Overview
You love to get lost in a great story. You find yourself correcting everyone's grammar. You like to tell your friends how to make their essays better. You often want to write a poem when you just don't know any other way to express yourself. You enjoy rewriting the ending of your favorite books. You love finding just the right word for the sentence.
If this describes you, then the English degree at North Greenville University may be the best option for you. Here, NGU's English Department faculty members are prepared and willing to help you begin a successful career as a writer.
Major Description
As an English major at NGU, you will spend much of your time writing, giving oral presentations, editing, researching, and studying literature and writing. You will learn about analyzing texts; creating effective expository prose; writing nonfiction, fiction, and/or poetry; communicating effectively orally; thinking and reading effectively; and understanding different literary genres and the scope of literature, as well as how to apply this knowledge in your own work.
When you graduate, you will be able to read diverse literature with insight and pleasure, write clear expository prose with critical facility and imagination, think and read critically, and understand different literary genres and the scope of literature.
Ultimately, the English degree will provide a strong education based on a biblical worldview that will prepare you for a variety of writing pursuits.
Curriculum
The curriculum for the English Department at NGU breaks down into two main categories. English majors at NGU may choose the Bachelor of Arts in English or the bachelor’s in English language arts secondary education. The English degree equips students to enter graduate school or an English-related profession, such as copywriting and editing, while the English language arts degree prepares students to teach high school English. Both majors expose students to a wide range of courses, including cultural identity studies, literary masterpieces, and upper-level writing. In addition, among other requirements, English education majors complete various education courses and 100 hours of field experience to help prepare them to teach English at the high school level.
Faculty Strengths
All English Department faculty members hold advanced degrees (either a master's degree or a doctorate) in English, with special emphasis on various aspects of American and British literature, including Romanticism, Realism and Naturalism, Modernism, and Postmodernism.
Additionally, English faculty members encourage students to investigate the impact of the Christian worldview on literary study and writing, and they model practical ways to successfully integrate faith within the discipline and the student's chosen vocation.
Tracks / Concentrations
Writing concentration
Minors
At NGU, we offer minors to complement your major. Each minor requires a minimum of 18 semester hours, which in some cases may even be used to meet the elective requirements for your major. View the full list of minors.
Electives
- African American Literature
- American Novels
- Appalachian Literature
- Asian American Literature
- British Novels
- Creative Nonfiction Writing
- Fiction Writing
- Great Books
- Life and Memoir Writing
- Poetry Writing
- Technical Writing
- Women in Literature
(Note: This is a partial list.)
Success
Click here to tell us why you love NGU!
Amanda (Morris) Boyd '05 "I loved the English program! It was not an easy program, but I felt it prepared me well for the working world! I like that it's a versatile degree that can be used in a variety of fields."
Anna Marie Alexander Rogers '03 "The English Department does more than teach;it is a family."
Charity (Yost) Reed '10 "I was so blessed by the small classes at NGU. When I had questions or ideas, I could go directly to my professors, and they were all brilliant."
Daniel Blackaby '10 "The lessons learned inside and outside of class are a foundation I still rely on in my writing. It is no accident that my years spent as a student at NGU are some of the most fruitful years of writing in my life."
Josh Kimbrell '07 "Coming here, for me, changed everything, because you understand that if you’re a Christian . . . you can’t have this sacred/secular split. This place changed my entire thought process."
Mandie Boyd '05 "I feel NGU prepared me for my career success by teaching me how to show my faith in the workplace and in every activity I do. Also, Dr. Cheryl Collier showed me that being a Christian means we are called to excellence yet gentleness and kindness at the same time."
Matthew Huff '09 "The faculty in the English Department quickly recognized a passion and love for literature and poetry within me. They welcomed me in as an English major and spent the rest of my time at NGU — and beyond — shepherding and guiding my passion not only toward the deep waters of beautiful literature, but also toward the deeper and more glorious truth of Jesus."
Wendy Gupta '12 "The opportunities I had to serve as yearbook editor, on The Mountain Laurel staff, and in the Writing Center helped me land my first job after graduation."
Future
Career Opportunities
- College Professor
- Editor
- High School Teacher
- Journalist
- Lawyer
- Legal Assistant
- Librarian
- Middle School Teacher
- Public Relations Specialist
- Research Analyst
- Technical Writer
- Writer/Author
Postgraduate Studies
- Appalachian State University
- Belmont University
- Boston College
- Bread Loaf School of English, Middlebury
- Clemson University
- Converse College
- Gardner Webb University
- Mississippi State University
- North Carolina State University
- University of Mississippi
- Vanderbilt University
- Wake Forest University
- Western Carolina University
- Winthrop University
Potential Employers
- Antioch Church
- Blue Ridge High School
- Center for Social Welfare and Research
- Chapman High School
- Erwin Penland
- Gardner-Webb University
- Hawkins Law Firm
- Landmark Christian School
- Landrum High School
- North Carolina State University
- North Greenville University
- Saint Leo University
- Wake Forest University
Learning Experience
Publication Opportunity
English majors have the opportunity to be published in the department's award-winning literary magazine, “The Mountain Laurel,” and have their work reviewed by literary professionals.
Tutoring
English majors may be invited to work in the university's Writing Center, where they are trained to tutor students who need help with their writing. Majors can gain hands-on experience reviewing other students' writing and providing valuable feedback in a variety of areas ranging from invention to completion of a writing assignment.
Essay Workshops
From freshman composition to upper-level writing classes, English majors are given the opportunity to critique and review one another's writing. Students gain valuable insight in the writing process and develop the ability to read both their own and other's writing critically and effectively.
Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society
English majors who meet the admission requirements will be invited to join Sigma Tau Delta, where they have the opportunity to apply for academic scholarships, submit for publication to Sigma Tau Delta-sponsored journals and online publications, apply for Sigma Tau Delta internships, and more.
Cheryl Collier, Ph.D. 
Amanda Eron, M.A. 
Becky Thompson, Ed.D. 
Sarah Bailey, M.A. 
Alicia Looper, M.A. 
Angela Bullard, Ph.D. 
Gregory Bruce, Ph.D. 
Hayley Gambrell, M.A. 
Hiewon Shin, Ph.D. 
James Washick, Ph.D. 
Jeff King, Ph.D. 
Jenna Garrett Ed.D. 
Rachel Roberts, Ph.D. Courses
EXAMPLE COURSE SEQUENCE
Natural science course (4 credit hours)
Composition and Rhetoric (3 credit hours)
Western Civilization I (3 credit hours)
Old Testament Survey (3 credit hours)
First-Year Experience or Freshman Honors Seminar (1 to 2 credit
hours)
Physical science course (4 credit hours)
Composition and Literature (3 credit hours)
Western Civilization II (3 credit hours)
New Testament Survey (3 credit hours)
Contemporary Mathematics (3 credit hours)
(Note: In addition to the courses for their major, every student at NGU is required to register and earn credit for Chapel, for each semester of full-time enrollment, and Cultural Events, for only the first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Each of these courses counts as one-half credit hour per semester. These special offerings support NGU’s mission of educating the whole person — both intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.)
EXAMPLE COURSE SEQUENCE
Oral Communication (3 credit hours)
British Literature I (3 credit hours)
Foreign language course (3 credit hours)
General Psychology (3 credit hours)
American Literature I (3 credit hours)
American Literature II (3 credit hours)
Open electives (6 credit hours)
British Literature II (3 credit hours)
Foreign language course (3 credit hours)
Introduction to Sociology (3 credit hours)
Concepts of Physical Fitness and Wellness (3 credit hours)
(Note: In addition to the courses for their major, every student at NGU is required to register and earn credit for Chapel, for each semester of full-time enrollment, and Cultural Events, for only the first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Each of these courses counts as one-half credit hour per semester. These special offerings support NGU’s mission of educating the whole person — both intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.)
EXAMPLE COURSE SEQUENCE
Foreign language course (3 credit hours)
Advanced Grammar and Style (3 credit hours)
Literary Theory (3 credit hours)
Literary Research (3 credit hours)
Shakespeare's Tragedies (3 credit hours)
Foreign language course (3 credit hours)
English masterpiece course (3 credit hours)
Fine arts appreciation course (3 credit hours)
English elective (3 credit hours)
Upper-level writing course (3 credit hours)
(Note: In addition to the courses for their major, every student at NGU is required to register and earn credit for Chapel, for each semester of full-time enrollment, and Cultural Events, for only the first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Each of these courses counts as one-half credit hour per semester. These special offerings support NGU’s mission of educating the whole person — both intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.)
EXAMPLE COURSE SEQUENCE
English elective (3 credit hours)
Open electives (12 credit hours)
English cultural identity course (6 credit hours)
Fine arts appreciation course (3 credit hours)
English masterpiece course (3 credit hours)
English Senior Seminar (3 credit hours)
(Note: In addition to the courses for their major, every student at NGU is required to register and earn credit for Chapel, for each semester of full-time enrollment, and Cultural Events, for only the first four semesters of full-time enrollment. Each of these courses counts as one-half credit hour per semester. These special offerings support NGU’s mission of educating the whole person — both intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.)
Program Objectives
- Write clear expository prose.
- Think and read critically.
- Demonstrate an understanding of different literary genres and the scope of literature.
Resources