Language is powerful. Stories have started and ended wars. Speeches have controlled and liberated populations. A well-wrought phrase can be the start of a romantic relationship, and a mindless comment can be the end of one. Concordia’s Bachelor of Arts in English degree program helps you recognize and wield the power of language.

Concordia’s English degree program allows you to choose from two concentrations: a focus on literary analysis and a focus on writing in multiple contexts for multiple purposes. Both concentrations synthesize the value of a liberal arts education with practical skills training.

The literature concentration emphasizes skills in interpretation, analysis, and critical thinking. It is best suited for students who love reading and are interested in exploring the deepest questions for humanity. It serves as a pathway to careers in higher education, arts and entertainment industries, publishing, library science, law, politics, or mental health services.

The writing concentration emphasizes skills in writing, rhetorical awareness, and communication. It is best suited for students who love writing and want to express themselves and their ideas to the world. It serves as a pathway to careers in authorship, arts and entertainment industries, politics, corporate and non-profit management, content writing, technical writing, and grant writing.

Regardless of your concentration, the English department at Concordia is a supportive community of invested readers and writers. You will encounter texts that open the world to you and reveal the heights and depths of human potential. You will become more confident in the value and power of your own ideas, more creative and flexible in solving problems, and more resilient to the challenges life might throw at you in the future. Majoring in English opens doors and prepares you for employment, but it also empowers you to live life better. Why just survive, when you can thrive?

Program Learning Outcomes

• Our students are intellectually courageous: confident and secure in Christian faith, they rigorously analyze diverse points of view in order to better understand the human condition.
• Our students are well read: they can argue for the value of texts across a range of cultures, time periods, locations, genres, and media. 
• Our students read well: driven by intellectual curiosity, they effectively interpret and analyze texts using discipline-specific content knowledge, methods, and theories.
• Our students are creative: by engaging in divergent thinking, they propose unique solutions to problems and develop original writing and analyses. 
• Our students are rhetorically savvy: well-versed in the methods of argument and persuasion, they communicate effectively using a wide range of techniques for varied situations and audiences. 
• Our students are vocational: they leverage the power of texts and narratives to profoundly change the world, contributing to human flourishing on a range from personal to global levels. 

Curriculum

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For transfer students, please see the Advanced Transfer Core.

Major Requirements 

Select from the following concentrations:

Plan

Course options and schedule are subject to change.