The Graduate Experience

At Marquette University, graduate studies in English offers both immediate and long-term rewards. While at Marquette, students will enjoy opportunities to:

Participate in lively classroom discussions.
Travel to conferences to present their views to colleagues.
Refine their own writing for publication in prestigious journals in their fields of interest.
Work with nationally and internationally renowned scholars.
Participate in graduate organizations such as the Association of English Graduate Students (AEGS) and the Graduate Student Organization (GSO).
Obtain certification in a variety of pedagogical approaches through the Center for Teaching and Learning.

Meet our current MA and PhD graduate students

Here's a list of our recent M.A. and Ph.D. graduates.

After graduation, M.A. students pursue the following:

Ph.D. studies at Marquette or other first-rate universities (recent MA graduates have moved on to Queen's University, Kingston, Ont., the University of Illinois at Chicago, the University of Iowa, Purdue University, the University of South Carolina, Louisiana State University, the University of Nevada-Reno, and St. Thomas University)
English education, nationally and internationally (through programs such as the Fulbright Fellowship)
Finance
Law
Publishing
Business writing
Public relations
Other professional fields

After graduation, the majority of our Ph.D. students find employment in tenure track positions at colleges and universities around the country. Small liberal-arts colleges and schools with the University of Wisconsin system have been particularly interested in hiring Marquette Ph.D. students. Recent graduates have been hired by:

Iowa Wesleyan University
Quincy University
Middle Georgia State College
Eastern University
Arrupe College of Loyola Chicago
Campbell College
John Brown University
Northeastern University
Ohio Dominican University
Olive Harvey College
University of Indiana-Kent
University of Wisconsin-Rock County
University of Wisconsin-Washington County
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
William Rainey Harper College
Wisconsin Lutheran College

Programs of Study

The Department offers two graduate degrees:

M.A. in British, American and other Anglophone literatures
Ph.D. in British, American and other Anglophone literatures

Our programs of study:

Merge traditional and contemporary approaches to literary studies
Concentrate on the history and criticism of American and English literature
Emphasize essential aspects of scholarship, historical research, and literary theory
Offer practical and theoretical instruction in rhetoric and composition to students who hold teaching assistantships and teach in the First-Year English Program
For MA students with assistantships, provide funding for two years
For PhD students with assistantships, provide funding for five years, with a possible six, contingent on the assurance of the director and the DGS of completion of the dissertation in the sixth year.

The master of arts program in English provides broad coverage in texts of British, American and other Anglophone literatures. Through seminar courses, students develop extensive knowledge of literature, literary critical methods and analytical writing. Students who complete the master’s program at Marquette go on to doctoral studies, pursue careers in education, or enter business, health care, journalism and other professions.

The doctorate in English is directed toward comprehensive and intensive knowledge of literature and language with specialization in one area of British, American or other Anglophone literatures; the textual, editorial and critical problems and backgrounds of major texts and authors; the principles of literary criticism; the basic tools, methods and application of literary and linguistic research; and pedagogical problems. The program provides practical experience in teaching and research to meet the needs of contemporary college education.

Admissions Process

Inquiries from any interested prospective student are welcome.

The application deadline for the 2017-2018 school year is February 15, 2018.
Applicants for PhD should note that the program does not admit students who have not completed an MA in English. Interested students with a BA only should apply to the MA program.
Admission decisions are made by a committee of faculty who evaluate applicants' intellectual profiles as reflected by the following criteria:

GRE scores
College and/or post-graduate academic transcripts
Letters of recommendation
Writing samples
Statement of purpose

The committee's central concern is that every student admitted has the ability to achieve excellence within the program.
Students interested in securing financial assistance should contact the Graduate School to ascertain the deadlines for applications for aid (cf. links at left).
Students interested in a Teaching Assistantship should mention, in the statement of purpose, experience relevant to teaching, and should, if possible, ask recommenders to discuss qualifications and aptitude as a prospective teacher.

Advising

Graduate students assume full responsibility for their progress by keeping an up-to-date record of the courses they have taken and by checking regularly with the English Department and the Graduate School offices. Each semester, students are advised by the Director of Graduate Studies in English in order to evaluate their progress.

The Department of English provides advice via

The Director of Graduate Studies
Faculty members in a student's field of study
Information on the department web pages

The Graduate School provides advice via

The Graduate School Bulletin outlines regulations and course descriptions.
The Graduate School web pages (cf. links at left)

Contact

For further information about our graduate programs, contact the Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. John Curran, john.curran@marquette.edu.

GRADUATE STUDIES

KEY RESOURCES

OTHER RESOURCES