Master of Arts in English, VCU Department of English

The Department of English at Virginia Commonwealth University offers a thirty-hour Masters degree in two concentrations: literature or writing and rhetoric. The flexible degree program enables students to develop intellectually in a stimulating and supportive environment. Designed for students seeking study beyond a bachelor’s degree, the program prepares graduates subsequently to pursue a doctorate, teach in secondary or higher education, or obtain other positions in the public and private sector.

The Master of Arts in either concentration requires thirty graduate hours. Six of those hours may be devoted to the completion of a thesis. Courses are taken primarily within the department, although appropriate course work in other departments may be counted toward the degree with permission of the MA director. All Masters students, regardless of concentration, are encouraged to expand their understanding and knowledge of literature and writing, and the degree requirements are designed with that breadth in mind. Full-time students generally complete the program in two years, part-time students in two to five.

Degree Requirements, MA in English

Application to the MA in English is made through the School of Graduate Studies, with applications accepted for spring (deadline November 15), summer, and fall (deadlines March 1).

Katherine Bassard, Program Director
Thom Didato, Graduate Programs Coordinator

News & Events

September 18, 2008
The Department of English and the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Virginia Commonwealth University are pleased to announce that Vellum by Matthew Donovan was selected as the winner of the 2008 Levis Reading Prize, awarded in the name of the late Larry Levis for the best first or second book of poetry published in the calendar year 2007. Mr. Donovan will receive an honorarium of $1000 and will be brought to Richmond all expenses paid for a reception and public reading to take place September 18th, at 8PM in the Virginia Commonwealth University Student Commons, Commonwealth A (907 Floyd Avenue). A reception will follow. This reading at VCU is sponsored by the Department of English and the Graduate Writers Association, with additional funding provide by the family of Larry Levis. It is free and open to the public.

June-August, 2008
The Department of English is taking these summer months to prepare for another great academic year. The MA program looks forward to an incoming class of 15 new students, while both the national-ranked MFA program and the new PhD program in Media, Art & Text will have 8 and 13 additional students respectively. Winners of the annual Levis Reading Prize and First Novelist Award will soon be announced, and the Department's distinguished Visiting Writers Series for 08-09 will host readings by such acclaimed authors as Stuart Dybek, Ron Hansen, Victoria Chang, Bruce Beasley and others.

For a complete listing of past Department news and events click here.