Mistress of English Literature

Mistress of English Literature (M.E.L.) was a master's degree in English—without ancient, modern, or foreign language requirements—conferred mostly at American women's colleges during the 19th and early 20th centuries.[1][2] The acronym also stood for Master of English Literature. The degree was similar to a Lit. M. or M. Lit. degree.[3] The term "Mistress," in this context, is the feminine form of "Master." In the era of this degree, both forms were interchangeable depending on the gender of the degree holder.

Variations on the degree, in name and course studies, included Mistress of Polite Literature (M.P.L.)[1][4]

References
  1. History of Higher Education of Women in the South Prior to 1860, by Isabella Margaret Elizabeth Blandin (née John; 1838–1912), New York: Neale Publishing Co. (Walter Neale, 1873–1933) (1909); OCLC 11127249, 706358225
  2. A Dictionary of University Degrees, by Flavel Shurtleff Thomas, Syracuse: C.W. Bardeen (1898); OCLC 14510593
  3. The College Year-book and Athletic Record for the Academic Year, 1896-7, by Edwin M. Emerson, Jr. (1869–1959), Stone & Kimball (1896), pg. 446; OCLC 61562401, 78911681, 4847339
  4. Academic Degrees, Walter Crosby Eells, PhD (1886–1962) & Harold Alanson Haswell, Jr., PhD (1912–1911), U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, 1960, No. 28, Office of Education Bulletin 54008; OCLC 747632
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