Philosophy
emphasizes study of ideas.
Journalism
emphasizes writing skills.
Theatre Arts
emphasizes stage craft and performance.
Foreign Languages
emphasizes language and literature.
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University of North Texas
Undergraduate Admissions
P.O. Box 311277
Denton, Texas 76203-1277
www.engl.unt.edu
E-mail: tflowers@unt.edu
Phone: 940-565-2107
Fax: 940-565-4355
University of North Texas
Department of English
Undergraduate Advisor
P.O. Box 311307
Denton, Texas 76203-1307
Undergraduate Majors and Interests
By choosing English as your major, you can pursue a career in writing or proofreading, working for a newspaper, magazine, book publisher, public relations office or news service.
A major in English will prepare you for jobs that require strong skills in analytical thinking, communication and writing. You may teach English composition or literature or English as a second language in a public or private school. Some English majors enroll in law school or other graduate programs. If you plan to research and teach English composition and literature at a university, you will need to earn a master's and possibly a doctoral degree.
You may become a technical writer, rewriting computer manuals, directions, repair instructions, reference booklets and educational film scripts. They are employed by various manufacturers as well as by government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the U.S. Government Printing Office and the departments of Agriculture, Defense and Energy.
Our English graduates include novelists Karleen Koen, David Lindsey and Larry McMurtry; movie screenplay writer Ken Harrison; and poet and short fiction writer Jan Seale. Our alumni also include an editor with Rolling Stone magazine and a member of the public relations staff of PricewaterhouseCoopers, an accounting firm.
UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.
As an English major, you can choose to concentrate on literature, composition, linguistics, technical writing, creative writing or language arts with secondary certification.
With a concentration in literature, you may study American, British or world literature in general or take courses on the works of Chaucer, Milton and Shakespeare. You may also take courses in drama, Greek and Roman mythology and poetry.
You may study rhetoric and take courses in expository writing as well as fiction, poetry and technical writing with a concentration in composition. You may enter your work in UNT's annual writing awards competition.
The linguistics concentration offers courses in the history and structure of English, different dialects, literary styles, English as a second language, and phonetics.
The technical writing concentration offers courses and endorsements in composition, expository writing, rhetoric, and business and technical writing.
The creative writing concentration offers courses in writing creative non-fiction, fiction and poetry.
The concentration in language arts prepares you to teach English in secondary schools after completing the requirements for teacher certification.
UNT's English classes are designed to give you as much practical experience as possible. Technical writing students use computer equipment with the latest desktop publishing technology. You will work directly with international students to learn effective teaching strategies if you plan to teach English as a Second Language. Our literature and creative writing classes encourage you to exchange ideas openly and to develop critical thinking skills.
The English faculty includes several award-winning creative writers and others who have received Fulbright awards and research grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
As an English student, you can participate in a number of student groups in the field, including an international honor society and a creative writers continuum. The department offers several scholarships to English majors based on academic standing, performance and need.
As an English major, you may work on the editorial staff of a literary journal published by the English department. Several English faculty members also edit literary journals. If you are a technical writing student, you may have the opportunity to take a technical writing class which would allow you to write and design documents for businesses in the Dallas-Fort Worth region. If you want to do other types of writing, you may contribute to the North Texas Daily, UNT's student newspaper. If you are a literature student, you may work on your own or one of your professors' research projects.
Upon completion of 12 semester hours at UNT with at least a 2.5 GPA, you may work in a job related to your major through UNT's office of Cooperative Education and Internships. You may earn academic credit and money and gain valuable work experience. Co-op employers pay extremely well, and the jobs usually last several semesters, often until graduation.
More than 800 employers work with the office to provide excellent learning opportunities, many of which become permanent full-time positions upon graduation. The office staff also assists with placing students in internships, which last for one full semester or summer.
If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:
Writing courses and courses in American, British and world literature will also be beneficial.
You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year.
As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.
If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.
You may declare a pre-major in English immediately upon enrolling at UNT. Once you have fulfilled the requirements to be admitted to major status, you will need to file your official degree plan with the English department's Undergraduate Advisor.
The English department has full-time Undergraduate Advisors who will help you select courses necessary to earn your bachelor's degree. They also provide information about scholarships. The department office is in the Auditorium Building, Room 112. The Undergraduate Advising Office is in Room 114 of the same building.
Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the
current catalog.