Overview

Students work closely with faculty at the forefront of a changing intellectual and cultural landscape in English and American Literature as well as in comparative literature, creative and professional writing, post-colonial studies, women’s and gender studies, holocaust and genocide studies, digital studies, and writing and rhetoric studies.

Courses such as American Romanticism, Native American Literature, and Literature of the Sea explore the literatures of New England. Internships in Digital Humanities and College Pedagogy offer work experience and direct career preparation. For educators, successful completion of this program leads to the fulfillment of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts requirements for professional licensure to teach English at the secondary level.

The master of arts in English at Salem State University provides students the flexibility to concentrate in either literature or writing depending on their interests and professional goals. The concentration in literature focuses on literary texts, scholarly criticism, and research, and is recommended for those who seek professional licensure or are interested in pursuing doctoral studies in English. The concentration in writing is designed for those who want to pursue careers in writing.

Careers

English master’s students bring highly valued critical thinking and communication skills to the workplace.

Sixty-six percent of our graduates are employed in education, eleven percent in marketing, sales, business, and healthcare management, and others in writing, editing, publishing, communications, or work in state and local government and public and school libraries.

Higher Education Administration, Emerson College
English Department Program Coordination, Triton Regional School District
Director of Human Services, All Care VNA
Digital Content Manager, Philips Research America
Director of Museum and Archival Services, Swampscott Public Library
Editor, EBSCO Information Services
Communications Consultant, Fidelity Foundation

Programme Structure

Course Requirements:

Eighteen (18) credit hours in ENG literature courses

Twelve (12) additional credit hours in ENG courses including a capstone

Eighteen (18) credit hours in ENG writing courses, including a capstone and at least two workshop courses in the major genre

Twelve (12) credit hours in graduate English courses including ENG 725

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 18 months
Part-time
- 72 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-04 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-07-06 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-07-24 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-01-13 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-11-24 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-12-12 00:00:00 , National

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Credits

30 SCH

30-33

Delivered

On Campus, Online

Campus Location

Salem, United States

Disciplines

Language Studies View 854 other Masters in Language Studies in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

$50 non-refundable application fee
Official transcript or transcript evaluation, documenting minimum overall 3.0 GPA
Three references; at least two must be from persons able to speak to your academic qualifications and performance.
English Proficiency, if applicable for international applicants
Statement of purpose
Analytical writing sample between 6-12 pages for applicants pursuing literary studies. Creative writing sample between 6-12 pages for applicants pursuing writing.

MA English does not require the GRE or MAT
Proficiency in a foreign language at the intermediate level before completion of the program (not required for admission to program). Proficiency may be demonstrated by completed coursework at the undergraduate level or equivalent test results.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

11297 USD / year

≈ 11297 USD / year
Out-of-State

11297 USD / year

≈ 11297 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

9535 USD / year

≈ 9535 USD / year

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for English.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Careers

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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