English

The English department at Salem State offers a diverse and enthusiastic faculty ready to fully engage your intellect and imagination, with a broad and innovative array of classes, concentrations in areas such as film studies, creative writing, professional writing, and literature, and a unique and inspiring setting in beautiful and historic Salem, MA. Classes are small and student-focused, and are led by a faculty at the forefront of their respective fields. English majors at Salem State go on to successful careers in education, publishing, business, and public service. Most importantly, a degree in English from Salem State prepares students to think critically and creatively about their role in a rapidly changing cultural and professional environment.

English majors bring highly-valued critical thinking and communication skills to the workplace. The master of arts degree is increasingly significant in demonstrating advanced mastery and ability in critical analysis and creative thinking. With our combined degree, students can earn a bachelor of arts and a master of arts in five years.

Students can choose from several options, combining different writing and literature focused programs including:

BA/MA, English Literature

BA, English/MA, English Writing

BA, English, Creative Writing/MA, English Literature

BA, English, Creative Writing/MA, English Writing

BA, English, Professional Writing/MA, English Literature

BA, English, Professional Writing/MA, English Writing

This combined 4+1 program allows the English major who is interested in teaching English to speakers of other languages to earn both degrees in five years. Students will take graduate credits as part of their undergraduate English major and will have a minor in educational studies that also incorporates graduate coursework. Students who earn the MATESOL can pursue both the licensure track which prepares students to teaching in K-12 publish schools in Massachusetts, and the non-licensure track will prepare you to teach in adult, overseas, college or community settings. Students should apply after earning between 45 and 90 undergraduate credits.

This program prepares students for careers as middle or high school English teachers. The combined BA/MEd in English and secondary education gives students the opportunity to pursue a BA in English with a second major in secondary education and a master's of education with initial licensure in five years. Competitive fellowships for the master's year offer students the opportunity to have their tuition and fees for their fifth year covered by a local school district.

Please note that the BA/MEd program has a special admissions process. 

The creative writing concentration offers students classes in various genres: fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and scriptwriting, as well as special topics. Students meet accomplished writers who visit creative writing classes as part of Salem State’s Writers’ Series, and they have the opportunity to work on Soundings East, Salem State’s international literary magazine. They culminate their experience by writing a creative writing thesis, working individually with a faculty mentor, and producing a chapbook of their work published by the creative writing program.

The professional writing program educates students in the critical thinking, collaborative temperament and writing skills required for 21st century leadership. As knowledge workers, professional writers identify, access, harvest, process, create, and disseminate information in text, graphics and video, in both traditional and new media.

The minor in dramatic literature allows students interested in dramatic texts and their performance to study the genre from a variety of different historical, theoretical, and practical perspectives. Students may select from a wide range of elective courses in subjects such as Shakespeare, theatrical modernism, non-western drama, and dramaturgy, among other special topics courses. The minor offers a solid foundation in dramatic literature applicable to a variety of future career paths in the performing arts, especially dramatic criticism, literary management, and dramaturgy.

The minor in English allows students the flexibility to explore all aspects of the discipline, from literature to language, and from theory to writing. Students will select from our broad and innovative array of classes in literary studies, creative writing, professional writing, film studies, and more. The English minor is an asset for students intending to pursue a range of careers, including business, publishing, public service and healthcare. 

The minor in film studies allows students to study our rapidly increasing visual culture. Students will explore film as an aesthetic, cultural, and historical form, consider the particularities of the medium and the vocabulary of film, engage with debates in film theory, and learn about a variety of particular filmic genres and issues. The minor in film studies is designed to provide a balanced program of experiences in theoretical and practical aspects of film studies.

Professional writing is a minor that complements and enhances any academic skill set in any academic major. Our rich educational program allows students to collaborate on projects, write audience-oriented prose, research sources, and learn how to edit other writers. Professional writing classes focus on modern processes, electronic collaboration and online interactive media. Students understand that they are writing for organizations and develop a keen sense of their intended audience.

The minor in writing offers students the opportunity to explore both creative and professional writing. Students develop authentic voices as creative writers, and audience-oriented prose appropriate for writing for organizations. In addition to introductory classes in both creative and professional writing, students benefit from craft and workshop classes in specific genres: poetry, fiction, non-fiction and dramatic writing.

Our MA English program will help you to develop the critical reading, writing, and thinking skills needed for the next step on your career path, whether you are pursuing a career in writing or editing, advancing your training, preparing for doctoral studies, or advancing to professional licensure* or beyond.

*Please be aware that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts may change licensure requirements. Students are advised to contact the state for specific, current licensure requirements. Students may access that information at the Department for Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).

Pursue a balanced program of reflection and research in principles and practices for the instruction of English language and literature with a particular emphasis placed on fieldwork experiences. Successful completion of the program leads to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts academic requirements for licensure to teach English at the middle and secondary levels.

This versatile program prepares you to teach in a variety of settings, combining theory and practice in preparing speakers of other languages to progress towards fluency in English.

The master of arts/master of arts in teaching English offers students a balanced program of reflection and research in principles and practices for teaching English language and literature, particularly emphasizing contemporary methodology. It builds additional competence in the subject area of English.

Successful completion of the program leads to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts academic requirements for licensure to teach English at the secondary level. It also prepares students for advanced studies in literature at the doctoral level.

Innovative, flexible and practical for professionals and academics in almost any discipline, the fully online graduate certificate in digital studies trains educators and practitioners in the humanities and sciences in the skills needed to enter and succeed in fields such as digital archiving and stewardship, museum and library curation, cultural heritage preservation, and public history.

The graduate certificate in teaching English to speakers of other languages is designed to prepare students to teach in a variety of community, international, workplace, and adult settings. Whether you are beginning your career in TESOL or looking to make a difference in the lives of English learners, this flexible 15-credit program can be tailored to help you meet your goals.

The Certificate in Writing and Rhetoric program is designed for current and future teachers of writing whose careers depend upon a strong foundation in literacy and keen rhetorical analysis. Our courses give students a thorough introduction to writing and rhetoric as a scholarly field as well as hands-on, administrative and teaching experience through our internship program. The strengths of our program include areas such as digital writing, multilingual writing, and writing center/writing program administration. 

The program is unique in that it offers students rich opportunities for theory, practice, research, and internships with mentoring from experienced writing program administrators and faculty. This program is ideal for current secondary education teachers across the disciplines, community college and first year writing teachers, and students interested in pursuing further graduate studies in departments of writing, rhetoric, or a related field.

This initial licensure-only program in TESOL allows students to obtain a PK-6 or 5-12 Massachusetts teacher educator license in ESL  without pursuing the entire master's degree. It is designed for those who already have a master's degree in another field or for those who have an initial or professional license in another content area.