Master of Arts in English Literature and Language

Credit Hours

Credit Hour Certificate Option

Degree

Master of Arts https://www.stmarytx.edu/academics/programs/master-english-literature-language/ https://www.stmarytx.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/ms-ell-900×600-1.png

Format

In-Person
Online

Department

Department of English Literature and Language

Program Director

Mary Lynne Gasaway Hill, Ph.D., FRSA

English Literature and Language at St. Mary’s

The Master of Arts in English Literature and Language immerses students in narrative and storytelling practices, such as research, writing and outreach, to prepare them for doctoral or legal studies and a variety of professional environments.

The heart of our program is a deep engagement with the power of literature and language to shape how we understand the world and ourselves within it. We mentor graduate students in developing both critical and creative approaches to texts, language and cultural expression. Our small classes and dedicated faculty foster deep inquiry, scholarly growth and professional development tailored to each student’s goals.

Rooted in the Marianist value of community, students and faculty collaborate in learning together for the betterment of all.

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Accelerated Degree Program

St. Mary’s University offers accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degree programs, allowing undergraduate students to begin graduate studies as early as their junior year.

Learn more about accelerated degrees

Degree Plans

We specialize in preparing students to develop and animate narrative skills in contemporary professional settings. Our graduates enjoy success in a range of professions, including education, law, civic advocacy, organizational development, public relations and marketing. Several study options are available:
Course Highlights

Our courses prepare students for careers requiring advanced verbal and analytical abilities, including the skills needed for professional research, communications and outreach. They also enhance the elementary and high school teacher education process and ready promising scholars for doctoral studies.

Students can pursue a variety of courses within the program. Sample courses include:
Find course descriptions and requirements:

course catalog

$79,322

Median annual earnings for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary

Hybrid

Program (Combination of Online and On-Campus courses)

Credit Hours

Dual Credit Faculty Expansion Program

This new partnership between the Alamo Colleges’ Northwest Vista campus and St. Mary’s University prepares current high school educators to teach dual credit courses in English, History and Political Science. This program is shaping outstanding current and future educators who animate our high school classrooms, reinforcing Rattler impact in our local and regional communities.

Read about the partnership

Student Highlights

Accessible Literature

There are virtually no ASL interpretations of higher-level readings, such as Homer’s “The Odyssey,” so a group of former and current students from the Department of English Literature and Language decided to change that.

The endeavor was made possible through a $1,500 grant from Humanities Texas, a nonprofit with a goal to create opportunities for lifelong learning and advance education throughout the state.

Watch the videos

student sitting under a tree and reading

Climate Change Fairy Tales

Supported with funding from Title V BASE and PPOHA-BRAVO grants, an editorial team of graduate English students produced the Climate Change Fairy Tales collection. The team curated original climate change fairytales written in EN2382 Fairy Tales, Myths and Folklore, then designed and produced this innovative collection, merging an ancient form of storytelling with today’s environmental crisis.

View Collection

Poetry and the Engaged Citizen

In partnership with the San Antonio Fulbright Chapter, graduate and undergraduate English students hosted the tenth Poetry and the Engaged Citizen, emceed by San Antonio Poet Laureate and St. Mary’s alumnus Eddie Vega. This annual National Poetry Month event spotlights student, alumni, faculty and staff poets and features voter registration and civic outreach.

View Event

Faculty member recites poetry during the annual St. Mary's University Poetry and the Engaged Citizen.

Pecan Grove Review

An editorial team of English graduate and undergraduate students offers creative writing workshops and manages submissions, as it edits and designs the Pecan Grove Review (PGR). With a cover graced with an original oil painting by Prof. Brian St. John, M.F.A., Volume XXI features an introduction and original poem from San Antonio Poet Laureate and St. Mary’s alumnus Eddie Vegas, along with short fiction, creative nonfiction, a screenplay excerpt, visual art and poetry, including two crowd-sourced poems from Poetry and the Engaged Citizen.

View the PGR

Sarah Ojaym Finds Her Voice

For international students, such as Sarah Ojaym, finding a sense of belonging often means navigating new cultural expectations, making new friends and learning a new language. Sarah, a native of Saudi Arabia, shares her experience of these challenges in her graduate project, “Finding My Voice: The Role of Pronunciation in Linguistic Identity.”

Watch VIdeo

What can I do with a degree in English Literature and Language?

Access Valuable Career Opportunities

Through the development of transferable and in-demand skills, the Master of Arts in English Literature and Language prepares students for career advancement and specialization. Students learn to robustly articulate and advance the stories of their professional occupations, organizations and interests.

Career Center
Potential Job Fields
Recent Grads are working in education for:
Alamo Colleges

UTSA

local ISDs

English Programs in Korea (EPIK )
Education
Recent Grads are working in marketing and communications for:
The Archdiocese of San Antonio

CDW

Hispanics in Philanthropy
Marketing and Communications
Recent Grads are advocates for:
Urban Strategies

University of Illinois
Advocates
Recent Grads are pursuing doctoral studies at:
Boston College

Clemson University

Gallaudet University

Sarah Lawrence College

Texas Christian University

Notre Dame

University of North Carolina

UIW

UTSA
Doctoral Studies
Recent Grads have presented research at:
Texas 3MT Competition

St. Mary’s University Annual Research and Creative Activities Symposium

Texas Medievalist Conference
Research

I use literature to help my students contemplate their own ideas of identity and how society can be a big influence on how we understand our identities … I hope my students will go out and spread the word and make a tangible change in their community.”

Margaret Cantú-Sanchez, Ph.D. (B.A. ’06, M.A. ’07)
`Assistant Professor of English`

Joint Law and Master of English Literature and Language Degrees

The St. Mary’s School of Law and College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences offer a joint program of study leading to the degrees of Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) and Master of Arts in English Literature and Language. The joint degree program allows a student to complete the requirements for both degrees in three to four years.

Admission to the joint program requires application to both schools, although application to graduate programs need not be made until the student begins law school. Upon successful application to both programs, students work with the graduate program director and the law school to coordinate student scheduling for completion of both degree programs.

Joint degree programs

Contact Us

To learn more about the Master of Arts in English Literature and Language at St. Mary’s University, contact the Office of Graduate Admission at graduate@stmarytx.edu or 210-436-3126.

Graduate Admission