We offer

Individualized Attention

Small class sizes from award-winning faculty & staff and advisors

Active Learning & Research

Classes dedicated around active learning in research, creative endeavors, and historical archives

Communities & Connections

Establishing connections through clubs, mentoring, guest speakers, and networking events

Degree Areas

english ba

Our flexible English major offers four programs of study: Literary Studies, Creative Writing, English Education, and Popular Culture.

Film Studies BA

Innovative Bachelors of Arts in Film Studies, as well as a Minor in Film Studies, & two filmmaking Minors in Fiction Filmmaking and in Documentary Production.

Creative Writing Minor

The creative writing minor offers students a program that blends foundational work in literary studies, exploration of creative writing in multiple genres, and a focused capstone experience.

Popular Culture Minor

The popular culture minor offers students opportunities for in-depth study of popular culture texts, trends, and topics across a range of media.

english Ma

Provides students with a comprehensive grounding in literature, critical theory, and a variety of research methodologies. Designed to develop the skills associated with literary and cultural criticism, as well as editorial, research, writing, and teaching skills.

English PHD

Our doctoral program offers advanced study of English, and global Anglophone literature in a range of theoretical orientations and interdisciplinary, cross-field areas of study in combination with the historical periods that have generally defined the study of national literatures.

Administrative statement: For an Antiracist English Department

As we continue to process the abhorrent killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and Rayshard Brooks, and witness the largest protests in the U.S. since 1968, the leadership of the MSU Department of English wishes to affirm its commitment to anti-racist action.

2021 Department of English Outstanding Senior Awards

This year, the Department of English launched a new student award—the Outstanding Senior Award. This award, sponsored by the Dianna S. Cavett Endowment for English Literature, recognizes graduating seniors who embody the mission and values of the Department of English.

english student earns marshall scholarship

Emily Steffke, an Honors College senior majoring in neuroscience in the College of Natural Science and English in the College of Arts and Letters, has been named a Marshall Scholar. The Marshall Commission provides support for up to 50 of the most outstanding undergraduates in the country …

MSU English Doctoral Program Ranks in Top 25 Nationally for Minority Student Enrollment

Diverse: Issues in Higher Education ranked Michigan State University’s English Doctoral Research Program in the Top 25 nationally for total minority student enrollment (No. 22) and all-races combined enrollment (No. 23) in 2022-2023 as part of its Top 100 Degree Producers ranking. “The discipline of English as a whole is enriched when our graduate student […]

College Receives National Award for Innovative Policies and Programs Supporting Non-Tenure-Track Faculty

Michigan State University’s College of Arts & Letters has been selected as a winner of the 2024 Delphi Award for its dedicated work to include non-tenure-track faculty as full partners through its Charting Pathways of Intellectual Leadership (CPIL) initiative. As a winner of this award, the College of Arts & Letters will receive $15,000 to continue its work to support non-tenure-track faculty in promoting student success.

College Welcomes 41 New Faculty and Staff Members

This year the College of Arts & Letters welcomes 41 new faculty and staff members. These faculty and staff members were recognized during the College of Arts & Letters’ 2024 Faculty and Staff Welcome Reception on Sept. 30 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.