The Master of Arts degree is flexible. Individual degree programs can be designed to further the skills of teachers or prospective teachers of English or English language arts at any level. Students seeking endorsement in English as a Second Language can incorporate the four-course ESL sequence into thier degree. Although the M.A. in English at TAMU-T is not primarily intended to prepare students for admission to a Ph.D. program in English, it does allow students whose primary interest is literature to select from a variety of specialized literature courses. Students will develop degree plans corresponding to their personal and professional needs.

The sample degree plans below illustrate how typical students might structure an MA in English. (Note: Degree plans have additional requirements. The following sample specializations pertain only to the course work in the major. Consult the TAMU-T catalog for details and for course descriptions.)

A student teaching English or preparing to teach English at the middle school or secondary level:

English 570: Strategies in Composition
English 571: Improving Student Writing in the Schools
English 555: Introduction to Linguistics
English 580: Seminar in Literature (May be repeated when topics vary. Children's literature, Adolescent Literature, Shakespeare, Women in Literature, Mark Twain, and Jane Austen are examples of courses that have been recently offered in this category.)

Possible Minors: History, Psychology

A student teaching English or preparing to teach English language arts at the elementary or middle school levels:

English 570: Strategies in Composition
English 571: Improving Student Writing in the Schools
English 555: Introduction to Linguistics
English 580: Seminar in Literature (May be repeated when topics vary. Children's literature, Adolescent Literature, Film, Shakespeare, Women in Literature, Mark Twain, and Jane Austen are examples of courses that have been recently offered in this category.)

Possible Minors: Reading, Education

A student preparing for teaching at the lower-division college level:

English 570: Strategies in Composition
English 571: Improving Student Writing in the Schools
English 555: Introduction to Linguistics
English 580: Seminar in Literature (May be repeated when topics vary. Children's literature, Adolescent Literature, Film, Shakespeare, Women in Literature, Mark Twain, and Jane Austen are examples of courses that have been recently offered in this category.)

Possible Minors: History, Psychology

A student preparing to work with children or adults with a native language other than English (The following degree plan incorporates the four-course sequence preparing students to take the ExCet Examination for an English as a Second Language endorsement.)

English 555: Linguistics
English 556: Second Language Acquisition
English 557: Sociolinguistic Issues in English as a Second Language
English 558: Methods of Teaching English as a Second Language
English 580: Seminar in Literature (May be repeated when topics vary. Children's literature, Adolescent Literature, Film, Shakespeare, Women in Literature, Mark Twain, and Jane Austen are examples of courses that have been recently offered in this category.)

Possible Minors: History, Psychology, Education, Reading