English

English at St. Mary’s

The English major at St. Mary’s offers a comprehensive education in literature, critical thinking and written and oral communication. Our program guides students in exploring social issues, cultural concerns and the transformative power of language. This foundation equips graduates for success in graduate school, law school and careers in writing, editing, teaching and communication. The rigorous analytical and communication skills developed in the English major are particularly beneficial for those pursuing a legal career.

Students engage with a diverse range of courses in international, American and British literature. Through these courses, they gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them by discovering language’s ability to describe and reshape human society.

• Degree Plans

  St. Mary’s offers two Bachelor of Arts degrees in English:

  In the Bachelor of Arts in English at St. Mary’s, students explore a wide range of texts as well as a variety of critical methods to analyze those texts. From the epic of Beowulf to the plays of William Shakespeare, from the poems of Walt Whitman to the fiction of Sandra Cisneros, students will experience the rich variety and power of language in action.

  Bachelor of Arts in in English

  Teacher certification is available for students interested in pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in English Language Arts and Reading with Teacher Certification (Secondary).

  St. Mary’s University’s Educator Preparation Program has received the rating of “Accredited” under the Accountability System for Educator Preparation. This rating is issued by the State Board for Educator Certification under the authority of Section 21.045, Texas Education Code.

  Student teaching for undergraduates is conducted during the last semester. The Teacher Education Department works with the central offices, building principals, and classroom teachers in public and private schools in Bexar County to provide a comprehensive 13-week student-teaching experience.

  Working with the central office, the university Certification Officer requests the highest qualified certified professionals to work as supervising teachers. The student teacher assumes full responsibility for the classroom early in the student-teaching experience.

  A supervising teacher mentors the student teacher throughout the program but allows him/her to lead the planning delivery, and assessment of instruction, according to the process established during the Orientation. At the conclusion of the experience, the student teacher evaluates the placement and the supervising teacher’s role as mentor.

  The United States Department of Education (Title II of the Higher Education Act) Educator Preparation Program Texas State Report can be obtained at title2.ed.gov.

  Teacher Certification

  St. Mary’s also offers an English minor:

  Minor in English

  Students can also pursue a 5-year combined degree program:

  Combined Bachelor of Arts in English and Master of Arts in English Literature and Language

• Courses

  Students take 33 credit hours within the major.

  Highlighted courses include:

  The History of the English Language
  Latin American Literature
  Literature and Film
  Nineteenth-Century British Literature
  Novel Analysis
  Research in English and Cultural Studies
  course catalog

What can I do with a degree in English?

Law School Options

St. Mary’s University offers a Pre-Law Program for undergraduate students interested in pursuing law school and law-related careers. Students in the English major may qualify for the Nelson Wolff Law Early Admission Program, which offers motivated, talented undergraduate students who plan to attend law school the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and a law degree from the St. Mary’s University School of Law in less time. 

The Guaranteed Law School Admission Program guarantees St. Mary’s graduates admission to the School of Law, if they meet certain criteria.

Faculty

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