At Penn State, we prepare you for the complex communication tasks you will face in the professional workplace and in your personal life. The bachelor of arts in English (B.A.) and the minor in English provide you with highly marketable skills in writing, research, critical thinking, and verbal communication.
Meet successful Penn State York graduates with a degree in English!
At our core is the experience of language and stories as powerful forces shaping relationships, spurring imagination, and defining communities. In addition to the major, our faculty teach general education courses in writing and literature that offer every student the skills and pleasures of intelligent self-expression. We also support your writing in other courses by tutoring at the Nittany Success Center.
The tradition of great literature helps you to appreciate our cultural and intellectual heritage, to understand the ideals that drive people and communities, and to make humane and imaginative choices about the future. At Penn State York, we offer the Writing and Literature in Context option in the major, which offers students flexibility in structuring their experience.
Our course offerings reflect the multidisciplinary nature of English studies:
- You will explore not only literature but also film, theatre, history, gender studies, and creative writing. You will begin with introductory literature and writing courses and then proceed to courses that develop skills in interpretive approaches, research methods, and literary theory. Juniors and seniors study specific areas of literary history, genre, and theme in greater depth and intensity. Penn State York offers English majors:
- Small, discussion-based classes
- Interaction with faculty who are creative writers, active researchers, and community activists
- Connections to students and faculty experts across the University through digital teaching formats. Recent offerings include 19th-century print culture, medieval literature, and 18th-century satire. African American poetry is planned for the future.
- All English majors cap their college careers with a required senior seminar (English 487W), in which students reflect on English as a plan of study and pursue independent research projects. Students present their projects as part of the Penn State York Undergraduate Research Fair. Recent English majors have addressed topics ranging from pseudonyms and Sherlock Holmes to film adaptations.
- Majoring in another field? An English minor (18 credits) demonstrates your commitment to the communication skills employers’ value.
Career Opportunities
Recent English graduates have entered professional fields such as:
- advertising and digital media
- technical writing
- teaching
- editing
English is also considered excellent preparation for law school. Several of our students have gone on to pursue postgraduate degrees at institutions such as Marquette, The University of Louisiana, and The University of Virginia.
Other English graduates have used their skills as readers and writers to follow career paths into a variety of other fields:
- banking
- government service
- human resources
- health care
English study can serve as a platform for launching careers in a variety of fields, from copywriting to management, from marketing to public service. The major not only provides students with skills valued by today’s employers, but also offers them the flexibility necessary to compete and to adapt in a constantly changing marketplace.
Beyond Course Work: Internships, Research, and Community
Outside the classroom, English majors engage in diverse activities across the campus. Students can meet and work with artists, writers, and scholars who visit campus, and English students usually serve as editors for the campus online literary magazine, Any Other Word.
Students have also acted as members of campus faculty and staff search committees to shape the future of the program; tutored writing at the Nittany Success Center; and worked as undergraduate research assistants. In addition, English students have sought opportunities to take their academic experiences into the professional world by securing internships in business and government. Some research and internship opportunities offer credit toward graduation.
We serve students who plan to complete degrees at Penn State York and those who will transfer to another campus through Penn State’s 2+2 program. Many English majors enhance their résumés by completing one of the minors offered at Penn State York. Popular choices include business, information sciences and technology, women’s studies, and corporate communications. Our students can also participate in the Graham Fellows Program for Entrepreneurial Leadership and the Campus Honors Program.
Our faculty model the forms of community engagement we encourage students to develop while at Penn State. Some faculty have served as judges for poetry contests like Poetry Out Loud or as commentators for media outlets; others lead efforts to foster diversity and social action through with student organizations, faculty committees, and community outreach. Others promote professional development and global awareness by working with community groups or advising honors projects.
Writing and Literature at Penn State York
Penn State prides itself on producing graduates who excel in the workplace because they have learned the importance of critical thinking and communicating well by honing these skills in college. English faculty work in and collaborate across the campus to support your development as an adept communicator, whether your focus is on social sciences, business, science, or engineering. We also provide professional writing support through the Nittany Success Center, with both online and professional options for feedback, to ensure that every Penn State York student can succeed.
- In addition to teaching literature, our faculty teach first-year composition and advanced writing courses that coach you as your writing tasks become more complex and varied.
- We collaborate with our Advising and Career Development Office to provide up-to-date information about preparing resumes and cover letters, interviewing, and writing for the workplace.
- You will also find our award-winning faculty offering exciting introductory literature courses that satisfy general education requirements. These courses are often cross listed with other fields, including Comparative Literature, Philosophy, and Women’s Studies. Courses we offer include Creative Writing, Autobiography, The Bible as Literature, The Literature of Fantasy, Global Science Fictions, Women’s Writing, and The Short Story.
- English language learners will find courses designed specifically to meet their needs as well as several professional staff members trained to help them.
English Faculty
Penn State York’s faculty combine prestigious academic credentials with diverse professional backgrounds, which allows us to support you as you prepare to enter the workplace or to pursue further academic study.
In addition to offering regular courses from the faculty below, the Penn State York English program provides access to a wide range of other courses taught by experts in diverse fields at other Penn State campuses. Recent offerings have included a 400-level course on banned books, taught by Dr. Lynda Goldstein at the Wilkes-Barre campus; a 400-level course on African American poetry, taught by Dr. Millie Mickle at the greater Allegheny campus; and a 400-level course on the editing process, taught by Dr. Kyle King at the Altoona campus. To find out about upcoming English courses available to Penn State York students, please contact Dr. Noel Sloboda.
