2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog
English
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 Return to: College of Arts and Sciences
The English Department offers the Bachelor of Arts degree in English, and students in this major can choose from two distinct concentrations in Literature or Writing.
English majors receive the Bachelor of Arts degree and choose from two distinct concentrations in Literature or Writing. Students may earn provisional teaching licenses under the Literature/Secondary Education concentration. Non‑majors also may include in their programs one or more of the department’s three minors: English, Writing, and Film. Department courses afford opportunities for developing the crucial skills of analysis, synthesis, comprehensive and critical reading, extended and incisive writing, and clear thinking. In addition, English study provides, through rigorous analysis of major literary works, a unique experience in recognizing, evaluating, and articulating human values, motives, and qualities. Offerings in Writing encourage students to develop their talents in creative writing, professional writing, rhetoric, and journalism.
Westfield State University offers students access to the campus television and radio station, a weekly college newspaper, the latest computer equipment, and a literary magazine publishing outstanding student writing and artwork. A popular and successful feature in the department is its internship program whereby students gain valuable on‑the‑job experience with television and radio stations, news media, business organizations, and social services agencies.
Recent graduates majoring in English have accepted positions as teachers, reporters and editors, television staff members, and corporate public relations officers. Some graduates have entered management training programs; others have gone on to graduate or professional schools.
Internship
Writing Concentration students are required to complete at least one 3-credit internship in English, ENGL 0380 , during the Junior or Senior year, which provides supervised work experience in a non-classroom context and setting. Students apply skills learned in the program in occupational settings with real-world consequences. Through the Internship, students may elect to complete up to 12 credits for on or off-campus work experience. Work experience gained through the Internship typically culminates in a more competitive post-graduate job placement or graduate school acceptance rate. For Writing Concentrations majors it is a critical part of their preparation for entering the workforce, and interns often parlay their experience directly into paid employment as an extension of their professional relationship with their respective organizations when their internships are completed. Other English majors also find it valuable to complete an internship.
ProgramsMajorMinorCoursesEnglish Composition, Writing, and Literature
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