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English Literature Degree
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
Program type:
Major
Format:
On Campus
Est. time to complete:
4 years
Credit Hours:
120
Take your love of literature to the next level.
A Bachelor of Arts degree in English with a concentration in Literature prepares you
for jobs that require strong writing, communication and analytical thinking skills.
Our graduates choose careers in a variety of fields, including law, publishing, education,
advertising, journalism or public relations.
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Request More InfoWhy Earn an English Literature Degree?
The English major is one of the largest in UNT's College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. It is widely recognized as a foundational liberal arts degree, preparing you not only for graduate study in literature or creative writing but for a range of careers - including teaching, the law, publishing, and business - in which the skills of analytical thinking and effective communication are at a premium.
Literature majors focus on specific themes and literary eras throughout history. They look at different genres, such as historical fiction, magical realism, and memoir. Typical courses include creative writing, British literature, and South African literature. The curriculum can also delve into specific time periods, such as American writing in the 20th century.
Students who love narrative fiction and poetry may find a literature major rewarding. Literature allows students to flex their interpretation muscles and explore philosophical and moral questions. Students can expect to read a variety of texts, research how a text relates to a specific time and place in culture, write analytical essays, and participate in discussions.
Marketable Skills
- Write clearly, concisely and compellingly
- Communicate meaningfully to diverse audiences
- Develop solutions to complex problems
- Think critically, creatively and independently
- Identify and evaluate credible sources
English Literature Degree Highlights
Our faculty hail from the top graduate programs in the country, are active scholars
and researchers and are consistently recognized as some of the best teachers at UNT.
Some of our faculty honors include the BBC International Short Story Award, a $1 million
U.S. State Department grant and the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry.
As an English major, you can participate in a number of student organizations, including
the Sigma Tau Delta international English honor society.
You may also help faculty members with research projects or with one of the department
journals—the American Literary Review, Studies in the Novel, or Conradiana.
Faculty research and creative writing projects have been funded by the National Endowment
for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
At all levels, our class sizes are restricted in order to provide opportunities for
collaboration with other students and close interaction with professors.
What Can You Do With an English Literature Degree?
A Bachelor of Arts degree in English prepares you for jobs that require strong writing, communication and analytical thinking skills. Our graduates choose careers in a variety of fields, including law, publishing, education, advertising, journalism or public relations.
Many alumni teach English composition, British or American literature, or English as a Second Language in public and private schools. Some pursue master's and doctoral degrees in a variety of fields in competitive graduate programs nationwide.
Other alumni include:
- An editor with Rolling Stone magazine
- A curator in the Rare Book Division of the New York Public Library
- A member of the public relations staff at PricewaterhouseCoopers accounting firm
- Novelists Karleen Koen, David Lindsey and Larry McMurtry
- Poets Chad Davidson and John Poch
- Screenplay writer and director Ken Harrison
- Various employees of government agencies, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Government Printing Office
English Literature Degree Courses You Could Take
British Anglophone Literature 1780 to the Present (3 hrs)
A broad survey of British and Anglophone literature from the Romantic period to the
present; includes the study of a variety of literary genres, movements and traditions.
Shakespeare (3 hrs)
Representative comedies, histories and tragedies; survey of Shakespeare’s life; his
relation to his predecessors and contemporaries.
Literary Criticism (3 hrs)
Principles based on representative readings from major critics; essays and class exercises
in forming independent critical judgment.
Chaucer (3 hrs)
The Canterbury Tales and other works as a picture of medieval life and illustration
of various literary types; the language of Chaucer and its development into modern
English.
Studies in Contemporary American Literature (3 hrs)
In-depth study of contemporary American Literature (1945–Present), including fiction,
poetry, and drama, from a particular critical, cultural, historical or philosophical
perspective.
American Literature to 1870 (3 hrs)
A broad survey of early American literature from the colonial period through the Civil
War; includes the study of a variety of literary genres, movements and traditions.
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