English BA

Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Minimum Required Credits: 120.0                           
Co-op Option(s): Three Co-op, Two Co-op, One Co-op, No Co-op                                                       
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 23.0101
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 25-1123, 25-2031, 43-9081

About the Program

The BA in English encompasses the human art of language, blending ideas and creativity through the study of literary works, creative writing, and rhetorical skills. Students experience:

• A rich Academic Core grounded in disciplinary expertise that promotes literary exploration, sophisticated textual literacy, excellent writing, and other transferable skills;
• Applied Learning opportunities emphasizing research, interpretation, analysis, and writing to solve real-world problems;
• Opportunities for Civic Engagement, connecting with community partners to promote social justice and the common good.

Students hone their skills in critical thinking, reading, communication, and creativity through coursework, internships, coops, study abroad, guided research, and other experiential learning opportunities.

We engage issues critical to success in tomorrow’s ever-changing world: the connection between oral, written, and digital modes of expression; analytical, ethical, and critical thinking; the relevance and relation of the past to the present; the relations between and among cultures; the role of literary and philosophical texts in our attempts to explain human motives and behavior; issues of personal and communal identity; and the connection of the literary arts to social change.

Our location offers an intellectually stimulating learning experience as we embrace opportunities in Philadelphia, in our region, and across the world. Our dedicated and award-winning faculty foster creativity and rigor within a supportive environment.

Students in the English BA program move between literature, creative writing and practical publication as they prepare to master the literary and creative world of the future. Our flexible curriculum offers three concentrations:

1. 1. Literary Studies, spanning genres, geographies, cultures, and historical periods.
2. 2. Creative Writing, deepening mastery of the literary craft of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
3. 3. Writing and Rhetoric, building skills in composition, argument, and analysis in personal, professional, and public contexts.

A BA in English prepares graduates for meaningful careers in the humanities, law, education, management, professional writing, communications, content creation, the arts, and a range of professional and creative fields.

Additional Information

For more information about this program, please contact the College of Arts and Sciences.

Admission Requirements

Same as Drexel admissions requirements.

Degree Requirements

¹

A complete list of eligible Introductory Core Competency courses can be found here.

²

This course may count EITHER for the Digital Cultures and Rhetorics requirement of the English BA Core, OR toward the Writing and Rhetoric Concentration, but not both.

³

May substitute another experiential learning course, including Study Abroad, Community-Based Learning, Drexel Writing Center Tutoring, or other option by advisement.

Literary Studies Concentration

Creative Writing Concentration

Writing and Rhetoric Concentration

¹

This course may count EITHER toward the Writing and Rhetoric Concentration, OR toward the Digital Cultures and Rhetorics requirement of the English BA Core, but not both.

²

This course may count EITHER toward the Writing and Rhetoric Foundations requirement, OR toward the Writing's Impacts and Situations requirement, but not both.

³

This course may count EITHER toward the Writing's Impacts and Situations requirement, OR toward the Digital Cultures and Rhetorics requirement of the English BA Core, but not both.

Program Learning Outcomes