Bachelor of Arts in English

Major and Minor Opportunities

B.A. in English

UNO’s Bachelor of Arts in English degree is an intellectually challenging, academically flexible program that will help you achieve your goals of becoming a clear communicator, a critical thinker, and a culturally literate citizen. In addition to foundational courses introducing you to some of literature’s most central texts and modes of analysis, you’ll choose from a wide range of electives that allow you to chart your own academic course, exploring the texts and questions that align best with your interests. Courses in journalism, creative writing, professional writing, and literary studies are regularly offered as well, so you’ll have every opportunity to explore your specific passions.

The Bachelor of Arts in English is a 120-credit-hour program, including 39 general-education credits, 48 other required credits, and 33 English credits, 18 of which may be upper-level electives. To complete a concentration within the B.A. in English, students may earn 12 of the 18 elective credits in either journalism, professional writing, creative writing, or literary studies. More details about degree requirements can be found here.

Minor in English

Students can minor in English by completing 18 credit hours of English or journalism courses and earning a C or better in each. At least nine hours of coursework must be completed at UNO to qualify for the minor.  More details about degree requirements can be found here. 

If you have questions about majoring or minoring in English, contact ajspengl@uno.edu.

Honors in English

The Honors in English program is open to all qualified students at UNO: both majors and non-majors, and both those enrolled in University Honors and those not enrolled. To qualify for the honors program, you’ll need to maintain a minimum 3.5 GPA while completing a minimum of nine credit hours in honors courses. Non-majors must also complete a minimum of 12 semester hours in English courses approved by the department, at least six of which are numbered 3000 or above.

The capstone of the honors experience is the honors thesis, which can include three hours of previous coursework. Once you successfully complete and give an oral defense of your English honors thesis, you’ll be eligible to graduate with honors.

If you have questions about the Honors in English program, contact english@uno.edu.

Accelerated MA Program

Corporate and Non-Profit Communication Certificate

The Department of Language and Literature offers an Undergraduate Certificate in Corporate and Non-Profit Communication! Our certificate program guides students through the techniques of writing for corporate and nonprofit settings. Through a series of multidisciplinary writing courses, students strengthen the writing skills necessary for today’s workplace. 

Courses familiarize students with the basics of writing for digital media, document design, and editing.

Students also learn how to write various professional documents, including memos, proposals, reports, instructions, charts, tables, and figures. 

If you have questions about the Certificate, contact english@uno.edu.

B.A. in English: Concentrations

Students may choose to apply their electives to an optional concentration in one of the following subjects.

Creative Writing

One introductory workshop in a genre:

• ENGL 2154 Introduction to Creative Nonfiction Writing
• ENGL 2160 Introduction to Creative Writing
• ENGL 2161 Introduction to Fiction Writing
• ENGL 2163 Introduction to Poetry Writing

Two advanced workshops in the same or different genre as the introductory workshop:

• ENGL 4154 Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing (may be repeated once)
• ENGL 4161 Advanced Fiction Writing (may be repeated once)
• ENGL 4163 Advanced Poetry Writing (may be repeated once)
• ENGL 4200 Advanced Playwriting  (may be repeated once)

One of the following literature courses:

• For nonfiction: ENGL 4918, 4030, 4031, 4701, 4702, 4807, 4808. 
• For fiction: ENGL 4715, 4815, 4915, 4917, 4031, 4032, 4033, 4034, 4043, 4045. 
• For poetry: ENGL 4401, 4421, 4521, 4522, 4601, 4621, 4701, 4702, 4801, 4802, 4807, 4808, 4913, 4914.
• Approved special topics courses (4091, 4092, 4093, and 4391) may also fulfill this requirement.
   

Journalism and Professional Writing

• JOUR 2700: Introduction to Journalism
• Two 4000-level English writing or Journalism courses
• Three hour internship

Literary Studies

Choose one of the following that you did not take as a core requirement: 

• ENGL 2031 Survey of American Literature before the Civil War
• ENGL 2032 Survey of American Literature after the Civil War
• ENGL 2341 A Survey of British Literature from the Anglo-Saxon Period through the Later Eighteenth Century
• ENGL 2342 A Survey of British Literature from the Romantic Period to the Present

Take all of the following: 

• One 3000-4000-level American Literature 
• One 3000-4000-level pre-1660 British Literature Course
• One 3000-4000-level post-1660 British Literature Course

What You’ll Learn

A bachelor’s degree in English will teach you how to understand and appreciate the beauty of written text, but its utility goes beyond that. It’s the springboard that will elevate your skills in the humanities—exactly the kind of skills that today’s employers are looking for, and that will make you a more informed and thoughtful citizen of the world.

In UNO’s Bachelor of Arts in English program, you will:

• Develop a broad knowledge of British and American literary history.
• Understand the relations between texts and their literary trends and historical contexts.
• Learn how to find and integrate appropriate and credible sources into written assignments.
• Produce essays with a specific thesis based on analysis and research, effective use of support for the thesis, a clear plan of organization, and clear and correct writing.
• Analyze poetry, fiction, drama, and nonfiction with an understanding of the elements of each genre.

By the time you complete your B.A. in English, you’ll have developed the skills in close reading, critical thinking, and persuasive communication that will set you up for success no matter where your future takes you.

English Internships

You don’t need to wait until you finish your B.A. in English to start getting hands-on experience in your field. You can start right now, with a for-credit internship through the English department. Each English internship lasts the course of a semester and adds up to about eight hours of work per week. After completing your on-site work, you’ll be responsible for a final portfolio that includes a work log, a final report, and work samples.

Internships can take place in any field that’s relevant to your English major and career interests: writing for print or digital media, publishing, editing, marketing, radio and TV broadcasting, event planning, teaching, and others.

Past English majors have interned with organizations including:

Sample Courses

View Course Catalog 

Where Can You Work with a Bachelor of Arts in English?

Faculty Spotlight

Oluwaniyi Osundare, Ph.D.
Specialization: African and Caribbean Literature

· Poet, Dramatist, Essayist, and Critic

· Author, City Without People: The Katrina Poems

· Association of Nigerian Authors Poetry Prize

· Cadbury/ANA Poetry Prize

· Commonwealth Poetry Prize

· Noma Award

· Tchicaya U Tam’si Prize for African Poetry

· Fonlon-Nichols Award

· Nigerian National Order of Merit Award

Elizabeth Steeby, Ph.D.
Specialization: Twentieth-Century American Literatures

· In-Progress Project on Legacies of Plantation Slavery

· Research Interests: U.S. Southern Studies, Comparative Ethnic Studies, Critical Gender Studies, Queer Theory

· Courses Taught: New Orleans Literature, U.S. Prison Literature, American Modernism, Contemporary American Literature

Nancy Easterlin, Ph.D.
Specialization: Women’s and Gender Studies

· Author, A Biocultural Approach to Literary Theory and Interpretation

· Guggenheim Fellow

· Courses Taught: British Romanticism; The Contemporary Novel; Sex, Power, and the Short Story

Ways to Get Involved

Creative Writing Club
New in Fall 2023! Students interested in creative writing will meet several times throughout the semester to build community and engage in the craft of writing creatively.

Midday Musings Discussion Series
These talks, sponsored by the English Department, focus on a different topic of interest in the literary life three times each semester. Speakers have included faculty members, internship supervisors, alumni, local writers, and other members of the literary community of New Orleans.

Sigma Tau Delta
Currently on hiatus, this international honor society for English majors is open to those who are within the top 30 percent of their class and have maintained a 3.50 GPA or better. In addition to boosting your resume, being a member of Sigma Tau Delta also makes you eligible for a number of scholarships and internships, and it gives you the opportunity to present your research at the society’s international convention. The UNO chapter also participates in student leadership and community service projects throughout the year.