WHY ENGLISH?

THE ADVENTURE OF READING                                           Back to English Home Page

The English Department invites you on an exciting journey into the realm of the imagination where you will meet Anglo-Saxon warriors,  Greek gods and heroes, medieval knights and wizards, romantic wanderers, strong women and angst ridden men, scoundrels and scallywags  -- a gallery of intriguing characters created by the world's finest playwrights, novelists, and poets. Each has a story to tell that brings us closer to understanding ourselves and our common humanity.  Each work of literature we read, each person we meet in them,  extends our circle of acquaintances and we are always the richer for it. 

CAREER PREPARATION

Study of literature and writing will prepare you for graduate school in English and Creative Writing, for professional schools in law and teaching, and for a variety of careers and professions. Students majoring in English find their training applicable to book publication and editing, newspaper and television journalism, and copywriting for publishers and advertising agencies. When combined with study in communications, you can find a career in  public relations and personnel work. Career opportunities also exist in films, theater and many phases of creative writing. 

READY FOR ANYTHING

As the world becomes increasingly complex it is now more  important than ever that you remain flexible and adaptable in your career preparation.  Narrow training in specific job skills is a thing of the past.  These technical and "job-related" skills will radically change within just a few years of your having mastered them.  The best preparation, you will discover, is not to be trained but to be educated, to be ready to learn new skills, to be able to change with the times. You will probably have three or four jobs early in your post graduate life before you settle on THE job that is your life career.  To move from one opportunity to the next, to take advantage of situations when they are offered to you, you must be agile, adaptable, and "ready for anything."  Future employers don't want employees trained in outmoded skills; they want people they can train -- well-rounded, intelligent, and above all, imaginative people.  People who are educated and know how to learn.

PREPARE FOR YOUR FUTURE

This is why a major like English will prepare you well for what you will face in the future.  Far from being an "impractical" discipline that can only lead to high school teaching, English actually prepares you to do anything and do it well, because the English major provides you with the fundamental abilities that are transferable to any situation you might encounter.  With an English major, you learn how to read with understanding, how to analyze events and people's motives, how to imagine scenarios and "what if's," how to solve problems, and how to express yourself with clarity and conviction.  Of particular importance in the future will be your ability to imagine new worlds and new possibilities for whatever career you are in.  Success in the future, whether you are working for someone else or have your own enterprise, will depend on your creativity, your leadership and ability to work with others, and your self-confidence, that is, your ability to understand the people and events around you and express your convictions with confidence.

A major in English can prepare you for a successful future.  And, as an added bonus, it's fun!

        Read what recent Queens graduates are doing with their English majors.

Students interested in drama and theater may wish to consider the program outlined in the section on dramatic art.
   
Students majoring in English may earn licensure to teach English on the secondary level (grades 9-12) by pursuing a Concentration in "Secondary Teaching."

If you are really interested in Creative Writing, you may wish to consider the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing at Queens.