Ouachita Stories

blog

What Can't You Do with an English Major?

December 08, 2025 - Jennifer Pittman & Sarah Smith

Why Study English at Ouachita?

Do you love getting lost in a good story? Do you relish finding just the right words to capture what you want to say? Do you crave community with others who share a passion for language and literature — and who believe that reading and writing well matter deeply?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then Ouachita Baptist University’s English program may be for you! In our Department of Language & Literature, connect with good writers from across the ages and with fellow students who share your passion for the written word. 

As you discern how best to use your interests and talents to make the world better, partner with Ouachita’s English faculty, who have each experienced the transformative power of a liberal arts education and who understand that creativity, critical thought and emotional intelligence — in short, humanity — is God-given and cannot be replaced by automated systems.

By studying English at Ouachita, you’ll have opportunities to...

Study What You Love and Share What You Learn

Take classes like American Novels, Children’s and Young Adult Literature; Creative Writing; C. S. Lewis; Editing; Grammar: Theory and Practice; Shakespeare; and Studies in Drama.
Work as a consultant in the Speer Writing Center, where you’ll train to serve our campus community by working one-on-one with undergraduate and graduate students to help them grow as writers throughout all stages of the writing process.

“Being an English major was the best decision I made to prepare for law school. The professors didn't just make me a better write — they made me a better critical thinker, and I notice that preparation in every single law school class I take.

I would encourage anyone, no matter their intended field, to consider an English major or minor. The coursework teaches you how to think critically, form well-reasoned opinions and engage in insightful discussions with peers and professors. Those skills translate to any profession and any graduate program.”

Emilee Webb – 2024 English graduate and current student at the University of Arkansas School of Law

Travel and Make Connections

Travel to the Sundance Film Festival in Boulder, Colorado (beginning in 2027), where you'll deepen your understanding of film, culture and even your own faith by attending film screenings, meeting filmmakers and participating in the Windrider Forum.
Attend the Festival of Faith and Writing in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where you’ll find inspiration and community through attending workshops, seminars, book signings and other events that feature authors, editors and publishers dedicated to exploring intersections between faith and the written word.
Study abroad through Ouachita’s Grant Center for International Education, where you can grow your communication skills and immerse yourself in a rich array of cultural experiences by spending a summer, semester or year at institutions including (but certainly not limited to) England’s Liverpool Hope University and Japan’s Seinan Gakuin University.

Take Advantage of Publishing and Honors Opportunities

Publish your own scholarly and creative work in our annual student essay collection, Assayers, and in our award-winning, bilingual, student-run literary magazine, SCOPE/toda su dimensión.
Join our campus chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, through which you’ll have opportunities to attend academic conferences; earn awards, grants and scholarships; gain access to publication and mentorship opportunities; and fellowship with other English honors students on our campus and across the globe.
Participate in the Carl Goodson Honors Program, where you’ll have unique opportunities to pursue and share your own scholarly and creative interests: for instance, by working individually with the professor of your choice to complete a directed study, and by designing a senior thesis project that helps you achieve your scholarly and creative goals (which might range from conducting archival research to filming a documentary or drafting a novel or play)!

A Degree with Major Options

If English isn’t your only passion, rest assured: our program pairs excellently with a wide range of other majors across Ouachita’s campus, like Christian studies, psychology, education and more. Indeed, we would argue that an English degree enhances almost any other major you might be considering; after all, the skills you’ll build in our program — including the abilities to analyze texts, ideas and situations; to think critically and creatively; and to write and speak effectively — will serve you well in any academic discipline or career path (not to mention all the ways these skills can enrich your personal life). Fun fact: our very own department chair minored in biology in college!

What Can't You Do with an English Degree?

Our alumni have used their English majors to pursue further study and earn advanced degrees from such impressive institutions as Cambridge, Denver Publishing Institute, Emory, Harvard Law, Johns Hopkins, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, New York University, St. Andrews and the University of Chicago.

Our alumni have also gone on to work in myriad professions, including as attorneys, authors, coaches, copywriters, development officers, editors, graphic designers, K-12 teachers, librarians, non-profit directors, pastors, professors, social media managers, social workers and technical writers.

Some in our world may ask, “What can you do with an English degree?” But we believe the better question is, “What can't you do with an English degree?”

If you want to know more about Ouachita’s English program, email Jennifer Pittman, assistant professor of English, at [email protected].