Testimonials
“Though the seminars are of course fantastic, the biggest advantage of this English department is, to me, the seriousness with which I was taken by the faculty. I never felt like an obligation, or like someone just passing through, but like a scholar-in-training whose ideas, inchoate as they sometimes were, deserved to be taken seriously and were nurtured at every turn.”
- Charles Clements ('17)
"I am currently pursuing a Ph.D. in English with a specialization in Irish Literature at the University of Connecticut. BC’s M.A. in Irish Literature and Culture provided me with outstanding preparation for doctoral work. I entered the program with a general interest in contemporary Irish poetry, but I wasn’t sure what I could do with that interest. Two years later, I left with a much clearer idea of how I could continue to develop and also market my area of scholarship. The program offered me intensive study in the Irish language, allowed me to work closely with exceptional faculty, and culminated in a comprehensive oral exam that was both a dynamic academic and social experience. In addition, the number of Irish cultural and academic talks, conferences, and events at BC and in the surrounding Boston-area further added to my rich experience."
- Mollie Kervick (’16)
“The opportunity to teach was incredibly helpful, since it gave me the chance to try it on and see if it was something I was passionate about and capable of doing”
- Gretchen Frederickson
“My writing skills have improved and my ability to insert my voice in a larger academic conversation. I learned to trust my voice – in class, in papers, in conversations among my cohort. The program has built my self-confidence as an academic and a writer.”
- Kate Steele
“I have learned how literature connects more broadly to history and culture, past and present.”
- Angelina Rotman Flood
“The most exciting and enriching thing I got to do here was explore creative non-fiction in contemporary America, culminating in the opportunity to write in this creative form, which is something I value not only in and of itself, but as a respectable form of academic writing.”
- Rob Stone
“My experience in the M.A. program has been overwhelmingly positive. It has really helped foster and expand my interests, as well as introduce me to new texts and concepts that I never knew existed. If you would have told me two years ago that I would be studying cocktails and the history of drinking, I never would have believed you!”
- Hannah Griggs
“I enjoyed the Irish Literature oral exam. It allowed me to thoroughly pursue an area of study I was interested in. The exam also allowed me to work closely with two professors who helped steer me in the right direction with their mentoring.”
- Sean Clifford
“The program has helped me to figure out how I want to move forward with my career. I came into the program considering a Ph.D. and have decided to pursue a career in publishing instead. The taste of academic life was helpful in broadcasting the benefits and struggles of continuing my education”
- Gretchen Frederickson