English, Professional and Creative Writing Concentration, BA
The English, Professional and Creative Writing Concentration, BA program uniquely blends creative writing with skills in demand in today’s marketplace. Our faculty include a New York Times best-selling author and a writer recently recognized as a Best American Poet. Combined, our core faculty have published over a dozen books. Graduating with a degree in English enables students to engage in careers in publishing, journalism, web content writing and design, public relations, teaching, and marketing, among countless others. From small businesses to large corporations; from local newspapers to mass media outlets: with an English major, the job possibilities are endless
What Will I Learn?
You will learn:
- How to harness the power of language, both to express your own creative vision and to meet the myriad needs of employers in the professional world
- To read more deeply and synthesize information from a variety of sources
- How to receive feedback to take your writing to the next level and provide criticism that is sincere and substantive
Core courses explore the fundamental elements of technical writing, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, everything from creating believable characters to the key components of an effective business leader. Extensive focus is placed on workshop, when student poems, stories, novel chapters and other endeavors are openly discussed and critiqued by the class. You'll also learn how to work with text and graphics to produce effective business documents, from one page memos to extensive researched reports.
Meet Samantha Goss
“One of my favorite things is the fact that our writing faculty all are published authors. All of our professors have a passion for the topics that they teach. It makes learning from them a joy.”What are the requirements for this degree?
In addition to your general education classes, you’ll take 30 hours studying literature and at least 12 hours in writing intensive courses.
View the Course Requirement Checksheet.
What Types of Careers Could I Get With This Degree?
This degree prepares you to enter into a variety of fields post-graduation, including advanced graduate studies, journalism, publishing, public relations and law, just to name a few. Some specific positions include:
- Web content creator
- Copywriter
- Editor
- Publishing assistant
- Advertising copywriter
- Grant writer
- Technical writer
- Author
- Public relations specialist
- Social media manager
- Marketing coordinator
- Speech writer
- Proposal manager
What Career Outcomes Do Alumni Have With This Degree?
What Kinds of Experiences Could I Have?
In the classroom, you’ll work with award-winning published authors to shape your own creative and professional projects and share feedback with fellow writers. Our small size allows for intense individual attention.
Outside the classroom, you’ll attend readings by nationally-recognized novelists and poets, take the stage at poetry slams, submit your writing to contests and conferences, publish your work to the school’s literary journal (The Reflector) or join the editorial board. You'll have the opportunity to pursue internships in writing and media to hone your professional skills.