FAQs
All of our full-time MA students are fully funded with two-year graduate assistantships. Currently, assistantships include a stipend of $15,642 per academic year, a tuition and fees waiver, and student health insurance. The teaching load is excellent: one course per semester. Beyond assistantships and summer stipends, we offer a range of other benefits.
- Conference presentation funding up to $500
- Research funding through scholarship awards or external grants (amount varies).
- Funded Internship opportunities with Eighteenth-Century Life, the Writing Program, and Coe Library.
Funding requests should be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies after the call for funding is issued at the start of the fall semester, or at least six months before date of planned travel, and must be received by the funding deadline. We also actively seek other opportunities for our students once they've arrived in the program, and we regularly collaborate with students on grant applications for research, travel, and writing support.
Funding also includes possible teaching opportunities during summers that may pay up to $3000.
ENGLISH MA PROGRAM ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT POLICY
Fully funded MA students in their first semester may not take on additional employment at the university. In subsequent semesters, funded students may request approval from the Director of Graduate Studies to take on additional work up to 10 hrs per week beyond their 20-hr GTA position. Requests for approval must be submitted over email before the student accepts the offer of employment. Students who do not obtain approval for extra work may jeopardize their position or funding in the English MA program.
The goal of a fully funded MA program is to help students focus on their studies without having to take additional jobs beyond teaching. Students without a demonstrable financial need or professional reason for seeking additional employment at the university will likely be unsuccessful in their request. Eligibility for additional employment is also dependent on the quality of your teaching evaluations, observation reports, and your overall good standing in English 5900 and the MA program.
All English MA students are awarded graduate assistantships that require them to teach one course per semester.
Typically, most students teach English 1010: College Composition and Rhetoric. Additional teaching options may become available, including English 2020, a writing-intensive introduction to literature course, or other upper-division courses in English.
Support
New graduate assistants participate in a weeklong, English pedagogy seminar before the fall semester begins.
All graduate assistants attend weekly meetings with fellow assistants and an experienced mentor.
Other Professional Development
All graduate students are offered the opportunity to apply for an alternative assistantship assignment with the Writing Center.
Internship opportunities exist with the Writing Program, Eighteenth-Century Life, and Coe Library. Calls for additional assignments are made in the spring semester.
EMPHASIS IN PUBLIC HUMANITIES
The Public Humanities emphasis combines advanced study in traditional English areas (writing, pedagogy, theory, literature) with training in transferable, hands-on skills applicable to careers in arts organizations and non-profits. In this emphasis, graduates analyze texts; hone skills in teaching and writing across genres and communities; and bridge critical and civic discourse to address public concerns. Graduates receive the know-how to excel in non-profit administration and fundraising, arts advocacy and community organizing, as well as professional communication and media.
EMPHASIS IN LITERATURE
The Literature emphasis conceives the term "literature" broadly, to mean all texts to be read and analyzed, from Shakespeare to film, media, and visual arts. In this emphasis, students to receive a theoretically informed graduate education in literary areas and methods, as well as in the latest theories and genres. In this emphasis, graduates analyze texts across time and hone skills in teaching and writing across modes. While we cannot guarantee admission to a PhD program, recent literature students have gone on to PhDs at Notre Dame, Duke, Emory, UC Riverside, Vanderbilt, SUNY Stony Brook, and Brandeis.
EMPHASIS IN RHETORIC AND COMPOSITION
The Rhetoric and Composition emphasis is interdisciplinary and focused on writing pedagogy. Students in the rhetoric and composition emphasis take a range of courses both inside and outside the English Department. Within the department, students take courses in technical and professional communication, qualitative methods, and rhetoric of popular culture, in addition to composition theory and pedagogy. Key offerings outside the department have included courses in media theory, sociology, educational theory, among others. While we cannot promise admission to a PhD program, recent rhetoric students have gone on to PhDs at Indiana, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and Minnesota, as well as advising or two-year teaching roles in Wyoming and Arizona.
See our step-by-step application instructions. We typically admit between 5 and 8 new students each year. This number varies based on available funding and the application pool.
There is a great deal of flexibility in the MA curriculum. The curriculum also differs depending on whether you pursue a focus in literature, rhetoric and composition, or public humanities. Looking at current and past courses offered by the MA in English will give you a sense of the possibilities. For full program details, please check the UW Catalog.
The on-campus program is completed in two years. The program accepts a limited number of part-time students. Part-time applicants are evaluated on the same basis as full-time applicants. The online program takes three years with one class every semester, including summer.
The MA program does not require GRE scores. If you do submit scores, the University of Wyoming recommends a minimum total score of 291 for graduate applications.
Laramie (population 27,000) is situated on the high plains of southeastern Wyoming, two hours north of Denver, near the foot of the Snowy Range of the Rocky Mountains. It recently was ranked best small college town in the country. Laramie has an old-West charm but also a funky college-town feel: it's home to some fine independent bookstores and coffee shops, and the restaurant options include vegan, Thai, Indian, Japanese, and more. Laramie was also recently named by Outside magazine as one of the 40 best college towns in the United States, and for good reason: the rugged mountains of the Snowies and the Medicine Bow National Forest to the east and west of town offer boundless opportunities for hiking, camping, trout fishing, mountain biking, rock climbing, and skiing.
UW is conveniently located just off I-80, providing direct access to the Denver International Airport and surrounding amenities, but far enough off the beaten path to engage as a small community. Nestled between two mountain ranges, UW offers a wide range of academic and lifestyle opportunities including year-round cultural and outdoor recreation events.
The online, low residency degree in English differs in important ways from the campus, residential degree. The online degree is tuition-driven; no funding or assistantships are available. The online degree is a three-year, part-time degree, with one course offered per semester (summer, fall, spring). The time-to-degree cannot be reduced or accelerated. Transferring credits into the online MA is not permitted. The curriculum is fixed and all students take the same courses. Unlike the campus MA, online degree students are not required to complete a reading exam prior to starting on their thesis.
Tuition & Fees
Entrepreneurial tuition as outlined in the UW Student Fee book. Search for "Distance English Master's Program" for the specific tuition rate.
Plan-B Portfolio Option
Online degree students have the option to take one additional course and pursue a plan-B portfolio, rather than a traditional thesis.
Yes. As a fully funded graduate program, all students admitted full-time to the on-campus program will receive an assistantship. This includes international students. Admission requirements for international students do include proof of English Proficiency and Financial Support.
You can browse the student handbook for more information about the required Reading List exam and Thesis options.
