Top Ten Reasons to be an English Major at Westminster

1. Excellent teachers, and great teaching. We are a large department with diverse opinions, talents, and connections in the world of jobs and graduate study. All of us place first-rate teaching as our highest priority.

2. Scholarly and artistic productivity.  Westminster English professors have published more than 10 books and scores of articles, poems, and stories. You'll learn from people who are experts in their fields.

3. Wide career opportunities. Our graduates go into teaching, law, business, non-profit, social justice work, journalism/communications, and a dozen other fields.

4. Internships. We encourage students to try out their vocational ideas by working in local companies and organizations, and we'll help you find a placement suitable to your interests.

5. May Term. A month-long semester in which students take a variety of special topic classes that interest them. Some upcoming classes include Experimental Photography, Primitive Pottery, Science on the Sea of Cortez, Hopi and Navaho cultures. Jane Austen, Western Films, and many more. Many May term classes go on trips to a variety of foreign countries. Full-time students receive four credits of May term tuition for FREE.

6. A great creative writing program. Study with published poets and novelists in workshop format. We offer a creative writing emphasis within the major. Students can work on the staff of Ellipsis, a nationally-recognized literary journal.

7. Nationally renowned Visiting Writers Series. Each year, we bring some of the nation's top poets to campus for readings, class visits, Q & A sessions, and as much face-to-face time with students as we can manage.

8. Writing Skills. It’s the most employable skill and the one we care about most. Westminster English majors become strong writers through regular practice with close attention from trained faculty. English students are eligible to work as consultants at the Writing Center, gaining valuable professional experience in teaching and editing.

9. Small classes. Our writing workshops are never larger than 15, and our literature classes rarely top 20. We'll know you by name, and you'll get to know us and your classmates well in this setting.

10. The great works of world literature. In addition to American and British literature, many of our faculty teach classes in Asian, Russian, and other national literatures. Besides great authors like Shakespeare and Joyce, we also teach the literatures of other cultures and languages including many excellent ethnic and minority writers.

Top 10 OTHER Reasons
to be an English Major at Westminster