English (BA)
Discover your unique voice as a writer, thinker, and leader.
English students at Mary Baldwin University embark on a transformative journey where they refine critical thinking skills through active learning and engage with a diverse range of course offerings. With a focus on textual analysis and interpretation, our program encourages self-discovery and fosters a lifelong love for literature and language. Whether you are passionate about creative writing, analyzing complex texts, or honing your communication abilities, our English program offers a supportive and enriching environment.
- Time to Completion4 years
- FormatOnline, On Campus
- Degree(s)Bachelor of Arts
- MinorCreative Writing, English, English Education, Professional Writing
- NeighborhoodCreativity & Culture
Next steps
Why study English at Mary Baldwin?
At Mary Baldwin, our small classes and innovative coursework ensure that you not only learn about famous writers from the past but also discover your own unique voice as a writer, thinker, and leader.
By choosing to major in English, you’ll build a strong intellectual foundation and cultivate critical reading and writing skills that are invaluable in today’s world. Plus, the flexibility of our program allows you to tailor your studies to your interests, focusing on areas that align with your professional aspirations.
Intrigued? Here are a few more reasons why our English program shines:
Small Class Sizes
Get to know your professors, and we’ll know you, too! Unlike at a large university, you’ll never feel anonymous.
Cross-Disciplinary Writing
We offer robust coursework in a variety of writing modes, from poetry to professional writing. You’ll graduate knowing how to communicate effectively in writing across all genres.
Global and Diverse Perspectives
Even a quick glance at our courses shows we’re committed to studying more than dead white guys (though we’ve got plenty of them, too).
Shakespeare and Performance Studies
Staunton is home to the world-renowned Blackfriars Playhouse. MBU English students can co-major or minor in Theater and apply to our Shakespeare and Performance master’s program.
Study Abroad in Oxford
Many MBU English majors participate in the Virginia Program at Oxford University, a six-week program focused on the literature, history, and culture of late 16th and 17th century England.
Teacher Preparation
Interested in teaching English in elementary, middle, or high school? Add the English Education minor and graduate ready for a career in teaching!
Grad School Preparation
The breadth of our coursework and opportunities for independent scholarly and creative projects prepare our students for success in English MA and PhD programs, as well as law school.
Extracurricular Opportunities
- Department internships with the MBU online literary magazine, Outrageous Fortune
- Opportunities to tutor in the writing center on campus
- Opportunities to serve as teaching assistants
Next steps
At MBU, I discovered a deep love of literature — particularly for texts centered around the African American experience. They helped me discover my true identity and find purpose.
Jelani Meyer BA ’22English major
Departmental Culture
English classes are almost always held in Carpenter Academic, where classrooms are close to faculty offices so that students can continue conversations with their professors in their individual offices, surrounded by books, coffee, and occasionally dogs. Our class sizes range from 10 to 30 students; 15 students is the norm. We teach interactively and conversationally, and English majors and minors develop a friendly group identity, sharing their reading enthusiasms and their many outside interests in the worlds of pop culture, fan fiction, movies, and video games.
Every February, the English department hosts a reading as part of the African American Read-In. Organized by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), the African American Read-In invites people from all across the country to gather in small groups to read and discuss works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry by African American authors.
Courses & Curriculum
Mary Baldwin’s wide range of required and elective courses enable students to develop a variety of interests:
- Women’s Writing promotes understanding of gender and sexuality in culture
- Children’s and Young Adult Literature empowers students wishing to pursue a career in education.
- Courses in Renaissance literature intersect with the MBU Shakespeare and Performance program and the cultural life of the Blackfriars Playhouse in Staunton (home of the American Shakespeare Center)
- Nature in America explores representations of nature in American literature and visual art, as well as how this impacts our national identity
- Courses in African American literature and the Poetics of Hip-Hop reflect the diversity of our campus and the cultural centrality of Black Americans
Sample courses
An overview of the literary and historical development of literature for children and young adults through selected authors and genres, both classic and contemporary. Students analyze literary elements, discuss cultural and educational issues within the genre, and consider the development of the concept of childhood and literacy in a variety of contexts.
While seemingly disparate fields of study, science and literature intersect. This honors course will examine representations of science in literature. Through an exploration of 19th–21st Century American literature, this class will uncover the historical contexts surrounding three pivotal shifts in scientific thought: evolution, germ theory, and climate change. What are these theories, and what are their historical contexts? What forms and literary motifs do authors use to represent scientific ideas? How do literary representations of science enhance, disrupt, or alter our understanding of these concepts? Finally, what can all of this teach us about American culture? The class will analyze short stories, novels, poetry, autobiographies, essays, and scientific treatises. We will also examine how identify markers – like gender, race, and class – intersect with representations of science in literature.
This course introduces students to some major women writers of the African continent from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Attending to specific historical, cultural and linguistic contexts for each text, the course will also explore the formal choices and experiments made by individual writers and pay particular attention to questions of gender and sexuality.
Explore the Neighborhood
This major is part of the Creativity & Culture Neighborhood. Neighbors live together their first year, study and take classes together, and enjoy special curated activities.
Write your next chapter
There are so many things you can do with an English degree. Our students graduate equipped for entry-level jobs and fulfilling careers in:
- Education, including teaching English as a second language
- Marketing, advertising, and public relations
- Creative fields like travel writing, fiction writing, writing for children
- Publishing, literary agent work, copyediting
- Technical writing, grant writing
- Online content creation
- Nonprofit and advocacy work
- Law (paralegal or law school)
- Human resources
- Librarianship
- Academia
Next steps
Our Graduates
- Bethany Pope obtained a PhD in creative writing at the University of Aberystwyth in Wales and has published several well-reviewed books, most recently a novel called Silage. They are currently teaching in China
- Sarah Thomas pursued a graduate degree in Cambridge, England, trained as a sommelier, and has recently published a children’s book Kalamata’s Kitchen that celebrates her own Indian culinary heritage
- Jo Perkins is now student services coordinator at Lee County schools in North Carolina
- Alissa Hall Cruz earned an MA from James Madison University and now teaches as a full-time college professor at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College
- Koshila Ratnayake works for the Ministry of Education in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Graham McKemy is a curator of the rare books collection at Washington & Lee University
And others go on to exciting graduate programs, such as:
- Mikayla Metzger completed an MA in English from the University of Rochester
- Antonia DiNardo completed an MA in English at UNC Chapel Hill and is now pursuing a PhD studying medievalisms within popular culture
- Jelani Meyer is pursuing graduate work in Africa American Studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State
Our Graduates
- Bethany Pope obtained a PhD in creative writing at the University of Aberystwyth in Wales and has published several well-reviewed books, most recently a novel called Silage. They are currently teaching in China
- Sarah Thomas pursued a graduate degree in Cambridge, England, trained as a sommelier, and has recently published a children’s book Kalamata’s Kitchen that celebrates her own Indian culinary heritage
- Jo Perkins is now student services coordinator at Lee County schools in North Carolina
- Alissa Hall Cruz earned an MA from James Madison University and now teaches as a full-time college professor at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College
- Koshila Ratnayake works for the Ministry of Education in Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- Graham McKemy is a curator of the rare books collection at Washington & Lee University
And others go on to exciting graduate programs, such as:
- Mikayla Metzger completed an MA in English from the University of Rochester
- Antonia DiNardo completed an MA in English at UNC Chapel Hill and is now pursuing a PhD studying medievalisms within popular culture
- Jelani Meyer is pursuing graduate work in Africa American Studies at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State
Our Faculty
Our faculty are passionate about teaching, highly knowledgeable in their disciplines, and dedicated to providing the kind of mentorship and support that leads to student success. Their commitment to inclusivity helps ensure a vibrant and enriching educational experience for all.
Cost & Financial Aid
A great education is worth it. Mary Baldwin offers generous financial aid packages and a broad range of scholarships to help you bring your aspirations to life.
MBU also helps you fast-track your path to a bachelor’s degree with the opportunity to transfer up to 18 credits (6 courses) through direct course equivalents from the Virginia Community Colleges System.
A bachelor’s degree requires 120 credit hours of study.