Program Overview

Reading and writing tap into the deepest parts of our humanness. They spark thinking, rouse emotion and illuminate the human experience. Through your studies in English, you will explore and illuminate the human experience yourself as you dive into the intricacies of story, engage in the creative processes of writing and interpretation and study the structures and processes of writing.

As a student of English, you will also cultivate skills that allow you to connect with others, communicate well and analyse details with care. The field improves your ability to think flexibly, express yourself clearly, communicate effectively and take on leadership roles—skills that give you an advantage in almost any career.

Why choose an English major at CMU?

The English major/minor affords students the opportunity to develop—through reading, writing,and engagement with various kinds of contemporary media and technologies—the crucial, interrelated and highly sought after skills of thinking, analysis, evaluation and creativity.

Students will work closely with award-winning, innovative researchers and faculty whose expertise ranges from Composition and Rhetoric, Creative Writing, British/American/World/Diversity Literature and Linguistics to Comparative Media Studies, Children’s and Young Adult Literature, Game Studies and Popular Culture Studies.

Classes are small and student-focused. In them, students will interact with each other through guided workshops; experiment with different reading, writing and analytic techniques; and expand their skills and knowledge through guided discussion, active learning and other cutting-edge learning modes and activities.

Students also have access to a range of exceptional resources and opportunities, including internships, speaker series, student organizations, CLASS’s career Hub, CMU’s Adobe Digital Campus, CMU Library’s research collections and study abroad.