M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition
Graduate (Masters)
On Campus (In-Person)
Downtown Location
MSTC Program Director
Michael Duncan, Ph.D.
713-226-5376
duncanm@uhd.edu
MSTC Program Assistant Director
Ashleigh Petts, Ph.D
713-221-8076
pettsa@uhd.edu
Karlyli Juarez
Associate Director, Graduate Studies CHSS
GradStudies@uhd.edu
Graduate Degree and Graduate Certificate Application Deadlines
Summer 2025
May 1, 2025
Fall 2025
August 1, 2025
Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Composition
Program Overview
The Master of Arts in Rhetoric and Composition (MARC) program is designed to train scholars, teachers, and future teachers how to teach writing/composition and English studies at the college-level. Students in the program receive advanced training in rhetorical theory, composition pedagogy, rhetorical history, composition theory, argumentative strategy, and textual analysis. The program is also proud to be the only program in Texas that places a special emphasis on preparing teachers for the multicultural setting of the 21st century college classroom and teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) students.
The program is valuable for a range of candidates:
- Future teachers of college English courses at community colleges or four-year universities nationwide.
- Local teachers seeking credentials to teach dual credit/enrollment English courses in Houston area high schools.
- Students pursuing an academic career by seeking a foundation for a doctorate in rhetoric, composition, or English studies.
M.A. in Rhetoric and Composition Overview
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the MARC program will be able to:
- Use rhetorical theory in the analysis and production of written communication.
- Identify and prepare strategies for teaching writing in a variety of environments: for example, online classes, large groups, and tutoring sessions.
- Identify and prepare strategies that are essential for teaching writing to today’s students: people with different cultural orientations, varying degrees of English language competence, and different levels of preparedness.
- Analyze discrete elements of written communication.
- Design and execute their own research projects in the fields of rhetoric and/or composition.
Alumni Testimonials
2018 Graduate, Teaching Fellow, UNT
"The (MARC) program added value to my professional career because I was given the opportunity to work with the First Year Writing program while I was getting my MA at UHD."
2020 Graduate, Professor, Lone Star College-CyFair
"The MARC program provided innumerable insights into how to teach writing more effectively."
2017 Graduate, English Professor, San Jacinto College
"The courses I took in composition theory, pedagogy, and assessment formed the foundation of my own pedagogy."
English Graduate Programs
Virtual Information Session
May 21, 2025
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Register to Attend