Girl writing in a notebook and sitting at a desk

English

English

Turn your passion for sharing information and telling stories into a profitable career with an English degree from SMC.

The degree will fine tune your creative, analytical, critical thinking, and communications skills and prepare you to apply those skills in a variety of roles across a wide range of industries, including teaching, journalism, public relations, medicine, law, tech, entertainment, and more. A degree in English can take you literally anywhere you want to go.

  • About the Degree

    Whether you aspire to be a writer, work as an editor, teach at the secondary or post secondary level, or become an advertising professional, you can get your start at SMC.

    Our English degree will develop you into a strong reader, organized writer, detailed researcher, and critical thinker who understands how to analyze and share information. You'll take the general education courses required by most degrees so that you can easily transfer. But the program also lets you choose more specific pathways through literature-focused or creative writing-focused courses.

    Adding to this versatility, you'll be exposed to business writing, mass media writing, film studies, pop culture, and gender studies. You’ll graduate eager to dive deep into English or a more specific degree at the university level confident in your skills as a writer and critical thinker.

    The Associate in Arts in English is a two-year degree designed to transfer to four-year schools for a bachelor’s degree in English or related fields.

  • What You’ll Learn

    View the full curriculum guide for the Associate in Arts in English.

  • What Can I Do With an English Degree?

    The skills gained with an English degree can be useful for a wide variety of roles. Graduates are well suited for work as a writer, editor, or teacher and are also great fits for positions in advertising, corporate communications, social media, content writing, journalism, and more.

    Careers and Salaries
    Career Option Salary
    Editors: $75,020
    Postsecondary Teacher: $84,380
    Public Relations Specialists: $66,750
    Technical Writers: $80,050
    Writers and Authors: $73,690

    2023 median pay. Source: The Bureau of Labor Statistics.

English and Communications Interest Group

Join the English and Communications Interest Group to engage with the subject outside the classroom, share your works, and connect with other students who share your interests. The group is open to any student interested in activities and discussions related to writing, literature, or film. The group hosts open mic nights, writing contests, workshops, film nights, book discussions, and more.

 

Man talking into a microphone on a stage
Campus Photos June 2019 65

Facilities

The Foster W. Daugherty Building is home to all communications, social science, and humanities classes at SMC.

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