Turning an English Major into a Career...

Is the English major practical? Absolutely! The Department of English at Marshall University offers a curriculum designed to enrich the professional versatility of each of our graduates. The ability to find new and creative ways to analyze old or complex problems, to sift the essential from the non-important, to perform research, to evaluate evidence, and to express the results of one's analysis in effective language--these are skills vital to genuine achievement in nearly every profession. For this reason, our graduates often pursue careers in a remarkable range of fields, including publishing, editing, institutional writing, technical writing, diplomacy, advertising, government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and television. If you plan to become an attorney, English has always been one of the most popular undergraduate majors for law students because it develops precisely the skills a capable lawyer needs, especially the ability to construct a logical argument on behalf of a point of view. And the qualities that an English major develops have been repeatedly rated by Fortune 500 company executives as the most vital skills for business employees to possess. A degree in English with a minor in science will also permit you to enter medial school and may offer a slight edge over other applicants since medicine is both a humanistic and scientific field. English is a good prologue to graduate work in library science, international affairs, and theology or religious education, as well as English and communications.

The English Major in Detail

• Goals of Study
• Strand Requirements
• Writing Requirements
• Marshall Plan Requirements
• COLA Requirements
• Composition Options
• Additional Requirements for the English Education Major

Resources for the English Major

• Advising
• Tips for Selecting Courses
• Organizations and Opportunities
• Life After the B.A.

Areas of study available to the English Major

After declaring English as their major, students must select a strand or concentration within English. Currently, there are four strands:

• Literature English Major

• Writing English Major 

• Pre-professional English Major

• English Education English Major

Students should work with their advisors to find the strand that best suits their interests and career goals.

Advising

When students complete the necessary paperwork in the College of Liberal Arts declaring English as their major, they are assigned a faculty advisor in the English Department. Since Fall 2005, all freshman and sophomore English majors are required to consult with their advisors before fall and spring registration. Junior and senior English majors are strongly encouraged to consult regularly with their advisors throughout their studies at Marshall, because they too can benefit from academic advice concerning the most advantageous sequence for taking English requirements and electives, courses in other disciplines that would augment the English classes, and career goals and planning.

To make the most of the pre-registration advising process, students should plan to contact their advisors at least two weeks before they plan to register for courses to allow enough time to schedule appointments or visit during a faculty member's office hours. In addition, students should come prepared for their advising sessions. The Marshall Undergraduate Catalogue and Course Schedule are available at the Admissions Office in Old Main 125. Students should use both the catalogue and schedule to develop a tentative course schedule that reflects their needs, interests, and availability prior to meeting with their advisors. For more information on how advising works in English, students should be sure to get a copy of the English department's brochure on the advising process, which is available in Corbly 346.

The English Minor

An English minor consists of 15 hours in English beyond English 101 and 102 or 202 or 302 or 201H, with no more than 6 hours at the 300-level. Students who wish to minor in English find that the skills, knowledge, and perspectives they develop through this study complement a number of major fields.

Click here for course descriptions

Literature English Major
The study of literature is central to the understanding of society, history, art, ideas, and people. Students who choose the Literature strand read literary texts from a range of cultures, periods, and genres, while also developing a repertoire of critical reading skills and theoretical approaches that can be applied to both literary and non-literary texts. The courses in this strand also give students the opportunity to hone their writing skills and conduct primary and secondary literary research.

Requirements

Writing English Major
English majors who choose the Writing strand are constantly exposed to effective writing and the means to accomplish it. They study a variety of literatures, acquire knowledge of the English language in its most practical and creative uses, and learn different forms of writing, all of which combine to give students a stronger command of written expression.

Requirements

Pre-professional English Major
Because the study of English draws upon many other disciplines and provides a context for them, some knowledge of other disciplines makes literature and language more informed and useful. The pre-professional area of emphasis is designed to be pursued with another major in order to enhance the liberal arts and communication background sought for in many professional specializations. Permission of the chair of the department is required. The request should be planned in advance of the senior year and made as a commitment to the area of emphasis. Therefore, a student interested in the pre-professional area of emphasis should apply by the end of the junior year, at the latest. The student should bring to the chair a letter from the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) office stating that the work toward another major is well in progress and will be completed by graduation.

Requirements

English Education English Major: Teaching specialization in Language Arts. See College of Education and Human Services.
Prospective teachers need the skills of literary knowledge, of language, and of writing. This is true whether one specializes in English Education 5-9 or English Education English 5-12. To give future teachers the opportunity to develop these skills, the College of Education and the English Department work together to provide courses and experiences useful not only at present but also in the future. Students interested in English Education should understand that English Ed majors are students of the College of Education and Human Services, and thus they fulfill the requirements of COEHS, rather than the requirements of the College of Liberal Arts as literature, writing, and pre-professional strand students do. Recent changes to the strands within the English major, however, mean that students specializing in English Ed 5-Adult within COEHS also fulfill the requirements of a second major through the Department of English, provided they complete the necessary paperwork in their college for declaring a second major.

Requirements

The English Department also serves those students who specialize in English 5-9. Unlike English 5-Adult students, English 5-9 students do not fulfill a second major in English because they meet a different set of requirements and complete fewer total credits in English. However, any English 5-9 student who might want to have English as a second major can do so by fulfilling the requirements of one of the four English strands listed above, in addition to those requirements listed below. COEHS also stipulates that students specializing in English 5-9 education select an additional 5-9, 5-12, 9-12, or Pre-Adult Specialization, or the Elementary Education K-6 Comprehensive specialization.

Writing Requirement for English Majors

English majors in the Pre-professional strand, the Creative Writing strand, the Literature strand, and the English Education strand are required to meet the writing expectations of the English Department for graduation. In Senior Seminar (English 420), taken by all English Majors, this requirement is filled by the capstone requisite of an Exit Portfolio, usually submitted during the final week of class. An Exit Portfolio illustrates a range of written work by the student and demonstrates achievement of the department's graduation goals. The Exit Portfolio is evaluated by a committee of the English Department faculty. The committee determines if graduating majors have met all the goals necessary for graduation as a COLA English Major or a College of Education English Major.

In addition, students who know very early in their college careers that they want to be English majors should take English 202: Writing About Literature as their second composition requirement, in place of English 102 or 302.

Composition Options

201H Option for Composition I and II Requirement

English 201H is an accelerated course emphasizing independent research and advanced expository, argumentative, and critical writing. English 201H is recommended for a student who scores 27 or above on the Enhanced ACT Test. A student completing 201H will be awarded 3 hours credit in English 201H and 3 hours credit in English 101. The notation on the transcript for English 101 will read "CR." The hours in English 101 will count toward the student's graduation requirement but will not be used to determine the student's grade point average. The Office of the Registrar places a tab on the student's permanent record indicating 3 hours of "CR" for English 101. The additional 3 hours of "CR" will be reflected in the student's next grade report.

202 Option for Composition II Requirement

English 202: Writing About Literature is a research-based composition class designed for those students who are interested in reading and researching literature. It is equivalent to English 102 and 302 and fulfills the second composition requirement. Any student may take 202; English English majors and minors, as well as those who are especially interested in literary study, are strongly encouraged to take 202 as their second composition course.

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Each degree requires that 128 hours of credit be earned and that the general and specific requirements for the degree be met. Furthermore, students must meet the requirements of the English Department strand they have selected.

The Marshall Plan

A student receiving a baccalaureate degree at Marshall University is required to meet the specific demands of the major plus the following:

1. An integrated/applied math course which requires a score of at least 19 on the ACT (460 on the SAT math section). This can be fulfilled by completing MTH 121 or a higher-level math course.

2. A team-taught four-hour integrated science (ISC) course that involves two or more scientific disciplines.

3. One three-hour writing intensive course beyond the six-hour requirement in English composition.

4. Six hours of courses designated as international studies.

5. Three hours of courses designated as multicultural studies.

6. A capstone experience, as designated by the major department, to be completed by the end of the senior year. In English, this is 420: Senior Seminar.

7. A computer literacy-competency requirement, designated by the major department or college, in addition to the experience with word processing used in English composition classes. In English, IT 101 (or an equivalent course approved by the chair or CLEP credit for computer literacy) fulfills the computer literacy-competency requirement.

Requirements for COLA Students

All English majors, except for those completing the English Education strand of the major, must complete the requirements of the College of Liberal Arts and The Marshall Plan. Please refer to the current catalog for further information.

General Requirements

1. Candidates for graduation must have a minimum of 128 credit hours (100-level or above).

2. Candidates must have at least 26 hours in a major subject (see specific English Department requirements).

3. Candidates must also earn at least 12 hours in a minor subject, no more than three of which may be from the 100 series. The minor subject may be chosen from any department in the university that offers a minor. In addition, students can choose a minor in Women's Studies or International Affairs.

4. For all degrees, forty-eight hours must be earned in courses numbered 300-499.

5. Candidates must have a grade point average of 2.0 or higher on all work attempted at Marshall University, as well as a grade point average of 2.0 or higher on all work in the major (some departments have more stringent requirements).

6. Candidates must have earned a C or better in  English 102 or 202 or 201H or 302.

7. Candidates must have fulfilled all the requirements of the Marshall Plan.

8. Candidates must have met the residency requirements of Marshall University, including 15 hours in the major field, 12 hours of 300/400 level coursework in the College of Liberal Arts, and enrollment at Marshall at least one semester (12 hours) of the senior year.

9. Candidates can transfer no more than 72 credit hours from an accredited West Virginia two-year institution of higher education.

10. During the junior year, and no later than the semester in which they have completed 80 semester hours, students should make an appointment with the Academic Advisor in the COLA Office for a credit evaluation. This evaluation is done to ensure that a student is making satisfactory progress towards graduation.

*See above for an explanation of the options for fulfilling the two required composition courses.

Guidelines for Selecting Courses in English

To determine a plan for meeting the requirements of the English major, students should work closely with their advisors and look ahead to anticipate what they will need over the course of their studies. Specific required courses, such an English 350 and 420, are offered every semester. Other required courses like 410 and 412 are offered every other semester. Generally, there's always at least one course offered each semester that meets each of the categories of requirements, from American and British literature to advanced and creative writing.

As they plan, students should keep in mind the following requirements or policies about coursework in English:

Course Levels

• Under the new curricula options begun in fall 2003, majors in all English strands, except the Writing strand, should select no more than 12 hours of their coursework at the 300-level. Writing strand students should select no more than 15 hours of their coursework at the 300-level.

Timelines and Prerequisites

• English 350 should be taken within the first 9 hours of English coursework.

• English 420 should be taken during the student's final year of coursework at Marshall.

• 400-level literature and writing courses frequently require students to take a 300-level course before moving to the more advanced level of study. Prerequisites are listed in the course schedule alongside the registration information for a course.

• Other 400-level courses, including the creative writing and linguistics courses, require specific 300-level courses as prerequisites.

Course Substitutions

• Relevant Special Topics courses may fulfill the requirements. Your advisor can help you identify special topics courses that could be substituted for a requirement. Such substitutions do, however, require approval from the chair of the English Department before the Registrar's Office will give students credit for the requirement.

• Any 400-level literature course designated "I" or "M" under the Marshall Plan meets the diversity requirement for the literature, pre-professional, and writing strands of the English major.

Suggested Courses Outside the English Department

The English Department recommends that English majors take vigorous steps, in consultation with their advisors, to enrich their major with appropriate courses outside the English Department. The selection will depend upon the personal, professional, or career goals of the individual student. For instance, students in the literature strand might be well advised to present a coherent series of courses from the Humanities Division, Social Sciences Division, or Communications Division within the College of Liberal Arts. Students in the writing strand might want to look at the Communications Division for helpful courses. The pre-professional strand is already formulated for a dual-discipline approach and should be carefully planned. The limited electives available in the Language Arts or English Specializations programs within the College of Education should be carefully reviewed by students and advisors in the light of career goals.

Goals of Studies for All Graduating English Majors

Below are the Goals of Studies in English for all English majors. Students should keep all papers and assignments from their various English courses because they will need to assemble an Exit Portfolio that demonstrates their mastery of these goals. Both English 350 and English 420 in particular will help guide students in preparing the contents of this portfolio. Students in all strands should know that the contents of an exit portfolio judged as "highly successful" should demonstrate knowledge of at least three genres, six literary periods, and three cultures in addition to American and British literatures; and of at least three literary critical theories, in addition to new critical explication. To guarantee this level of coverage, students should select their coursework accordingly. Also, English majors are encouraged to enroll in courses designated "Writing Intensive" whenever possible since these courses offer additional opportunities for writing essays that can be used to meet the requirements of the Exit Portfolio.

Knowledge

The English major should demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of:

• A variety of texts from a range of genres, periods, and cultures, including American and British literature and relevant contextual material.

• Critical theory and relevant applications.

• The history and/or structures of the English language.

• Other subject expertise as required by a student's strand.

Abilities

The English major should be able to:

• Analyze, interpret, and explicate texts (poetry, prose, drama, film, etc.), correctly applying literary or technical terms as relevant.

• Examine a text from multiple perspectives, including critical and theoretical approaches, applying terms and approaches correctly.

• Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a text (which may include one's own, or another student's writing).

• Organize and present arguments orally and in writing.

• Write formal essays effectively and write for different purposes and for different audiences.

• Use professional research tools, showing both accuracy in format and the ability to choose, introduce, provide background for, and evaluate researched sources properly.

Note: English Education majors 5-12 and 5-9 will also meet the published objectives of NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English), as stated in Guidelines for the Preparation of Teachers of English Language Arts.

Life After the B.A.: Careers and Professional Studies

Careers

As noted in the opening pages of the Undergraduate Handbook, English majors follow many different career paths after graduation, from teaching and editing to public relations and professional writing. Academic advisors can help guide students to the best career choices. Marshall University's Career Services also offers a number of resources designed to assist graduates with their career searches, including job fairs, credential services, and career counseling. Information about these resources can be found at http://www.marshall.edu/career-services/default.asp.

Graduate School

If students are thinking about graduate work in English, at Marshall or elsewhere, they should plan to take both the GRE General Test and the GRE Subject Test Literature in English. Students can arrange to take the GRE General Test through the MU Computer-Based Testing Center (see www.marshall.edu/cbtc for more information), which offers testing at the student's convenience. The GRE Subject Test is only offered on specific dates, however, in November, December, and April. Students should plan to take the GRE in the fall of the senior year since graduate schools normally consider GRE scores as part of their admissions processes, which typically take place in December and January. In addition, students can expect to need at least three letters of recommendation from faculty who know their work as a student well, a personal statement outlining their goals, qualifications, and scholarly interests, and a strong GPA. Students who know they want to go to graduate school early in their undergraduate studies should work closely with their advisors to develop a plan of study that will provide a strong foundation for graduate work.

Law School

Often students major in English because it prepares them extremely well for law school. As Richard Badger, the assistant dean at the University of Chicago Law School, put it, "language is the lawyer's working tool, and the best law students are those who have the ability to write and speak with precision, fluency, and economy. Not only must the student be able to communicate his or her own thoughts, but he or she must read and listen carefully with an eye and ear for fine points and subtle distinctions." Students who wish to go to law school should do their best, then, to round out the English major with electives and required courses in other disciplines that provide additional opportunities for intensive reading and writing. In addition, students should plan to take the LSAT in the fall during the September and October dates if they hope to qualify for scholarships and financial aid, as well as request letters of recommendation from faculty who know their work as a student well.

Organizations

The Marshall University chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, a national English honorary, encourages regular, alumni, and associate members to further their knowledge of and interest in English language and literature. Students interested in becoming a member should contact Dr. Lachlan Whalen.

Et Cetera, the campus literary magazine, is an outlet for student writing. Begun in 1953, it is published annually with an all-student staff under the supervision of the English Department. When funds permit, writers receive cash awards for distinguished submissions. Et Cetera's staff is housed in Corbly 402A. Students interested in learning more about the literary magazine can contact Professor John Van Kirk.

MUSE, the Marshall University Society of English, is a student and faculty organization for those interested in literature and creative writing. It hosts various events, including readings, book discussions, and workshops. Students interested in this organization should contact Dr. Janet Badia.

The capstone experience for English majors consists of two courses, 350 (Junior Seminar) and 420 (Senior Seminar). An exit portfolio is required.

A minor in English may be earned by presenting 15 hours in English beyond 102 or 302 or 201H, with no more than six hours on the 300 level.

©2001  Department of English | Marshall University
Corbly Hall 346
Huntington, WV 25755
304.696.6600 | FAX: 304.696.2448
english@marshall.edu
Last Updated: 08.15.2006 09:09 AM