Harnessing the power of the pen

Have you noticed a single word can change a friendship? Does it seem certain people get ahead simply because of how they express themselves in person, or online? If you’re fascinated by word choice and want to strengthen yours, studying English literature at Susquehanna University is the smart choice.

You won’t just examine the masters of language, you’ll learn to master language yourself. You’ll study literature and you’ll create it, everything from essays to novels to comics. Explore the literature of other cultures and consider minoring in Africana studies, Asian studies, women & gender studies, Jewish & Israel studies and environmental studies and navigate our diverse and interconnected world. Roll up your sleeves and write, edit, and publish for any of our nine student-led publications. You can even combine literature with a publishing and editing degree. Or combine it with a secondary education major and walk right into a teaching job. In fact, double-major with almost any program, because the truth is, writing skills make you a standout to med schools, law schools, and headhunters in business, engineering and more. People who think, write and speak clearly are in short supply, and hiring committees know it.

At Susquehanna, internships give you a solid head start in government and nonprofit careers. You might pursue advanced degrees in library and information science or in leadership, lobbying and litigation. Whether you become a literary agent negotiating movie rights for a bestseller or a social media guru for a Fortune 500 company, all the world’s a stage, and the best players write the best lines.


100%
of students complete an internship
9
student-led publications
4
department Fulbright Scholarship recipients

Raising anti-racism awareness

Susquehanna faculty place a high value on supporting racial and social justice. They will always have your back.

Learn more

Susquehanna students walking to class on Kurtz Lane on a nice spring day.

“A degree in English puts your love of reading to work solving our most pressing problems: diversity, equity and inclusion, freedom of expression and identity, and creativity in the digital age. Our graduates will know what employers of the future want.”

Drew Hubbell, associate professor of English


Potential Careers

  • Lawyer
  • Professional Writer
  • Librarian
  • School Teacher
  • College professor
  • Arts manager

Recent Employers

  • University of Pennsylvania Health System
  • Franklin & Marshall College
  • AmeriCorps
  • Line Mountain School District, Pennsylvania
  • Knoebels Amusement Resort

Graduate School Placement

  • Harvard Graduate School of Education
  • Kent State University
  • Hertie School of Governance, Germany
  • Medill, Northwestern University
  • Penn State Dickinson Law

Student-run Publications

Red, Inc.

Susquehanna’s Blog of Book Reviews, Literary Criticism, and the Like.

Modern Language Studies

The scholarly journal of the Northeast Modern Language Association is edited and produced in its entirety here.

Transformations

Scholarly student work from across the university comes together in one dazzling place.

Flagship

A magazine of travel writing that publishes stories from students’ cross-cultural experiences.

Sanctuary

An online genre/speculative literatures magazine focusing on the odd, experimental, unusual and weird.

Studying for a Degree in English Literature

Explore the courses you’ll take on your journey to earning a degree in English literature at Susquehanna.


Explore other programs and opportunities

See the full list of related programs on the School of Humanities page.


Virtual Tour of Fisher Hall

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Contact Us

English & Creative Writing

514 University Ave.
Selinsgrove, Pa. 17870

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Location

Fisher Hall

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Phone & Email

570-372-4196
englishdept@susqu.edu