Program Overview

English

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

English

Major

English BA

Combined

• English BA/MA
• English BA/English Adolescence Education EdM
• English BA/Information and Library Science MS
• English BA/Law JD
• English BA/School Librarianship MS

Minors

• English Minor
• Global Film Studies Minor
• Digital Humanities Minor

Certificates

• Creative Writing Certificate
• Journalism Certificate

What will I learn?

As an English major, you'll typically take classes in criticism, theory and different types of fictional and non-fictional texts. You might read Chaucer in one class, write about modern film theory in another, and study African American literature in another, gaining insights from history, law and other fields along the way. Most of all, you’ll learn to produce compelling, persuasive, and sophisticated writing. And if you're interested in professional and technical writing, creative writing or journalism, check out our specific programs and classes in those fields.

What can I do outside of class?

• Readings and lectures. Meet famous authors, speakers, poets and filmmakers.
• Student groups and publications. Join the English club and participate in its annual conference. You can also gain publishing and editorial experience by helping to produce a literary magazine.
• Study abroad: Experience other cultures firsthand by traveling to nearly anywhere in the world, including where Shakespeare lived.
• Internships: UB students have interned at newspapers, national magazines and nonprofit organizations.
• Research. From analyzing Whitman’s works to studying Italian horror films, our students have worked on fascinating research projects.
• Explore Buffalo. Film seminars, poetry slams and other events let you meet readers and writers throughout the region.

What can I do with an English degree?

UB English grads have won Pulitzer Prizes, edited "National Geographic," written a "New York Times" bestseller and served as chief speechwriter for the governor of New York State. With an English degree, you can work in many different fields, including:

• Advertising
• Education
• Film
• Law
• Libraries
• Magazines
• Newspapers
• Public relations
• Publishing
• Radio
• Social media
• TV

If you want to be a writer or editor, English is the perfect major for you. But even if you're not sure about your next steps, an English degree will set you apart throughout your career. Why? Because it teaches you how to write persuasively and concisely, how to interpret and present information, and how to think critically about complex problems.

Who will I learn from?

Welcome to one of the top-ranked English departments in the U.S., thanks in large part to our exceptional faculty. Their teaching awards through the years would fill the page, so we’ll just name a few, including the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, and Meyerson Award for Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching and Mentoring Award.

When they're not in the classroom, our faculty members are leading the way as researchers and scholars, publishing their work on gender and sexuality studies, African American literature, mythology and countless other topics. English department faculty members have earned awards for their writing, including a "Best of the Best" book award and BBC Radio "Book of the Week," as well as prizes for non-fiction, theater biography, translation and composition theory. And they've been recognized for their scholarship, including fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, Guggenheim Fellowships and scores of other national and international honors.