher on the Verbal and 4.0 or higher on the Analytical Writing sections of the exam
• Admission deadlines are August 1 for fall semester and January 2 for spring semester

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Financial Support

Competitively awarded graduate assistantships provide outstanding students with financial support and valuable professional experience as consultants in the cutting-edge Noel Studio for Academic Creativity. Depending on the needs of the Department, qualifying graduate assistants may be assigned to teach a developmental reading or writing course. Graduate assistantships currently carry a stipend of $11,500 for the academic year (two semesters) plus six hours’ tuition waiver per semester.

Applicants interested in an assistantship should submit the following materials as electronic documents to the graduate coordinator at gerald.nachtwey@eku.edu:

• three letters of recommendation
• writing sample (must be a researched critical essay of any length)
• CV or resume
• personal statement outlining research goals and teaching philosophy
• completed application in the EKU Online Employment System, jobs.eku.edu

Eastern Kentucky University also awards a number of minority fellowships and scholarships to qualifying applicants. For information, consult the Graduate School.

Detailed Program Requirements

The Department of English offers a 30 hour program of study leading to the Master of Arts degree in English & Writing Professions (MA-EWP). This program is designed to train graduates to take up leadership positions within Writing Centers, English Tutoring Centers, Writing Intensive, and Writing Across the Curriculum programs at post-secondary institutions; it will also provide them with the skills to teach in writing and literacy classes attached to these programs.

Students must complete the 12 hours of the core curriculum as outlined below. Students must also complete 3 hours in Foundations and Theories category and 6 hours in both Historical Contents and Methods and Practices. For Exit Requirements, students can opt to take 3 hours in either Co-op or Thesis.

Core Courses …………………………………………………………12 hours
ENG 801, 800, 808, 814

Foundations and Theories ………………………………………..3 hours
Choose from: ENG 710, 730, 806, 833

Historical Contexts ………………………………………………….6 hours
Choose from ENG 720, 750, 827, 830, 850, 870

Methods and Practices………………………………………………6 hours
Choose from: ENG 700, 715, 812, 860, 863

Exit Requirements.……………………………………………………3 hours
Co-op Option ENG 839; GRD 857e
Thesis Option ENG 898; GRD 858e

Total Requirements ……………………………………………….30 hours

Check out our in the University Catalog or request more information on our M.A. in English and Writing Professions by contacting our Program Coordinator:

Dr. Gerald Nachtwey
Office: 491 Case Annex
Phone: 859-622-3183
Fax: 859-622-3156
Email: gerald.nachtwey@eku.edu