English, BA/MA

Through our graduate programs, Stony Brook’s English Department participates in learning communities around the world. Professionals with Stony Brook English degrees teach in secondary schools, colleges and universities, present research at scholarly conferences, and write for specialized and general-interest audiences.

Students enrolled in the Master of Arts program pursue a course of study that includes courses in historical periods, literary genres, topics in gender, race and cultural studies, and various writing workshops. The program offers students the opportunity to broaden as well as deepen their knowledge of literature while also developing their own writing skills. This course of study leads to the Master of Arts degree and requires 30 credits, including a master’s thesis, for completion. Students also have the option to specialize by completing a concentration in Writing and Rhetoric. While pursuing the M.A. in English, students may also earn an interdisciplinary graduate certificate in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, media, arts, cultural and technology, or composition studies. 

The Combined BA/MA allows the highest achieving undergraduate English majors early admission into the English MA Program. Once admitted, students take four graduate English courses in place of undergraduate courses that are similar in content. This program is designed for students to finish both the undergraduate and graduate degree in five years, although there is no requirement to finish in this period.