List of Bachelors in English Programs – Campus & Online

A bachelor’s degree in English is one of the most versatile majors available for students interested in developing written and oral communication skills. An English degree also serves as a good foundation for graduate study or law school. English majors often have the option to specialize in a number of areas, such as creative writing, comparative literature, cultural studies, rhetoric, and media writing.

Where Can I Earn My Bachelors in English Degree?

While you’re listening to the podcast, check out our list of schools with English programs in the US. For each school, we provide a few highlights, including program offerings, course breakdown, and accreditation.

Click on the links below to jump to a specific state’s programs. You can also skip ahead to our Quick Facts about a bachelor’s degree in English, or information about degree types and accreditation.

Online Sponsored Programs

Ashford University Accredited by WASC Click To Request Info »	Ashford University’s Bachelor of Arts in English is designed to provide students with a disciplined study of literature and a solid foundation of writing and critical thinking skills. Students in this program can take classes like International Voices, Creative Writing, and Literary Theory.
Grand Canyon University Accredited by HLC Click To Request Info »	The College of Humanities and Social Sciences has a Bachelor of Arts in English degree program that has an emphasis in professional writing, and is designed to give students a strong foundation in rhetoric, composition, professional writing, and literature and informational texts. Students in this program can take classes like Multicultural Literature, American Encounter Narratives, and Argumentation and Advocacy.
University of Massachusetts Accredited by NEASC Click To Request Info »	The online Bachelor of Arts in English degree program places an emphasis on clear writing and critical thinking, while providing students with the fundamentals of British and American literary traditions, contemporary critical methods, and research and writing. Students in this program can take classes like Mystery Writing, American Women Novelists, and The Horror Story.

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Alabama

Alabama State University Accredited by SACS	Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English from Alabama State University must complete a minor in a field other than English. This degree program requires that students complete a series of courses that emphasize both American and British literature.
University of Alabama Accredited by SACS	The Bachelor of Arts in English degree program at the University of Alabama is designed to help students develop critical thinking skills, and know how to identify original ideas and effectively convey them in writing. Students in this program can take classes like Shakespeare, Romantic Literature, Prose Tour, and World Literature.

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Alaska

University of Alaska Anchorage Accredited by NWCCU

The B.A. in English degree program at the University of Alaska Anchorage hopes to encourage lifelong learning, critical thinking, and effective writing. Students in this program will pick a concentration in Literature, Rhetoric and Language, or Secondary Education, and can expect to take core classes like History of Criticism, History of English Language, and Literacy Rhetoric, and Social Practice.

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Arizona

Arizona State University Accredited by HLC

ASU offers on-campus and online Bachelor of Arts in English degree programs that allows students to pick a concentration in Creative Writing, Linguistics, Literature, Secondary Education, and Writing, Rhetoric, and Literacies. Students in this program can take classes like Protest Literature, Indigenous Poetry, Short Story, and Science and Literature.

Grand Canyon University Accredited by HLC

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences has a Bachelor of Arts in English degree program that has an emphasis in professional writing, and is designed to give students a strong foundation in rhetoric, composition, professional writing, and literature and informational texts. Students in this program can take classes like Multicultural Literature, American Encounter Narratives, and Argumentation and Advocacy.

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Arkansas

University of Arkansas Accredited by HLC

UARK’s J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences offers a B.A. in English degree program that is designed to teach students how to write and communicate effectively and to solve problems creatively and from multiple angles. Students in this program can take classes like World Literature, Shakespeare, and Renaissance Literature and Culture.

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California

Ashford University Accredited by WASC

Ashford University’s Bachelor of Arts in English is designed to provide students with a disciplined study of literature and a solid foundation of writing and critical thinking skills. Students in this program can take classes like International Voices, Creative Writing, and Literary Theory.

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Colorado

University of Colorado Denver Accredited by HLC	Students in the Bachelor of Arts in English degree program at the University of Colorado Denver must pick a specialized track in Literature, Creative Writing, or Film Studies. In each of these programs, students must complete a minimum of 39 hours in English, and can take classes like Medieval Women, The American Novel, The Victorian Age, and Modern Drama.
University of Northern Colorado Accredited by HLC	UNC’s Bachelor of Arts in English degree program can prepare students for graduate school, or careers in teaching, writing, business, management, and media. Students in this program can take classes like Literary Theory, Screenwriting, Shakespeare, The Art of Persuasion, and Diaspora and Globalization in American Literature.

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Connecticut

Connecticut College Accredited by NEASC

Students in Connecticut College’s English department are given the opportunity to hone their creative and critical writing, thinking, and verbal communication skills. This major also gives students the chance to pursue a concentration in Creative Writing or Race and Ethnicity. Courses available in this major include Bob Dylan, Icelandic Sagas, Literature of Passing, and African Novels.

Yale University Accredited by NEASC

The undergraduate degree program in English at Yale is designed to provide students with fundamental research, writing, arguing, and analyzing skills. Students in this program have the opportunity to study Shakespeare’s plays, American slave narratives, modernist poetry, digital literature, and international contemporary Anglophone novels, and learn how to write fiction, poetry, play and film writing, nonfiction prose, journalism, and more.

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Delaware

University of Delaware Accredited by MSCHE

The baccalaureate English degree program at the University of Delaware gives students the option to design their own major, and how to create, analyze, contextualize, and explain a broad range of texts. Students in this program can take classes like Jewish Literature, English Linguistics, Women in Literature, Caribbean Literature, and Literature and Gender.

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Florida

Florida Atlantic University Accredited by SACS

The Bachelor of Arts in English degree program at FAU is designed to provide students with a broad background in literature, and to strengthen their writing and critical thinking skills. Students in the program can choose to pick a concentration for their major in American Literature, British Literature, World Literature, Literature and Gender Studies, or Writing and Rhetoric.

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Georgia

Georgia Gwinnett College Accredited by SACS	Georgia Gwinnett College offers a Bachelor of Arts in English degree program that is designed to teach students about a variety of literary works and improve their writing and professional communication skills. Students in this program can choose to pursue a concentration in English Language and Literature, English Writing and Rhetoric, Interdisciplinary Studies, or Teacher Certification.
Georgia State University Accredited by SACS	The Bachelor of Arts in English degree program at Georgia State University focuses on the study of language and literature, while honing the students’ writing skills. Students in this program must pick a concentration in Literature, Creative Writing, Pre-Education/Secondary English, or Advanced Composition and Rhetoric.

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Hawaii

University of Hawaii at Manoa Accredited by WASC

The B.A. in English degree program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is designed to prepare students for graduate studies and careers in areas like education, publishing, media, writing, public service, and information research. Students in this program can take classes like Autobiographical Writing, Professional Editing, Monsters in British Literature, and Form and Theory of Fiction.

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Idaho

University of Idaho Accredited by NWCCU

The B.A. in English degree program at the University of Idaho is designed to teach students how to examine literary genres, understand how English language and literature shape and reflect various cultures, and improve their writing skills. Students in this program also have the option to pursue a concentration in Professional Writing, Creative Writing, Linguistics and Literacy, Literature, or Teaching.

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Illinois

Northeastern Illinois University Accredited by HLC

NEIU has a Bachelor of Arts in English degree program that is designed to provide students with a foundation in critical and creative methods, and advanced study in literature, cultural studies and theories, creative writing, composition, and literary history and criticism. Students in this program can take classes like African American Literature, Contemporary Poetry, Screenwriting, and Argumentative Prose.

University of Illinois at Chicago Accredited by HLC

UIC’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts in English degree program that consists of a minimum of 120 total credit hours. Students in this program must choose one of the following concentrations: American Literature, Professional Writing, Creative Writing (Fiction, Poetry, or Nonfiction), British and Anglophone Literature, or Media, Rhetorical, and Cultural Studies.

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Indiana

Indiana University Southeast Accredited by HLC

The Bachelor of Arts in English degree program at Indiana University Southeast consists of a minimum of 120 credit hours, and students can have the opportunity to have their own work published. Students in this program can take classes like American Film Culture, Writing for the Web, Western World Masterpieces, and Medieval English Literature in Translation.

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Iowa

University of Iowa Accredited by HLC

The English major at the University of Iowa offers students the tools of close reading, formal analysis, literary history, critical theory, research strategies, and debate. Graduates learn to thoughtfully discuss and write critically about the ways literature and language have influenced lives and values over time. The program requires students to choose one of six areas as a concentration.

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Kansas

The University of Kansas Accredited by HLC

At the University of Kansas, students majoring in English learn how to read and interpret a broad range of texts, develop and sustain critical arguments, and to produce independent research. The majority of our undergraduate classes have 20-35 students, and in the last ten years, faculty members in the department of English have won ten Kemper Fellowships for Excellence in Teaching, two Chancellor’s Club Teaching Professorships, a Career Achievement Teaching Award, and a wide variety of other university-level teaching and advising awards.

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Kentucky

University of Kentucky Accredited by SACS

Students majoring in English at the University of Kentucky will have the ability to analyze, interpret, and understand the complex interrelationships between authors, texts, and specific social, political, and historical contexts. Students will also be critically think and discuss the ways in which various aspects of identity, subject positions, and affiliations inform the development of national, transnational, and international literary traditions.

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Massachusetts

University of Massachusetts Accredited by NEASC

The online Bachelor of Arts in English degree program places an emphasis on clear writing and critical thinking, while providing students with the fundamentals of British and American literary traditions, contemporary critical methods, and research and writing. Students in this program can take classes like Mystery Writing, American Women Novelists, and The Horror Story.

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Michigan

University of Michigan Accredited by HLC

At the University of Michigan, English Majors study works of literature, explore theories of language and literature, and develop the ability to mold and interpret language in speech and writing. Students also develop their ability to write about literature, as well as develop your skill as a writer in general.

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Minnesota

University of Minnesota Accredited by HLC

The Department of English at the University of Michigan offers a Bachelor of Arts in English with courses offered in poetry, drama, fiction, film, popular culture, and electronic media. English majors write extensively and learn to express themselves effectively, both orally and in writing. The Department of English also supports and teaches the critical skills of reading and writing in the context of community involvement and real public spheres by incorporating community and service-learning components into literature classes.

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Missouri

University of Missouri Accredited by HLC

At the University of Missouri, students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. The program requires the following types of courses: period studies and surveys, author studies, genre/thematic studies, and theory/method studies. Students must also take several courses in an area of specialization such as Medieval Literature, Renaissance/Early Modern Literature, 18th and 19th Century Literature, 20th and 21st Century Literature, African Diaspora Studies, and other applicable courses.

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New York

New York University Accredited by MSCHE

At NYU, the English department offers a full and varied curriculum in literary history, critical theory, dramatic literature, theater history, and literary culture. There’s also an English Honors Program that supports ambitious and talented majors in researching and writing a 40- to 60-page thesis during their senior year.

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North Carolina

University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Accredited by SACS

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers a Bachelor of Arts in English, a program that provides a comprehensive overview of the history of English-language literature and thought, from their beginnings in the Middle Ages to the contemporary rise of English as a global language. The department also offers a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Literature, which explores major works of literature, film, and theory from across the world, crossing disciplinary as well as national, cultural, and linguistic boundaries.

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Ohio

Ohio University Accredited by HLC

At Ohio University, the College of Arts and Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts in English with the option to specialize in four different areas: Creative Writing, Cultures, Rhetoric & Theory, Literature & Writing, and Pre-Law. Many courses enroll fewer than 35 students, and most faculty teach their courses using a combination of lecture and discussion format. For students interested in teaching English in secondary school, they can take a degree either in the College of Arts & Sciences or in the College of Education.

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Oregon

University of Oregon Accredited by NWCCU

Then Department of English at the University of Oregon offers a BA in English as well as a minor, both of which expose students to centuries of cultural experience and representation in poetry, prose, drama, film, TV, new media, and folk artifacts. English majors and minors receive extensive training in writing, speaking, and critical thinking skills. The department also offers an English Honors Program, which is designed for outstanding English majors interested in the intensive study of literature and culture.

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Pennsylvania

University of Pennsylvania Accredited by MSCHE

At Penn, students who choose to major in English study Literature and Culture across the full range of media, from books and manuscripts to film and digital media. The major is offered by Penn’s College of Arts and Sciences, a well-known college with 27 academic departments and a faculty of nearly 500 world-renowned scholars.

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South Carolina

University of South Carolina Accredited by SACS

The Department of English Language and Literature at the University of South Carolina offers a flexible undergraduate major where students can take courses in areas that interest them including literature, composition and rhetoric, creative writing and speech communication. Students also have the option to pursue the intensive major and writing concentration major but will be required to take additional courses.

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Texas

The University of Texas at Austin Accredited by SACS

The English major at the University of Texas at Austin provides graduates with a thorough grounding in British, American, and world literature written in English and its cultural and historical contexts. The program is also flexible enough to allow students to concentrate in other areas, such as creative writing or cultural studies.

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Utah

University of Utah Accredited by NWCCU

The College of Humanities at the University of Utah offers a Bachelor of Arts in English that requires students to a minimum of 18 credit hours at the 5000-level in English as well as a series of general education courses. The undergraduate program in the Department of English is frequently recognized as one of the strongest due to quality of faculty. Faculty members from the English department consistently win teaching awards.

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Vermont

University of Vermont Accredited by NEASC

One of the most popular majors at the University of Vermont is English. The College of Arts and Sciences and the University of Vermont offers students the option to major or minor in English, both of which provide small, discussion-based classes and provide opportunities to interact with visiting writers and scholars.

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Virginia

University of Virginia Accredited by SACS

At the University of Virginia, the English Department offers a bachelor’s degree in English that studies British, American, and global Anglophone literatures from the Anglo-Saxon era to the present day. English majors at the University of Virginia often typically prepared for a wide range of careers and professions. Many graduates often continue their studies and pursue a doctoral programs.

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Washington

Washington State University Accredited by NWCCU

The Department of English at the University of Washington offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. This program provides students the flexibility to focus on particular areas of interest, to pursue electives, minors, and second majors in other departments. The curriculum is designed for students who seek a broad education emphasizing language and literature.

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West Virginia

West Virginia University Accredited by HLC

The Department of English at West Virginia University, students can earn a bachelor of arts in literary and cultural studies, professional writing and editing, or creative writing. By earning a a BA in English from West Virginia University, students develop skills in communication, research, critical thinking, and focused creativity.

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Wisconsin

University of Wisconsin – Madison Accredited by HLC

Through the College of Letters and Sciences at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the English major is one of the largest, offering dozens of courses on literature, writing, linguistics, and much more. The departments offers students a wealth of services, including career and academic advising, internship assistance, and other career resources.

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Wyoming

University of Wyoming Accredited by HLC

At the University of Wyoming, degree programs in English include an undergraduate major, minors in Literary Studies and Professional Writing, and a Master of Arts in English. By earning a Bachelor of Arts in English, graduates are prepared to read, interpret, and write about a diverse range of texts in English as well as participate in the critical and cultural discourses of English.

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Bachelors in English Quick Facts

Here is a brief snapshot of what to expect and look forward to with a bachelor’s degree in English.

Quick Facts
Common Pre-Enrollment Requirements:	High School Diploma or GED (associate’s degree is optional)
Common Core Subjects Covered:	Multicultural Literature, Shakespeare, Literature and Gender
Non-Classwork Required:	None (internship is strongly recommended)
Expected Time to Complete Bachelor’s Degree:	4 years
Common Next Steps:	Entry-Level Position, Master’s Degree
Most Common Career Fields:	Writing, Editing, Publishing, Teaching, Public Relations, Advertising, Media

Exploring Degree Types and Accreditation

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) is the most common undergraduate degree in English. However, you might find that some colleges and universities other types of English degrees, similar to the ones listed below:

• Bachelor of Arts in English Studies – a program that focuses primarily on the language, literature and culture of English-speaking societies
• Bachelor of Arts in English Language – a program that emphasizes the study of literature, linguistics, education, and creative writing
• Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature – a program that develops aptitudes in literary theory, critical thinking, and writing

Accreditation is important for all degrees, ensuring you receive a qualified education. The accrediting bodies featured in our list are:

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