Program Overview

When studying English at UNO, you will be exposed to outstanding faculty, a wide-variety of challenging and interesting classes, and a variety of opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.

The Department of English offers flexible programs where you can take courses in areas that interest you including literature, composition and rhetoric, creative writing, and language studies. You will learn to analyze literary and non-literary texts within cultural and historical contexts, to think critically, to write clearly, and to communicate persuasively.

What can I do with my English degree?

Actually, you'll have a wide and exciting selection of careers. English majors are trained to write well, to organize ideas in a logical way, and to develop arguments. You can analyze complex information, research, and critically read and observe. With these skills, you can work for book publishers, hospitals, television networks, advertising firms, and the government.

Employers, graduate schools, and professional schools often seek out well-rounded English majors because they are versatile, able to use their training as writers, thinkers, editors, and teachers in fields such as medicine, law, business, media, and public service.

Creative Nonfiction

The Department of English Creative Nonfiction Writing Program has been designated a "Program of Excellence" in the College of Arts and Sciences, and offers a wide-range of courses taught by nationally published, award-winning faculty.

Guided by published, award-winning faculty, students in the Creative Nonfiction concentration study and write a wide range of creative nonfiction forms, including, Modern Familiar Essay, Autobiography, Travel Writing, and Narrative Nonfiction. A key component of the Creative Nonfiction concentration is that students not only learn to critique artful language and literature but they also learn how to create it. Along the way, students learn to craft personal experiences, ideas, and interdisciplinary research into compelling, persuasive prose that appeals to a diverse audience. The concentration is also flexible, allowing students the opportunity to pursue their interests in other academic disciplines and creative genres.

Broadly defined, creative nonfiction writing is fact-based writing that employs "creative" techniques often found in fiction and poetry, and our courses in this genre include:

• Autobiography
• Travel Writing
• Graphic Memoir
• Nature Writing
• Spiritual Writing
• Food Writing
• Creative Nonfiction in Digital Environments

Students in creative nonfiction courses learn to craft personal experiences, ideas, and interdisciplinary research into artful, compelling prose that will be valued within many professional settings.