Possible Reasons / Program Options

• You need more time to decide on a career; you want to wait out a soft job market; you enjoy being a student.
• Best Match: An M.A. (Master of Arts) Program.

• You are interested in broadening and deepening your understanding of English literature, or pursuing a specific area of interest, for personal intellectual enrichment.
• Best Match: An M.A. Program. An M.A. program in English can also function as a stepping stone into a Ph.D. program.

• You are interested in teaching English K-12 or possibly at a community college, junior college, or prep school.
• Best Match: An M.A. program that emphasizes teaching; perhaps an MATW (Master of Arts in the Teaching of Writing) or MATE (Master of Arts in the Teaching of English) program.

• You are a creative writer, interested in teaching creative writing and/or perfecting your art.
• Best Match: An M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts) program. But note that if you may someday want to enter a Ph.D. program in English, it is better to get an M.A. Ph.D.; admissions committees sometimes do not look favorably on M.F.A.'s.

• You are interested in becoming a librarian.
• Best Match: Master of Library Science (MLS) or Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS). Look for a program accredited by the American Library Association (ALA).

• You are interested in teaching English as a second language.
• Best Match: An MATESL (Master of Arts in the Teaching of English as a Second Language) program. (Also note that you can probably find a position abroad without a master's degree.)

• You are interested in a career in editing or publishing.
• Best Match: Probably a summer institute in editing and publishing. A master's degree may also be helpful, but look for a program that would give you a chance to learn how to work with electronic texts and use web software.

• You are primarily interested in rhetoric and composition, theater, film, comparative literature, classics, interdisciplinary studies, or some other variation of English studies.
• Best Match: A graduate program that specifically targets your area of interests. A "garden variety" graduate program in English is not a good choice for you.

• You have a strong interest in embarking on an academic career in English.
• Best Match: Ph.D. (Doctor of Philosophy) in English. While some English Ph.D.'s find jobs outside academia, most Ph.D. programs focus strongly on preparing students to be English professors.