In the words of John Donne, "God is a declaratory God." Since communication is not only central to the human experience, but also a central quality of the Creator, we believe that the effective composing, transmission and interpretation of words has broad implications. The ACU English faculty conducts the study of English with an acknowledgment that human language echoes the divine activity of the Logos—the Word that is the beginning of all things.

We are not, however, interested in indoctrination, nor do we seek to narrow our explorations of the world. Rather, we wish to take seriously not only intellectual questions, but also spiritual and ethical questions, broadening the scope of our interrogation of what it means to read and to write. We believe that a spiritual inquiry offers not a smaller but a larger understanding of text and of the human condition, and we welcome students from diverse religious backgrounds to join us in our explorations.

In a rigorous program that examines and incorporates current theoretical approaches and encourages students to continue expanding their understanding and knowledge, the Department of English at ACU offers a Master of Arts degree with a choice of emphases in Literature, Writing, or Composition & Rhetoric. The English MA degree prepares students for a variety of options, including continued graduate study and careers in teaching and writing.

Graduate English faculty are committed to mentoring students both inside and outside the classroom. An especially prominent element of graduate studies in English at ACU is the opportunity to participate in a unique spiritual and intellectual community. Students enjoy a number of formal and informal opportunities to meet, discuss, and share ideas with their professors and with one another—an ongoing activity that we believe is vital to our work. Our students and faculty must not only know the continually changing canon of texts and theoretical developments within English disciplines, but we believe that they must also be engaged in the vigorous debates about the meaning and value of textuality that are taking place in contemporary culture. To that end, we encourage continuing discussions about matters such as theory, ethics, and canon both within our department and in the larger circles of the academy and the world.

As part of these discussions, graduate students are invited to participate in campus-wide and interdisciplinary programs, and students are often invited to attend and present their work at professional meetings. Students work closely with their professors on research and writing assignments and are encouraged and mentored in their production of independent research projects as well.

The Graduate Program in English welcomes students from various faith backgrounds who are committed to the study of literature, writing, and rhetoric in order to understand, speak to, and influence our world community.