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California State University, Chico
College of Humanities and Fine Arts

English BA

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  • Program Type

    Undergraduate Major

  • Delivery Type

    On Campus

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Words can change your world. You can tackle most challenges by mastering language and sharpening your writing and interpretive skills. An English degree from Chico State will take you there. You’ll be able to write, teach, work in the nonprofit sector—almost anything you can think of.

Thanks to our student-focused professors, you’ll enjoy the experience of learning in the classroom and outside of it. They use timely topics to teach you technical and creative writing, and everything in between. You are also invited to learn actively in labs, see your pieces in print, and edit our award-winning literary magazine.

Students share their projects as part of the English Department’s WriteOn! event

An Experience Custom-Made by You

Participate in student-led writing challenges or perform pioneering language research. Choose from three options—English Education, English Studies, and Literature—and add minors like creative writing or linguistics. You can even earn certificates while still graduating on time.

Pick Your Preferred Path

As a student in the English BA program, you get to choose the major option that suits you best based on your unique passions and goals.

  • Willie the Wildcat reading a book by the creek

    English Education

    Thinking of teaching? This is the path for you. You’ll master the California English content standards, and be ready to enter a post-graduate teaching credential program.

  • The large red door of the Arts & Humanities Building (ARTS) read “Today Decides Tomorrow” and “Creativity Happens Here”

    English Studies

    Focus on your personal areas of interest in English—rhetoric, linguistics, creative writing, literacy, publishing, and composition—while developing marketable skills in problem solving and communication.

  • Spring bloom

    Literature

    Become an expert in literature and culture while sharpening your critical thinking abilities and gaining sought-after skills in fields such as business, education, publishing, and marketing, or in preparation for graduate studies.

Career Options Abound

An English degree unlocks amazing opportunities. Follow in the footsteps of some of our alumni by writing, editing, leading in the non-profit and corporate sectors, and more. Or carve your unique path by harnessing the skills you’ve gained by analyzing, synthesizing, and questioning the written word.

Some positions our English alumni currently hold include:  

  • Literary agent
  • Journalist
  • High school teacher
  • Editor
  • College Professor
  • Writer/Author
  • Lawyer
  • Political strategist
Cody Roberts is 2023's Graduate Studies (GRAD) Student Reflection Speaker
“
The English major community is accepting and diverse. We all recognize and celebrate each other’s work, and it makes you feel like you’re a part of something special.
Cody Roberts (English, ’21, MA English, ’23)

Learn By Doing

Publish, edit, research, and present—gain firsthand experience in your favored area of study and explore your passions through action.

  • Student working on a laptop during a coding class

    Linguistics Research

    Control cutting-edge equipment in the Linguistics Lab while performing studies using eye tracking and ultrasound. Discover what parts we play in the ways that language grows and changes.

  • Student's hat reads "writer" while he explore creative writing during a workshop

    Publishing and Editing

    Edit and publish pieces for one of the nation’s oldest continuously published student-run literary magazines, Watershed Review. Consider pursuing a certificate in Literary Editing and Publishing.

  • Clint Smith talking to a group of people

    Expert Advice

    Talk with acclaimed contemporary writers about their journey and yours as part of the Writer’s Voice program, which brings esteemed authors to campus to lead creative writing workshops and give public readings of their work.

Student enjoys a conversation during the reception with friends during the 17th annual English Symposium

Make connections. Carve out your place.

Find a warm, supportive, and engaging community in the English Society—a student-led club with a mission to enrich student relationships with peers, faculty, and alumni.

HFA Student Ambassador Ajia Saunders

Discover Stories and More

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