Welcome to the English Department
With a broad offering of programs, a strong connection to the community, and a socially-engaged faculty committed to their students, the English Department at UMass Boston is an exciting place to be! For contact information about Composition and English major classes, transfer credits, and all other questions, please scroll to the bottom of the page!
Academic Programs
Undergraduate Programs
Graduate Programs
About Our Department
English Department programs focus on the intersection of literature, rhetoric and composition, creative writing, and visual culture. As an English major or minor, you will engage with the imaginative worlds and diverse perspectives that texts create—worlds and perspectives created and shared by dynamic writers, responsive readers, and innovative teachers.
The English major is flexible: it both gives all students an essential writing and literature base, and it allows students to explore areas of interest in the upper-and lower-level electives, including through concentrations in Creative Writing; Professional and New Media Writing; Race, Ethnicity, and Literature; and English Teaching. Or you might be interested in an English minor or a minor in one of our specialized concentrations.
We know that our students attend college to prepare themselves to be active, engaged members of society and to find success in meaningful careers. Our programs provide a wide range of skills and capabilities that enable students to find success and to make a difference.
Why Study English at UMass Boston?
What makes UMass Boston the place to study English?
- A Strong Engagement with Boston
As Boston’s only public university, UMass Boston engages with the city, its people, and its resources in ways that enrich our students’ learning experiences and our community:
- Learning opportunities with field trips to historical literary sites, visits to museums, and hands-on activities at local libraries and archives such as the Boston Athenaeum and our neighbors, the Massachusetts State Archives and the Kennedy Presidential Library.
- A unique “Experiencing Boston” course sequence that connects literary study to Boston history and culture, focusing on generating creative approaches to studying and experiencing urban space.
- A course sequence focused on Boston Harbor, the Harbor Islands, and the diverse coastal communities that surround them with a focus on environmental justice.
- A Socially-Engaged, World-Class Faculty
The English faculty is committed to the social relevance of literary study and the study of composition and rhetoric, and how they can be used to advance ideas—for better or for worse.
- A Connection to the Community
Partnerships with local organizations get our English students out into the community, where they work as interns, tutors, and volunteers, expanding upon their classroom learning.
- A Diverse Student Body
This variety of perspectives, backgrounds, and life experiences enable students to discuss course material in broader contexts.
- A Commitment to Multi-Lingual Students
The English Department directs the university’s ESL Center, which serves students whose native language is not English. The ESL Center offers coursework in speaking, listening, and reading and writing for academic purposes.
Why Major in English
Our English programs are built on the assumption that creativity is essential to the human condition and that we must understand the imaginative works of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, film, graphic literature, and new media writing that our culture creates. In our courses, while you have fun engaging with these imaginative works, you learn essential skills of reading, writing, interpretation, critical and creative thinking—skills that are in high demand in all careers.
What will you learn in the English programs?
As an English Major you will develop skills and abilities that are always in demand. An English degree on your résumé signals that you can read closely, write clearly, think critically, think creatively, and engage with complex ideas, which are skills employers want.
- See English Learning Goals for more specifics on what your English classes will teach you.
What can you do with an English Degree?
We know that our students attend college to prepare themselves to be active, engaged members of society and to find success in meaningful careers. Our programs provide a wide range of skills and capabilities that enable students to find success and to make a difference.
- See Careers in English for information on the wide range of careers and professional opportunities available to English majors.
- See Alumni Spotlight for stories on recent alumni.
Resources
CLA First!
This CLA First! first-year course emphasizes the study of Boston culture, history, and literature, featuring exciting field trips into Boston. We focus on generating analytical and creative approaches to studying--and experiencing--urban spaces.
Advising
Advising helps you to find the right program and courses, stay on track to graduate, and get ready for a successful career. The Office of Advising Excellence coordinates academic advising across UMass Boston.
English Department
For questions about English 101 and 102 classes, please contact the Composition Program: composition@umb.edu.
For questions about classes in the English major and department events, please contact the English Department main email: English.Department@umb.edu.
For questions about transfer credits into the major and minors, major requirements, and study abroad credits, please contact the Undergraduate Program Director: hugh.oconnell@umb.edu.
Location: Wheatley Hall, 6th Floor
Phone: 617.287.6700
Department Chair