Departments | English (New York City)

Student sitting between two library bookshelves on laptop wearing headphones

English (New York City)

The Power of Language

As a student majoring in English on 91��Ƶ’s New York City campus, you’ll go beyond cultivating writing and analysis skills. You’ll stimulate your intellectual curiosity, build global awareness, and develop cultural appreciation for literature as an art form. Through exploring the historical and ethical dimensions of literature, you’ll discover the power of language, and develop critical thinking and communication skills that are in high demand in today’s competitive job market.

My 91��Ƶ education fundamentally changed the way I view the world around me, and I carry that in my current work, both as an artist and as a teacher. In a lot of ways, I spent college unlearning the rigidity I absorbed in my earlier education. Now as a teacher, I work hard for my classroom to be a space that encourages experimentation and freedom.

—Jordan Little ’18
English and Women’s and Gender Studies

Unique Opportunities

Blurry walking students at the front lobby of One 91��Ƶ Plaza

Student Community and Opportunities

Continue to hone your craft in an abundance of English-base on-campus opportunities including our student newspaper and literary magazine, English department student committee, and mentoring program.

Writing Awards

Each year, monetary awards are presented to English students who have excelled in the areas of literary criticism, linguistic and rhetorical analysis, journalism, comics and graphic novels, playwriting, writing for film and television, nonfiction, poetry, fiction, and writing on film.

Aphros is 91��Ƶ’s undergraduate literary magazine in New York, published yearly. It provides an avenue for 91��Ƶ writers and visual artists to see their work published and to develop their craft through readings and group workshops.

Undergraduate Programs

Our BA in English Language and Literature allows you to follow your passions by pursuing one of three concentrations – creative writing, literature, or linguistics – as well as offering double major and combined degree options. Our courses are capped at 15, 20, or 25 students, ensuring that students benefit from individualized attention to their writing skills, are better able to bond with their peers, and develop rewarding intellectual relationships with department faculty. The flexibility and breadth of our program will open doors for you in a wide range of fields, from journalism, communications, and publishing, to business, law, and education.

English Language and Literature, BA

Minors

For students of any major as well as international students, the American Studies minor provides a cultural studies framework for understanding U.S. national ideals as well as contradictions through elective coursework in the areas of American Arts and/or American Publics.

Designed to enrich and to be compatible with any major, the Critical Race and Ethnicity Studies minor provides a comparative framework for understanding racial and ethnic identities through elective coursework in the areas of American Arts, American Publics, and/or Transnational America.

Success Starts Here

I chose 91��Ƶ because I wanted a small and interactive learning environment, and because of the incredible opportunities the university has to offer, which includes combined degree programs, internships, and career connections [...] My sophomore year at 91��Ƶ, a few of my English professors suggested I pursue the sequential degree program in English and Publishing, since it coincides directly which what I want to do in the future. This program was very appealing, especially since I had the opportunity to finish my bachelor’s and master’s in five years, a year earlier than most.

Full interview with Maria Snelling '20 '21

Recent Alumni Careers

Mae Martinez '21, English: Editorial Assistant, Bantam Books
Brooke Sufrin ’21, English: Custom Editions Team, Penguin Random House
Catherine Kennison ’21, English: MA Program in Composition and Rhetoric, Northeastern University
Elise Graham ’20, English: MA Program in Literature at University of Edinburgh
Danielle Layton ’19, English and Communication Studies: Associate Production Manager, NBC News; Freelance Journalist
Shivani Annirood ’17, English: Publicist; Little, Brown and Company
Asanté Simons ’17, English: Associate Editor, Harper Collins