Job possibilities for an English MA graduate?

[RelaxButterfly]

Hello everyone. Can anyone give me some insight on what paths an English MA will open? The idea of more schooling after this year just gives me a headache even though I would love to enter the information sciences field (MLIS needed).

[ProfLorax]

From my MA in English graduating class, I would say that 40% went into PhD programs, 40% went into teaching, and 10% went into various other fields (publishing, administrative work, etc). As for teaching, many of us now teach in the community college system (mostly on an adjunct basis), while some have fulltime teaching positions at private high schools. For all of us, our out-of-class experience (tutoring, interning) was as valuable as our MA degree in the job market. I hope this helps!

[georgestrait1982]

Anybody have any info about how easily MA grads have been able to break out of the adjuncting cycle at CCs and find full-time positions? How long does this usually take?

[Dark Matter]

varies widely, maybe on average about three years for those who finally do get full time positions, but many never do. This is one of the many reasons why unfunded MA programs are so risky for the students and so unethical for the departments and universities running them.

[asleepawake]

Even a lot of MA-level full time instructorship positions are temporary or at least with no job security, renewing yearly. I think if you're going to finish with the MA, teaching high school is the best option for career stability and benefits. The requirements vary by state, but I believe it's pretty easy to meet the requirements to teach high school English in Florida once you have a certain number of graduate credits in the subject (I think it is 16).

[ProfLorax]

Even a lot of MA-level full time instructorship positions are temporary or at least with no job security, renewing yearly. I think if you're going to finish with the MA, teaching high school is the best option for career stability and benefits. The requirements vary by state, but I believe it's pretty easy to meet the requirements to teach high school English in Florida once you have a certain number of graduate credits in the subject (I think it is 16).

I think this depends on location. I am an adjunct where I teach, but I would say that 85% of the English full-time instructors only have an MA. I teach in an incredibly diverse area in California. My department chair has told me that she automatically tosses out applicants with PhD's in literature because, while they may know how lust is represented in Romantic poetry, they often have no idea how to teach Generation 1.5 students how to write essays at an open-access institution.

There are things you can do to make yourself more marketable. An MA in composition rather than literature is definitely more likely to appeal to community college hiring committees. If your program does not offer an emphasis in rhet/comp, you can take composition courses, TA, and/or tutor in the writing lab. Fullerton State offers a certificate in Postsecondary Reading and Learning completely online. In CA, this certificate is required to teach reading courses at the college level. But even if you have no interest in teaching reading, the courses include information about adult intellectual development and teaching strategies that can be helpful in any classroom (well, some of the courses do this. It's far from a perfect program!).

But of course, no matter how qualified you are, how much experience you have, or what degrees you've earned, none of this matters if there is no funding. No full-timers have been hired at my community college in FIVE YEARS, despite the fact that we have had two vacancies. And this affects all levels of higher education, sadly. The more that colleges depend on the cheap labor of adjuncts, the less likely they are to splurge for full-time instructors, to the detriment of the students, the institution, and the faculty.

[Dark Matter]

I think this depends on location. I am an adjunct where I teach, but I would say that 85% of the English full-time instructors only have an MA. I teach in an incredibly diverse area in California. My department chair has told me that she automatically tosses out applicants with PhD's in literature because, while they may know how lust is represented in Romantic poetry, they often have no idea how to teach Generation 1.5 students how to write essays at an open-access institution.

Indeed, it does depend on location. The New York City community colleges by official rule only hire PhDs, because their administrations like to count the number of PhDs on their staff and supply is so high in the city that they can.

Edited October 31, 2012 by Dark Matter

[comp12]

From my MA in English graduating class, I would say that 40% went into PhD programs, 40% went into teaching, and 10% went into various other fields (publishing, administrative work, etc).

And 10% decided to go back to school...to study math.

Just jesting, proflorax

[ProfLorax]

And 10% decided to go back to school...to study math.

Just jesting, proflorax

HA! I noticed that hours after I posted, and I was too embarrassed to post a correction/bring attention to it. In my defense, I wrote that after taking the GRE, so I had already used my allotted math skills for the day year.

Edited November 1, 2012 by proflorax