Humanities

English—BA

A Place to Create

The English program gives you a place to create. You will have opportunities to compose poetry and short stories, and to write essays on topics ranging from Shakespearean drama to justice and ecology. With an English degree, you can create a future you may not have yet imagined. English students at Michigan Tech have a unique opportunity to work across disciplines: to double major or pick up a minor. With strong skills in communication as well as literary and cultural analysis, you will be prepared to pursue research, to collaborate with your peers in other fields, and to launch a career in public, private, and non-profit sectors.
In English, we focus on the diversity of human experience. Our transnational focus on literary cultures draws attention to the ways we connect with one another as individuals and communities. Our graduates are empowered to create and take their role in a complex global society.

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Learn About English at Michigan Tech

A Place for Growth

We encourage our students to engage in opportunities for professional development, for example, investigating traditional and alternative career paths, supplementing coursework through independent research,workshops, internships, and coops, and participating in Enterprise teams. We encourage our students to Study Abroad. There are many faculty-led programs across campus. In summer 2024, theIreland program will offer courses in literature and music.

Work as a coach in the Michigan Tech Writing Center. Learn more about working on a newspaper by writing for the Michigan Tech Lode or another campus publication. Work in the Humanities Digital Media Zone (HDMZ) as a consultant or in another Learning Center on campus. You can get hands-on experience as a DJ at WMTU or join the Cin/Optic Communication and Media Enterprise to create visual art. If theatre is where you thrive, you can participate in a dramatic production or join a number of other visual and performing arts student organizations.
You can also help shape the next generation by teaching at Summer Youth Programs or volunteering at a local school or with a community service organization. With these options, you can build a solid resume and portfolio, which you can improve with the help of Career Services.

Write Your Story

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Study Literature Abroad

 

 

English student reading outside
"Studying literature and writing has helped me to understand the human experience so much better. To write well requires knowledge of meaning and perception. To read well requires empathy. As I study English, I find myself understanding the people around me better—even those I have nothing in common with."Rebecca Barkdoll, BA English 2020

A Place For You

English is the place for you. With an English major, you can open doors to a a wide range of career trajectories. Skills in analysis, research, creative thinking, and oral and written communication can lead to a wide range of careers. Be an educator, editor, entrepreneur, journalist, librarian, researcher, administrator,  or social or political advocate. Our degrees also prepare you to pursue  advanced degrees in literature, creative writing, medicine, law, and business. 
Contact our Undergraduate Academic Advisor, Maria Bergstrom, to learn more. 

Here I am surrounded by people sharing a love for writing and reading; all things having to do with the Humanities.

Image of Scientific and Technical Communication alumnus Megan Happel
Kate Woodford '22
BA English
Alumni Spotlight: Tucker Nielsen
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Get Hired

English majors have a wide range of career trajectories and are highly sought after professionals. Their strengths as analysts, researchers, creative thinkers, along with their oral and written communication skills make them strong candidates for advanced degrees in literature, creative writing, medicine, law, and business. They are also well prepared to pursue opportunities in the public, private, and non-profit sectors as, amongst other things, teachers and educators, editors, entrepreneurs, journalists, librarians, researchers, effective administrators, and as social and political advocates.

English majors earn salaries equal to most majors. English majors midcareer salaries are equivalent to those of science and nursing majors, and higher than anthropology and psychology majors. They are lower than accounting and engineering majors, according to the Wall Street Journal Report on Salaries by College Major.

English majors have higher acceptance rates to medical school than social science or natural science majors, according to the Commission on the Humanities and Social Sciences of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Report.

Annual Salary and Job Growth for English Degree Holders
Occupation Median Annual Salary (2021) Estimated Job Growth
Lawyer $127,990 10%
Technical Writer $78,060 6%
Public Relations Specialist $62,080 8%
Editor $63,350 -5%
Writer/Author $69,510 4%
Physician/Surgeon $208,000 3%
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2021
  • 43%
    of English majors go onto graduate school
  • 75%
    of English majors complete an internship before graduating

Major Requirements

  • Major Electives: 18 credits in literature and modern language
  • Free Electives: 44 credits
  • General Education Courses: 39 credits

For specific information about degree requirements, please contact Humanities Undergraduate Advisor, Maria Bergstrom.

Courses

  • Introduction to Film
  • Introduction to Literature
  • Introduction to Creative Writing
  • Mythology
  • Shakespeare
  • Literary Theory and Criticism
  • Senior Seminar in English

Learning Objectives

Disciplinary Knowledge

In this program, students will acquire knowledge of a wide range of literature, including British, American, and World literatures. They will develop tools for understanding how to analyze and critique literature while also learning how to apply methods to their own writing practice. Students will be expected to demonstrate competency in the following areas:

  • Historical grounding and cultural impact of literary works in various cultures.
  • Focused study of genres, forms, and modes of writing, such as the novel, drama, or lyrical poetry.
  • Focused study of specific movements and periods, such as the Avant-Garde, Romanticism, or Modernism.

  • Focused attention on studying the “body of work” of select influential writers.

Critical and Creative Thinking

Students will:

  • learn to apply different theoretical concepts to literary interpretations.
  • learn to read texts closely, identifying multiple interpretations that broaden comprehension.
  • demonstrate the ability to analyze themes or contextualize works from a variety of sources alongside literature and writing practices. This may include social media, film, journalism, etc.
  • demonstrate the use of multiple research methods to develop critical analyses theses, and writing projects.
  • understand how to access, evaluate, and use information ethically and legally. 

Global Literacy

Students will demonstrate: 

  • the ability to differentiate cultural traditions, ideas, and practices while recognizing shared characteristics and human concerns.
  • the ability to communicate effectively and appropriately in cross-cultural contexts.
  • basic literacy in a modern language and understand its cultural significance.

Communication

Focused attention will be placed on the cultural values reflected in literary works. Students will also engage the social and ethical implications of literary works and its creative production.