Undergraduate

Why Be an English Major?

The reasons are not hard to discover: a highly diverse curriculum, a dedicated faculty, and opportunities for students to learn outside as well as inside the classroom.

English majors and minors explore many areas of special interest. In addition to the more traditional historical fields of English and American Literature, students pursue interests in creative writing, composition pedagogy, gender studies, literature of the American south, film, ecology, religion & literature, literature & philosophy, folklore, postcolonial literature, and literature in English by Native American, African American, Arab American, and Latino/Latina American authors.  All of these areas enable students to develop a deep and flexible understanding of human expression and experience that will enrich the rest of their lives--both culturally and in practical terms.

Likewise, our English alumni excel whether they enter graduate school or go directly on the job market.  Businesses and employers know that in addition to being good communicators, English students are trained to approach problems creatively, critically, and from multiple angles--skills that are highly valued in many professional realms.