Truman’s Master of Arts in English allows you to explore literature, literary studies, composition theory, pedagogy, creative writing, and linguistics. Working closely with your faculty advisor, you can personalize a course of study to suit your interests and professional goals and choose which culminating project best matches your aspirations:

• a thesis that displays the close reading, analytical skills, and research tools you have acquired
• a portfolio that showcases the breadth and variety of the creative and analytical work you have produced in the program
• a creative project (a novel, memoir, collection of short stories, a cycle of poems, or other creative work) that has benefitted from the intensive feedback, revision, and reflection on the artistic process

You’re busy with competing demands on your time, and we get that! You can apply for spring, summer, or fall admission. During Fall and Spring semesters, we offer a mix of synchronous and asynchronous courses, and you can choose from 1-, 2-, or 4-credit variations of most of those courses. Lower credit hour variations of the 4-credit course are clearly explained in registration materials. During the summer, we typically offer at least one creative writing course and one or two literature courses with unique topics. And you can move back and forth between part-time and full-time enrollment depending on your needs.

* The English MA degree program is delivered online with the following exceptions:

• Anyone with a GTRA position will need to be on campus to attend teaching practicum courses and teach their in-person classes.
• Anyone also completing the MAE program will need to be on campus for those education classes, as the MAE is not an online program.
• 500-level courses (which are sometimes offered along with a parallel undergraduate section and taught on campus); and special topics courses taught in parallel with undergraduate sections offered on campus.
  • Note: The English MA program does offer enough classes online that you can complete the program without taking any classes in-person.
  • Note: The English MA program does not offer enough in-person courses to be completed entirely in-person, on campus. Many of your courses will be online, even if you are on campus (e.g. due to a GTRA position). 

Admission Requirements

In addition to the online application ($40 fee) to apply for the Master of Arts in English Program, you’ll need to submit the following:

*Total estimated tuition based on 2024-25 academic year. Tuition subject to change.

Degree-seeking students taking at least six credit hours per semester are eligible for federal financial aid programs. For more information, see our Financial Aid Resources for Graduate Studies page or contact the Financial Aid Office at (660) 785-4130 or finaid@truman.edu.