A female English student takes notes on literature.

As an English major at CSU, you will become part of a dynamic community known for its devotion to teaching, interdisciplinary offerings, and excellence in both research and the creative arts.

Here, you will tap into curiosity and creativity, learn how to write purposely for a variety of audiences, and develop cultural understanding by exploring literature from a wide range of global perspectives and historical contexts. English majors can choose from five concentrations, allowing you to focus and specialize according to your interests and future goals: Creative Writing, English Education, Linguistics, Literature, and Writing, Rhetoric and Literacy.

No matter which direction you choose, you’ll have the support and mentoring of faculty and staff committed to your success. Additionally, our small class sizes will help you foster meaningful relationships and make unexpected connections across the field of English Studies.

Learning Objectives

Student who successfully complete a major in English will be able to:  

  1. Analyze texts across a broad range of literary genres, styles, and historical and contemporary contexts with an eye practiced in close reading. 
  2. Write with clarity, effectiveness, and originality for a variety of rhetorical purposes and audiences.  
  3. Describe the ways we use language and literacy and understand how concepts are related to identities, cultures, and notions of power. 
  4. Identify and interpret how rhetorical theories and writing practices connect to larger socio-cultural contexts. 
  5. Approach topics through an interdisciplinary lens and evaluate the possibilities and benefits associated with fostering collaboration in thought, scholarship, and being.

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A group of English department graduates pose wearing their graduation caps and gowns.

Career Paths & Possibilities

A degree in English prepares you for incredible career flexibility. Within our coursework and the department's experiential learning opportunities, students develop key liberal arts skills that translate to a variety of industries, including jobs in healthcare, education, publishing, media, law, marketing and PR, policy, environmental justice, hospitality, and more.

Skills like critical thinking and problem-solving, verbal and written communication, digital proficiency and literacy, inclusive teamwork, and personal accountability are imparted across our classrooms and concentrations.

By building upon these skills, our students become engaging communicators, convincing writers, empathetic collaborators, ethical decision-makers, and compassionate global citizens—all traits top employers continue to prioritize. Additionally, the department encourages experiential education by offering a host of internship opportunities in writing, research, teaching, community engagement, social media, and publishing to make meaningful connections with mentors and gain professional experience.

Upon graduation, students have chosen to pursue fulfilling careers as: 

  • Agency/Arts Administrator
  • Book Publicist
  • Copy Editor/Copywriter
  • ​English Teacher/Teacher of English as a Second Language
  • Grant Writer/Technical Writer
  • Human Resources Manager
  • Communications/Events Coordinator
  • ​Digital Marketing/Social Media Manager
  • Publicity/Promotion Specialist
  • Magazine, Newspaper, Television, Education, or Government Writer
  • Writer of Prose, Fiction, Nonfiction, or Poetry
  • Attorney/Paralegal
  • ​Medical Professional
  • Web Content Designer
  • Curriculum Developer
  • Literary Agent 

Discover how a degree in English has helped advance the professional lives of recent alumni.

Concentrations

Change of Major

To change your major to English, you can either call the College of Liberal Arts Academic Advising Center at 970-491-3117 or send an email to cla_advising@colostate.edu. More information is available on https://advising.libarts.colostate.edu.