Skip to main content
Home
  • Request Info
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Give

English

Some people wonder, "what can you do with an English degree?" We wonder, “what can’t you do?” At ONU, we turn your affinity for the English language into a fulfilling career in a field of your choosing – whether it’s writing, editing, marketing, advertising, law, government, library science or business.

descriptive alt text should go here

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Programs of Study
  3. English
Type of Offering
Major Minor
College
Arts & Sciences School of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Unleash your literary potential

Programs like English and Creative Writing open up a whole new world for students. Tap through this carousel and click on the captions to explore the real-world impact our students, faculty, and alumni are making every day.

Beyond Writing

Bryan Lutz posing next to his books

Banned books course scrutinizing literary censorship and civic engagement

students posing with banned books

Mallory Orick - World Explorer

Mallory posing with a koala bear

Chrysania Goldy - Inauguration Poet

Chrysania Goldy presenting poem at inauguration

Senior Capstones Rediscovered

alum posing with his rediscovered project

Professor Jen Pullen advances magic fantasy fiction

Jen Pullen posing with her book

Here, you’ll join a close-knit family of literature lovers. From the time you arrive on campus until you graduate, you’ll be guided by the same faculty advisor. You’ll enjoy small class sizes and amazing friendships with your fellow English majors. Our dedicated professors will get to know you. They will support you in your coursework, creative endeavors, internships, and post-graduate or career preparations. They will become personally invested in your success and will open doors for you. 

As an English major degree student, you’ll combine liberal arts coursework with real-world learning. You’ll study the masters – such as Chaucer and Shakespeare – and span American, British, and world literatures. You’ll gain the textual and cultural literacy, the attention to detail, and the writing ability so sought after by both nonprofit and for–profit employers. You’ll also get the chance to write and edit for University publications such as Polaris, the ONU journal of literature and the arts, Aurora, ONU's undergraduate research journal,  and The Northern Review, ONU’s digital newspaper. 

Our small setting equals big opportunity. From attending a professional conference to taking a master class with a professional writer or editor, from our study abroad and internship experiences to career-exploration courses like Words at Work and Writing for Publication, you’ll discover countless opportunities to expand your horizons and build your résumé. 

Upon graduation, you’ll have everything you need for success. You’ll be able to think and write critically, and you’ll have unique insights into the human experience. Your knowledge and skills will be in demand wherever your career takes you!

English Courses, Curriculum & Program Resources

Discover engaging and interesting literature and writing courses. Take classes like: Literature and the Environment, Creative Writing Workshop, The Hero's Journey, Young Adult (YA) Literature, Screenwriting, Shakespeare and Film, and Rhetorical Theory.

  • Four-Year Curriculum
  • Talent Awards
  • Learning Outcomes
  • Faculty
Polar Bears Badge

Solid Outcomes

Gain knowledge and a skill set that is valuable in every industry.

  • 100% placement rate in graduate school/law school within 6 months of graduation
  • 88% placement rate in full-time employment within 6 months of graduation
  • Top 200 program for creative students according to Creative Colleges: A Guide for Students, Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers
  • 11:1 ONU student-faculty ratio

Careers in English

- Writer
- Editor
- Copywriter
- Reporter
- Public relations or marketing professional
- Technical writer
- Lawyer
- Government professional
- Librarian
- Business or nonprofit manager
- Creative arts administrator

Students reading books

Ignite your Passion

We built internships into our curriculum to give you the opportunity to forge professional connections and enhance your resume. As an English major, you will gain experience at an internship, on a campus publication, in the classroom, or through a study abroad. Not only will you earn college credit, you will gain knowledge that will set you apart from the rest.

Pella Corporation
Marathon Oil
Cuyahoga Juvenile Court
ArtSpace/Lima
Findlay Courier
Bluffton Icon
The Roger’s Company
Whirlpool Corporation

Interact with published writers

Personally meet and converse with renowned and up-and-coming writers by the time you graduate! Since 2012, our Reading Series has brought several professional authors to campus every year. These writers represent a wide variety of styles and genres, including poetry, fiction, science fiction, screenwriting and memoir. Our small size means you get face-to-face time with these writers. They will give you advice on how to improve your writing and tell you what it takes to succeed in the real world. Other schools don't offer this opportunity at the undergraduate level.

Tobias Buckell "The Tangled Lands" Accolades: World Fantasy Award 2019, NYTimes bestselling writer

The Tangled Lands by Tobias Bucknell book cover

Sue Burke "Semiosis" Accolades: SFFWorld: Best of the Decade list 2011-2020, Arthur C. Clarke Award 2018 shortlist, John W. Campbell Memorial Award finalist, Forbes Best Science Fiction Books of 2018, Vulture – 10 Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books of 2018

Semiosis by Sue Burke

Leyna Krow Im Fine But You Appear to Be Sinking Leyna's short story "Sinkhole" has been purchased by Jordan Peele to be made into a film

literature I’m Fine But You Appear to Be Sinking Cover

Madeline ffitch "Stay and Fight" Accolades include: Finalist, Pen/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel, Finalist: LA Times Book Prize for Fiction, Finalist: Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction, Finalist Washington State Book Awards

Stay and Fight by Madeline ffitch book cover

Mindy McGinnis “Heroine”

literature Heroine Cover

Rebecca Morgan Frank “Sometimes We’re All Living in a Foreign Country”

literature Sometimes We’re All Living in a Foreign Country

Elissa Washuta “My Body is a Book of Rules”

Elissa My Body is a Book of Rules

Virginia Konchan “The End of the Spectacle”

literature the end of the spectacle cover

Ghassan Zeineddine "Dearborn"

Dearborn Book Cover
language arts education Polaris magazine class

Experience the world of publishing

Polaris Literary Magazine is a professional literary journal with a national and international reach. You could help produce Polaris working in a paid staff position.

Polaris has repeatedly received Best in Show at the National College Media Convention, outperforming similar magazines at Texas A&M, the University of Hawaii, and the University of North Carolina. Approaching its 70th anniversary, Polaris is one of the oldest student-managed literary magazines in the United States. And unlike many other literary magazines, Polaris offers paid editorial positions exclusively for students.
Learn More

Collaborate with professors

A family atmosphere and professors who care: that’s what you’ll find in the halls of Dukes Memorial. Professors will collaborate with you on ambitious and creative projects.

literature dukes class
literature class outside
literature poet
Students listen to a reading at Ohio northern university
literature professor with student
literature dukes memorial
Students listen to a reading at Ohio northern university

English students learning the process of papermaking

English students learning papermaking
  • Immerse yourself in a different culture; it will make you a better writer. Our Study Abroad program has affiliations with several universities in foreign countries. Our students have studied abroad in Europe, Asia, Africa and South America in recent years.

  • Sharpen your writing and editing skills by working for an ONU print or online publications such as Northern Review (ONU’s digital newspaper) or Polaris (ONU’s undergraduate creative writing magazine). You’ll develop professional skills and a portfolio of writing samples. Learn more about Northern Review and the value of rural journalism through this video produced by communications student Evelyn Megery`26.

  • Do you tell your friends about your favorite books? Do you enjoy sipping coffee in a bookstore? Do you love talking about the Oxford comma? Would you have fun at a national conference filled with English majors? If you answered yes to any of the above, then Sigma Tau Delta – ONU’s chapter of the international English honorary society – is for you.

    Sigma Tau Delta--#1 in Ohio. For five years in a row, Ohio Northern has led the state in the number of students attending the Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society conference. Why? Because our professors work with you one-on-one to shape your creative or critical ideas, sharpen them through individualized workshops, and offer expert guidance to help you succeed in nationwide competitions.

  • We offer a variety of for-credit internships and/or student employment opportunities through ONU’s Heterick Memorial Library, ONU’s Taggart Law Library, and the Ada Public Library. Summer internships can be arranged with a local library with approval of the librarian and the department chair.

End game: a fulfilling literature career

An English major opens many doors and will give you the skillset and resilience to pursue either a traditional or creative employment path. English alumni are employed by well-known corporations, start-ups, non-profits. They excel in professions such as education, law, and librarianship.

English alumni currently work for well-known employers including:

American Honda Company
AV Club (pop culture writing for the pop obsessed)
Marathon Oil
October Research, LLC (a law firm that specializes in real estate transactions and home ownership)
Pella Corporation
Riot Games (developer of League of Legends)
Subterranean Press
Cincinnati Enquirer
Toledo Blade
The Walt Disney Company
Whirlpool Corporation
Wiley-Blackwell Publishing
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP (an international law firm ranked among the top-20 in innovation)
WLIO-TV

  • College of engineering honda logo
  • AV club logo
  • marathon logo
  • October Research, LLC logo
  • Pella Corporation Logo
  • Riot Games Logo
  • Toledo Blade logo
  • Walt Disney World employs ONU engineers
  • manufacturing technology Whirlpool logo
  • Wiley-Blackwell logo
  • Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP logo
  • WLIO-TV logo
My English major gives me community, confidence, and intellectual humility. English will teach you to see, speak, listen, and imagine. It is as much a subject of study as a way of living.
Abagail Elsea, English Major
students walking around campus
ONU graphic

Take the first step toward living the Polar Bear life

We would love to meet you and show you around!
Your health, safety and future are in good hands at Northern. We offer a host of services to keep you informed and meet your needs while you are on campus.
  • apply now
  • visit campus
Learn more about life as a Polar Bear:
  • instagram
  • facebook
  • Tiktok
  • youtube
  • twitter/x
  • twitter/x
  • LinkedIn
image of campus - decorative only

Ohio Northern University

525 South Main Street Ada, OH 45810
419-772-2000

MB: Footer: Middle 1

  • Libraries
  • ONU Gear Shop
  • Freed Center
  • Career Services
  • ONU HealthWise Pharmacy
  • Campus Map
  • University Licensing & Trademarks

MB: Footer: Middle 2

  • Employment
  • Bookstore
  • Registrar
  • The Inn
  • Calendar
  • Faculty/Staff Directory

Footer Menu

  • Events
  • News
  • Mission & Vision
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Consumer Info
  • USDA Statement
  • Media Inquiry

Information for:

  • my.onu.edu
  • Alumni/Friends
  • Parents/Families
  • Faculty/Staff Directory
  • Center for Corporate Engagement
  • Request Info
  • Visit
  • Apply
  • Give
  • About
    • Quick Facts
    • President and Leadership
    • Trustees
    • Financial Affairs
    • University Advancement
    • Recognition of Excellence
    • Getting to Know Ada
    • Commencement
    • Controller and Bursar
    • Human Resources
    • Campus Sustainability
    • History and Tradition
  • Academics
    • Programs of Study
    • Academic Affairs
      • Honors Day
    • College of Arts & Sciences
    • College of Business
    • College of Engineering
    • College of Law
    • College of Pharmacy
    • Institute for Civics and Public Policy
    • Camps, Conferences, Workshops and Community Events
    • Registrar
    • Heterick Library
    • Taggart Library
  • Admissions & Aid
    • Apply
    • Accepted Students
      • time to celebrate
    • Visit
    • Financial Aid
    • Undergraduate
    • Pharmacy
    • Transfer
    • Graduate
    • International–Degree and Exchange
    • College Credit Plus
    • Virtual Tour Map
  • Student Life
    • Housing
    • Dining
    • Center for Student Success
    • Polar Careers
    • Health and Wellness
    • Public Safety
  • Distinctly ONU
  • Athletics