English - BA

The Bachelor of Arts in English program was designed to be completed in just 120 credit hours but encompasses many rich areas of study and critical pieces of literature within its curriculum. During your time in the program, you will participate in courses including:

• Technical Writing
• African-American Literature and Film
• British and American Literature
• Literary Theory
• Post-Colonial and Diaspora Literatures
• Critical Race Studies
• Linguistics
• Children's Literature and Media

Program of Study

In addition to these courses, you will receive opportunities for advanced seminar and internship courses to help you further synthesize your diverse skills and knowledge as you take your next step towards your dream career. Learn more about the English program, our faculty and all of our offerings in the program guide.

Program Guide

UDC's organizations and activities serve as a great way for you and your peers to exchange ideas, serve the community and engage with professionals working in your specific areas of interest. Check the English Newsletter to see our past and recent activities. Participate in editing or contributing to our UDC literary journal. Explore our available options like Sigma Tau Delta, the English Program's Honors Society, or the Literary Club and find the perfect fit for you!

Learn More

Whether you're an undergraduate or graduate student, the Writing Center @ The Point serves as a great resource to work one-on-one with trained tutors on any level of writing project or assignment. Located at 4250 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Bldg. 71, 4^th Floor, Event Space 8, the Writing Center is available to all who need it.

Consultations might address essays and presentations for IGED courses, lab reports or senior theses for major programs, in addition to materials for job and fellowship related applications. Our skilled tutors at the Writing Center @ The Point strive to uphold personal and university standards in social justice and equity, as well as our goal to serve as the core campus resource for students' writing, critical thinking, and digital literacy skills.

Appointments may be made for in-person or online sessions at the Writing Center, though tutors are also accessible through the free online tutoring service, Upswing. Explore our schedule, virtual rooms and tutor contacts. 

Visit the Writing Center @ The Point

During your time in the BA English program, you'll learn to:

• Produce substantive writing that draws on interdisciplinary, critical approaches applied to a vast array of primary sources.
• Engage in research using contemporary research methods, including print and electronic technologies, as well as various modes of citation (MLA, Chicago Style, APA).
• Analyze texts for claims, arguments, evidence and style.
• Read and interpret texts in accordance with different critical frameworks, including historical and theoretical methodologies.
• Synthesize life experience, class materials and experiential learning (film screening, conference attendance, community tutoring, etc.).
• Participate in assignments demanding self-assessment of learning and composition methods.
• Enroll in course sequences sharing common literary and methodological texts studied from differing contexts.
• Complete a capstone course requiring you to synthesize content knowledge and complete an independent project reflecting your progress as a writer and thinker.
• Demonstrate knowledge of major literary genres, subgenres and periods (including major authors for given periods) and demonstrate a sound understanding of basic literary terms and categories.
• Demonstrate knowledge of 20th and 21st century literary theory and analyze media through these critical lenses.
• Demonstrate knowledge of World, British, American and African American literatures.
• Demonstrate understanding of major linguistic processes and subsystems.

Following graduation, you'll have access to a whole new world of career options and an average salary of over $53,000 a year! To name just a few, you could pursue a career in positions like:

• Copywriter
• Reporter
• Social Media Coordinator
• Paralegal
• Editorial Assistant
• Public Relations Coordinator
• Technical Writer