Why Choose English at VT?
Whether you are a potential student or one who is already here but in a different major, when you think of Virginia Tech, what comes to mind? The Super X Computer. A nationally-ranked Engineering Program. A college of osteopathic medicine. A vet school. And, ah, yes, football. But English?
Yes, English.
Options of study
In the last five years alone, the English Department at Virginia Tech has
- Revamped its curriculum to provide three distinct options of study -- Creative Writing, Professional Writing, and Literature, Language, and Culture -- that allow you to follow your own interests and talents. (That last option has four separate tracks: Pre-Education, Pre-Law, Literature, and Cultural Studies.)
- Expanded its course offerings, which now include both the traditional literature courses you love, like Shakespeare, Romantic Literature , African-American Literature , and Topics in Literature by Women , and such diverse option-based courses as Contemporary Native American Literature; Literature, Medicine, and Culture; Literature and the Law; Designing Documents for Print; Writing for the Web; Creative Nonfiction; and Creative Writing: Fiction for Young People.
- Increased the ways that you can receive hands-on experience in your profession by adding more internships, creating an undergraduate research conference, and developing more ways you can become involved in community outreach and service-learning.
- Witnessed more of its teachers win college and university level teaching awards, in addition to national-level scholarly and research awards.
Good career opportunities
But how does all of this prepare you for a career? Did you know that the Virginia Employment Commission projects from the baseline year of 2002 to 2012 a 33.5% increase in the need for "English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary" and a 21.2% increase in the need for "Secondary School Teachers"? If teaching isn't for you, consider these figures: during the same period, the VEC also projects a 35.5% increase in the need for technical writers and a 19% increase in the need for editors. The CNN/ Money Magazine 2006 list of "Top 50" jobs includes "Technical Writer" as #13, "Editor" as #19, and "Writer" as #25. There are plenty of opportunities out there for an English graduate!
But facts alone shouldn't sway any decision you make. For the most compelling reasons to major in English at Virginia Tech, you should consider what our graduating seniors have said about our program. In a recent senior exit survey, they used descriptions like supportive, close-knit, welcoming, diverse , and encouraging to describe our department. "My ability to write sets me apart," one graduate wrote. "I have an open mind and listen to the opinions of others, all the while formulating my own thoughts and ideas. It is a skill I feel has developed from my work in and out of my English classes." Our efforts at diversity and attention to students found its way into the remarks of another grad, who wrote: "I find the English Department to be diverse . . . warm and open to everyone in its community. The wealth of knowledge and expertise in this department is priceless and the feeling of belonging is ever apparent."
Small classes, a welcoming environment
Three different options of study, small classes, a welcoming and diverse environment, and opportunities for internships and involvement in undergraduate scholarship -- all of these and more are the reasons you should consider majoring in English at VT!