The Valdosta State University Master of Arts in English Studies for Language Arts Teachers is an innovative online degree program designed specifically for language arts teachers who wish to expand their content knowledge in the major subfields of the discipline, including literature, composition, rhetoric, linguistics, and creative writing.  Unlike a traditional master’s degree, which is a research degree designed to prepare students for Ph.D. study, our rigorous program is designed to provide in-depth content directly applicable to middle grades and secondary language arts education.  From composition theory to the teaching of creative writing to the history of the English language, our curriculum introduces students to the advanced subject matter they need for the challenges of the 21st century language arts classroom.

Whether you are seeking opportunities for professional development, permanent certification, or an advance in salary step, our rigorous program, housed in a premier regional university that also offers a traditional English MA in a regular bricks-and-mortar setting, will provide you with the training you seek in order to progress professionally.

The curriculum includes advanced courses in composition theory, rhetoric, grammar, second language learners, and literature.  Our British, American, and multicultural literature courses are intended to provide the kind of deeper content that leads to richer teaching of familiar authors and works but also to the teaching of writers and texts that may be less well known.  Overall, because our curriculum covers every major subfield, we are able to offer a wide range of course offerings.

Some courses are entirely asynchronous, allowing students to complete the assignments on their own schedule as long as they meet regular deadlines.  Other courses require some synchronous interaction with the instructor and/or other students after 5:00 p.m. weeknights (typically once every two to three weeks), but all the courses are designed to be compatible with the schedule of professional educators working fulltime.

Admission is rolling with new cohorts admitted each semester.  Students taking two courses per term including summers can graduate in as little as two years.  Our graduate faculty is comprised of accomplished researchers and teachers committed to rigorous online instruction and to designing courses that meet the needs of today’s middle grades and secondary language arts teachers.The M.A. in English Studies for Language Arts Teachers is designed to accommodate the wide-ranging experiences and interests of its students, as well as cover the most current subject matter in each subfield.

Program Objectives

The M.A. in English Studies for Language Arts Teachers is designed to provide students with the following:

  1. Depth of knowledge in the major subfields of contemporary English studies.
  2. The ability to work in each subfield in light of key facts and concepts.
  3. The ability to produce cogent written work, blending knowledge of each subfield with its implications for the teaching of language arts.
  4. The ability to articulate their own work.
  5. The ability to produce systematic and researched work appropriate to the discipline.