About Us

ODU Student Branded Web Images

The Department of English offers a broad range of concentrations across all levels of study (B.A., M.A., M.F.A., and Ph.D.), including an accelerated B.A./M.A. programs in Linguistics. The department also offers a minor in English and undergraduate and graduate certificates for students of other majors.

No matter the major, our students engage in the scholarly work that reflects our core values. Through their courses of study, our English majors become discerning, articulate, adaptable, and empathetic citizens with a skill set they can take into any number of careers.

Our Core Values

Read Critically

Our students read critically, learning to see multiple sides of issues, appreciate nuance, and openly discuss different perspectives. Through their readings, our students experience a world larger than the one they inhabit.

Produce

Our students produce new texts and new media. They compose short stories, poems, original literary scholarship; they develop video games, essays, interactive websites. They are creative and critical thinkers, adept at solving problems collaboratively or on their own.

Research

Our students research. They learn to synthesize and incorporate the ideas of others in their spoken and written work. They learn to consider context and audience in order to present their research in the best possible ways.

Write

Our students write. Whether completing a literary analysis, a blog post, or a news story, every assignment becomes an opportunity to improve communication skills.