Breadcrumb
English, M.A., Emphasis in Applied English Studies
A Master of Arts in English, with an emphasis in Applied English Studies, from Cal Poly Humboldt will prepare you for a range of pursuits while enhancing your critical reading, writing, teaching, research, and other scholarly skills. While developing professionally, you’ll advance your understanding of racial and social justice within the discipline, including how texts circulate among audiences and how language shapes the world. You’ll also gain hands-on experience through teaching assistantships, tutoring positions, and internships.
Why this program
Engage with antiracist and decolonial frameworks to prepare you for twenty-first-century leadership.
Design a digital storytelling research project; explore electives in Critical Plant Studies and Queer Memoir.
Gain practical experience in digital media, teaching writing, and special collections & archives.
Academics & Options
Our program offers a broad curriculum that fosters the development of critical reading, writing, teaching, research, and other scholarly skills through focused study of literary and cultural texts, pedagogical theory, curriculum development, composition and rhetoric, digital humanities, linguistics, and ESL/EFL.
What is Applied English Studies?
The MA in English—with an emphasis in Applied English Studies—is a comprehensive curriculum that prepares graduates for a range of professional pursuits. With an emphasis on career advancement and critical consciousness, the program expands opportunities for K-12 teachers, lays a foundation for doctoral study, and equips students for jobs in college teaching as well as careers in publishing, editing, writing, content curation, digital scholarship, and teaching English abroad.
Our graduate students study how language acts upon the world in order to communicate effectively with diverse communities and envision a just society. Coursework is anchored in conversations about social and racial justice, pedagogy, literature, writing, and cultural representation that extend beyond the classroom, and hones students’ skills in critical reading, writing, teaching, research, and digital humanities.
Did you know?
Small, discussion-based classes mean you’ll receive individual attention and flexibility to pursue special interests.
Located where the redwood trees meet the sea, Humboldt is a great place to write, read, think, learn, and meet lifelong friends.
You will be part of a close-knit learning community and develop meaningful relationships with faculty and peers.
Graduate teaching associates receive a stipend and may receive a tuition waiver.
Careers
A Master of Arts in English with an emphasis in Applied English Studies expands opportunities for K-12 teachers and prepares students for Ph.D. programs and jobs in college teaching, publishing, editing, professional writing, digital scholarship and curation, and teaching English abroad.
- Authorship, Journal Editing, and Book Design
- Nonprofit administration and community organizing
- Copywriting & Communications Strategizing
- English as a Second/Foreign Language Teaching
- Digital Media Production
- Writing Center Administration
- Literary Marketing, Publicity, & Agenting
- Research and Library Science
- Story Editing for TV and Film
- University and Community College Teaching
