Online Master’s in English: Education Emphasis
Prepare To Become an English Teacher
The Master of Arts in English with an Emphasis in Education at Grand Canyon University can prepare you to pursue a teaching career at some two- and four-year institutions of higher learning. If you enjoy rhetoric, literature and pedagogy, this graduate-level study in English will teach you the skills to become an educational leader in a world of undergraduate English education. College-level teaching typically requires a PhD or doctoral degree, though some community college instructors may qualify with a master’s degree and relevant work experience. 1
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Offered by the College of Humanities and Social Sciences , this master’s in English with an education emphasis offers advanced training in the discipline of English, using various techniques and strategies, such as:
- Logical reasoning
- Emotional appeals
- Ethical arguments
- Critical thinking
- Educational research methods
- Best practices in teaching
- Techniques for writing and composition
By pursuing this online MA degree in English, you can acquire professional skills relevant across multiple fields. These skills are transferable, offering flexibility to apply your knowledge in various professional settings.
Transform Into an Educational Leader at GCU
Prepare to share your passion for language and literature with postsecondary students and inspire them to achieve their full potential. This online MA degree in English with an education emphasis combines both literature and pedagogy, incorporating various teaching approaches and techniques that can help promote student engagement, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of literary texts and writing.
Skills you will be taught in this program include the following:
- Apply research-based adult learning theories and instructional practices to enhance student engagement and achievement.
- Craft effective grant proposals by understanding funders’ needs and mastering electronic communication techniques.
- Employ advanced methods for analyzing and teaching literature, using master texts to enhance reading and writing skills.
- Integrate a Christian worldview into your teaching, emphasizing ethical leadership and faith-based principles.
- Analyze theories and their impact on digital writing artifacts like memes and viral videos
Online Master’s in English: Education Emphasis Coursework
This program covers essential topics that provide a strong foundation for professional growth in teaching English. This master’s degree is built around four important domains:
- Pedagogy
- Teaching writing and literature
- Practice of professional writing
- Theories of writing a rhetoric
Courses and topics in these areas work together to teach core competencies that can support your future work. These topics may also teach proficiencies and knowledge that may be applied to other areas of your life.
This area of study teaches you how to design curriculum that meets students’ needs and aligns with academic standards and institutional programming requirements. The program will provide you with insights into best practices for teaching recent high school graduates and adult learners and will emphasize the use of remote learning tools to advance the future of online learning.
This area teaches you to apply specific writing, literature and rhetoric practices. You will have opportunities to develop materials that can engage learners and support student outcomes. In this master’s degree in English program, you will be taught to apply current theories and practices related to teaching and assessment.
This focus encourages you to practice writing for different situations. You’ll be prompted to apply various types of writing elements to recognize the expectations of genre and audience. In addition, you will be encouraged to reflect upon the ethical implications of writing.
This coursework emphasizes the role of technology in writing and vice versa. You will be taught to analyze theories of communication in order to address contemporary writing and rhetoric issues in the classroom.
Career Pathways for Master’s in English: Education Emphasis Graduates
You have a range of career pathways available to you, including opportunities to influence educational practices and contribute to the field in impactful ways. You will be taught the skills needed to teach English at secondary and postsecondary levels, where you can impart your knowledge in literature, composition and language arts.
Some graduates may become postsecondary English and literature teachers at local colleges and universities. Others may find work in the research and publishing industries, as well as other higher education institutions. 4 Be sure to check your state and college teaching requirements, as teaching at the college level usually requires a doctoral degree, but some community colleges may accept instructors with a master’s degree and relevant experience. 1
Earn Your Degree From an Institutionally Accredited University
GCU is proud to be an institutionally accredited university — a designation that reflects our commitment to thoroughly preparing our students to face modern workplace challenges with confidence and integrity. In addition, the Higher Learning Commission has continually accredited GCU since 1968.
English Degree FAQs
To help you make an informed decision about your academic and professional goals, we’ve gathered a few frequently asked questions. These insights can help provide clarity on the program’s structure, benefits and how it aligns with your career aspirations.
Prepare to empower students at the postsecondary level. Build an academic framework in teaching English at GCU today.
1 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, April 17). How To Become a Postsecondary Teacher . Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved Aug. 7, 2024.
2 The earnings referenced were reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Postsecondary English Language and Literature Teachers , as of May 2023, retrieved on Aug. 7, 2024. Due to COVID-19, data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. BLS calculates the median using salaries of workers nationwide with varying levels of education and experience. It does not reflect the earnings of GCU graduates as postsecondary English language and literature teachers, nor does it reflect the earnings of workers in one city or region of the country or a typical entry-level salary. Median income is the statistical midpoint for the range of salaries in a specific occupation. It represents what you would earn if you were paid more money than half the workers in an occupation, and less than half the workers in an occupation. It may give you a basis to estimate what you might earn at some point if you enter this career. Grand Canyon University can make no guarantees on individual graduates’ salaries. Your employability will be determined by numerous factors over which GCU has no control, such as the employer the graduate chooses to apply to, the graduate’s experience level, individual characteristics, skills, etc. against a pool of candidates.
3 COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2023 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2024, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Postsecondary Teachers , retrieved on Sept. 5, 2024.
4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024, April 17). What Postsecondary Teachers Do . Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved Aug. 7, 2024.
Core Courses
Course Description
This course is designed to prepare students for the graduate learning experience at Grand Canyon University. Students have opportunities to develop and strengthen the skills necessary to succeed as graduate students in the liberal arts. Emphasis is placed on utilizing the tools for graduate success.
Course Description
This course provides historical, theoretical, and practical knowledge in rhetoric and writing. By studying classical and modern theories of rhetoric, contemporary theories of writing, and relationships between the two, students develop an understanding of key ways to think about writing today. To that end, this course emphasizes praxis: the relationship between practical and theoretical ways of knowing in the discipline. This course also offers an opportunity to practice rhetorical analysis, which is an important skill that will help students become effective, dynamic writers in their professions of choice.
Course Description
This course covers theoretical and practical scholarship about the social and technological dimensions of writing practices. At its core, this course explores writing as a situated social and technological act. To that end, students explore important theories of writing and technology that have impacted the discipline. This course demonstrates the relationship between theory and practice by considering how disparate peoples may think about the strategies and agendas embodied in various technologies and the artifacts that they produce. Electronic media are considered, as well as the artifacts individuals and organizations produce with them, such as Internet memes and viral videos. Students apply theories discussed in this course to analyze the sociotechnological contexts that give rise to artifacts from their professions.
Course Description
This course covers adult learning theory and instructional practices that are research-based and proven effective in higher education. Technology, online learning, and effective instructional methods for online and traditional instruction are emphasized. Participants research learning models, personalized learning and andragogy and apply their knowledge to improve student engagement and achievement in higher education.
Course Description
This course examines the process, purpose, and practicalities of grant writing with emphasis on the electronic nature of current communication between funding foundations and grant seekers. Students will learn about funders and their concerns, the parts of grant proposals, and techniques for successful grant research and writing. The course will culminate in the student's completion of a grant proposal.
Course Description
This course focuses on techniques and theoretical approaches foundational to teaching literary texts. Techniques include close reading, passage analysis, and mastering critical nomenclature. Critical theories pertinent to contemporary scholarship are explored.
Course Description
This course applies learning theories to classroom instructional methods and strategies. Effective communication, creating learning goals, developing student outcomes and assessments, and giving effective feedback are emphasized. Participants are asked to develop activities, assessments, and lesson plans that would be appropriate for a course taught at a community college or university. Prerequisite: EDU-534.
Course Description
This course covers advanced approaches to analyzing and teaching literature and provides learners with additional tools for reading and writing about literature using a master text.
Course Description
This culminating course provides learners with an opportunity to revise, gather, and synthesize their graduate work into a professional portfolio and showcase their research and writing skills in a thesis.
Pursue a next-generation education with an online degree from Grand Canyon University. Earn your degree with convenience and flexibility with online courses that let you study anytime, anywhere.
* Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change.
