English

Expand your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills and open the door to career opportunities with an English degree.

At Park University, our Bachelor of Arts in English degree program is designed for students who want to develop critical practices in reading, writing, and thinking—practices that lead not only to creative and academic fulfillment but also to career success. No matter what your personal and professional goals are, the English major can provide you with the skills to reach them.

We also offer an English minor for students who want to supplement their major in another field with the strong foundation of critical reading and writing that English offers.

For those specifically interested in the technical and professional writing side of English studies, or for distance students looking for a major in English studies, we offer the English and Professional Writing major as well as a minor and certificate in Professional and Technical Writing.

Students interested in teaching English in a primary, middle, or secondary school setting should check out the Elementary Education, Middle School Education, and Secondary Education majors.

Locations & Learning Options

The Bachelor of Arts in English is open to students attending our Parkville, Missouri, campus. It requires a minimum of 122 credit hours overall, with the English major itself requiring 42 hours in the following areas:

  • English Core Curriculum (15 hours)
  • Literature (9 hours)
  • Writing and Rhetoric (9 hours)
  • Electives (9 hours)

Locations

  • Online
  • Parkville

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Stacey Kikendall

Dr. Stacey Kikendall

Chair, Department of English & Interdisciplinary Studies
Associate Professor of English
stacey.kikendall@park.edu

Stephen Grover

Dr. Stephen David Grover

Program Coordinator - Modern Languages
Assistant Professor of English
david.grover@park.edu

Amy Mckelenburg-Faenger

Dr. Amy Mecklenburg-Faenger

Program Coordinator - First Year Writing & Professional Writing
Professor of English
amy.mecklenburgfaenger@park.edu

Brandi Handley

Brandi Handley

Director of ParkWrites
Assistant Teaching Professor of English
brandi.handley@park.edu

English is about more than reading books. It’s about opening your mind.

English is one of the most versatile university degrees you can earn. As an English major or minor, you will take a range of courses based on your interests and life and career goals. The insights and broadening perspective that you gain in the English program will benefit you in your personal, professional, and civic life. You will explore literatures and rhetorics from different time periods and cultures; produce multiple forms and styles of writing (creative/professional/analytical); learn theoretical and critical approaches; and delve into the history of language and rhetoric. Join us in English studies and find out who you are and what you think.

Careers with an english degree

  • Writing (Creative, Technical, Scientific, Business)
  • Publishing and Editing
  • Communication and Journalism
  • Law
  • Government and Political Science
  • Education

And future careers that prize writing, communication, and analytical thinking – which means that an English degree prepares you for all kinds of careers!

books on a shelf
Student receiving her diploma

english degree Program Highlights

In our English classes, you might engage with literature through traditional academic essays, but you might also respond to a poem with a mixed media art piece or create a comic version of a short story. You might challenge your writing skills by composing a micro memoir. You might develop and direct a film adaptation of a literary work, or research a peer’s writing process, or plan and host a university event, or you might get a job with the resume and cover letter you develop in professional writing.


As a member of Sigma Tau Delta, the international English honor society, you might present your work at a national conference, publish your critical or creative writing in a national journal, or sponsor a writing workshop. Or, get involved with The Scribe, Park’s student literary arts club and magazine, where you might edit a literary magazine, workshop your writing-in-progress, and make life-long friends!

Related programs

Park University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Park University is a private, non-profit, institution of higher learning since 1875.