English
About the English Degree
Students who study English – literature and writing – are often some of the most thoughtful students at LCU. These students are drawn to creative and logical thinking, to reading significant texts, to improving their communication skills, and to understanding cultures, society, and history.
In addition to the basic university core and the departmental humanities core courses, all English majors take a variety of English classes, including basic writing classes like Advanced Grammar, Introduction to English Studies, and Advanced Composition. They will also choose from one of four emphases:
Creative Writing Edu, a website owned and operated by Wiley University Services, has recently placed LCU's Creative Writing program as one of only three private schools in Texas in their listing of “the most affordable Creative Writing programs." They listed student opportunities to study abroad, student-centered learning environment, award-winning faculty, low student-to-faculty ratio, opportunities to participate in undergraduate research and internships, the Creative Writing Club, and The Chapbook as reasons for LCU's inclusion on this list.
Why Get an English Degree?
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:
Students also have many opportunities for advanced scholarship, undergraduate research, internships, jobs, and Study Abroad classes mentored by English faculty.
Participation in undergraduate academic research is highly encouraged for all English majors:
English majors may choose to participate in a community of writers and editors and to share their writing through any of these areas:
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.
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.
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.
Visit the University Catalog here to view the Bachelor of Arts in English degree and each of its emphases.