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Fully-funded MA English programs That Accept Non-English BA's?


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A friend of mine graduated from undergrad a few years back with her B.S. in Audio Engineering. Unfortunately, once she graduated, she realized she didn't want to work in her major field, and is considering going back to school. As an avid reader and someone who enjoys grammar and syntax, she's considering pursuing an MA in English, but unfortunately doesn't have the means to pay out of pocket for tuition. 

Are there any fully-funded MA English programs that accept students that don't already hold a BA in English? 

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Does your friend have any courses in Literature besides Writing 101? A lot of universities don't require you to be an English major but do expect 15-18 credits of English courses to be on your transcript. I'm sure your friend is aware of this but the MA degree often has a research component attached to it. As a result, being an avid reader and enjoying grammar and syntax is often not enough to pursue a graduate degree in English. What specifically about English excites her? What experiences from her undergrad can she bring in? What influences her writing? Is there a way she can connect Audio Engineering to English? What does she hope to obtain by pursuing an English MA?

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  • 3 months later...

Does she write in any genre and has she considered the MFA? You usually don't need a background in English or Writing, but obviously you need to be passionate about writing aspect. This may be an option is she's interested in teaching college-level English or writing courses. 

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I am doing my MA right now at CU Boulder and there are a few people in my cohort who were not English majors in undergrad, or switched to English like their last year of college. It's not technically fully funded, but I have managed to secure funding through TA jobs in English and other departments. I think most people in the program (it's typically done in two years) get at least 3 semesters of funding with tuition remission, health insurance, etc. The instability of funding is definitely stressful, but I think it's typical to be funded for all but one semester, and I have had funding for the entire program (which also happens pretty regularly). 

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