Thank you for your interest in Eastern Illinois University’s graduate program in English! Eastern Illinois University, located in the east central Illinois community of Charleston, is recognized among the top 100 universities in the country.
Students attending Eastern receive a high-quality education characterized by small classes taught by a dedicated and caring faculty who place student success as their top priority. We invite you to join the thousands of outstanding students who have chosen Eastern.
Why do prospective students choose our graduate program in English?
Variety. The English Department offers a rigorous two-year program of graduate study providing students valuable opportunities to improve their knowledge of literature and their skills in communicating and critical thinking.
We offer a Master of Arts in English with three concentrations:
- Literary Studies
- Literary Studies with Creative Writing Emphasis
- Composition/Rhetoric
As a National Writing Project site, our program offers a Graduate Certificate in the Teaching of Writing in High School/Middle School, which is available to those already certified as middle school or high school teachers. In addition to the four concentrations, we encourage students to develop their own course of education through independent study.
Opportunities. Many of our alumni go on to teach at two-year colleges (Rock Valley College and Lincoln Land Community College, for example). Others enter Ph.D. programs—most recently at Indiana University, UIUC, University of Tennessee, Purdue University, Southern Illinois University, University of Delaware, and Texas A&M. Those who concentrate in professional writing have found jobs working at hospitals, universities, and businesses.
Assistantships. We offer numerous assistantships that provide tuition waivers and a monthly stipend. Students receiving assistantships are trained as they tutor in the Writing Center and take coursework related to the teaching of composition. If they so desire, they may apply to teach a class of their own in their second year through our mentored teaching program.
Students who have an assistantship also qualify for summer funding or tuition waiver.
Immersion. Faculty members are fully invested in the master’s degree program, as EIU does not have a Ph.D. program. We are widely published, ambitious for our students to succeed, and eager to help them strengthen their understanding of literature and language.
Thank you for your interest in our MA program in English. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns that you may have.
Marjorie Worthington, Ph.D.
Professor and Graduate Coordinator of English
217-581-2428
