Like the PhD in Language and Literature, this program prepares individuals for college and university teaching. Students who hold an MA degree and who have some teaching experience are invited to apply. Teaching experience may include instruction in colleges or secondary schools, and it may also include training business people or tutoring.
Students take courses in education and related fields as well as in English.
The distribution of these courses varies with individual interests and backgrounds, as do the topics of the three examinations based on student-designed reading lists. The third examination becomes the prospectus for the dissertation. One foreign language at the advanced level or two at the basic level are required. Students have an opportunity to theorize their teaching and professional development in a portfolio developed after achieving candidacy. All students receive financial support similar to that of students in the Language and Literature program, and, if they choose, they may teach in the School of Education or in living-learning communities on campus as well as in the Department of English.