Whether you’re pre-law, pre-med, looking to work in creative or tech industries, teach, or simply value the serious pleasure of reading, English is the major (or minor!) for you.
The English major offers a broad education in reading, writing, literature, and language. Our courses help students become writers, readers, thinkers, and communicators. It’s the perfect major to set you on the path to a great career or to grad school. (We also have an accelerated BA/MA program: get two degrees in just five years!) Enroll in classes on William Shakespeare and technical communication, Indigenous activism and graphic novels, poetry and short story writing, digital composing and rhetoric. Join the English major for a degree that will take you anywhere you want to go.
The English Major is a 36-credit hour program in the Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences. Students can choose a concentration in Writing or in Literary & Cultural Studies. Both concentrations include just four core courses: an introduction to literary and cultural analysis, two literature surveys, and a senior capstone. The rest of our courses are electives, so you can design the major that’s right for you.
The English major features two concentrations: Literary & Cultural Studies and Writing.
These tracks allow you to customize your degree and dig deeper into your interests. You can specialize without limiting the courses you take or the value of your degree.
OU offers a Teaching Education PLUS certificate in Language Arts that you can pursue alongside your English degree (including crucial internship experience). Get your BA in English and get certified for teaching.
Our minor programs require just 15 credit hours (five courses) in total, with at least 9 credit hours (three courses) taken at the upper-division level.
OU English offers an accelerated MA that you can earn alongside your BA. With just one extra year of coursework, you can leave OU with two degrees. If you have five years of guaranteed funding for tuition, or if you’re ahead on your credit hours, this a wonderful opportunity. Get a head start on your career with our accelerated MA!
Be sure to discuss this option with our English advisor, Kayla Ciardi, if you are interested.
For more information on other OU accelerated programs, check out the University bulletin.
English Academic Advisor
ciardi.k@ou.edu
Kayla Ciardi joined the department in 2021 after completing her MA in Modern and Contemporary Writing from the University of East Anglia in 2021. She completed her BA in English at OU. Kayla advises majors and minors in English, Editing/Publishing, as well as Film and Media Studies. In her role as an advisor, Kayla apprises students of their academic progress, ensuring they complete all necessary graduation requirements; she addresses individual student needs, connecting students with resources as needed. She also assists students in defining and realizing their post-graduation goals.
Academic advising is an interactive process in which the adviser helps the student set and achieve academic goals, acquire relevant information and services, and make responsible decisions consistent with interests, goals, abilities, and degree requirements. Advising appointments with a department academic advisor are mandatory for each semester prior to enrollment. Advising for upcoming course enrollment begins prior to each semester's enrollment, but students who have general questions about their program may email or make an appointment through iAdvise at any time.
In addition to formal academic advising, students may select from a wide variety of additional counseling and support services, including workshops and tutoring offered by the Learning Center and the Center for Student Life; individualized support through the Arts & Sciences Student Succes Center; individual career assistance by the Career Center; and academic writing assistance through the Writing Center. For more detailed information and resources, check out the page linked below:
