Major in English

You will learn from celebrated visiting writers and scholars who join your classes or read at the Rose O'Neill Literary House. (Toni Morrison visited in 1987 and read from an unpublished novel titled Beloved). You will engage in a variety of experiential learning opportunities, from class trips to study abroad programs to internships in communications, editing, journalism, publishing, and other fields. You will be guided by a faculty mentor and develop independent research for your Senior Capstone Experience. As a critic, editor, essayist, journalist, poet, and storyteller you will become knowledgeable and skilled in analysis, creativity, inquiry, and persuasion.

Washington College is also home to the largest undergraduate literary award in the country: the Sophie Kerr Prize. The prize is awarded each year to a graduating senior chosen for their "promise for future fulfillment in the field of literary endeavor." In a world of expanding communication, we need intelligent readers and artful writers to make meaningful connections. Graduates in English, Creative Writing, and Journalism, Editing & Publishing make meaning of the world in words.

Founded in 1782, Washington College was the first college chartered in the sovereign United States of America. General George Washington lent us his name, donated 50 guineas to our founding, and served on our first Board of Visitors and Governors. Our goal back then was to cultivate responsible citizen-leaders. Nowadays, we’re committed to giving our students the chance to succeed on their own terms through purposeful choices, enabling a healthy and regenerative global community.

Washington College students work closely with exceptional faculty on projects they are passionate about. With independent research facilitated by programs like the Cater Society and Toll Fellows and hands-on learning experiences, our students have access to amazing opportunities no matter what they’re studying. Print a chapbook on the antique letterpresses in the Rose O’Neill Literary House, scan the Chester River from aboard one of the Center for Environment & Society research vessels or study American history in our colonial town with the Starr Center. Fuse ancient wisdom and modern science with the Eastern Shore Food Lab to optimize human and environmental health.