Concentrations can drastically change the outcome of your English degree and what skills you learn. Some English major concentrations will prepare you for the field of teaching or becoming a published writer. Others will prepare you for technical writing and different types of business and professional writing.
Before you apply to a university, make sure you explore the different concentrations your school offers.
Finding the Right Concentration
The most common concentration for English majors is literature. If a university doesn’t offer different concentrations, most likely the major will be designed around literature classes spanning from British and American literature to World lit. Depending on how many literature classes are offered, the classes can be very specific and focus on a single author or time period.
Creative writing is another common concentration where the classes you’ll take will focus on creating poetry, fiction, and non-fiction and analyzing creative works. You’ll be prepared to enter the publishing sphere through literary magazines, self-publishing, and breaking into traditional publishing.
Another very common concentration that overlaps with the literature concentration is English secondary education. This concentration prepares students to become middle and high school teachers. Although you can earn your teaching license during your Masters's degree, having a head start during your undergrad years is a great way to explore teaching. The program is typically heavy in literature and education classes, although some writing-related electives may be part of your degree.
Professional writing and language composition are two common names for a less common concentration. This concentration prepares grads for business and professional writing careers like copy writing, grant writing, technical writing, content writing, and so on. It hones persuasive writing skills and teaches students how to address certain audience types.
The English major can overlap with other fields such as Film Studies, Medieval Studies, Ethnical Studies, and Cultural Studies are just a few others. Some universities will offer them as concentrations or minors or allow you to easily allow you to double major.
Get Involved in Clubs, Events, and Campus Organizations
Having an English club is given at a university. They might even have a student-run literary magazine or a poetry club. Being involved in clubs doesn’t have to be a big commitment.
If your university doesn’t offer an English-related club, consider starting one! Book clubs are another common option that allows students to discuss their favorite books with each other. No matter the club, there are various clubs ideas available online to give you ideas.
Writing events are another activity commonly offered at college campuses. They might be affiliated with a club, or sponsored by the department. Writing contests are both a fun way to get writing creatively and also give you an opportunity to be published.
Honors societies like Sigma Tau Delta provide a lot of ideas for English-related events and fundraising ideas for their yearly conventions. English education majors usually have the opportunity to join a campus or nationwide organization.
Consider Getting A Minor or Two
Humanities are great majors to have a minor in as they’re interdisciplinary. English easily ties in with Communications as the minor preps students for journalism and professional communication. Public relations minors do something similar: career preparation. History classes delve deep into English studies, providing a background that enhances the readings done in literature classes.
Learning a second language is another common minor for English students. Being bilingual is not only a great resume line but adds a perspective of what learning English would be like for new speakers. It improves the speaking and writing skills in both languages.
Psychology and sociology are great for both creative writers and future teachers. Knowing how people’s consciousness works is a great way for writers to create amazing and realistic characters. In a lot of education programs, taking a few psychology classes is required.
English is a flexible major, so no matter what minor or double concentration you take on, it’ll reflect and expand on your major.
Get Real-World Experience Through Internships
Unless you're an secondary education concentration, internships might be optional at your university. You’ve likely heard it before, but it’s true: internships are amazing opportunities to gain experience.
Especially for English majors who have so many options and career choices to choose from, getting involved in internships helps students get acquaintance with many career options.
Internships, like career paths, vary from journalism, teaching, technical writing, marketing, event planning and grant writing just to name a few.
