The IU Online Master of Arts in English provides broad training in the primary areas of English studies. It has a two-part, “stackable” structure that includes the completion of both a 20 credit hour graduate certificate and an additional 16 credit hours of master’s-level coursework that extends students’ breadth and depth of knowledge in the field. You may complete the graduate certificate in one of three areas:
- literature
- composition
- language and literature
As a student in this program, you explore the core principles of writing and literature pedagogy, the linguistic structure and history of English literature, and a wide variety of reading strategies associated with genre and close reading. You gain skills and knowledge to conduct archival research, develop analytical and presentation skills through the focused study of literature in a seminar format, and acquire an appreciation of current trends in the field of digital humanities.
Specific areas of focus in the certificate and MA curriculum include:
- Linguistic structures and history of the English language;
- Reading strategies and literary practices, such as close reading, analysis of style, form and genre, and rhetorical practices;
- Approaches to composition and writing instruction, including the identification and evaluation of sources, use of evidence, generation of ideas, and the development and organization of arguments;
- Ways to foster discussion and make presentations;
- Acquisition of archival research skills and facility with electronic resources; and
- Developments, trends, and frontiers in the digital humanities.
Of Special Interest for Dual-Credit and Community College Instructors
In addition to providing a comprehensive program of study in English at the master’s level, Indiana University’s online MA in English meets the Higher Learning Commission’s “instructor qualification” standards, which require instructors to hold a master’s degree in the area of instruction or a master’s degree in another discipline (such as an MSEd), plus a minimum of 18 credit hours of discipline-specific graduate coursework.
Stand-Alone Certificate
The stand-alone certificate provides the requisite number of discipline-specific graduate credits for those who already hold a master’s degree. Students who need both the discipline-specific coursework and a master’s degree will take the additional English graduate classes required to earn the master’s degree.