Your Voice. Many Voices.Imagine tapping into the heartbeat of a poem or crafting your own story. Imagine creating multimedia essays or editing a literary magazine. Imagine visiting Victorian London or meeting internationally recognized authors.
These are some of the experiences open to you as an English major at Ohio University.
Choose What You Want to Learn
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English—Creative Writing Major B.A.
With an English – Creative Writing major, students study fiction, nonfiction and poetry by generating and revising their own work as well as exploring published works.
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English—Literature, Culture & Writing Major B.A.
In the English – Literature, Culture, & Writing major, students develop 21st-century skills in analysis and writing by engaging with British and American literary texts.
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English-Pre-Law Major B.A.
Although any major in English literature or rhetoric is an excellent preparation for law school, the English – Pre-Law major brings together the most relevant skills and contexts for a legal career.
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Honors Tutorial College English Major
The Honors Tutorial College offers a B.A. in English that provides unique opportunities for exceptional students. At the heart of the program is the tutorial, in which the student studies selected material under the guidance of a faculty member acting as tutor.
Choose Where You Want to Learn
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Athens, OH, Residential Campus
Immerse yourself in one of the most beautiful campus towns and pursue OHIO’s English degrees at our residential campus in Athens — home to world-class faculty who are award-winning teachers and researchers at the top of their fields!
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Regional Campuses
Take classes near where you work and live in a hybrid format that fits your schedule. All of our regional campuses offer a Humanities Meta-major and an Associate in Arts that can get you started toward an English major.
Explore a Certificate or Minor
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Medical & Health Humanities CertificateThe Medical and Health Humanities Certificate explores the human condition in relation to health, illness and healing through the lens of the humanities and its methodologies.
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Writing CertificateThe Writing Certificate provides students of all majors (except English) the opportunity to enhance their writing abilities and have this expertise appear as a credential on their transcripts.
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Minor in EnglishThe English minor covers the history, conventions and practices of literature and rhetoric in English, while providing students a diversity of electives.
What Can You Do with an English Degree?
An undergraduate degree in English provides a strong foundation for many careers.
Beyond being an obvious training ground for students who want to be writers, editors or teachers, the undergraduate English major provides the necessary critical thinking, writing, analytical, and communication skills that open a wide variety of future career paths.
English majors are very successful in careers in business and industry, public relations, journalism, advertising, non-profit organizations, entertainment, technology industries, radio and television commentary, government, law, public administration, library science, museum curation, and more.
Post-Grad Opportunities for English Majors
After earning their bachelor's degrees in English, some students proceed to graduate school at Ohio University or elsewhere. Our undergraduate programs will prepare you for the rigors and rewards of law school or an English graduate degree program.
At OHIO, we offer an M.A. in English and a Ph.D. in English on campus in three areas of concentration:
We also offer an online M.A. in English that's ideal for high school teachers who want to teach dual enrollment.
'Loved, loved, loved': The Spring Literature Festival
Get Hands-On Experience with Your English Degree
Our English program provides important experiential learning opportunities. What you learn in the class is also valuable and applicable in the field, so you’ll get the chance to participate in research projects, internships, and more.
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Add an English Internship to Your Resume
Juniors and seniors can take advantage of an opportunity to gain skills by working in a business, service or institutional setting.
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Gain Distinction in Sigma Tau Delta Honor Society
All English majors and minors, pre-law, pre-theology, and integrated language arts majors are able to participate with a GPA in English courses of 3.0 or better.
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Conduct Research and Earn Departmental Honors
English majors with an exceptional record of academic achievement can design an advanced research/writing project under the direction of a full-time faculty member.
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Get Creative with Sphere Magazine
Sphere Magazine is Ohio University's only undergraduate literary magazine, publishing student fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and art. It's run by students, for students.
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Study Abroad in Europe for OHIO Credit
Study Suffragettes and Soldiers in the Literature of London or Rhetorics of Remembering in Germany, Czech Republic, France, and Poland with English professors.
Why Choose an English Degree?
Small Class Sizes:The majority of our English courses boast enrollments of fewer than 35 students, and most English professors teach their courses using a combination of lecture and discussion format, which invites enriching personal engagement and at the same time provides the fundamental structure of scholarly critical guidance and learning.
Course Variety:Because of the size of its faculty, Ohio University's English Department is able offer its students instruction in a wide variety of fields, including literary study, rhetoric and composition, creative writing, and secondary teacher education. The department's extensive course offerings, for both majors and non-majors, expose students to a rich and diverse body of artistic and cultural material.
Secondary Teaching
Ohio University offers a master's program with licensure for those who want to teach adolescent to young-adult education. Students can get an undergraduate degree in English from the College of Arts & Sciences, followed by a master's degree in Integrated Language Arts (ME 6866) from the Patton College of Education. The master's program can be completed in four consecutive semesters.
Undergraduate Advising and Student Affairs
Of course, Ohio University gives you tools to ensure you succeed, ranging from success advisors and department mentors who help you graduate on time to undergraduate-specific scholarships and financial aid opportunities .
Undergraduate students should contact Undergraduate Advising and Student Affairs for advising support, such as: class registration, adding and dropping classes, changing majors, adding minors and certificates, Guarantee+, and graduation checks.