Graduate Programs

Overview

The master’s degree program in English at The University of Toledo draws a talented group of students from across the country and the world. The 1:1 ratio of professors to students allows small classes and close mentoring relationships. 

UToledo’s master’s program has a strong record of success in preparing students for post-graduate life. We're a particularly good fit for students who are not quite ready for a large M.A. or Ph.D. program, but who benefit from the personal mentorship and training we offer in a smaller graduate program.

English Master’s degree concentrations

• Literature

Top Reasons to Study english at UToledo

1. Vibrant faculty.

   Our energetic community of scholars mentors graduate students and teaches a wide range of classes in literature and writing. They are active researchers, writers, and scholars. Graduate seminars are small with a strong interdisciplinary, multicultural focus. 
2. Funding options.

   Our graduate students can apply for scholarships, teaching fellowships and assistantships.  

   • All qualified, full-time students are considered for graduate assistantships, which include a full tuition waiver and stipend.  
   • Most UToledo master's English students get valuable teaching experience by working as teaching assistants in the composition program.  
   • Funding is available to cover students' travel costs to attend and present research at national conferences. 
3. Multidisciplinary and innovative courses.

   UToledo faculty offers seminars in a broad array of topics, from medieval performance to post-Brexit immigration narrative, and everything in between.
4. Individual attention.

   Our small class sizes and 1:1 student ratio allow for one-on-one interaction between students and faculty. 
5. Network.

   UToledo’s English department educates and inspires. It hosts outstanding speakers and sponsors workshops and symposiums. 

   • Network with distinguished writers and scholars at our annual Richard M. Summers Memorial Lecture and other events. The Summers lecture is aligned with a graduate seminar. Guests speak publicly, but also interact closely with students in the seminar and smaller, question-and-answer settings. Recent speakers included George Saunders, Zadie Smith, Danzy Senna, Naomi Shihab Nye, Carl Phillips, Mark Doty, Wai Chee Dimock, Michael Bérubé, Vijay Prashad and Carolyn Williams.
   • Workshops on professionalization have addressed Ph.D. applications, post-graduate careers and how to transition into a doctoral program. 
   • A recent day-long symposium called “ ‘I Got a Lust for Life’: The Unique Words and Sounds of Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan” featured several distinguished speakers, including Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Tyehimba Jess.  
6. Teaching experience.

   Our English graduate assistants teach in the Department of English Composition Program. Graduate students also tutor in the UToledo Writing Center. 

UToledo English faculty members are dedicated teachers and active researchers, theorists, poets and novelists. They have expertise in: 

• African-American literature
• British, American and world literature
• Business and technical writing
• Cell 4
• Linguistics
• Postcolonial and diasporic literature
• Rhetoric and composition
• Writing in multimedia environments
• Writing theory and pedagogy 
• Victorian literature

What jobs can I get with an english degree?

UToledo graduate students in the English master's program have been accepted into doctoral programs at: 

• Howard University
• Michigan State University
• Penn State University
• Syracuse University
• University of Iowa
• University of Minnesota
• University of New Mexico
• University of Texas, Austin

UToledo alumni of the master’s program in English are working as:  

• Attorney specializing in criminal defense and civil rights litigation, Chicago
• Community library manager, Queens Library, New York
• Editor, Beacon Press, Boston
• Education resource specialist, WGTE public television, Toledo
• English instructors, Owens Community College, Rutgers University and others
• Founder and editor, Girls in Capes (online publishing)
• Head of education and outreach services, University of Colorado, Denver Libraries
• Marketing manager, Cengage Publishing, Boston
• Screenwriter/editor, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton