As an English major, you will not only study literature, but also engage with history, popular culture, digital media, and film. You’ll study genre and craft to write memoirs, essays, poems, stories, and scripts. You’ll develop critical thinking and analytical skills by exploring and responding to classic and contemporary literature. Discover the ways that culture impacts your understanding of yourself, others, and the world so that you can effect social and political change.
Join one of the most eclectic and diverse English departments in the Big Ten where you can dive deep into a number of interdisciplinary areas like medieval and renaissance studies, ethnic studies or digital humanities as well as more traditional, nationally-focused areas of research like American literature or British literature.
Academics + Experience = Opportunities
Complement academic preparation with experiential learning, creating more opportunities after graduation. Talk to an academic advisor and a career coach about making the most of your time at Nebraska.
Four-year success plan
What to do each year
Catalog
Major requirements and courses
Printable summary
With sample four-year schedule
Transferrable Career Skills
- Communicate clearly using different forms of writing to and for a variety of different audiences
- Develop and defend evidence based arguments
- Analyze and interpret difficult texts
- Use various methods of literary analysis
- Support and communicate claims using clear evidence
- Express ideas creatively
- Advocate for marginalized or underrepresented groups
- Communicate confidently and appropriately with individuals of different cultures
- Comprehend and critically evaluate complex information
- Defend and discuss complex issues from multiple angles
Experience
Experience is valuable and goes beyond the classroom. We strive to help you connect your academics with research, internships, education abroad, service learning and leadership experiences in English, such as:
- Interning with HG Literary in New York City
- Learn more about internships
- Researching Willa Cather in the Center for Digital Research in the Humanities
- Learn more about undergraduate research
- Studying abroad at Oxford to learn about Shakespeare’s Dramatic Arts
- Learn more about education abroad
- Serving as an editor for Laurus, the student literary magazine
- Learn more about getting involved in student organizations
- Volunteering with Nebraska Writer’s Collective
- Learn more about service learning
Opportunities
We encourage you to match intellectual interests with a meaningful career path. Career planning goes beyond individual course assignments and projects to include internships and other occupational experiences, making your undergraduate experience enjoyable and you employable.
Examples of Alumni Careers
- Academic Advisor and Internship Coordinator, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- Literary Agent, Verve Talent and Literary Agency
- Assistant Acquisitions Editor, University of Nebraska Press
- Creative Copy Writer, Nelnet
- VISTA Program Coordinator, Americorps
- English Teacher, Exeter-Milligan Public Schools
- Programs Operation Specialist, Arbor Day Foundation
- Litigation Legal Assistant, Dvorak Law
- Community Organizer, Nebraska Appleseed
Examples of Graduate Schools Attended by Alumni
- Ph.D., English, Pennsylvania State University
- Master's Degree, Fine Arts, Temple University
- Master's Degree, Library and Information Science, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Master's Degree Library Science, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
- Master's Degree, Library & Information Science, Indiana University
- Master's Degree, Higher Education Administration, University of Michigan
- 3D Animation and Visual Effects program, Vancouver Film School
- Juris Doctorate, DePaul University College of Law
- Master's Degree, Fine Arts, University of Missouri-Kansas City
- Master's Degree, Fine Arts, University of Iowa
“As I started to get further into my coursework, I realized that I was way more passionate about the classes I got to take for English, so after my sophomore year I made the 'terrifying' decision to switch my major to English. It has been one of the best decisions I've ever made.”
Emily Cheramie
English at Nebraska
English is a humanities major in the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Our liberal arts degrees provide a broad education across the sciences, social sciences, and humanities, preparing students for a variety of careers.
Let curiosity move you.
Contact Us
Academic and Career Advising Center
107 Oldfather Hall
402-472-4190
casadvising@unl.edu
English Major Concentrations
As an English or Film Studies major, you design your own concentration - a program of study based on your areas of interest, organized around a controlling theme or topic. If your interests span multiple disciplines, your concentration might even include a course from another department.
English at the University of Nebraska can be generally divided into six different research and teaching areas. Though your undergraduate concentration will be tailored to your specific interests, concentrations often fall within one or more of these areas.
Choosing a Concentration
To choose a concentration, contact the English & Film Studies Advising Office early in your program. In consultation with your academic advisor and faculty in your area of interest, you'll select four courses above the 299 level that fit your chosen theme or topic.
Wondering where to start? Take a look at these fact sheets from the Advising Office that highlight a number of popular concentrations: