An English major is a humanities degree option that comes with plenty of opportunities for students to explore different styles of expression. An undergraduate background in English is useful for graduate and professional programs in fields like journalism, law and business. Majors will likely start their studies in classes designed to train them as readers and writers. Higher-level courses cover topics like creative writing, critical theory and literary history. The major provides ample academic and creative opportunities, allowing students to study key figures while also improving as playwrights, poets or novelists, if they so choose.
English majors can expect some flexibility in their course selection as they gain exposure to film, poetry, plays and more. Many schools instruct students to enroll in at least one introductory-level class to teach them how to be effective critical readers and writers. From there, possible requirements include courses that cover particular time periods, focus on certain geographic areas or help students develop research skills. Some schools permit or require majors to select a track or concentration area, like British poetry, gender and sexuality, or another theme, genre or historical period. English language and literature programs may also include mandatory language or research work. Majors can sometimes elect to focus on creative writing by taking courses on literary forms like graphic novels, poetry and scriptwriting. Other schools offer more specific writing tracks in literary prose, poetry and nonfiction writing, for example.
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