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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
$56,620
Average salary for Librarians/Educators
$61,240
Mean wage for writers
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.
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.
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.
Students who pursue undergraduate degrees in English can have rewarding and successful careers in a variety of professional fields, including:
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:
