He attended Davidson College from 1944 to 1946, then served in the U.S. Navy from 1946 to 1947 as a naval correspondent.
[1] Masters began his writing career after graduation in New York City with Bennett & Pleasant, press agents for concert and dance artists.
Next he worked independently as a theatrical press agent for Off Broadway and summer theaters from 1953 to 1956.
From 1983 until his death 32 years later he served as Professor of English at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
[2] Masters married Polly Jo McCulloch in 1955 (divorced, 1986); they had three children.