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.
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
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 Guide, Four-Year Curriculum Guide, Course Rotation and Academic Catalog.
First Year
Second Year
Third Year
Fourth Year
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 $75,020 in 2023. Employment is projected to decline two percent from 2023 to 2033; however, an average of 9,300 openings are projected each year. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- Writers and Authors: The median annual wage for writers and authors was $73,690 in 2023. Employment is projected to grow five percent from 2023 to 2033, about as fast as the average for all occupations. An average of 15,100 openings are projected each year.
- Technical Writers: The median annual wage for technical writers was $80,050 in 2023. Employment is projected to grow four percent from 2022 to 2032, about average for all occupations. An average of 4,100 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
Student Testimonial
“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