Master's Program

Our Master's degree program is intended primarily for students who plan to transfer to a Ph.D. program at another institution.

M.A. candidates enroll in courses alongside students from the Ph.D. program. The M.A. is granted to students upon completion of eight graduate courses and an M.A. thesis.

Requirements for the M.A. degree typically cannot be completed in one year but must be completed by the end of the student’s second year. The minimum residency requirement for the M.A. degree is three terms, two of them at UC Santa Cruz.

The department does not normally provide financial support to M.A. students, including TAships. M.A. students interested in applying for TAships in either the Literature department or elsewhere on campus are encouraged to enroll in the Pedagogy of Literature course (Literature 201), which is offered every fall quarter.

For more details on our MA requirements, please see the current student handbook.