English

In support of the LaGuardia’s mission to educate and graduate its students to become critical thinkers and socially responsible citizens, the College has undertaken a team approach toward advising, designed to support you in your major from orientation through graduation.

Your Advising Team is made up of faculty, professional and peer advisors. They will guide you at every step during your college career. They are ready to help you:

• Explore your major
• Select introductory and advanced courses
• Connect you with campus support services
• Prepare an educational and career plan

Visit the Advising page to learn more about when to get advised and how to prepare for an advising appointment, and check out the Advising Calendar for information sessions, events and more.

You can do anything with an English Major!

Not only is that the name of our annual fall career panel, it is true too!

Most employers look to hire people with "communication skills" - a catch-all phrase for someone who can express his/her ideas clearly and convincingly both orally and in writing. This includes speaking in meetings and when on the phone and writing in memos and reports, and via e-mail and other correspondence. They also want someone who can think independently, access important information, weigh the pros and cons when confronted with several choices, and make decisions about the best course of action.

Employers recognize that being a Writing and Literature major enhances all these skills. They know that if you've had practice interpreting literature, discussing your ideas in class, researching authors, developing thesis statements, and drafting, editing and revising essays you have the kind of experience they need.
 

Here’s just a few career paths to explore:

Advising Business Management Book Publishing Counseling Event Publishing Film and Television Writing

Fundraising Internet Publishing Journalism Law Magazine Publishing Marketing

Nonprofit Management Public Relations Radio Broadcasting Teaching

Please do not feel bound by this list. Being an English major doesn't limit you to any particular career. Instead, it opens the door to many possible futures!

Explore career possibilities on Career Connect. 

Current Students
Log in to My LaGuardia to review your Degree Audit to find out what classes to take. Have questions about using Degree Audit? Visit LaGuardia's Degree Audit page for tutorials and how-to guides.

Prospective Students
Review the curriculum.

Please note: Students will be held to the program and degree requirements of the year that they enter the College, unless the student changes their major in a different academic year. In that case, the student will be held to the current year requirements as listed in the catalog. Learn more.

Degree Map
Use the Degree Map and DegreeWorks to assist in academic planning and creating your own graduation plan in ePortfolio. See a full list of Flexible Core courses on the Pathways page.

For information about this program’s retention and graduation rate visit the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment website page.

English majors are advised to select courses from the following list to complete the Pathways Flexible Core, assuming the chosen courses are not already being used to satisfy one of the major’s requirements:

World Cultures and Global Issues

Discipline	Course Number	Course Name
Literature	ENG205	The Bible as Literature
Literature	ENG250	The Short Story
Literature	ENG266	Shakespeare
Literature	ENG270	Introduction to Poetry
Literature	ENG290	British Literature I

US Experience in its Diversity

Discipline	Course Number	Course Name
Literature	ENG204	Asian American Literature
Literature	ENG225	Afro-American Literature
Literature	ENG248	Latina/o Writing in the US
Literature	ENG268	The Immigrant Experience in American Literature
Literature	ENG292	American Literature I
Literature	ENN195	Violence in American Art & Culture*

Creative Expression

Discipline	Course Number	Course Name
Creative Writing	ENG271	Poetry Writing
Creative Writing	ENG274	Creative Non-fiction Workshop
Creative Writing	ENG276	Fiction Writing Workshop
Creative Writing	ENN198	Creative Writing Workshop*
Creative Writing	HUC/ENG238	Screenwriting
Journalism	ENG212	Feature Writing for Newspapers
Literature	ENG275	The Woman Writer

Scientific World

Discipline	Course Number	Course Name
Applied Linguistics	ELL101	Introduction to Language
Philosophy	HUP112	Logic and Philosophy
Mathematics	MAT200	Pre-Calculus (STEM)
Mathematics	MAT201	Calculus I (STEM)
Biology	SCB115	Principles of Biology I (STEM)
Biology	SCB165	Vertebrae Evolution
Biology	SCB201	Fundamentals of Biology I (STEM)
Biology	SCB202	Fundamentals of Biology II (STEM)
Biology	SCB203	Human Anatomy & Physiology I (STEM)
Biology	SCB204	Human Anatomy & Physiology II (STEM)
Biology	SCB265	Fundamentals of Ecology (STEM)
Chemistry	SCC201	Fundamentals of Chemistry I (STEM)
Chemistry	SCC202	Fundamentals of Chemistry II (STEM)
Chemistry	SCC105	Introduction to Chemistry (STEM)
Chemistry	SCC110	Foundations of Chemistry (STEM)
Physics	SCP160	Foundations for the Physical Sciences
Physics	SCP201	Fundamentals of Physics I (STEM)
Physics	SCP202	Fundamentals of Physics II (STEM)
Physics	SCP231	General Physics I (STEM)
Physics	SCP232	General Physics II (STEM)
Anthropology	SSA100	Introduction to Anthropology
Anthropology	SSA103	Introduction to Archaeology
Psychology	SSY101	General Psychology
Psychology	SSY230	Abnormal Psychlogy

*Urban Studies course

Example #1

Note: Student can select only two courses from any onediscipline.

Two Courses from the Literary Studies Discipline

Two Courses from the Creative Writing Discipline

One Course from the Journalism Discipline

One Course from the Applied Linguistics Discipline

 

ENG250 The Short Story (World Cultures and Global issues)

ENG 292: American Literature I (U.S. Experience in itsDiversity)

ENG276 Fiction Writing Workshop (Creative Expressions)

ENG 210 Journalism: Its Scope and Use (Individual andSociety)

ELL 101: Introduction to Language (Scientific World)

* ENG271 Poetry Writing (Creative Expressions)

 
*This course represents the additional course required: all five Flexible Core categories are satisfied.

Example #2

Note: Student can select only two courses from any one discipline.

Two Courses from the Literary Studies Discipline

One Course from the Creative Writing Discipline

Two Courses from the Journalism Discipline

One Course from the Anthropology Discipline

 

ENG290 British Literature I (World Cultures and Global issues)

ENG225 Afro--American Literature (U.S. Experience in its Diversity)

ENG274 Creative Non--fiction Workshop (Creative Expressions)

ENG 210 Journalism: Its Scope and Use (Individual and Society)

SSA100 Introduction to Anthropology (Scientific World)

* ENG212 Feature Writing for Newspapers (Creative Expressions)

*This course represents the additional course required: all five Flexible Core categories are satisfied

What are some of the skills practiced by English majors?

• close reading
• critical thinking
• literary analysis
• interpretation
• persuasion
• research
• writing clearly and convincingly
• writing as process
• drafting
• editing
• revising

Of course you already know how to read, but as a English major you'll learn how to read more effectively, how to better understand what you're reading, how to do research, how to interpret that research to help support your ideas, how to express your ideas clearly and convincingly in writing, and how to take advantage of the writing process through drafting, revising, and editing.

 

What courses are required for the English major?
If you are a current student: Log in to the CUNY Portal to review your Degree Audit to find out what classes to take.

If you are a prospective student: Review the Creative Writing curriculum and the recommended course sequence in the Curriculum section above.

 

Who teaches LaGuardia's English courses?
The faculty members in LaGuardia's English department are caring, dedicated, and experienced professors who are published writers of fiction, non-fiction, literary criticism, and poetry. Many have professional ties to both corporate and nonprofit industries, including publishing, journalism, and radio broadcasting.

 

Still have questions?
Contact Us.

The English program curriculum has been developed in close consultation with Queens College and is designed to articulate fully with the English major there as well as at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. The credits in English at LaGuardia will all transfer to the English major and core writing requirements at both colleges. Liberal Arts courses offered at LaGuardia will fulfill Queens College General Education requirements. Students who major in English at LaGuardia and transfer to Queens College or John Jay College of Criminal Justice will enter as juniors.

Even if you choose to transfer elsewhere or change majors, the skills you acquire as a English major will help prepare you for success in any field.

Visit the Articulation Agreements page to learn more about transfer opportunities.

Being a good writer – of exposition, prose, poetry, plays, stories, novels, or other genres – is key to making yourself understood on the page and it can help you express your ideas more clearly when speaking as well. The study of literature is not about finding the one right answer: It’s about coming up with your own answers and learning how to justify them. The philosophy is to stretch your mind, be creative, and learn how to think. Reading great literature can expand your horizons, introduce you to worlds you might otherwise never know, and teach you about the human condition. College is a time to open your eyes to new things – becoming an English major is an ideal way to do this.

The program also provides students with the opportunity for exciting extra-curricular activities. Students in the English program are encouraged to participate in departmental and college-wide activities such as student and faculty fiction and poetry readings. The program hosts a career panel every year, inviting former Writing and Literature majors working in a wide range of fields to share their experiences. Publications, such as The Lit, and The Bridge, offer students relevant experience with literary and journalistic writing. The English program offers a path that may lead to careers as diverse as teaching, editing, publishing, journalism, public relations, medicine, law, and many other possibilities.

As a English major you’ll learn

• How to read more effectively
• How to better understand what you’re reading
• How to do research
• How to interpret that research to help support your ideas
• How to express your ideas clearly and convincingly in writing
• How to take advantage of the writing process through drafting, revising, and editing

The major thus prepares you to study and work better, to continue your college education and embark on a successful career in a wide variety of fields since the skills you learn can be adapted to almost any educational or work environment, and to lead a richer life – personally, emotionally, and intellectually.