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English Major in Pennsylvania
Swamped with images, information, sounds and new technology daily, the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English at Messiah University, a nationally ranked Christian university in Pennsylvania, prepares you to analyze, interpret, understand and change the world around you.
Study English at a Christian University
The English degree program takes place on our nationally ranked, central Pennsylvania campus and combines creative writing, literature, critical thinking and digital proficiencies to form a comprehensive education that leads to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in English. You will choose a concentration in literature, creative writing or professional writing, or you may earn a teaching certificate with your B.A.
If you are a creative and critical thinker with a broad range of interests, who dreams about writing and positively influencing others through words, then Messiah University’s English major is a good fit for you. This major can also be paired with our Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in business administration, allowing you to combine a passion you love with essential business skills that will make you stand out as you enter the workforce.
As an English major or minor at Messiah University, you’ll be able to:
- Immerse yourself in a wide range of British, American and World literature.
- Build your portfolio by writing or editing for the campus magazine, The Swinging Bridge, or the campus literary magazine, The Peregrine Review.
- Student-teach in local public high schools if you choose a Secondary Teaching Certification path.
- Present your work at a regional, national or international conference.
- Spend a semester at Oxford University’s Best Semester program or the Oregon Extension.
- Study for a semester in locations around the world.
- Prepare and present papers or panel discussions at Messiah’s annual Spring Humanities Symposium.
- Apply for a yearlong senior honors project where you’ll work one-on-one with an English professor in writing your senior thesis.
- Join one of many small informal writing groups on campus.
- Study in a program that fosters a culture of writing, creativity and leadership that extends beyond the classroom.
- Have your writing published in the campus literary journal, campus magazine or department newsletter.
- Join the Writer's Club or tutor at the Writing Center.
Majoring in English—part of the School of the Humanities—is great preparation for your mission in the world. We recently surveyed our English alumni and they agree: Messiah prepared them well for successful, creative careers in teaching, editing, publishing, missions, business, law, ministry, social work, politics and even songwriting.
As a graduate of the English program, you will be equipped to secure positions in areas such as:
- Business communications
- High school teaching
- Nonprofit advocacy
- College teaching
- TESOL
- Magazine, newspaper or freelance writing
- Library science
- Professor
For more information on career planning for the English program, visit the Messiah University Career and Professional Development Center.&
Messiah’s nationally recognized internship program places students in a variety of English internships. A few examples include:
- Patriot News
- Central PA magazine
- Central Penn Parent
- Stackpole Books
- Classical Academic Press
The Curriculum
This curriculum is inquiry-driven and encourages students to ask questions important to the discipline and to themselves. The department cultivates vocational discernment and career preparation through a required internship and a Vocational Seminar, a 1-credit course taken in the junior year to prepare students to move into a professional career or graduate school. This vocational focus shapes your entire curricular experience in the program.
Programs related to English
In the English program, you will take a selection of courses that successfully prepare you for a career in a related field. Hands-on experiences and classroom learning within the framework of Christian faith will give you the skills and knowledge to achieve your goals. Our programs offer a wide variety of courses that will not only help you excel in your future career, but challenge you to develop a deeper understanding of your field of study.
Course options for English:
English (B.A.) with Creative Writing Concentration
English (B.A.) with Literature Concentration
English (B.A.) with Professional Writing Concentration
English (B.A.) with Secondary Teaching Certification
English Minor
Creative Writing Minor
English careers and outcomes
Where our grads work
Graduates of the English program work in positions of leadership in their places of employment, using the tools and knowledge a Messiah University education prepared them with. Each year, eager employers and some of the nation's best graduate schools welcome Messiah graduates into their organizations.
Where they work
- Central Penn Insurance
- International Justice Mission
- Philadelphia Public School District
- Wheaton College
- Central PA Magazine
- HarperCollins
- Stackpole Books
- City of Boulder
- Kwara State University
- University of Baltimore
- Messiah University
- Penn National Insurance
- Drexel University
- Geometry Global
- Capital Blue Cross
- Catholic Charities USA
What they do
- Senior Program Manager
- Freelance Writer
- Director of Communications
- English Teacher
- Administrative Lawyer
- Judge
- Editor
- Chief Operating Officer
- Vice President
- Corporate Communications
- Social Media Manager
- Professor of English
- TESOL instructor
- Pastor
- Book publishing employees
- Newspaper writer
- Ghostwriter
- Travel Blogger
- Librarian
- Songwriter
- Human resources associate
- Private Tutor
Graduate school
- University of Maryland
- Temple University
- University of South Caroline School of Law
- Rutgers University
- University of Pennsylvania
- King’s College
- London
- Vanderbilt University
- Northern Arizona University
- Penn State University
- Villanova University
- Johns Hopkins
- Boston College
- University of Wisconsin
- Madison
- Duke Divinity School
- Gordon Conwell Seminary
- Yale School of Music and the Arts
- University of CT
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Oxford University
- University of Edinburgh
- Seton Hall Law School
- University of Pittsburgh Law School
- Harvard Law School
- University of Massachusetts
- Clemson University
- Yale School of Divinity
- Princeton Theological Seminary
96% of the Class of 2022 respondents were employed or in graduate school within 6-9 months of graduation.
Our Alumni
Regional and national employers seek out Messiah graduates for their academic preparation, work ethic and personal character. The transformation you experience at Messiah readies you to transform the lives of others through your chosen career path.
MEET ALUMNI FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE, LITERATURE AND WRITING
Messiah's unique approach to hands-on learning
Learning in the classroom is important but actually applying that knowledge in a hands-on way can make all the difference. At Messiah University, the Experiential Learning Initiative (ELI) allows Messiah to take this hands-on learning to a new level by giving students the opportunity to apply what they have learned to various real world contexts--such as an internship/practica, service learning, off-campus program, holding a student leadership position, or participating in undergraduate research.
Intentional Instruction
Your professors in the English degree program, who are also published authors and lecturers, will teach you to hone your writing skills and will provide you with many opportunities to get your writing published outside the classroom. You may even present your work at an international conference or compete for an Oxford fellowship like other Messiah English majors have done. You can also get involved in on-campus writing organizations such as the Peregrine Review or the The Pulse—Messiah’s student-run media group.
Faith and Intellect
One of the most critical needs in our culture is the need for cross-cultural knowledge, awareness and empathy—and our English program will give you just that. Through your ability to empathize with those from other cultures, you will be better able to understand and respond to their particular spiritual, emotional and physical needs. Your training in close reading, research and communication will better enable you to communicate God’s love in an intelligent and useful way.
Teaching certification
Interested in teaching English? Take all of the required English degree courses and apply to Messiah’s Teacher Education Program to earn your secondary teaching certificate. In addition to the strong literature and writing curriculum in the English degree program, you’ll also work to the complete the state-required theoretical background and practical experience to become an English teacher in grades 7-12.