salemstate.edu/graduate
ANALYZE, CREATE, TEACH
The master of arts in English and the master of arts in teaching English offer students the opportunity to explore a wide range of critical and creative approaches to language and literature. Students work closely with faculty who are at the forefront of a changing intellectual and cultural landscape, with expertise in the traditional fields of English studies as well as in comparative literature, creative and professional writing, Caribbean and Latinx studies, holocaust and genocide studies, digital studies, ecopoetics, and writing and rhetoric studies. The knowledge and skills gained with a master’s degree in English set students up for and advance careers in education, writing and editing, communications and marketing, management, and so much more.
MASTER’S IN ENGLISH (MA) AND MASTER’S IN TEACHING ENGLISH (MAT) PROGRAMS
What programs do we offer, and which one is right for you?
MA IN ENGLISH: LITERARY STUDIES
• Advance from initial to professional licensure or beyond in your middle or high school teaching career
• Pursue a career in writing, editing, publishing, or communications
• Advance your training in close reading, analytic writing, critical thinking, and communication
• Prepare for doctoral study in English or composition and rhetoric
• Teach English part-time at the college level
PROGRAM DETAILS
• 30-33 credits (average: 1.5-2 years; can be completed slowly in as long as 6 years)
• All courses start at 4:30 pm or later
• Combination of in-person and online course offerings
• Optional master’s thesis or portfolio
• Can incorporate a graduate certificate in digital studies, writing and rhetoric studies, or holocaust and genocide studies
MA IN ENGLISH: WRITING
• Complete a manuscript in creative or professional writing
• Pursue a career in writing, editing, publishing, or communications
• Prepare for an MFA in creative writing
• Teach writing part-time at the college level
PROGRAM DETAILS
• 30 credits (average: 1.5-2 years; can be completed slowly in as long as 6 years)
• All courses start at 4:30 pm or later
• Capstone Manuscript
• Combination of in-person and online course offerings
• Can incorporate a graduate certificate in digital studies, writing and rhetoric studies, or holocaust and genocide studies
MA/MAT IN ENGLISH
• Obtain an initial license to teach English at the middle and high school level and without a BA in English
• if you have a BA in English, see the MAT English below
• if you have an initial license to teach English, see the MA English above
PROGRAM DETAILS
• 49-58 credits (3.5-4 years for full-time students; 4-7 years for part-time students)
• All courses start at 4:30 pm or later
• Combination of in-person and online course offerings
• Combination of English and education courses
• Extensive supported fieldwork and student teaching
• Optional master’s thesis or portfolio
• Can incorporate a graduate certificate in digital studies, writing and rhetoric studies, or holocaust and genocide studies
MAT IN ENGLISH
• Obtain an initial license to teach English at the middle and high school level
• BA in English required; if you do not hold a BA in English, see the MA/MAT English above
• If you already have an initial license to teach English and want to move toward a professional license, see the MA English above
PROGRAM DETAILS
• 31-37 credits (1.5-2 years for full-time students; 2-6 years for part-time students)
• All courses start at 4:30 pm or later
• Combination of in-person and online course offerings
• Combination of English and education courses
• Extensive supported fieldwork and student teaching
ENGLISH MASTER’S STUDENTS BRING HIGHLY VALUED CRITICAL THINKING AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS TO THE WORKPLACE.
Sixty-six percent of our graduates are employed in education, with forty-four percent teaching middle and high school and fifteen percent teaching as faculty at institutions of higher education.
• International Student Advising, Brandeis University
• Higher Education Administration, Emerson College
• Assistant Superintendent of Teaching and Learning, Methuen Public Schools
• English Department Program Coordination, Triton Regional School District
Eleven percent of our graduates are employed in marketing, sales, and business and healthcare management.
• Marketing Manager, EBSCO Information Services
• Sales Promotion, Marine Arts Gallery
• Global Asset Management Executive Assistant, Healthnet
• Director of Human Services, All Care VNA
• Digital Content Manager, Philips Research Americas
Others are employed in writing, editing, publishing, and communications or work in state and local government and public and school libraries.
• Writer and Copyeditor, Harvard University’s Creative and Communication Services
• Assistant Registrar, Northern Middlesex Registry of Deeds
• Director of Museum and Archival Services, Swampscott Public Library
• Editor, EBSCO Information Services
• Communications Consultant, Fidelity Foundation
• Project Editor, Houghton Mifflin
Our graduates have also gone on to pursue doctoral work, most frequently in English, composition and rhetoric, and law, and become lawyers and tenured professors.
MEET YOUR FACULTY MENTORS
The Salem State University English department is an active community of scholars and writers who regularly publish and contribute to their fields. The graduate faculty prepare students for various professions while remaining committed to the core traditions of literary analysis, creative process, and community engagement and sharing scholarship and creative work with the campus community and the broader public.
• Kevin Carey: Fiction, Scriptwriting, Poetry
• M.P. Carver: Poetry, Scriptwriting, Digital Writing
• Lucinda Damon-Bach: 19th c. American Literature, Catherine Maria Sedgwick, Women’s and Gender Studies
• Al DeCiccio: Composition and Rhetoric, Writing Centers
• Theresa DeFrancis: English Teacher Preparation, Young Adult Literature, American Literature, Women’s and Gender Studies
• Michael Jaros: Drama and Theatre, Dramaturgy, Irish Literature and Culture
• Alexandra Kirby: English Teacher Preparation, Composition and Rhetoric
• Alice Laramore: Drama and Theatre, Shakespeare
• Jeannette Lindholm: Feminist Rhetoric, Composition and Rhetoric, Hymn Writing
• Amy Jo Minett: Linguistics, Multilingual Writers, TESOL, International Education
• Jude Nixon: Victorian Literature, Gerard Manly Hopkins, Caribbean Literature
• Scott Nowka: 18th Century, Digital Humanities
• January O’Neil: Poetry
• Alexandria Peary: Poetry and Creative Nonfiction, Mindful Writing, Creative Writing Pedagogy
• Arthur Riss: American Literature, African American Literature, Literary Criticism and Theory
• Tanya Rodrigue: Composition and Rhetoric, Audio Storytelling
• John Scrimgeour: Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
• Mara Sidmore: Drama and Theater, Shakespeare
• Jeffrey Theis: Shakespeare and early modern British writing, Ecocriticism
• Keja Valens: Caribbean Literature, Literatures of the Americas, Food Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies
• Pierre Walker: American Literature, African American Literature
• Stephenie Young: World Literature, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Trauma and Memory, Visual and Material Culture
INTERNSHIPS, PRACTICUMS AND STUDENT TEACHING
Students in the MA and MA/MAT in English programs can participate in our established internships in college pedagogy and digital studies and take advantage of the department’s relationships with organizations such as the Massachusetts Poetry Festival.
Students in the MA/MAT and MAT English programs are supported by practicums in schoolbased placements of increasing length, including as part of a two-semester Methods of Teaching English and one semester of student teaching. Salem State’s McKeown School of Education Office of Field Services can place students, and students can also arrange their own placements, including in schools where they may already be employed.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Master’s in English Regional Conference (MERC): Salem State and Bridgewater State co-organize this annual conference. Salem State master’s students regularly present at the conference with peers from across New England.
Graduate Student Reading: Each spring, Salem State hosts a graduate student reading where students on the writing track present their work.
Salem State University’s Research Day: Graduate students and faculty present papers, posters, and workshops about their ongoing research.
Writer’s Series: English graduate students can enjoy a meal and discussion with the prominent writers who speak at Salem State’s Writer’s Series, such as Tiphanie Yanique, Brian Brodeur, and Ha Jing,
Submittathon: At least once per semester, Salem State’s English department hosts a submittathon during which students gather to support one another, under the direction of a faculty member, as they submit works for publication.
Professional Literary Studies, Writing, and Composition and Rhetoric Societies:
Many of our students belong to professional associations such as CCCC and the Northeast Modern Language Association and present at their annual conferences.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Edna McGlynn Scholarship provides partial tuition remission for one semester to one graduate student annually. The award is based on scholarly achievement.
Graduate/Research Assistantships provide tuition remission for up to 9 credits and a small stipend for 10 hours of work per week during the fall and spring semesters. These are competitive grants.
Graduate School Professional Travel Grants provide up to $500 reimbursement for master’s-level students who present at a conference or travel to conduct archival research. Salem State Scholarships are available on a limited basis to graduate students.
COST
The MA program ranges from 30-33 credits, the MA/MAT program ranges from 51.5-61.5 credits, and the MAT program ranges from 33.5-39.5 credits.
For assistance funding your graduate education, options such as financial aid, graduate assistantships, employer reimbursement and tuition remission, and veteran’s benefits may be available.
*Tuition and fees subject to change.
For applicants pursuing literary studies, analytical writing sample between 6-12 pages.
For applicants pursuing writing, a creative writing sample between 6-12 pages.
Passing score on communication and literacy MTEL* and English subject MTEL* Scholarly writing sample
Yes; Addressing:
- Your interest in teaching English at the middle and/or secondary levels (grades 5-12)
-Your interest in studying English at the graduate level (ie, how you see yourself as a scholar of English)
Passing score on the Massachusetts Test for Educator Licensure (MTEL)* communication and literacy portion and content test for English
*MTEL requirement has been waived for admissions purposes through spring 2026.
1Applicants with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline other than English should apply to our MA/MAT English program. If you already have an initial license, please apply directly for an MA in English. An MAT is not required if the initial license has been obtained.
