An online master’s in English is almost always an MA, and it is a specialization degree rather than a general upgrade. It exists for four fairly specific people: the community college instructor who needs a graduate degree in the discipline, the secondary teacher whose district recognizes a subject master’s, the applicant preparing for doctoral study, and the person who wants two years of serious reading in a period or field they never got to finish. If you are none of those, read the is it worth it page before you apply.
This page explains how these programs are structured, how tracks differ, what admissions actually weighs, and what to compare across schools.
Quick answers
What is an online master’s in English?
It is a graduate program, usually an MA, built from seminars in literature, rhetoric and composition, or language study, ending in a thesis, a portfolio, or comprehensive exams. Coursework is reading-heavy and assessed by long researched papers rather than by tests.
What tracks do master’s programs offer?
Common tracks are literature, rhetoric and composition, teaching English to speakers of other languages, English education, and in some departments a creative writing option. Rhetoric and composition programs prepare you to teach and administer writing courses; literature programs prepare you for further study in a period or field. They are different degrees wearing the same title.
Do I need an English bachelor’s to be admitted?
Usually not, but you will need enough undergraduate literature or writing coursework to survive the seminars, and some programs require specific prerequisites. The writing sample matters more than the major: a graduate committee wants to see whether you can build a scholarly argument.
Will a master’s in English get me a college teaching job?
It is the usual minimum for teaching composition or introductory literature at a community college, often as adjunct work. Tenure-track positions at four-year institutions normally require a doctorate. English language and literature teachers, postsecondary, had 0.0 percent projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034, with 5,100 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034), so plan around a tight market rather than an expanding one.
How long does a master’s in English take?
Calendars vary by school and by full-time versus part-time enrollment, and the culminating requirement changes the timeline as much as the credit count. Confirm total credits, whether a thesis or comprehensive exams are required, and expected time to completion with each program rather than assuming a national norm.
Does an online MA carry the same weight as a campus MA?
At an institution with recognized accreditation, the diploma does not distinguish delivery format, and hiring committees mostly do not either. What they read is the thesis or writing sample and the seminar list. Where online programs differ in practice is faculty access and cohort discussion, which is worth asking about directly.
At a Glance
- Degree type: MA in English, with tracks in literature, rhetoric and composition, teaching English to speakers of other languages, or English education
- Typical duration: Varies by school, track, and enrollment intensity – confirm the catalog
- Admissions: Bachelor’s degree plus an academic writing sample in most programs
- Capstone: Thesis, portfolio, or comprehensive examinations depending on the track
- Accreditation: No programmatic accreditor for English; verify institutional accreditation
Schools to compare
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
- Graduation rate 30%
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
- Average net price (lower is better) 20%
- Retention rate 15%
- Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Graduation rate
97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$124,080
Avg net price
$13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 100
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
11%
Graduation rate
93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$92,446
Avg net price
$13,481/yr
TuitionIn‑state$16,347
Out‑of‑state$50,547
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 127
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$71,588
Avg net price
$6,541/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 172
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
98%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$110,066
Avg net price
$6,128/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 98%
- Programs offered: 47
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
7%
Graduation rate
95%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$82,735
Avg net price
$14,398/yr
TuitionIn‑state$67,832
Out‑of‑state$67,832
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 40
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher Education · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$88,665
Avg net price
$17,716/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 38
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 97%
- Programs offered: 28
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
96%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$143,372
Avg net price
$20,111/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats
- Retention rate: 99%
- Programs offered: 53
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Typical topics in a master’s program
| Course Topic |
What You Learn |
| Bibliography and Research Methods |
Scholarly editions, archives, databases, and how an argument enters a field |
| Literary Theory |
Schools of criticism and what each one licenses you to claim |
| Period or Genre Seminars |
Sustained work on a narrow body of writing with a substantial research paper |
| Rhetoric and Composition Theory |
How writing is taught, assessed, and administered at the college level |
| Teaching Practicum |
Supervised teaching of composition, where the program includes assistantship-style training |
| Second Language Acquisition |
For tracks in teaching English to speakers of other languages: how adults learn a language |
| Thesis or Comprehensive Exams |
A long researched argument, or examinations across a reading list you build with an advisor |
Which track, in practice
Choose the literature track if you want depth in a period, an author, or a critical problem, and especially if a doctorate is the plan. Choose rhetoric and composition if you want to teach writing, run a writing center, or move into workplace communication; it is also the track that transfers most directly into paid work outside academia. Choose the track in teaching English to speakers of other languages if language instruction is the job, and confirm whether the program leads to any state or international credential. Choose an English education track only if it is state-approved for the license you need.
Do not choose the MA on the assumption that it makes any bachelor’s-level job easier to get. For most writing and editing roles it does not. Editors had 0.6 percent projected growth from 2024 to 2034 with 9,800 openings per year, and technical writers 0.9 percent growth with 4,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034); neither occupation screens primarily on graduate credentials.
What the degree does not do
Three assumptions are worth retiring before you apply.
It does not license you to teach in a K-12 classroom. Licensure is issued by states and requires a state-approved preparation program with supervised student teaching, regardless of how much English you have studied. A subject master’s can raise your placement on a district salary schedule once you are licensed, which is a real benefit, but it is not the license.
It does not substitute for a doctorate in the four-year academic job market. Tenure-track literature positions normally require a PhD, and search committees read the MA as preparation rather than as a terminal credential. If a faculty career is the aim, treat the MA as a two-year audition for doctoral admission and choose a program whose faculty will write you strong letters.
It does not make a bachelor’s-level editorial or communications resume more competitive. Those roles hire on samples and edit tests. A graduate degree neither hurts nor particularly helps, and the two years are expensive if that is the destination.
Skills and outcomes to compare
Outcomes vary by program, but you can compare:
- Whether the culminating requirement is a thesis, a portfolio, or comprehensive exams, and who supervises it
- Whether teaching experience is available to online students, which matters if community college teaching is the aim
- Seminar size and how discussion is conducted at a distance
- Faculty fields, and whether anyone works in the area you want to write about
- Whether the program is designed as terminal or as preparation for doctoral applications, which changes how the thesis is treated
- Whether a language requirement applies, and how it is satisfied online
For pacing and delivery comparisons, see: How Online English Degrees Work
How to compare online master’s programs
- Identify the track and read its required course list rather than the program overview.
- Confirm the culminating requirement and how long students typically take to finish it.
- Ask what faculty supervision looks like for an online thesis, including how often you meet.
- If teaching is the goal, ask what teaching experience online students can actually get.
- Check whether the program is state-approved, if you need it for licensure or a district salary schedule.
- Verify recognized institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database.
- Compare total required credits and fees, not the advertised rate alone; see Affordable Online English Degrees.
No accreditor evaluates English graduate programs specifically. Institutional accreditation is the check that matters, plus state approval if the degree is attached to a teaching license. A master’s does not confer a teaching post, and postsecondary English teaching shows 0.0 percent projected growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034).
Admissions requirements
Most programs require a completed bachelor’s degree, transcripts, a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and an academic writing sample. The sample is usually the most heavily weighted item, and it should be a critical essay with citations rather than a personal essay or a workplace document. Ten to twenty pages of your best undergraduate literary analysis is the standard ask.
Undergraduate coursework in literature helps but is often not strictly required. Some programs admit applicants from other majors on the condition that they complete a survey or theory course early. Standardized test scores are frequently optional now. Ask admissions what they actually weigh rather than inferring it from the catalog page.
Master’s vs a bachelor’s pathway
A bachelor’s in English is the general four-year credential and the reading-and-writing training, and it is what most employers of English graduates are looking at. A master’s is narrower: deeper work in one area, plus the credential that community college teaching and some district salary schedules recognize. It is not a prerequisite for editing, writing, communications, or marketing work, and it does not change the licensing requirement for K-12 teaching, which is set by states.
Compare degree options:
For a value and fit discussion, see: Is an Online English Degree Worth It. If the work you want is original literary writing, see the Creative Writing Program Guide; if it is documentation and information design, see technical communication.
Data verified: September 5, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
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