English Degree

What Makes Us Unique:

Unlike many universities that use part-time and adjunct faculty to teach many of the classes, particularly freshman-level classes, at LCU, students studying English will be taught by professors of distinction:

• All of the full-time English faculty have gone through the LCU Learning Academy and been awarded the honor of being named “Learning Scholars,” meaning they focus on the best innovative teaching practices.

• Three of the full-time faculty have won the prestigious L.R. Wilson Excellence in Teaching Award at least once.
• Faculty Distinctions:

• Assistant Professor Jana Anderson is the Director of the University Writing Center and the LCU Writing Carnival. She has recently presented her research at the national Teaching Professor Conference and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges Conference. She was also named the L.R. Wilson Teacher of the Year for the second time in May 2021.
• Assistant Professor Shenai Alonge has just been named the new editor of the online journal The Looking Glass: New Perspectives on Children’s Literature.
• Professor Kenneth Hawley serves as Director of Brian S. Donaghey Center for Boethian Studies and Editor of Carmina Philosophiæ: Journal of the International Boethius Society.

Students also have many opportunities for advanced scholarship, undergraduate research, internships, jobs, and Study Abroad classes mentored by English faculty.

Scholarship:

Participation in undergraduate academic research is highly encouraged for all English majors:

• LCU Scholars Colloquium, cross-campus, multidisciplinary event (April, yearly)
• NCUR Conference for Undergraduate Research, highly-competitive conference hosted by various universities nationwide (March, yearly)
• Sigma Tau Delta English National Honor Society membership for high-achieving students

Writing and Cooperative Opportunities:

English majors may choose to participate in a community of writers and editors and to share their writing through any of these areas:

• The Creative Writing Club – Students from all disciplines have the opportunity to meet weekly during the school year to encourage one another in their independent writing projects. Members may participate in various service projects and grow together as a community.
• The Chapbook, LCU’s literary magazine (published yearly) – English majors may serve as editors or contributors for this yearly publication which focuses on the best poetry, short fiction, and essays from our student creative writers.
• The Writing Carnival and 24-hour Reading Event – Each Fall the UWC, the Department of Humanities, and Student Services host a 2-day event that brings students from all areas of campus together. Each year the event is centered around one book or book series, such as The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings, and students, faculty, and staff sign up to publicly read the book or series over a 24-hour span, followed by a carnival of fun, food, and writing booths on the LCU mall. English majors are encouraged to promote and work during this event.
• Writing Contests – Two or three times a year, the UWC sponsors a creative writing competition that is open to all students.

Internships and Jobs:

• The University Writing Center (UWC), located at the back of the LCU Library – The UWC offers free, individualized, expert sessions with student consultants and many English majors can work as paid consultants. Working in the UWC allows students the opportunity to improve their own writing, editing, and teaching skills.
• Washington DC internship program – Many English majors spend a semester in Washington DC, usually in their junior or senior year. We have found that non-profits are most interested in interns who have strong writing skills, which makes the English major extremely beneficial. In addition, some students have gone on to graduate school or careers in the Washington DC area due to their participation in the internship program.
• Other internship possibilities, either paid or unpaid, may be found locally in Lubbock or even on campus. For instance, students often intern with the Brian S. Donaghey Center for Boethian Studies, located on the north side of the LCU Library and directed by Dr. Kenneth Hawley, internationally known Boethius scholar. Other students have found internships working with faculty or staff on campus on research and writing projects.

Study Abroad:

Students may choose to spend a semester in Avila, Spain, as part of the LCU Study Abroad program. Not only do English professors frequently teach classes as part of LCU Study Abroad, but other classes offered will easily fit into the English major degree plan.

What a Degree in English Prepares Graduates For:

While most people understand that an English major is a difficult and intensive program of study, there is also an awareness that English is not a directly career-focused degree. Nonetheless, an English major prepares students for lifelong learning and a wide range of jobs. Nina Stoller-Lindsey writes that an English degree offers “a well-rounded education that enhances [students’] critical thinking skills, theoretically readying [students] for a fairly wide range of jobs." According to Jeffrey Dorfman, an economic analyst for Forbes,data proves that graduates of English programs had fairly high salaries in their careers.

Job Market for English Majors:

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the future job market for English language and literature degree holders varies between average and robust growth, with most gains in the areas of social media managers, marketing, and technical writing. In 2020, the median annual salary for writers and authors was $67,120, while technical writing specialists, the highest paid writers at a median salary of $74,650 in 2020, can anticipate a good field growth of 7%. Elementary and secondary education jobs, the most common professions for English language and literature degree holders, are projected to trend upward and grow by nearly 4% in ten years.

Although teaching at the elementary, secondary, or collegiate level was the most common career for English majors, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that other top careers for graduates include lawyers, managers, administrators, and writers.