Why Major in English at PBA?
Nurture your love of words in an environment that prizes experiential discovery. In collaboration with your peers and supportive professors, you’ll investigate how great literary works have been created, including cultural contexts, and by examining authors who were willing to take risks. Informed by literary tradition and analysis, you’ll generate your own ideas in a diverse community that guides and celebrates your voice. The Bachelor’s in English program at PBA pushes your creativity beyond its natural bounds with opportunities to critique, publish, and experiment with your work in local and global contexts.
The concentration provides academic training and internship opportunities that prepare students for entry-level positions in the publishing industry or in any business or organization where writers and editors are needed.
- Discerning in Christ: Unearth meaning through the lens of Scriptural truth and the traditions of Christian faith.
- Publish Your Work: Earn competitive acclaim with a writing credit in the Living Waters Review literary journal.
- Student Clubs: Share your curiosity in the Sigma Tau Delta Honors Society or the Jane Austen Society of North America. Explore clubs and organizations for English majors.
- Study Abroad: Walk the stages of London’s renowned theaters, step into the Renaissance in Florence, or study in the libraries of literary greats in Edinburgh. Learn more about PBA’s study abroad opportunities.
What You’ll Learn
The B.A. in English with a concentration in Professional Writing and Editing nurtures your deep understanding to:
- Identify major historical periods, key movements, and significant authors and techniques in American and British literature
- Appreciate and employ the structures, nuances, and rhetorical effects of standard written English
- Apply key literary terms, interpretive strategies, and major literary theories
- Write mature, substantive analyses of literary texts
- Employ critical, creative, and Christ-centered thinking in reading and interpretive contexts
Program Learning Outcomes
1. Students will identify the major historical periods and key movements in American and British literature, demonstrating an understanding of the major authors, ideas, and literary techniques (including genres and subgenres) of those respective periods and movements.
2. Students will display a command of standard written English and an appreciation for its structures, nuances, and rhetorical effects.
3. Students will know and apply key literary terms and interpretive strategies, demonstrating a basic familiarity with major literary theories.
4. Students will write mature, substantive analyses of literary texts, informed by the appropriate tools of the profession.
5. Students will employ critical and creative thinking in various reading and interpretive processes.
6. Students will demonstrate the ability to read and interpret literary texts with reference to a Christian perspective
Get Published
Exhibit your imagination in Living Waters Review, PBA’s literary journal for writing and artwork by students and alumni. Works selected for Living Waters Review are notable, and the competitive submission process mirrors that of other high-quality lit mags. As an English major, you’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to the journal as an editor.
Careers
Convey dynamic expressions of Christ in roles that foster innovative thinking and bold engagement with language, literature, and broad aspects of communication. The Bachelor’s degree in English with a concentration in Professional Writinf and Editing equips you for media, teaching, and creative positions with meaningful impacts in communities and society at large. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for careers in media and communication is $62,340. Share your innate gifts and practiced talents in roles like:
- Digital copywriter
- Editorial assistant
- English as a foreign language teacher
- Technical writer
- Journalist
Program Courses
Part of PBA’s commitment as a nurturing and guiding community is our investment in your future through scholarships and financial aid. Each year, 97% of undergraduates receive some form of aid, and as an incoming English major, you may be eligible for the renewable Barbara Ferrin Scholarship.
Engage boldly with fellow creatives in Sigma Tau Delta, the international English Honor Society, where you’ll collaborate on community service projects, present papers at an annual conference, and submit creative and critical works to a national journal. You can also stir your inquisitive nature in the Jane Austen Society of North America, which involves a monthly meeting (over tea!) and an annual essay contest.
PBA awards over three million dollars in scholarships every year and 97% of PBA undergraduate students receive financial aid.
