Thesis and non-thesis options are available. For students contemplating a Ph.D., for present or prospective teachers of English in secondary schools, and for people with already established careers in writing and editing, Georgetown's M.A. program in English offers a breadth of choice and a variety of opportunities for specialization. All graduate classes are seminars with enrollment maximums of 18. Close student-faculty contact is a hallmark of the program.
Students plan their program of study with a graduate faculty member.
Under Option A, most students complete the program in 2 years by taking 2 courses per semester for 4 semesters, and by completing an oral exam and a thesis. In addition, students must propose and prepare for one oral examination on a topic that synthesizes their studies. There is no foreign language requirement for the M.A. degree in English. With the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies in English, students may take up to 6 credits of course work in another department or at other institutions in the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area . Students can also take seminars offered through the Folger Shakespeare Library 's Institute of Renaissance and Eighteenth-Century Studies.