The English major offers undergraduate students the chance to develop writing and reading skills while studying an eclectic range of texts from the British, American and world traditions.
You work closely with faculty in small classes, reading and engaging in thought-provoking discussions about all aspects of literature. The curriculum of the English major not only teaches you about literature, it also focuses on the skills that students learn from the study of literature – skills like critical thinking, research, collaborative work and editing.
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Take the next step toward completing your Bachelor of Arts in English degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Take the next step toward completing your Bachelor of Arts in English degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
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Learning Outside the Classroom
Educational opportunities provided through the English major extend beyond the classroom. Each spring, you have the opportunity to study with the Visiting Writer in Residence, a professional author who teaches a creative writing class at LR.
You can also participate in the Lenoir-Rhyne Visiting Writers Series, which brings internationally recognized novelists, poets and dramatists to the campus each year. There are also opportunities for you to submit your creative work for publication in the campus literary magazine, Cantos, or to be involved in the editorial board.
Internships on campus or in the community give you the chance to put your skills into action.
The really big difference for me between LR and other schools is the atmosphere. From the first moment I stepped on LR's campus, it was completely different and welcoming.
Cortney Hildebran Cooke '20, MBA 2021
Career Opportunities & Post-Graduate Education
Through the English major, you learn the critical and analytical skills that will help prepare you for a range of graduate programs and rewarding career choices. Professional fields that rely on communication and writing are especially good opportunities: journalism and public relations, business and marketing, the fine arts and education/teaching.
The Lenoir-Rhyne Alumni Advantage program allows you to complete your graduate degree at a discount cost.
Major Requirements
The courses offered in the English curriculum are designed to develop students' abilities to express their thoughts clearly, coherently, and effectively in oral and written form; to familiarize them with English, American, and World literature; to develop their analytical skills, critical judgment, and aesthetic appreciation of quality literature; and to help them achieve deeper personal insight and self-awareness. The English major earns a B.A. degree.
Honors
Students majoring in English who are judged qualified by the faculty may, upon invitation, elect to pursue honors work in English. To graduate ''With Honors in English,'' students must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0, a minimum major GPA of 3.25, and complete, with a minimum grade of ''B,'' ENG 498 and ENG 499. In addition, they must pass an oral defense of the thesis. ENG 498, with approval, may count as three elective credits towards the English degree; ENG 499 counts as three credits of electives beyond the major.
On occasion, technical and/or program requirements may also meet specific core curriculum requirements. Please confer with your program advisor to determine which courses, if any, may be counted accordingly.
All Bachelors programs at Lenoir-Rhyne require at least 128 credit hours. If, in combination, core, technical, and program requirements do not generate at least 128 hours, additional credits must be completed to achieve 128 hours. These classes may be general electives, or a student may complete a minor or additional major.
Giving a reading for the Visiting Writers Series, former poet laureate Tracy K. Smith provided a demonstration of the power of poetry to process the human condition in the past and present.
Biology professor Carly York, Ph.D., investigates the value of curiosity-based science and its role in building better relationships between scientists and the general public.