Department of English and Writing

The Department of English and Writing prepares students to be polished writers, analytical readers and critical thinkers. Students pursuing an English or writing major can personalize their curriculum by selecting from courses on a variety of literary subjects and writing genres.

English teacher speaking to students in a classroom

Social Media

Coursework develops knowledge in the history of literature and in-demand skills in creative and professional writing. English and writing faculty aim to teach students how to read texts and the world around them, to think critically about issues facing them and their communities, and to clearly and effectively communicate in creative and professional contexts.

Curriculum

The program's curriculum aims to teach students how to read texts and the world around them, to think critically about issues facing them and their communities, and to clearly and effectively communicate in creative and professional contexts. Students have flexibility to choose courses that enhance their skills and match their interests.

Courses include Digital Writing and Culture; Fiction Forms; Rebellions, Revolutions, and Reform; Introduction to Publication Editing and Design; and Identity and Difference, to name a few. Our curriculum emphasizes literary history, social justice, and cultural studies, and we are vitally engaged with gender and sexuality studies, postcolonial studies and environmental studies. Department faculty specialize in areas as diverse as Black studies, genre studies, and pop culture.

About the Program

Mission
Career Outlook
Publications
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Experiential Learning

The Department of English and Writing is a community of scholars and students dedicated to the study of the written word through the practices of reading and writing. We strive to be intellectual leaders at the University of Tampa. In our creative and professional writing courses, in our literature courses and in our academic writing courses, we teach creative skills that develop students’ sense of style and sharpen practical skills that help to prepare them for a variety of career paths. We make meaning out of complexity through composing our own written work, by workshopping our peers’ work and by critically analyzing texts and their cultural and historical contexts. English and Writing faculty aim to teach students how to read the world around them, to think critically about issues facing them and their communities and to clearly and effectively communicate in creative and professional contexts.

The English and Writing majors prepare students for a wide variety of careers including education, creative and technical writing, editing, management, legal fields, marketing, consulting, and public sector non-profits. The skills that students learn from an English or a Writing degree transfer across career paths, making them majors well suited for flexible individuals who aspire to make communication central to their careers.

Because English majors have such a diverse skill set, their unemployment rates are low at only 2.3 percent and similar to the average college graduate at 2.17%. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, English majors’ median wage is $60,000, just under the median for people in all fields who have a bachelor’s degree at $66,000. At career peaks, English majors’ annual median wages are $76,000 and $83,000 if the major had earned a graduate degree. Humanities graduates also report high levels of job satisfaction, with 84% saying they feel satisfied with their careers.

The Department of English and Writing offers several opportunities for students to publish, intern and develop skills important for their post-grad careers. Sigma Tau Delta is the national English honors society that provides students with opportunities to attend conferences, conduct research and build connections with other English majors.

Neon is a literary magazine that is student-run and features student fiction, non-fiction, art and photography. Students can also intern with the University of Tampa Press, or its two internationally renowned journals, Tampa Review and Studies in the Fantastic. Students also have the opportunity to work with the yearbook, The Moroccan, the student newspaper, The Minaret, and the undergraduate research journal, Royal Road.

The Department of English and Writing supports the mission of UTampa's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office by striving to be "an inclusive learning community characterized by the purposeful development and utilization of curricula and organizational resources that enable respect for the dignity and contributions of all members." Our curricula from AWR courses to the majors’ capstones are designed to promote equity and inclusion for all students at the university by equipping students with literacy and writing skills necessary for success as undergraduate students and in their lives after college. In our literature and writing classes, students can expect to encounter an exciting range of perspectives, both in their course texts and in their classroom communities. For more on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at UTampa, click the link below.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

English and writing students have many opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom through internships and practica. Many students write for the University’s award-winning newspaper, The Minaret; the student literary and arts journal, NEON; or the University’s yearbook, The Moroccan. In addition to working in the Saunders Writing Center or for the University of Tampa Press, students may complete an editing practicum for Keyhole publications (the student press imprint) or an applied practicum in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Our internship coordinator works with students to find individualized opportunities to fit students’ interests and enhance their skills.

Academic Offerings

Programs

Majors

Bachelor of Arts in English - Acquaints students with historical and contemporary literary traditions in courses that enhance reading, writing and interpretive skills. The department fosters the ability to enjoy and understand literature and cultivates the knowledge and sensitivity needed to explore great texts — from ancient literature through film and multi-media forms.

Bachelor of Arts in Writing - Educates students in the art and craft of written communication, combining liberal arts ideals with practical, real-world applications. Students in the program can concentrate on creative writing (fiction, poetry, and other imaginative forms), professional writing (journalism, public relations, advertising and information design for technical communication) and writing for the media.

Minors

Minor in English - Recommended for those students majoring in another program but interested in historical and contemporary literary traditions in courses that enhance reading, writing, and interpretive skills.

Minor in Professional and Technical Writing - Provides guided practice in designing and producing the kinds of visual and verbal communication expected in the workplace.

Minor in Writing - Recommended for those students majoring in another program but interested in creative writing (fiction, poetry, and other imaginative forms), professional writing (journalism, public relations, advertising and information design for technical communication) and writing for the media.

Certificate Program

Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages - A TESOL Certificate is a widely accepted and recognized program that reflects a student’s initial academic and practical preparation in the teaching of English as a second language (ESL) or English as a foreign language (EFL).

Sample Courses For This Degree

What You Might Study

LIT 222

Storytelling: Voice, Script and Movement

This course investigates literature that concerns the relationship of those in power to the people over whom they have authority and the resulting rebellions, revolutions and reform movements.

LIT 281

Identity and Difference

Students will cover major theoretical texts dealing with gender, citizenship, race, language and ethnicity. Additional readings will be drawn from literary, legislative and juridical primary sources that illustrate the interplay between popular media, discrimination and empowerment.

WRI 220

Digital Writing and Culture

Students will be asked to research, reflect on and compose in multiple digital genres, including blogs, social networking environments, wikis, content management systems and standalone websites.

WRI 242

Introduction to Publication Editing and Design

Course content will cover publication design, editing, following a style guide, use of images and text, ethical issues, publication management and various technologies used in the publishing industry.

Browse All Courses

Search UT