Hi All! I hope this is the correct thread for this post. I have an undergraduate degree from The University of Oklahoma in Information Studies. The central theme of the degree is facilitating the link between people and the information they need to succeed. Since graduating, I have been writing content for a web development firm and found a love for literature and writing. I want to return to college with the ultimate goal of getting my PhD in English. I am confused on the best route to do that. Since my undergrad degree did not offer many English classes, I am not able to apply directly into a MA English program. Here are the options I have identified and am hoping you can offer some opinions. 1) Attend the local state college and get a few English classes under my belt. If I go this route, do I need to actually get a second Bachelor's degree or just take 18-21 hours of classes in English before applying? 2) A Master's in Interdisciplinary Studies with an emphasis in English and Writing from Western New Mexico university, which is an exclusively online program. Here are my concerns: Both the local college and WNMU have a very high acceptance rate for students (90+%) so I am not sure how that will look on my application. But both schools are very affordable so I can essentially pay out of pocket, have no debt, and get the credentials I need to move forward into an MA in English. With the MAIS from WNMU, I worry that since many of the classes are in English, another MA in English program will not accept me because the classes are too similar but a PhD program won't accept me because I don't have a direct degree in English (and also WNMU is not very prestigious). I like the online option offered through WNMU so that option is very appealing. In the end, I am wondering what English admission departments look for and how much weight they put on the past institutions attended? Given my background, which route is most likely going to get me into a good English graduate program? Thank you!
I can't speak for top English Ph.D program schools, but decent schools are not the problem. Old Dominion University offers Ph.D in English via distance learning, and here is the admission criterias. "Admission standards include the following, which are required, unless otherwise stated: A completed master’s degree (or its equivalent) in English or in an appropriate field (such as rhetoric, composition, English education, communications, journalism, linguistics, science, or technology) from a regionally accredited institution of higher education; A minimum grade point average of 3.5 (on a 4.0 scale) overall for the master’s degree; A score above the 70th percentile on the verbal and writing sections of the GRE General Exam (recommended); For students whose first language is not English, a current score for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) of at least 600 on the paper version, 250 on the computer-based version, or 80 on the iBT version. " Texas Tech University's online Doctor of Philosophy in Technical Communication and Rhetoric does not specify anything.
I don't know that I'd worry too much about getting a WNMU degree and then going for an MA in English. I have a friend who earned an MA in English and then earned an MFA. I'm pretty sure she took some literature related classes in both degrees, and the MFA program didn't seem to care she already had an MA in English. -Matt
MA in English degrees are all about reading/analysis. You either become a teacher or a critic or you work in the publishing field. MFAs are about helping others to create. It's predominantly a teaching gig but I'm sure there are people in the publishing industry with MFAs. One common area for both degrees is to become a literary agent. Personally I think that has more to do with your personality than your academic background but let's face it, your resume always counts for something. Once you bump up to the doctoral level you make a quantum leap in the nerd world. (which I love, btw) It means that you have made a major committment to something that very few people even think about. It's like selling your house to buy a comic book store (another move that I would applaud). In that case there's Old Dominion and maybe a couple of others (unless you're willing to go outside the USA in which case your options broaden and the obscurity of your degree increases, making it yet another quantum leap into nerdiness. Once upon a time we were graced with the presence of John Ryan who started his own website. Scroll until you get to the English, literature listings. Arts & Sciences Away Page (ASAP): Accredited Distance Learning Graduate Programs in the Arts and Sciences
Thanks for the all the input. I sent an email off to a few English departments and asked for their advice on the best move. Hopefully someone responds!
