English (Rhetoric and Communication Design) - Master of Arts (MA)

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Hagey Hall Hub located on Waterloo's main campus

Deepen your knowledge of the foundations of rhetorical theory and pursue your interests in fields such as rhetoric, discourse analysis, semiotics, multimedia design and critique, composition pedagogy, and professional writing with the Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Design program.  

Choose between three streams of study to suit your needs and interests. With the thesis option you’ll complete coursework and conduct original research leading to a master’s thesis publication roughly 80-100 pages in length. With the master’s research paper option, you’ll complete coursework and conduct original research leading to a research paper roughly 40-50 pages in length. The coursework option focuses entirely on courses.  

You’ll be prepared to pursue further study at the PhD level, or to pursue a career in publishing, private industry, government, educational organizations, non-governmental organizations, or in your own business.

Program overview

Department/School: English Language and Literature
Faculty: Faculty of Arts
Admit term(s): Fall (September - December)
Delivery mode: On-campus
Program type: Master's, Research
Length of program: 12 months (full-time)
Registration option(s): Full-time, Part-time
Study option(s): Thesis, Master's Research Paper, Coursework

Application deadlines

  • February 1 (for admission in September)

Key contacts

englishgrad@uwaterloo.ca

Admission limitations

Due to funding restrictions, the Faculty of Arts is currently limiting the number of international students we can admit. Please contact the department's Associate Chair, Graduate Studies prior to applying to discuss your interest in this program.

Supervisors

Admission requirements

  • An Honours Bachelor's degree in English, or its equivalent, with an average of at least 78% in English courses, and at least 75% overall.
  • Those with Honours degrees not in English may apply to the program but may be required to take as many as 10 undergraduate courses in English to prepare them for graduate-level study in the discipline. Additional courses will be chosen in consultation with the Graduate Officer and will generally correspond to the minor program in English.

Degree requirements

  • Review the degree requirements in the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar, including the courses that you can anticipate taking as part of completing the degree

Application materials

  • A Statement of Interest, no more than 500 words, explaining your reasons for applying to the program
  • Supplementary information form (SIF)
    • The SIF contains questions specific to your program, typically about why you want to enrol and your experience in that field. Review the application documents web page for more information about this requirement
    • If a statement or letter is required by your program, review the writing your personal statement resources for helpful tips and tricks on completion

  • Transcript(s)

  • References
    • Three references are required; at least two academic 
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if applicable
    • TOEFL 100 (writing 26, speaking 26), IELTS 7.5 (writing 7.0, speaking 7.0)

Tuition and fees