B.A. in English
Program Facts
College: College of Liberal & Fine Arts
Major: English
Offered Minors: English, Public and Professional Writing
Degree Level: Bachelor's
- On-Campus
Credit Hours: 120
Duration: 4 years
Tuition & Fees
Estimated costs available via the calculator.
Overview
Read fascinating literature and write challenging essays with faculty who love to read, love to talk with others about what they’ve read, and who even love the hard work of writing and researching. The B.A. in English offers students a comprehensive and varied undergraduate education in the field of English. You will take courses that encourage you to think deeply about big ideas, reflect upon what it means to be a human being, connect and collaborate with people who hold views different from your own, expand your worldview, and learn the value of human artistic creativity. Students may choose to focus on secondary teacher preparation, literature, creative writing, professional writing, or medical and health humanities, as well as prepare for graduate and professional schools.
Along the way, you will gain marketable skills used in business, law, media, healthcare, advocacy, policy, and education. An English B.A. signals to employers that you are an expert writer, a strong communicator, a creative thinker, and an independent researcher who can solve problems with nuance. Our graduates enter the workforce with a flexible degree that opens doors, prepares them for multiple career paths, and provides the human-centered thinking employers consistently seek and reward.
Program Benefits
- Teaching-focused faculty dedicated to developing students’ writing, reading, speaking, and research skills
- No classes with over 25 students
- Courses that delve into big ideas and help you become a strong analyst, writer, and communicator: Monsters, Death and Dying, Comics and Games, Folklore, Intermediate and Advanced Poetry Workshops, Intermediate and Advanced Fiction Workshops, Discourse Studies, Film Studies, Sociolinguistics, Rhetoric of Health, Medicine, and Science, Professional Writing and Visual Design
- Our courses teach you to think critically and write with purpose for real audiences, contexts, and needs
- Interact with peers through helping to edit our creative writing journal, The Bosque River Review, working in the University Writing Center or the Foreign Language Lab, or joining the English honors society, Sigma Tau Delta
- Get help with your next career or educational step by taking ENGL 3396, Professional Development for English Majors
Courses
More About the Program
Our faculty have published numerous academic, peer-reviewed books and scores of articles in nationally and internationally recognized journals. We have also published scads of short stories, poems, and podcasts. Check out any of our faculty and read about their most significant achievements in the drop-down menus under each person’s photo.
Real Experience: This degree program offers students the opportunity to engage with their peers through various clubs and resources, including The Bosque River Review, Sigma Tau Delta, the Modern Language Association, the Foreign Language Lab, and the University Writing Center.
All the evidence you need that Majoring in English leads to good careers and happy lives
Considering majoring in English? Want to make a case for your degree to someone who’s helping you pay for your education? Check out these articles from reputable media and nonprofit organizations!
- To be a Good Doctor, Study the Humanities · How To Turn Your Liberal Arts Major Into A Powerhouse Corporate Career
- Humanities Majors like English Majors Outperform Their Peers in Several Measures
- A Top Medical School Revamps Requirements To Lure English Majors
- Studying Humanities Teaches You How to Get a Job
- That ‘Useless’ Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech’s Hottest Ticket
- Employers Actively Seek Humanities Majors’ Skills–like English Majors!
- Business Leaders Praise the Humanities, English Majors in particular!
- STEM Leaders Praise the Humanities, especially literature!
- What Good is a Liberal Arts degree?
- Humanities Majors, like English Majors, are Employed at Rates Comparable to Other Majors
- Can tech and the humanities exist side by side? Can they afford not to?
- Humanities Majors Earn Salaries Comparable to Other Majors
- Humanities Majors, like English Majors, Do Increasingly Well Over the Course of Their Careers
- The Unexpected Value of the Liberal Arts
- $100K Careers That Can Start with an English Major
- For a long, successful career, LinkedIn says nothing beats a liberal arts major
- The Humanities, such as English, Prepare Students to be Engaged Citizens
- The Humanities, such as the study of Literature, Build Empathy
- The Humanities Help Students Lead Fulfilling Lives
- Why ‘worthless’ humanities degrees may set you up for life
- In the Salary Race, Engineers Sprint but English Majors Endure
- Support From Mentors and Faculty Most Common Among Arts and Humanities Majors
- Four keys to staying employed in the future
- If You Want Your Child to Succeed, Don’t Sell Liberal Arts Short
- Humanities Majors are Leaders in a Range of Fields
It all started with an English degree for these media, nonprofit, business, political, and medical professionals:
- Michael Eisner, Former Chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company
- Rashida Jones, Actress, writer, producer, and philanthropist
- John Legend, Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, actor, and philanthropist
- John Lithgow, Tony- and Emmy-award-winning actor
- Judy McGrath, Former Chairman and CEO of MTV Networks
- Janet Robinson, Former President and CEO of The New York Times Company
- Sigourney Weaver, Academy Award-nominated actress
- Ted Turner, Founder of CNN
- Janice Bryant Howroyd, Founder and chief executive of Act 1 Group
- Anne Mulcahy, Former Chairman and CEO of Xerox
- Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube
- Alexa Hirschfeld, Co-Founder of Paperless Post
- Jack Ma, Chairman of Alibaba
- Kathryn Fuller, Former President and CEO of World Wildlife Fund
- Andrea Jung, CEO of Grameen America and former CEO of Avon
- Mario Cuomo, Former Governor of New York
- Martin Dempsey, Former Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff
- Eric Kandel, Winner of Nobel Prize in Medicine
- Harold Varmus, Former Director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), CEO of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Medicine (1989, with Michael Bishop)
Learning Outcomes
- Develop advanced skills in writing, interpretation, and critical thinking
- Conduct ethical research using credible sources
- Expand your intellectual, literary, and cultural horizons
- Think creatively as well as critically
- Synthesize different perspectives to problem-solve creatively
Career Outcomes
- Technical Writer / UX Writer: communicate complex information clearly for technology and software companies
- Content Strategist / Copywriter: create persuasive content, social media messaging, and campaigns in marketing and media
- Editorial Assistant / Publishing Professional: support editing, literary production, and publication in magazines, presses, and digital media
- Grant Writer / Advocacy Writer: write persuasive proposals and outreach materials for nonprofits and public service organizations
- Corporate Communications Specialist: shape internal and external messaging, brand storytelling, and proposals for business and industry
- Health Communications Writer: develop public education materials and research communication in medical and health humanities fields
- English Teacher / Future Professor: teach language, literature, and writing in middle and high schools (with certification) and, with a graduate degree, teach at the college level as well
- Preparation for Law School and Other Advanced Degrees: build strong analytical, rhetorical, and research foundations crucial for legal, graduate, and professional study
Certification and Licensure Preparation
Secondary Certification in English and Language Arts, in conjunction with the College of Education.