English Major & Degrees

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.)

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

• Year 1
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Year 4

Program Objectives

• Write clear expository prose.
• Think and read critically.
• Demonstrate an understanding of different literary genres and the scope of literature.

Resources

• English Rubrics
• Helpful Links
• Sigma Tau Delta
• The Mountain Laurel
• Writing Center