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English Major

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Why Study English?

The study of English prepares students for a variety of careers requiring knowledge and skills in critical and creative thinking, writing and research. English majors learn how to read situations, interpret details, evaluate competing points of view, form insightful questions and solve problems. An English major prepares students for careers in a number of fields, including law, business and research, in addition to the creative arts, publishing, and teaching.

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Why Study English at Eastern?

Eastern’s English major provides students with exciting educational and career options. Introductory, writing intensive, and senior capstone courses required of all majors provide students with a solid foundation for future success. The faculty are passionate about teaching and dedicated to helping students explore their interests while developing their skills as critical thinkers, perceptive readers and effective writers. Concentrations include General English Studies, Creative Writing, Cultural Studies, English for Early Childhood/Elementary Education, English for Secondary Education, Literary Studies, Rhetoric and Composition and Student-Designed. An English minor is also available to students in other majors. An English concentration is also available in the Liberal Studies major.

Professor addressing students in an auditorium
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Concentrations

  • The General English Studies program allows students to explore the expanse of English studies, sampling courses from all the concentration areas and developing a breadth of knowledge in this diverse field of study.

    View General English Studies Details

  • The Creative Writing concentration in the English major allows students to explore imaginative writing – from fiction to poetry to children’s literature. Courses cover the topics of forms and genres as well as literature, and include creative writing workshops, professional experiences and study abroad opportunities.

    View Creative Writing Details

  • English majors may choose the concentration in Cultural Studies, where they will study a broad range of topics focused on the study of cultural formations and their effects. Students will examine power, agency and subjectivity as well as how gender, race and class reflect our exploration of different texts.

    View Cultural Studies Details

  • The English for Early Childhood or Elementary Education Concentration is designed for English majors who want to pursue a career in teaching at the preschool or elementary levels. While English majors who pursue other concentrations can certainly become certified teachers, this concentration assembles a group of courses that the English department believes best prepare students for success both in their own future classrooms and on certification examinations.

    View English for Early Childhood or Elementary Education Details

  • The English for Secondary Education concentration is designed for English majors who want to pursue a career in teaching at the secondary level. While English majors who pursue other concentrations can certainly become certified teachers, this concentration assembles a group of courses that the English department believes best prepare students for success both in their own future classrooms and on certification examinations.

    View English for Secondary Education Details

  • The concentration in Literary Studies invites English majors to study literature as an imaginative artifact conditioned by history, culture and society. Students read various literary genres with sensitivity to literary and rhetorical devices, as well as aesthetic features, in order to understand how a text produces meaning, and how an interpretation is shaped by a community of readers.

    View Literary Studies Details

  • The concentration in Rhetoric and Composition in the English major cultivates skills in critical and creative thinking, writing and research. Through writing workshops, composition theory and courses in digital rhetoric and business and technical writing, students develop the capacity to communicate ideas with nuance and precision.

    View Rhetoric and Composition Studies Details

  • The Student-Designed concentration in the English major allows students the flexibility to build their curriculum, combining nine credits of core English Studies with 18 additional credits within the English Department; electives; and either a capstone seminar or research project to conclude the program.

    View Student-Designed Details

Salary Potential

$78,060

Median salary, Technical Writer

$62,350

Median salary, Publication Editor

* U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Hands-on Learning

Various covers of the Eastern Exposure publication

Creative Writing Club

Eastern’s Creative Writing Club promotes creative expression by holding literary and cultural events, and publishing “Eastern Exposure,” an annual student literary journal that showcases Eastern students’ creative writing, including fiction, poetry, plays, creative non-fiction and texts.

Student tutoring another student

Internships

A variety of internship experiences are also available through the English Department, as writing tutors, teaching assistants, research assistants, newsletter editors and social media content developers.

Students in Italy writing on laptops

Study Abroad

Each summer, fiction writers convene in Florence, Italy, for a month for a three-credit creative writing workshop in one of Europe’s most iconic cities.

Career Options

Students who pursue undergraduate degrees in English can have rewarding and successful careers in a variety of professional fields, including:

  • Advertising
  • Book, Magazine or Newspaper Editor
  • Business, Creative and Freelance Writing
  • Corporate Research
  • English Teacher
  • Grant Development
  • Journalist
  • Public Relations
  • Web Content Development

Successful Alumni

Recent Eastern students who earned a bachelor’s degree or a minor in English are studying at the following professional/graduate schools or pursuing the following careers:

  • Boston College
  • Purdue University
  • University of Connecticut
  • University of New Hampshire
  • Banker
  • Children’s book writer
  • College professor
  • Attorney
  • Librarian
  • Web content developer
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For more information


ferrucis@easternct.edu
(860) 465-0653

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Alumni Testimonials

Alyssa Zebrowski ’15
Teacher

Alyssa Zebrowski ’15

Early Childhood Education and English double-major Alyssa Zebrowski recently earned a master’s degree in bilingual/multicultural education and now works with young English language learners in Stamford. “Eastern’s early childhood education program fully prepared me to be a classroom teacher right out of college. The unique research experiences I had as an undergraduate have given me an alternative perspective to teaching that I use each day.”

Matthew Bessette ’19
English and Theatre

Matthew Bessette ’19

After receiving teacher certification through Eastern’s master’s program in Education, Matthew is now working as an 8th-grade teacher in Carmen Arace Middle School. “The theatre program has played a critical role in the development of my self-discipline and leadership abilities. Dedicating time and energy to participating in college productions takes a lot out of you, but it teaches you to think critically and adapt to a given situation.”

Victoria Randazzo
English

Victoria Randazzo ’18

After graduating with a master’s degree in special education in May 2019, Victoria is now a special education teacher in East Hartford Public Schools. “I attribute most of my success to Eastern. When I was assigned daunting projects or tests during my graduate program, I was able to use many of the skills I gained at Eastern and apply them easily.”

Jordan Corey ’19
Communications Specialist

Jordan Corey ’19

Jordan was an intern in the English Department, specializing in social media. “My favorite part about the internship was becoming an engaged member of the English community. I entered my freshman year as an English major and have never doubted that it’s the right field for me, largely because of the wonderful professors and my peers on campus.”

Kaylee Blackwood
English

Kaylee Blackwood ’21

Winner of the Celia Catlett Prize for her senior English capstone project, Kaylee is now editor at Biolumina, a full-service, omnichannel global healthcare agency. Kaylee’s winning capstone project was the novel, “Once We Meet,” characterized by her professor as “a second-person perspective that is nothing short of masterful. Once of the best novels I’ve read in a long time, period.”

Patrice Eugene
English and Sociology

Patrice Eugene ’20

Patrice interned at the Chicago-Kent College of Law School in summer 2018. His role included working alongside judges and lawyers at government law firms while attending law classes. Eugene majors in English and sociology “Internships are great opportunities to act immediately on your passion, interest and curiosity.” Earning his M.A. at Columbia University in 2022, Patrice is now a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania.

Natalie Devlin
Best Buddies

Natalie Devlin ’22

A Barnard Scholar, Natalie served as a tour guide, a teaching assistant and a writing tutor on campus. A member of the Best Buddies Club, Natalie says, “I will advocate unconditionally for those who are unable to voice their beliefs. As an aspiring English teacher, I understand the necessity of recognizing that all students and members of a community are ‘a little bit different, a lot the same.’”

Lilia Burdo
English

Lilia Burdo '24

Lilia’s poetry book, “Yin Ri Bei,” was inspired by her life growing up as an adoptee from China. “I noticed while writing my senior capstone project that there is a lack of poetry collections by Chinese Americans focusing on the adoptee identity. My chapbook works to fill this literary gap, as well as provide comfort and a sense of understanding to those that identify similarly.”

Darianne Mastricola ’17
School Counselor

Darianne Mastricola ’17

English major Darianne Mastricola received her master’s degree in school counseling at Montclair State University and works as a school counselor at Shrewsbury Borough School in New Jersey.

Kate Harner ’12
Communications Specialist

Kate Harner ’12

Kate Harner earned her master’s degree at Clemson and is prospect marketing manager at Betterworks. “Getting a liberal arts education at Eastern helped me appreciate different disciplines. I can write knowledgeably about a wide range of topics, and that skill comes in handy when I’m writing about new calculus courseware or researching study habits of effective learners for a blog post.”

Andrew Minikowski ’12
English and Economics

Andrew Minikowski ’12

English and Economics double-major Andrew Minikowski is staff counsel at the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel. “My studies as an English major honed my ability write critically and persuasively, which is the cardinal skill of an effective lawyer. Furthermore, my English studies taught me to probe my own ideas for analytical flaws and synthesize diverse viewpoints and facts into a coherent whole.”