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Online Bachelor's Degree BA in English Language & Literature

Explore the Vast World of Literature and Writing with an Online English Degree

Turn your love of reading and writing into a rewarding career with our online English degree. With a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature, you’ll gain the communication and research skills that are prized by employers. You'll learn proven techniques to pinpoint and analyze information that helps you build support for your ideas and opinions. You'll also learn to think critically and write effectively – skills vital to any career you choose to pursue.

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See Yourself Succeed with a BA in English Language & Literature

At SNHU, our online English degree  curriculum is designed to help you craft stories, present ideas, think critically and creatively, and develop a broad knowledge of literary classics. Learn how to develop, craft and present ideas and stories that help you convince, persuade and educate. Discover how to create new concepts and stories by uncovering and dissecting various viewpoints. Gain a unique perspective and understanding of the world by reading, evaluating and discussing English literature that's influenced society. 

As a private, nonprofit university, SNHU has one mission – to help you see yourself succeed. The benefits of earning your BA in English Language and Literature online at SNHU include:

  • Affordability. Take advantage of some of the most affordable tuition rates in the nation
  • Convenience. Attend class when it’s convenient for you – online education means 24/7 access
  • Efficiency and flexibility. Complete your undergraduate degree at your own pace, over six 8-week terms per year
  • Expert instruction. Learn from instructors with relevant, real-world experience
  • Networking. Tap into our nationwide network of alumni for internship and career opportunities
  • Simple application process. Just fill out an online undergraduate application, and we’ll retrieve U.S. transcripts from your previous institutions and automatically complete an official credit evaluation. Plus, there’s no application fee
  • Student support. Count on the ongoing support of dedicated academic and career advisors specialized in your area of study
  • Transfer-friendly enrollment. Transfer up to 90 credits toward an undergraduate degree

Career Outlook

The BA in English Language and Literature degree opens up many career possibilities, including writing. With additional training and certification, graduates could also explore teaching as a career path. Graduates with a BA in English literature may also consider law school or become politicians, marketing communications professionals, historians, museum curators, nonprofit directors and more.

Curriculum

Our online English degree courses are taught by highly credentialed and accomplished instructors with deep insights into the industry.

Required Core Courses
General Education Program

Major Courses
ENG 350 The English Language

This course is an introduction to the following topics in English linguistics: history of English, etymology, vocabulary (morphology), phonology, dictionaries, syntax, semantics, dialects, discourse analysis, and child language acquisition. The course is designed for students who want to learn about the English language as preparation for teaching, or for becoming better writers, or for studying literature. Students will have the opportunity to research, write about, and present on a linguistic topic of individual interest such as the language of advertising or propaganda.
LIT 300 Literary Theory

This course is an introduction to the major schools of contemporary critical theory, and an examination of principal exponents of these theories. The student will become familiar with the most important features of psychoanalytic criticism, Marxism and feminism and examine the meaning of structuralism and post-structuralism. In addition, the course affords an opportunity to practice applying the theories to specific literary texts.
LIT 319 Shakespeare

Students in LIT 319 study selected Shakespearian comedies, tragedies and chronicle plays. The course also provides the students with a general overview of the Elizabethan era and the world in which Shakespeare lived and worked.

LIT ELE - Students may select one 200-level Literature elective
LIT ELE - Students may select three (3) 300-level Literature electives
LIT ELE - Students may select one 400-level Literature elective
HIS ELE - Students may select one 100 or 200-level History elective
LIT ELE - Students may select two (2) 100 or 200-level Literature electives

Select one of the following:

ENG 327 Playwriting Workshop

This course is a roundtable forum in which 10 to 15 students will write stage plays of various lengths using traditional and experimental methods and forms. Members of the class will produce at intervals to be established by the instructor and will take turns presenting their works to the group for comment and discussion. The class will produce some student plays during the term. May not be used as a literature elective. Writing Intensive Course.
ENG 328 Poetry Writing Workshop

This course is a roundtable forum in which 10 to 15 students will write short or long poems using traditional and experimental forms. Members of the class will produce on a weekly basis and take turns presenting their manuscripts to the group for commentary and discussion. May not be used as a literature elective.
ENG 329 Fiction Writing Workshop

This course is a roundtable forum in which 10 to 15 students will write short or long fiction using the techniques of 19th-century realism as well as modernist and experimental techniques. Members of the class will produce on a weekly basis and take turns presenting their manuscripts to the group for commentary and discussion. May not be used as a literature elective.
ENG 330 Nonfiction Writing Workshop

This course introduces students to the basic skills and principles of writing creative nonfiction and magazine feature articles. Student-centered workshop critiques and frequent conferences with the instructor are the primary methods used in the course. The course includes significant reading assignments in nonfiction genres.

Select either option of the following:
LIT 485A Senior Thesis in Literature

This course is an option for seniors of exceptional ability who are majoring in English language and literature and who wish to have a graduate-level research and writing experience in some chosen area of American, British or world literature. Students must petition to take the course. The following requirements are for undergraduate day campus students. Students who receive permission from the area coordinator/department chair and their academic advisors must proceed to formulate a written thesis proposal and assemble a three-person academic support committee, equipped with relevant expertise, no later than March 30th of the junior year. The proposal will then be submitted for approval to the individual's advisory committee. Assuming the project is universally approved, the student will meet with one or more members of the committee on a biweekly basis to review progress on research and written work. The final result will be a scholarly essay of 40 to 60 pages, to be presented as an academic paper in a public forum at least three weeks before graduation. Offered on an ongoing basis, as this is a yearlong course option. The following requirements are for undergraduate COCE students: Students who receive permission from their academic advisors must proceed to formulate a written thesis proposal to be submitted for approval to the selected instructor. If the project is approved, the student will collaborate with the instructor in the online course to review progress on research and written work. The final result will be a scholarly essay of 40 to 60 pages, to be presented to the instructor as a cohesive and polished academic paper with a supplemental essay that outlines plans to present/publish the paper after the course is complete. Offered on an ongoing basis, as this is, at a minimum, a two-term research and writing project.

LIT 485B Senior Thesis in Literature

This course is an option for seniors of exceptional ability who are majoring in English language and literature and who wish to have a graduate-level research and writing experience in some chosen area of American, British or world literature. Students must petition to take the course. The following requirements are for undergraduate day campus students. Students who receive permission from the area coordinator/department chair and their academic advisors must proceed to formulate a written thesis proposal and assemble a three-person academic support committee, equipped with relevant expertise, no later than March 30th of the junior year. The proposal will then be submitted for approval to the individual's advisory committee. Assuming the project is universally approved, the student will meet with one or more members of the committee on a biweekly basis to review progress on research and written work. The final result will be a scholarly essay of 40 to 60 pages, to be presented as an academic paper in a public forum at least three weeks before graduation. Offered on an ongoing basis, as this is a yearlong course option. The following requirements are for undergraduate COCE students: Students who receive permission from their academic advisors must proceed to formulate a written thesis proposal to be submitted for approval to the selected instructor. If the project is approved, the student will collaborate with the instructor in the online course to review progress on research and written work. The final result will be a scholarly essay of 40 to 60 pages, to be presented to the instructor as a cohesive and polished academic paper with a supplemental essay that outlines plans to present/publish the paper after the course is complete. Offered on an ongoing basis, as this is, at a minimum, a two-term research and writing project.

LIT ELE - Students may select two (2) 300 or 400-level Literature electives

Free Elective Credits: 33

Total Credits: 120

Program Outcomes

Tuition & Fees

Tuition rates for SNHU's online degree programs are among the lowest in the nation. We offer financial aid packages to those who qualify, plus a 30 percent tuition discount for U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty.

Online Undergraduate Programs Per Course* Per Credit Hour*
Degree/Certificates $960 $320
Degree/Certificates
(U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty) 		$675 $225

*Tuition Rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually.

Additional Costs
No Application Fee, $150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)

University Accreditation

Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges as well as several other accrediting bodies. More...