Fact Sheet 07: English

Revised June 2007

English

?The English major teaches you to analyze texts of your own and other cultures from a conscious and critical point of view, provides you with historical understanding, gives you considerable experience in writing, and helps you to understand the workings of language. Class sizes are small, and faculty are active and involved.

Career Opportunities

If you possess certain fundamentals in communication and critical thinking, you can be trained for just about any job - and companies are very willing to train. Companies and organizations hire English majors because of their advanced abilities in writing and reading, excellent critical thinking skills, facility with languages, persuasive ability, and capacity to understand problems and issues from many different angles. An English degree is a versatile one, preparing you for graduate studies and law school, as well as for careers in teaching, journalism, business, publishing, technical writing, advertising, public relations, and writing for Web, radio, television, and film. In fact, it will prepare you for any professional career in which skills in reading, writing, and processing information at a sophisticated level are required. Many graduates currently work for major newspapers, television stations, and other businesses.

Graduates of the bachelor of arts and bachelor of science in education - English majors have been accepted for advanced degree programs at the following institutions:

Columbia University
Duke University
Pennsylvania State University
Temple University
University of Pennsylvania
Rutgers University

Law schools that have accepted West Chester English graduates include:

Dickinson University
Villanova University
University of Pennsylvania
Widener University

Companies that have hired West Chester English graduates include:

Merion Publications
American Council on Education
The Richardson Group
InteliHealth.com
Sotheby's
Nexstar Broadcasting

Undergraduate Degrees

Bachelor of Arts in English
Bachelor of Science in Education - English

These programs are carefully designed to help you acquire critical and methodological skills of analysis, reading, and writing.

Bachelor of Arts in English. This degree provides you with a broad background in English, American, and world literatures; valuable training in the critical skills of reading, interpretation, and analysis; intensive practice in writing; and insight into the workings of language. Within this major, each student chooses a track specialization in either "Writings" or "Literature." Those interested in careers in secondary education may complete additional course work and satisfy certain requirements to earn a B.A. with a teaching certification in English. You also may choose to minor in another discipline.

Bachelor of Science in Education - English. This program prepares you to teach English in secondary schools. You must satisfy certain prerequisites for student teaching established by the Department of Professional and Secondary Education, and you must also satisfy specific Department of English requirements before receiving permission to teach.

Minors

A minor program allows a student in any major to explore another academic discipline in depth, without adding another major. The Department of English offers the following minor programs to help you explore an academic interest or to make your degree program more marketable:

African/African-American Literature
Business and Technical Writing
Creative Writing
Comparative Literature
Film Criticism
Journalism
Linguistics
Literature

Typical Courses

African-American Literature
Feminist Poetry
Literary Editing and Publishing
New Fiction
Newswriting
Short Story Workshop
Themes in American Film
Views on Literacy
Writing and Computers

Internship Opportunities

The Department of English encourages you to seek internships at book and magazine publishers, newspapers, TV stations, and in other areas of interest. All internships carry academic credit and are arranged through the department internship coordinator. An internship is an excellent opportunity to acquire practical experience in a potential career.

Related Student Activities

Sigma Tau Delta (English honor society) for high-achieving students
The Quad (student newspaper). Journalism minors can receive academic credit for working on The Quad within a supervised program.
Daedalus (student publication of creative prose, poetry, art, and photography)
The Serpentine (student yearbook)
Aralia Press (a literary fine press). You will gain practical experience in publishing by producing handmade books.
NCTE Affiliate (National Council of Teachers of English). Develops beginning teachers' professional abilities through volunteer activities.
Schools of Thought (online e-journal). Offers editorial and research writing experience in an online, student-run journal.

Advanced Degrees

Master of Arts in English (tracks in creative writing, literature, and writing/teaching/criticism)
Master of Arts in Teaching English as a Second Language

Faculty

You can obtain a complete listing of faculty and their academic qualifications from our Web site at www.wcupa.edu/_academics/sch_cas.eng.

For More Information

Our Web site listed above gives current information on courses, degree requirements, and special programs. You also may contact the chair:

Dr. Anne Herzog, Chairperson
Department of English
532 Main Hall
West Chester University
West Chester, PA 19383
610-436-2822
E-mail: aherzog@wcupa.edu