Degree
B.A.
Program Type
Undergraduate
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English Program Overview

If literature and language pique your interest, consider earning a bachelor's degree in English. Here you will embark on a literary journey across the centuries and around the globe. You will develop the ability to think analytically, appreciate different cultures and learn to express yourself both verbally and in writing. A degree in English prepares you for a lifetime of learning and a wide array of opportunities.

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Students sitting around a table in English class
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Delivery Format

In Person

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Credit Hours

120

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Time to Complete

4 years

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Tuition

Learning Experiences

In the English program at AU, you will:

  • Learn from expert faculty and published scholars.
  • Study great works of literature from a variety of critical perspectives that will challenge your own viewpoints.
  • Experience personalized attention in small classes meant to emphasize your individual learning.
  • Benefit from a flexible curriculum that lets you create an educational program to meet your career objectives.
  • Develop marketable skills, such as writing and analytical capabilities that will prepare you for a variety of careers.

Students have had internships working for businesses and nonprofit organizations such as:

  • Barbour Publishing
  • Baker & Taylor Publishing
  • Good Deed Entertainment
  • J.M. Smucker Co.
  • Thoughtwire Marketing
  • U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
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Students taking notes in English class

Student Opportunities

Gain rewarding, real-world experience through opportunities such as:

The Collegian

Ashland University's award winning, student-run and edited campus newspaper. Your news source for all things AU.

Ashland Poetry Press

The mission of the Ashland Poetry Press is to publish and promote the best poetry submitted from new and established authors writing in English, as well as translations of Spanish poetry into English. The Ashland Poetry Press resides in the English Department at Ashland University.

The Black Fork Review

The Black Fork Review is run by students, faculty and alumni from Ashland University. We feature work that makes us consider the world and our lives in new and unexpected ways. The journal is supported by the Ashland English Department, The Ashland Poetry Press and The Ashland MFA Creative Writing Program.

Sample Curriculum

Learn more about the English curriculum by reviewing the Three-Year Curriculum GuideFour-Year Curriculum GuideCourse Rotation and Academic Catalog.

Dean's Scholarship

The Dean's Scholarship was created to enhance the undergraduate academic experience for new first-time and transfer students enrolled in a major within the College of Arts & Sciences. It is a merit-based, renewable scholarship of $1,500 that can be "stacked" on top of other awarded AU academic scholarships. In addition, students have the opportunity to participate in unique academic communities with a focus on career coaching and preparation.

Graduate Outcomes

When you graduate with a degree in English, you graduate with a deeper understanding of the world around you. Reading and writing are the tenets of English, but they’re a means to achieve mastery of communication and critical thinking. The cultural foundation you build will support any number of careers.

  • Editors: The median annual wage for editors was $73,080 in 2022. Employment is projected to decline four percent from 2022 to 2032; however, an average of 11,600 openings are projected each year. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
  • Writers and Authors: The median annual wage for writers and authors was $73,150 in 2022. Employment is projected to grow four percent from 2022 to 2032, about as fast as the average for all occupations. An average of 15,500 openings are projected each year.
  • Technical Writers: The median annual wage for technical writers was $79,960 in 2022. Employment is projected to grow seven percent from 2022 to 2032, faster than the average for all occupations. An average of 4,800 openings are projected each year.

Graduates of our English program work in a positions such as:

  • Arts administrators
  • Attorneys
  • Digital marketing strategists
  • Editors
  • Higher education administrators
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Students talking to each other in English class

Student Testimonial

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Tyayia Young, English Major

 

“Being in the English program at Ashland University has provided me with lifelong mentors and friends; I receive endless support from all professors in all aspects of life. Our professors create professional relationships that encourage us to branch out into different fields, knowing that we will always have someone to help us along the way. The support does not just end inside the classroom; professors I am no longer in class with have reached out and helped me with my grad school preparations.”

- Tyayia Young, English major

Contact Information

Hilary Donatini
Hilary Donatini, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Languages and Literatures; Professor of English
306 Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall
Maura Grady
Maura Grady, Ph.D.
Director, English Composition Program; Associate Professor of English
316 Center for the Humanities of Bixler Hall