Graduate Programs
The Department of English offers several vibrant face-to-face and online graduate programs. You can visit the webpage of each program, linked below, to learn more and apply.

Graduate Students in the Department of English

The English Department is part of The Paul D. Coverdell Peace Corps Fellows Program at BGSU and offers numerous opportunities for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs). Learn more about the program.
Graduate Programs
Online Graduate Specializations
Online: MA in English, specialization in English Teaching
Online: MA in English, specialization in Professional Writing and Rhetoric
Certificate Programs
The Department of English also offers several certificate programs at the graduate level. You can visit each certificate webpage, linked below, to learn more.
The deadline for Fall 2023 applications for the MA in Literary & Textual Studies and MFA in Creative Writing is January 15, 2023. See program sites for more details.
For other program deadlines, visit the specific program site, linked above.
Graduate Courses
Click here to read the Spring 2023 Graduate Courses and their descriptions.
Click here for an explanation on how to enroll in courses.
To learn more about each program's sequence and courses, select the specific program below.


Annual Conferences

21st Century Englishes Conference
The 21st Century Englishes Conference is an annual Midwest graduate student conference organized by Bowling Green State University Rhetoric & Writing Studies Ph.D. students. It is hosted by the Rhetoric Society of the Black Swamp, the BGSU Student Chapter of the Rhetoric Society of America, and BGSU Rhetoric & Writing Studies Ph.D. Program. It is sponsored by BGSU Department of English and Univeristy Writing Program.
The 2022 conference is canceled this year. Please return at a later date for more details on the 2023 conference.

Winter Wheat Festival
Winter Wheat, created in 2001, is a festival celebrating writers and readers, produced by Mid-American Review and hosted on the campus of Bowling Green State University.
The festival is sponsored by MAR, the BGSU Ethnic and Cultural Arts Program, the Creative Writing Program at BGSU, Prairie Margins, the Graduate Writers Club, the Creative Writing Alumni Fund, and donations from attendees. The festival would not be possible without donors! Donations for Winter Wheat and MAR can be made online, or through checks made out to BGSU Foundation, with Mid-American Review in the Memo line.
Learning Outcomes – Master of Arts in English (no specialization)
- Develop writing projects that integrate knowledge about audience, rhetorical structures, organization, and the process of writing and revision.
- Generate original research that evaluates and expands scholarship in contemporary English studies.
- Examine in depth and develop expertise in one or more aspect of contemporary English Studies.
- Assess their learning and scholarship in English studies and further develop their own work.
Learning Outcomes – Master of Arts in English with a specialization in Professional Writing and Rhetoric
- Create effective written and visual documents for multiple audiences based on theories and concepts central to the fields of technical communication and rhetoric.
- Evaluate the key theoretical, historical and cultural concepts of the fields of rhetoric and technical communication.
- Plan communication strategies for creating documents for people from various cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
- Create a capstone portfolio reflecting what students have learned over the course of their program.
Learning Outcomes – Master of Arts in English with a specialization in English Teaching
- Formulate and defend theories and/or practices of English teaching that draw on a sophisticated understanding of contemporary English studies and pedagogical approaches.
- Develop writing projects that integrate knowledge about audience, rhetorical structures, organization, and the process of writing and revision.
- Generate original research that evaluates and expands scholarship in contemporary English studies.
- Examine in depth and develop expertise in one or more aspect of contemporary English Studies.
- Assess their learning and scholarship in English studies and further develop their own work.
Learning Outcomes – Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a specialization in Fiction, Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a specialization in Poetry
- Develop individual, original approaches to writing fiction and/or poetry
- Produce a book-length thesis comparable in quality to the published work of contemporary poets and fiction writers
- Develop an understanding of their work’s place within the context of contemporary literature
- Collaboratively assess literary work for publication
- Apply craft knowledge to produce and distribute a literary journal through relevant technologies
- Develop pedagogical skills sufficient to design and teach courses at the college level
Learning Outcomes - PhD in English with a specialization in Rhetoric and Writing
- Appraise methodological, theoretical, and pedagogical approaches for engaging as scholars, teachers, and leaders who are responsive to the situated nature of rhetoric and to what students, campuses, cultures and society want from writing today.
- Justify interventions in ongoing disciplinary conversations in rhetoric and writing studies through their own research, theory building, and pedagogies.
- Develop impactful rhetoric and writing scholarship rooted in the developing literacies, literacy technologies, and needs of diverse learners shaping higher education today.
Accreditation and/or Program/Cluster Review
Bowling Green State University [BGSU] is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. BGSU has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 01/01/1916. The most recent reaffirmation of accreditation was received in 2012 - 2013. Questions should be directed to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.
Professional Licensure (If applicable)
Bowling Green State University programs leading to licensure, certification and/or endorsement, whether delivered online, face-to-face or in a blended format, satisfy the academic requirements for those credentials set forth by the State of Ohio.
Requirements for licensure, certification and/or endorsement eligibility vary greatly from one profession to another and from state to state. The English program does not lead to professional licensure.
Gainful Employment (If applicable)
Under the Higher Education Act Title IV disclosure requirements, an institution must provide current and prospective students with information about each of its programs that prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.
The English program is not a recognized occupation that requires a Gainful Employment disclosure.
Updated: 05/15/2023 01:21PM