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Bachelor of Arts in English

Top 5 Reasons to Study

01

Major in English because you love to read. Read literature to reflect on what is important in our society, connect the past and the present, and imagine new possibilities for the future.

02

Major in English because you love to write. Learn to write well to communicate, to make effective and persuasive arguments, to be understood.

03

Major in English because you are creative. Find your voice and use your imagination to share stories with personal and cultural significance.

04

Major in English for flexible and diverse professional opportunities. English majors gain skills in reading, critical thinking, writing, and research that prepare them for many careers in many different fields.

05

Major in English because you love to learn. Learn to ask questions, wrestle with big ideas, and analyze new information at MSU and for your future.

Core
Skills

  • Critical Thinking
  • Effective Writing
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Creativity
  • Empathy and Emotional Intelligence

Sample
Jobs

  • Teacher
  • Attorney
  • Editor
  • Librarian
  • Communications Specialist

Successful Career Outcomes

Median Salary $60,000 US Bureau of Labor Statistics
96% of graduates would major in English again The Norton Survey of English Majors

Top
Employment
Industries

  • Education
  • Law, Government, and Security
  • Editing and Publishing
  • Creative Writing
  • Technical Writing, Marketing, and Communications

Brag
Points

  • The MSU Writing Center supports a culture of writing excellence. In 2025, consultants at the Writing Center had more than 2,000 appointments with writers from every part of campus.
  • Department of English faculty are award-winning teachers. In 2026, Dr. Kemeshia Swanson was named Mississippi Humanities Council Teacher of the Year.
  • Department of English faculty are leading researchers in their fields. In 2025, English faculty published six books.

Experiential Learning Opportunities

In her community-engaged learning course Digital Ethnic Studies, Dr. Dhanashree Thorat taught students how to use skills in critical thinking, literary analysis, research, and digital communication to engage with the Starkville community. Working with community partners, students researched the accomplishments of Dr. Douglas L. Conner, Starkville's first Black doctor, and created a digital exhibit to preserve and share his writings.

Spotlight

In addition to the English major and minor, the Department of English offers minors in related disciplines, including Creative Writing, Interdisciplinary Film Minor, Linguistics, and Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, or TESOL. Pair these minors with an English major or a major in another field to gain a deeper understanding of language, film, or writing and additional career opportunities. 

English

2025-2026 Major Map

Bachelor of Arts in English

Get the Courses You Need

1st Year

Get an in-depth introduction to your options and opportunities as an English major in EN 1111 English Studies.

Build a solid foundation for your college writing with Composition classes.

Start studying a foreign language.

Make progress on your general education requirements.

2nd Year

Get a broad view of literature in English through four 2000-level literature surveys.

Explore disciplines across the university by continuing your general education and college requirements. Consider adding one of these disciplines as a minor to enrich your intellectual journey and career prospects. 

3rd Year

Take EN 3414 Critical Writing and Research to build the foundation in analysis, research, critical theory, and writing that you will need in your 4000-level literature classes.

Dive into the specifics and complexities of particular genres, national traditions, or time periods of literature in your first few 4000-level literature classes.

Take an English class in a subfield other than literature (e.g., Creative Writing, Film, Professional Writing) for your creative and professional elective. Consider pursuing a minor in that subfield.

Work on finishing up any remaining general education and college requirements. 

4th Year

Take EN 4111 Portfolio and Reflective Writing to look back on your work as an English major and apply it to your future education and career goals.

Finish the last of your five 4000-level literature classes.

Finish all requirements for any minors.

Finish any remaining degree requirements.

Hands-On Learning

1st Year

If you're interested in film, join the Scene, a student organization that makes a short film every semester.

2nd Year

Submit your writing to one of MSU's student journals, Boardtown Unbound or The Streetcar, and/or join their staff.

3rd Year

Do an internship at a local business or organization and earn both work experience and class credit. 

Join the staff of the Jabberwock Review, MSU's professional creative writing journal.

Take EN 3423 Writing Center Tutoring to prepare for work at the Writing Center.

4th Year

Take community-engaged learning classes like Digital Ethnic Studies and Methods in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages where the coursework is conducted in collaboration with and for the benefit of community partners.

Work as a writing tutor for other MSU students at the Writing Center.

Connect with Community

1st Year

Join Bully's Bards, the student club for English majors and minors, for English-themed social and service activities.

Explore student organizations across campus.

2nd Year

Start taking on leadership positions in your student organizations.

3rd Year

Join the MSU chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the national English honor society, for academic opportunities like conferences, as well as English-focused social and service activities. 

4th Year

Take on senior leadership positions in your student organizations.

Explore the World

1st Year

Start studying a foreign language.

Take general education courses that expand your knowledge of other peoples and places, including History, Geography, or Anthropology.

Every year, attend MSU's International Fiesta and other on-campus cultural events run by internationally-themed student organizations.

2nd Year

Continue studying your foreign language.

Consider starting classwork toward a Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages minor, which will prepare you to teach English to speakers of other languages either in the U.S. or abroad.

Take at least one class in Linguistics to learn about the world's languages.

3rd Year

Once you have finished your required fourth level of a foreign language, consider taking two upper-division classes in that language to earn a foreign language minor.

If you are pursuing the TESOL Minor, tutor English language learners in the Starkville-Oktibbeha public schools as part of your TESOL classwork.

Apply for a summer study abroad program.

3rd Summer

Consider studying abroad to fulfill your foreign language requirements or to earn a foreign language minor. Options include the Shackouls Honors College's English-focused program at Oxford University, any of MSU's foreign language study abroad programs, or any other MSU-sponsored or independent study abroad program. There are programs that satisfy a variety of requirements toward your degree, and scholarships are available. 

4th Year

Explore the lives, cultures, and experiences of people around the world through upper-level literature classes focusing on work by international writers such as Global Anglophone Literature and Postcolonial Literature. 

Launch Your Career

1st Year

In EN 1111 English Studies, explore the wide variety of career directions available to English majors and learn about the courses, minors, and MSU resources that will help you prepare for them.

2nd Year

Attend career-preparation events run by English@Work and take advantage of the many resources available on the organization's Canvas page.

Connect with MSU's Career Center for help finding a summer job that will let you explore a career direction that interests you.

3rd Year

Do an internship at a local business or organization and earn both work experience and class credit. 

Reach out to the alumni career mentors you met in EN 1111 for advice on focusing and preparing for your career direction.

4th Year

In EN 4111 Portfolio and Reflective Writing, use what you've learned through your time at MSU to prepare materials for the next step of your career journey.

Reconnect with MSU's Career Center for guidance on your first career steps after college.

Alumni
Success

MSU English alumni excel as teachers, writers, professors, lawyers, librarians, editors, and in many other fields. Learn more about what you can do with an English major from MSU by reading alumni profiles.

Student
Testimonial

“I still use the skills I learned as an English major—especially effective communication, close reading, annotation, and rhetorical analysis.  I’m a life-long learner, which is one reason I was attracted to the English major.”

Learn More

BA in English degree requirementsAlumni StoriesApply to MSU