Degree Information

Overview of the Master of Arts and Master of Letters Programs

Courses

Bread Loaf courses are designed to deepen students’ experience of the transformative artistry, power, and relevance of literary texts and to foster students’ development as readers, writers, teachers, and critical thinkers. 

Candidates in both degree programs may choose from state-of-the-art courses in the following areas: 

Bread Loaf’s approach to literary study emphasizes critical, creative, and pedagogical practices as complementary foundations for the interpretation of literature, language, and culture. 

Courses are taught by distinguished faculty in English and allied fields, including creative writing, rhetoric and composition, education, and theater.  They are supported by a team of professional actors, who guide students in using theatrical practices to catalyze compelling literary analyses. 

Coursework is also enriched by:

• experiential learning opportunities (in our letterpress and theater programs, for example)
• the Bread Loaf Teacher Network, which fosters the discussion and development of innovative pedagogical practices
• a co-curricular program of readings, lectures, field trips, and professionally led play productions

Program / Credit Structure 

Both degrees consist of ten units of study; each unit carries the credit equivalent of three semester-hours or 4.5. quarter-hours of graduate study.

Ordinarily, students will take two units of study per summer. With the permission of the BLSE director, students may take three units in a given summer if they have completed at least two units of study at Bread Loaf and have an exceptional record.

Students have ten years to complete the degree, though most complete their degree in four or five summers. A maximum of two units (six semester-hour or nine quarter-hour credits) may be transferred from another accredited institution.

Students may study at any of our campuses across the degree period but must spend at least one summer at the main campus in Vermont.

They may take up to four units of study online through the Bread Loaf program only. Online learning options include the Critical Writing Tutorial, Directed Research and Writing, and (for MLitt students only) the MLitt Capstone. 

The Master of Arts (MA) Degree

The Bread Loaf MA is anchored on a broad range of British, American, and world literatures. It provides students an opportunity to build an understanding of the significance of diverse literary histories and traditions, to expand their knowledge and use of interpretive methods, and to strengthen their integrity and versatility as close readers and persuasive writers. Excellent preparation for English, language arts, and humanities teachers especially, and for those whose occupations involve professional writing.

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission, candidates must hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college; or they must have completed three years towards the bachelor’s degree at an accredited college and have demonstrated excellence in literary study. 

Requirements*   (New this year)

Students who enter the MA program beginning in summer 2025 are required to take:

• One unit in each of the groups that center on literary fields (four units total);       

  Group 2	British Literature: Beginnings through the 17th Century
  Group 3	British Literature: 18th Century through the Present
  Group 4	American Literature
  Group 5	World Literature

• One unit in either of the groups that center on methodologies (one unit total);

  Group 1	Writing, Pedagogy, and Literacy
  Group 6	Theater Arts

• Five units of electives, from any curricular groups.

No thesis is required, though students do have an opportunity to do advanced research and writing through the on-line Directed Research and Writing (DRW). 

Only courses in which students have earned a B- or higher will count towards the degree. Students who earn a B- in any course will be put on academic probation until their record improves.

Students enrolled in the MA program before 2025 may opt to complete the new or the previous requirements.

The Master of Letters (MLitt) Degree

Bread Loaf’s MLitt program gives students an opportunity to concentrate on a specialized area of literary study. It allows students to acquire expertise in a literary field, which they themselves define; to develop advanced skills in research and writing; and to strengthen their capacity to contextualize, and demonstrate the originality of, their work amid current critical and cultural trends. Excellent preparation for students hoping to pursue a PhD in English or to pursue literary critical, creative, or pedagogical projects on their own.

Eligibility

To be eligible for admission, candidates must hold a BA in any discipline and an MA in English, both from an accredited institution. The applicant’s graduate record and application materials must evidence outstanding accomplishment in literary study, strong skills in critical thinking and writing, and an ability to design and pursue independent research.

Requirements (for students entering the MLitt program in summer 2024)*

Students build a focused ten-unit program of study around courses offered within the Bread Loaf curriculum. The program of study must include:

• Seven units in the field of concentration, including the one-unit MLitt Capstone; 
• Three units of electives;
• The completion and presentation of an MLitt Capstone project. 

Only courses in which students have earned a B- or higher will count towards the degree. Students who earn a B in any course will be put on academic probation until their record improves.

The Field of Concentration

In applying for the MLitt, applicants will need to identify a field of concentration provisionally. In the first MLitt summer, they will work with the BLSE director to finalize the field choices. The field may center on any area of English, American, or world literature and may use critical, creative, and/or pedagogical practices in its approach. 

The MLitt Capstone 

The MLitt Capstone is a one-unit mentored independent study that involves research and writing in a focused area within the field of concentration. It gives degree candidates an opportunity to bring their field knowledge to bear on a particular issue, approach, author, text or set of texts in that field and to practice and demonstrate their skill as original thinkers and persuasive writers. 

Students will enroll in the MLitt Capstone in their final MLitt year.  They will meet once in the spring and then weekly across the summer session, in-person or online, with an assigned faculty mentor to plan, shape, and finalize the project.   

The capstone project should be the equivalent of a 7,000 - 8,000-word essay in scope and should be supported by substantial textural or contextual research (25-30 sources). 

At the end of the final MLitt summer and as part of the MLitt Capstone, degree candidates will present the project (10-15 minutes) to an audience of Bread Loaf faculty and peers and engage with them in an assessment of the project’s strategies and significance.

Students who enrolled in the MLitt program before 2024 may opt to complete the current or the previous requirements.

Questions?

Be sure to read the detailed description of the MLitt program in the Bread Loaf Handbook. If you have any questions, contact Dana Olsen dolsen@middlebury.edu or Karen Browne kbrowne@middlebury.edu in the Bread Loaf office.