English Degree
Expand your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills and open the door to career opportunities with an English degree.
At Park University, our Bachelor of Arts in English degree program is designed for students who want to develop critical practices in reading, writing, and thinking – which will lead to creative and humanist responses to literature, life, and intellectual endeavor. No matter what your professional goals are, an English degree can provide you with a skill set applicable to many different career paths.
Locations & Learning Options
As a student in our 16-week Bachelor of Arts in English program, you’ll be required to take face-to-face classes at our Parkville, Missouri campus. However, our minors in English and Professional and Technical Writing are available either face-to-face or online.
The Bachelor of Arts in English requires a minimum of 122 completed credit hours, including 16 hours of English core curriculum, 9 hours in literature, 9 hours in writing and rhetoric, and 9 hours of approved English electives. Refer to your catalog for a complete listing of coursework for this degree.
- Parkville, MO
English
- Parkville, MO
- Online
Professional and Technical Writing
- Parkville, MO
- Online
B.A. MAJOR – 43 HOURS , 2.0 GPA
Core Curriculum – 16 cr.
EN 205 Introduction to English Studies … 3 cr.
EN 307 Professional Writing in English Studies … 3 cr.
EN 370 History and Practice of Rhetoric… 3 cr.
EN 380 Literary Theory and Criticism … 3 cr.
EN 485 Senior Portfolio … 1 cr.
EN 490 Capstone … 3 cr.
Nine hours selected from the following
(six hours must be 300-level or above) … 9 cr.
EN 201 Introduction to Literature … 3 cr.
EN 221 African American Literature … 3 cr.
EN 232 Introduction to Poetry … 3 cr.
EN 234 Introduction to Fiction … 3 cr.
ML 251 Heroes and Rebels in Early European Literature … 3 cr.
EN 304 Special Topics (must be designated literature-focused) … 3 cr.
EN 315 Earlier English Literature … 3 cr.
EN 316 Later English Literature … 3 cr.
EN 317 Earlier American Literature … 3 cr.
EN 318 Later American Literature … 3 cr.
EN 320 Adolescent Literature … 3 cr.
EN 324 Modern British and European Literature … 3 cr.
EN 341 Literature and Film … 3 cr.
EN 355 International Literature … 3 cr.
EN 356 Women’s Literature … 3 cr.
EN 440 Shakespeare … 3 cr.
Nine hours selected from the following (six hours must be 300-level or above) … 9 cr.
EN 204 Writing for Online Environments … 3 cr.
EN 207 Professional and Technical Editing … 3 cr.
EN 231 Introduction to Language … 3 cr.
EN 304 Special Topics (must be designated writing-focused) … 3 cr.
EN 306A Scientific and Technical Writing … 3 cr.
EN 306B Business Communications … 3 cr.
EN 306C Advanced Expository and Research Writing … 3 cr.
EN 311 Creative Writing … 3 cr.
EN 325 Modern Grammar … 3 cr.
EN 354 Reading and Writing Nonfiction Prose … 3 cr.
EN 387 Theory and Teaching of Writing … 3 cr.
EN 411 Advanced Creative Writing … 3 cr.
Nine hours of EN elective (six hours must be 300-level or above) … 9 cr.
Elective credit hours may come from any EN prefix course including:
EN 384 Professional Learning Experience for English … 3 cr.
TOTAL … 43 cr.
All majors must submit a writing-sample portfolio for consideration by faculty as a graduation requirement. The portfolio contents will reflect an understanding and fulfillment of all English program objectives. Following portfolio completion, students will discuss their portfolio contents in a public presentation.
ENGLISH MINOR – 18 HOURS , 2.0 GPA
EN 201 Introduction to Literature … 3 cr.
200 Level Electives … 6 cr.
300 Level Electives … 9 cr.
TOTAL … 18 cr.
EN 204 Writing for Online Environments … 3 cr.
EN 207 Professional and Technical Editing … 3 cr.
EN 231 Introduction to Language … 3 cr.
EN 306A Scientific and Technical Writing … 3 cr.
EN 306B Business Communication … 3 cr.
EN 384 Professional Learning Experience for English … 3 cr.
TOTAL … 18 cr.
Glenn Lester
Program Coordinator - First Year Writing
Assistant Professor of English
glester@park.edu
Dr. Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger
Program Coordinator - Professional Writing
Associate Professor of English
amy.mecklenburgfaenger@park.edu
Careers
Our programs will prepare you for a variety of careers or graduate degrees, including:
- Writing (Creative, Technical, Scientific, Business)
- Publishing and Editing
- Communication and Journalism
- Law
- Government and Political Science
- Education
And future careers that prize writing, communication, and analytical thinking – which means that an English degree prepares you for all kinds of careers!
Program Highlights
In our English classes, you might engage with literature through traditional academic essays, but you might also respond to a poem with a mixed media art piece or create a comic version of a short story. You might challenge your writing skills by composing a micro memoir. You might develop and direct a film adaptation of a literary work, or research a peer’s writing process, or plan and host a university event, or you might get a job with the resume and cover letter you develop in professional writing.
As a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, you might present your work at a national conference, publish your critical or creative writing in a national journal, or sponsor a writing workshop. Or, get involved with The Scribe, Park’s student literary arts club and magazine, where you might edit a literary magazine, workshop your writing-in-progress, and make life-long friends!
