Your Experience
Penn State Brandywine offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in English that can be completed on the Brandywine campus. In addition to the major’s common requirements English majors choose from two options—Traditions of Innovation or Writing and Literature in Context—with the additional opportunity for a Creative Writing Concentration.
Traditions of Innovation Option (12 Credits)
This option allows students to explore the imaginative and practical uses of English language through courses in literature, writing, and rhetoric across historical periods. Students can focus in literary and cultural studies, creative writing, professional and media writing, and/or rhetoric, according to individual interests and goals. In the process, students learn to gather, analyze, synthesize, and communicate information as they improve their language skills across diverse creative and critical scenarios.
Traditions of Innovation Requirements: One 400-level course in each of the following areas:
- Medieval through Sixteenth Century (3 credits)
- Sixteenth Century through Eighteenth Century (3 credits)
- The Nineteenth Century (3 credits)
- Twentieth Century to the Present (3 credits)
Writing and Literature in Context Option (12 Credits)
This option focuses on English as a foundation for strong critical thinking and distinctive communication skills, imaginative approaches to problem solving, and collaboration with aligned fields. The flexibility of the major allows students to study literature, creative writing, theatre, media studies, professional writing, and/or other disciplines, according to their individual interests and goals. These foundations prepare English majors for careers in a wide range of professional fields.
Writing and Literature in Context Requirements: One 400-level course in each of the following areas:
- One 400-level course in pre-1800 literature
- One 400-level course in post-1800 literature
- Two English courses at any level
