B.A. in English

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SEU students studying on campus lawn

Why Study English at SEU?

Saint Elizabeth University’s English Department provides a bridge between the written world and the human experience. Students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in English become independent, engaged scholars with effective writing, reading, critical thinking and communication skills.

Flexibility in thought and perspective is in great demand in today’s world, and English majors are consistently able to adapt to careers involving complex thought and action.

Key Elements

  • Students study with faculty who have published in their field.
  • Students have easy access to plays, museums, and other cultural activities in New York City.
  • Skills learned as an English major are transferable to many careers.
  • Courses encourage students to develop critical and analytical thinking.
  • Faculty members become more than teachers; they are advisors, mentors, and academic success partners.
  • Top-name poets and writers are frequently welcomed to campus, including Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet Laureate Donald Hall, and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney.

Rooted in the missions and values of SEU, the B.A. in English Program prepares students to be engaged citizens and advocates for others in our global community. Students are challenged to be bold thinkers and to fully develop their own ideas. A student who completes this program will be able to closely read a literary text and place it in context with other literary texts, write effectively across a variety of genres, and possess the beginnings of intellectual and/or artistic independence.

"We work together in small seminar courses with the coolest students on campus who explore the deepest questions about race, class, gender, sexuality, spirituality, relationship and identity," says Dr. Laura Winters. "You will get to study with students and faculty for whom the life of the mind, the creative life, and the imagination are an important part of every day."

Academic Requirements

Course Descriptions

Minor in Literary Studies

Minor in Writing Studies

SEU student studying

group of SEU students and staff

SEU students in the classroom

What internships are available?

Students have interned at publishing companies; nonprofits; magazines; public, private, and charter schools; law offices; libraries; hospitals and health care institutions; and radio stations.

What can I do with this degree?

SEU English student Quawntashea BaileyThe B.A. in English Program is an unparalleled preparation for law school, and several of our graduates are practicing attorneys. Others teach in elementary, middle, and high schools, and some teach at colleges and universities.

Some recent graduates work at major publishers, others fulfill editorial responsibilities at magazines and newspapers, and several have earned advanced degrees as librarians. Many of our graduates work in corporate communication and advertising, and some work in financial services companies.

"Freshman year, I came to SEU as the stereotype of a student behind, but I had professors who saw a writer in me when I didn't see it in myself. They saw it in me and worked to bring it out of me. Honestly, if I went anywhere else, I don't think I'd be leaving with half as much."
- Quawntashea Bailey, B.A., English Language and Literature, 2019

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