ENGL-MA - English (MA)
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Program Overview
To study English at Stanford is to explore, profoundly and rewardingly, the rich legacy of literature written in English, past and present. The department offers many courses on individual authors, the history of literary genres, literary theory, new media, and creative writing. Given the emphasis on critical thinking and interpretation, the English major is, in turn, an excellent preparation for many professional fields, including teaching, journalism, law, publishing, medicine, and business. The graduate program features rigorous training in the research and analysis of British, American, and global literary histories and texts, preparing students to produce scholarship of originality and importance and to teach literature at the highest levels.
Admissions Information
This program is ONLY open to current Stanford undergraduates majoring in English or related fields, Modern Thought and Literature, American Studies, Comparative Literature, and any language and literature within the DLCL and Classics.
Students pursuing the English MA thesis option may not pursue the English Honors program concurrently.
Coterm Admissions Information
The application deadline for Spring 2026 admission including Letters of Recommendation is January 16, 2026 at 11:59 PST.
Students should select the Entry Term based on when they plan to confer their undergraduate degree. Students who will confer their undergraduate degree before Autumn of the following academic year must select a Spring Quarter start term.
This program is ONLY open to current Stanford undergraduates who are majoring in English or related fields, Modern Thought and Literature, American Studies, Comparative Literature, and any language and literature within DLCL and Classics. Students who pursue the thesis option may not pursue the English Honors program concurrently.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
MA candidates must complete at least 45 units (usually nine courses) with a minimum 3.0 grade point average (GPA).
Courses must be taken at the 200-level and above. At least two courses must be at the 300 level.
Up to five units may be fulfilled with course Research Course.
No more than two courses may be taken at the 100-level and must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
No more than two courses may be taken outside of the Department of English and must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
No creative writing courses may be used to fulfill the requirements.
Coterminal Master's Degrees describes university requirements for the coterminal MA.
A total of 20 units
Two courses in literature pre-1800
Two courses in literature post-1800
A total of 25 units
A minimum of 25 units obtained by completing at least five elective courses that represent a mixture of survey and specialized courses chosen to guarantee familiarity with a majority of the works on the qualifying exam reading list for doctoral candidates.
Candidates who can demonstrate particularly strong preparation in the history of English literature may undertake a 40 to 60-page master’s thesis. Candidates register for ten units of course Thesis and are required to take only three elective courses.
- 1145201
A minimum of 15 units obtained by completing at least three elective courses that represent a mixture of survey and specialized courses
Ten units of ENGLISH399
Up to five units of the 45 total units for the program may be fulfilled with ENGLISH 398.
- 1145161
Students interested in becoming middle school and high school teachers of English may apply for admission to the coterminal teaching program (CTP) of the Stanford Teacher Education Program (STEP) in the School of Education.
CTP students complete a unique English language, composition, and literature curriculum combining a full English major with supplemental coursework in subjects commonly taught in California public schools and a core program of foundational courses in educational theory and practice. They are then admitted to STEP for a fifth year of pedagogical study and practice teaching. Students who complete the curriculum requirements can enter STEP without the necessity of taking either the GRE or the usual subject matter assessment tests.
CTP students receive a BA in English, an MA in Education, and a California Secondary Teaching Credential at the end of five years.
Students usually apply to the coterminal teaching program at the end of their sophomore year or the beginning of their junior year. For complete program details and information on how to apply, consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies in English or the CTP coordinator in the School of Education.