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The Department of English and Modern Languages offers a flexible B.A. in English that can be completed in person or online. The department also offers a minor in English, a certificate in American Studies, and courses in Chinese and Spanish.
As an English major, you will wrestle with the big questions that drive your personal and professional goals. What is a good life? What is our responsibility to each other? How do we use language to create ideas and impact the world? You also will complete an internship and two capstone courses to set yourself up for success in the workforce or graduate school.
Because we are a close-knit community, you won’t do this work alone. You will get plenty of mentorship and support from your professors and fellow English majors.
It’s time for you to make your mark as an English major at Georgia Southwestern!
Why major in English? Every field needs professionals who can think creatively, write compellingly, and tell stories that move people to act. GSW English alumni are practicing attorneys, published authors, business owners, social media creators, nonprofit developers, grant writers, and news and media producers. They have built careers out of their love for reading, writing, and language—and you can, too.
English graduates can find careers in a variety of fields including:
Department of English and Modern Languages
English Building
229-931-2183
erica.hill@gsw.edu
Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 4:00 pm
Our curriculum is more than a checklist. It is a map of options through which you will chart your own path. Learn how to be someone people listen to in any room by taking rhetoric and composition courses like Professional Editing or Technical Writing. Explore the human experience across continents, centuries, and genres by taking literature courses like Horror and the Supernatural or Fantasy and Science Fiction. Give your imagination space to grow by taking creative writing courses like Digital Narrative or Writing Fiction. Follow your curiosity or build toward a specific career—or both.
Some of the best parts of being an English major at GSW happen outside the classroom. You can submit your work to be considered for Blue Fire, our literary and arts magazine. You can create original scholarship and present it at GSW’s undergraduate research symposium. You can travel to new places and see English studies in action on our field trips. And you can do it all with friends and professors who are rooting for you to succeed.
Enhance your English degree with a minor in English or Spanish, or broaden your perspective with a certificate in American Studies! These programs pair well with a wide range of majors, including business, technical fields, and the social sciences, helping students strengthen their communication, critical thinking, and cultural awareness.
Students pursuing the American Studies certificate explore U.S. history, literature, and culture through an interdisciplinary lens, developing a deeper understanding of the diverse American experience and the nation’s place in a global context.
Yes, students have the opportunity to pursue a degree in English on-campus or completely online!
As an online student, you have the opportunity to choose from a multitude of diverse minors and certificates, including:
An English degree at Georgia Southwestern State University can prepare you for a wide range of careers that value strong communication, critical thinking, creativity, and analytical skills. GSW English graduates pursue professions in law, publishing, education, marketing, public relations, journalism, nonprofit leadership, social media management, business, and professional writing. English is also one of the most common pre-law majors, as the program helps students develop the reading, research, writing, and argumentation skills essential for success in law school and legal careers. Whether your goal is to become an attorney, teacher, writer, editor, content creator, or communications professional, a degree in English provides a versatile foundation for many career paths.
Yes, there are many scholarship opportunities available exclusively to students in the Department of English and Modern Languages.
Explore career outcomes of GSW English graduates, including top skills, employers, and job titles.
Average Salary
$69,891
Job Titles
Top Skills
Source: Steppingblocks, 2026
I love being an English major because our professors encourage us to think creatively. Yes, we focus on grammar and syntax, but also explore different types of writing, like copywriting and technical writing. Our unique perspectives and deep analysis of texts are valued, and subjectivity is always welcomed.
I'm constantly using the skills I learned with my degree to ensure clients are happy. Skills like attention to detail, problem solving, communication, and critical thinking are incredibly important to my role and I'm grateful for my time at GSW because it honed these skills. Outside of my day job, I also write and publish my poetry. My first poetry collection, The Fragile Humans We Are, released February 1st, 2025, and even features a few poems from my senior project at GSW!
I use the skills I learned as an English major every day. With my writing, it seemed like I was a step ahead of a lot of my law school classmates, and that has carried over into my career.
Literary analysis taught me critical thinking and shaped my outlook on the world. The English degree will give you a solid foundation for writing and thinking that you will discover is uncommon when you enter your career.