Department of English

Welcome, exciting adventures await you in the Frostburg State University English Department! From writing professionally to creatively, students majoring in English explore the passion they have for literature, fiction writing, web content editing, business writing, and more.

Small classes allow one on one time with professors, in depth class discussions, and the ability for students to challenge themselves. The English Department professors are dedicated to helping students develop their craft in one of four bachelor degree areas: creative writing, literature, professional writing, and teaching certification. As an English major, you will achieve 40 hours of credited course work through a combination of core courses and completion of one concentration, listed above.

Graduating with a degree in English, or with a minor, provides experience that prepares any student for the challenges of the 21st century. English majors, and minors, are prepared to tackle prestigious graduate school programs or perfect their resumes to find the career they love.

Active on campus, English students partake in impressive organizations such as the Student Government Association and the President’s Leadership Circle. They represent FSU at national conferences, in local and regional publications, and on campus, where they provide leadership.

• Why Study English?

  Jobs are hard to find in this economy. How can majoring in English prepare you for a job or for graduate school?

  • Teacher
  • Public Relations officer
  • Journalist
  • Novelist
  • Editor
  • Poet
  • Promotions Director
  • Columnist
  • Technical Writer

  • Researcher
  • Business Communications
  • Writer for Online Publications
  • Masters in Teaching
  • Masters in Library Science
  • M.F.A. in Creative Writing
  • Ph.D. in English or related fields
  • Law School

  
  

  Communication Skills

  English majors get the point across. As an English major, you’ll learn communication skills that are applicable across disciplines. You will define your audience. You will learn how to construct an argument, present a proposal, write about literature, and provide background information on a variety of issues. You will receive instruction on writing with clarity and precision, and you will learn the best methods to persuade your audience to your position. All writing is persuasive. An English major acquires the skills to present all kinds of information in a clear and convincing manner appropriate to any situation.

  Research Skills

  English majors find the facts. You will learn not only how to use the internet for research, but also to use the library’s academic databases, newspaper aggregates, and professional journals. The more background information you know, the more likely you are to be viewed as an expert in your field. English majors learn how to weigh internet sources for validity and credibility. Research skills are necessary for work and for those going on to advanced degrees. As an English major, you’ll learn how to find reliable sources that build your credibility as a communicator.

  Critical Thinking Skills

  English majors weigh the evidence. You will learn how to make connections between ideas and to make judgments based on the facts. As an English major, you will be asked to consider more than one side of an issue or problem. You’ll think creatively. You will learn how to interpret others’ research and evidence, and how to apply their evidence correctly to your own ideas. You will think logically about what you’re reading and apply principles of reasoning to your writing. Critical thinking skills are necessary to all walks of life, and as an English major, you’ll be prepared.

  Concentrations, Minors, Certificates

  The Department of English at Frostburg State University offers a variety of concentrations for English majors: Literature, Creative Writing, Professional Writing, and Teaching Certification. We also offer minors in Journalism, Public Relations, Film Studies, and English, plus emphases in Professional Writing and the Teaching of Writing. Whatever your areas of interest, the English Department can help you find the study plan that best suits your needs.

For More Information

Please feel free to contact the department with any questions or concerns at the following addresses and numbers:

Department of English
Frostburg State University
Dunkle Hall 311
101 Braddock Road
Frostburg, MD 21532-2303

Email: english@frostburg.edu
Phone: 301.687.4221
Fax: 301.687.4101

Land Acknowledgement

Frostburg State University occupies the land on which Native Americans have lived for over ten thousand years. Many Eastern Woodlands tribes inhabited this area, including the Monongahela, Iroquois (Haudenosaunee), and Susquehannock who spoke Iroquois and the Shawnee and Delaware (Lenni Lenape) who spoke Algonquian. We acknowledge and honor Maryland’s three state-recognized tribes: the Piscataway Indian Nation, the Piscataway Conoy Tribe, and the Accohannock Indian Tribe. In addition, Frostburg State University acknowledges that part of our university’s campus is on the site of the former Brownsville / Park Avenue neighborhood, a predominantly African American community that began in 1866. Between 1927 and 1962, the State of Maryland forced many owners to sell their properties to accommodate the incremental growth of the University campus, displacing residents, organizations, and businesses within Brownsville.