What Is Georgetown English, and Why Major in It?
In the Georgetown English Department, students read and write broadly and in multiple genres; they experiment with creative practice, engage multiple audiences, and explore a range of texts and an array of methods for encountering them. Courses are taught in small classes by committed teachers who are also globally-recognized leaders in their fields: many have won major prizes and all are active contributors to literary and critical conversations worldwide. (See our faculty bookshelf here; see prize news here.)
The Department’s focus on seminar-style classes and careful engagement means that students work closely with world-class scholars, writers, and practitioners throughout their time at Georgetown, developing mentorship relationships and intellectual connections that persist well after graduation.
Our refined and sharpened major, adopted in Fall 2024, is designed to emphasize historical range and an ethically-attuned openness to diversity. The curriculum enables students to customize their work, pursuing advanced studies in areas of cultural and literary production they care about most. This combination of versatility and customizable focus ensures that students emerge with intellectual tools and practical skills that will empower them to succeed in an array of professional, intellectual, and artistic endeavors– and to live a life of purpose in which they will not follow, but lead.
Enhanced by our optional Concentrations in Global Cultures, Media, Genre, and Creative & Public Writing, Georgetown English majors generate powerful narratives of their own development. Translated into application letters and job interviews, these personalized stories chart curiosity, challenge, and accomplishment. English graduates emerge ready to tell future employers and admissions boards about the advanced projects they pursued; what skills they used to pursue them; and why those skills matter.
For these reasons and others, Georgetown English students succeed at advanced levels in a variety of fields. Our roster of distinguished alumni includes business leaders and law professionals, high school teachers, comedians, doctors, entrepreneurs, and journalists. There are government officials, international aid workers, communications professionals, and investment consultants —as well as novelists, poets, and screenwriters. Brilliant future professors come of Georgetown English (many), but most graduates find success outside the academy. One recent graduate wrote a debut novel shortlisted for major prizes; another is an associate at a major New York law firm; a third helps lead an experimental high school in Arkansas. A Georgetown English major covers national politics for NBC. You can review the list of Georgetown English alumni, and get a sense of their accomplishments. And for a flavor of what current students are up to, please visit the English Undergraduate Council’s Instagram page: majors and minors find opportunities to link with other English students regularly.
Most students declare their English major in their sophomore year, but majors can be declared after this too. First-year students interested in the program should consult their current English professors or the Director of Undergraduate Studies. The DUS typically serves as default advisor for all new English majors, but students are encouraged to develop advisory relationships with other faculty too –and the DUS can help connect you.