English, BA

Central to Expression Through Words.

CCSU’s BA in English prepares students for careers in law, digital and social media, public relations, corporate writing, marketing, business, medical writing, publishing, research, screenwriting and more.

Our BS program prepares teachers for elementary through high school, and our placement rate and reputation are among the top in the state. Join us and learn the skills that employers value and that enrich a well-lived life.

Program Features

  • Small classes with engaged and diverse faculty
  • Internship opportunities
  • Student opportunities to write, publish, and read their works
  • Study abroad experiences
  • Accelerated program option to complete the BA and MA in five years
  • Minors available in Creative Writing, Writing and Publishing, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Descriptive Linguistics, Cinema Studies, and American Studies
  • Financial aid and scholarships available
  • Free on-campus child care available

English, BA

Admissions Contact

Undergraduate Recruitment & Admissions
(860) 832-2278
admissions@ccsu.edu

Academic Contact

Melissa Mentzer
Associate Professor & Chair
English
Willard-DiLoreto Hall
W401-08
860.832.2742
mentzer@ccsu.edu

Academic Department

English

- Courtney Dee Pietrowicz '17, English Teacher and Education

Dr. Mentzer was an inspiration to me and helped me to cultivate my writing and develop analytical reading strategies. At the time, I thought I was a strong writer, but I was wrong. It was through her guidance, feedback, and delivery of material that I improved and crafted my style. I often reflect on her lessons, and I am thankful to have had her for several courses. I thoroughly and deeply appreciated the English professors at CCSU (Professors Geller, Folker, Greenwell, Ostrowski, Cappella to name a few) as they all had something to offer. Now that I am teaching English, I do my best to provide a variety of techniques to reach all students similarly to the way they all reached me. I love my job and I am so happy that I went to CCSU for undergrad as I feel it suited me well and successfully prepared me for the reality of teaching.

Courtney Dee Pietrowicz '17
English Teacher and Educational Technology Coach, Tolland High School

Did You Know?

Students write and publish the digital literary magazine The Blue Muse.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will closely read such literary genres as poetry, prose fiction, and drama in order to interpret them not only in terms of content, but also in terms of literary style.
  2. Students will develop a substantive claim about works of literature.
  3. Students will support a substantive claim about works of literature using literary-critical techniques.
  4. Students will quote primary sources effectively in support of a critical argument.
  5. Students will, when appropriate, effectively analyze and integrate secondary source material into their own arguments.
  6. Students will situate works of literature in terms of the cultural, literary, historical, and/or biographical context in which they were produced.