Hoping to compare notes on following English MA programs...

[jdancer]

Hi Everyone!

I am looking for any information I can find on the following English Literature Master's programs:

University of Virginia

Wake Forest University

Belmont University

Saint Louis University

Truman State University

Villanova University

University of Connecticut

Boston College

Boston University

U Mass Amherst

University of Alabama

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

More specifically, my main questions are:

-What schools have the most collegial and friendly atmospheres?

-Which schools are the most academically rigorous?

-Where is funding the most generous?

-Which schools would be best for someone (in terms of career development philosophy and resources) who is not interested in an academic career, but instead in becoming either a secondary school English teacher or going into publishing?

[Pamphilia]

UVa's English department in general is badass. (Full disclosure: my BA is from UVa; I know the department well but haven't experienced it as a grad student, though my grad student friends seemed very happy there.) In my experience, it was (is) very collegial and friendly, and indeed academically rigorous. UVa's Curry School of Education is also great, so after an MA in English, you could look into that if you're into secondary school teaching. MAs at UVa are NOT funded, unless there's some kind of bonus funding from the Grad School for extra special people I don't know about. The department itself doesn't fund MAs, anyway.

Plus, Charlottesville is beautiful and fun.

[Dirt]

UConn's funding is quite generous, even for MA students--certainly much higher than any other public university that I'm aware of. The insurance plan is good and, unlike some programs that promise a generous stipend, tuition is waived if you have an assistantship. I'm in history, not English, but the few people I've met from that program seem both friendly and sharp.

If you're interested in teaching at the secondary level, UConn's Neag School of Education is considered one of the best in the country (#24 in the USNews rankings, if you get off on that sort of thing).

I applied to GWU last year--again for history--and I seem to recall some drama regarding their funding of lit students. I would look back over last year's threads to see if you can find more info on that.

This might be helpful for general information on funding: http://chronicle.com/stats/stipends/?inst=

Edited October 25, 2009 by Dirt

[s226]

Does anyone know about U Mass Boston's MA program in English focusing in comp/rhet. I'm applying to UM-Flint--I live in Ann Arbor for the coming semester but I just discovered that U Mass Boston has rolling admissions and it looks great from the website but I know nothing about it.

Thanks.

Sarah

[wreckofthehope]

-Which schools would be best for someone (in terms of career development philosophy and resources) who is not interested in an academic career, but instead in becoming either a secondary school English teacher or going into publishing?

At Boston College I know you can do a MAT in English Teaching which is half in the English Department and half in the Ed School, you get to take the usual grad seminars in lit topics but also do the teaching stuff, maybe you'd be interested in something like that?

There's also the normal MA - it's a super collegial department, and there's (very generous) funding available for about half the incoming M.A. cohort.