Department of English

Explore your passion for the written word at Bloomsburg today.

Help others find the right words for a lifetime.

With insight and expertise, the English Department faculty will help you to expand your ability to read the written word and thereby better read the world. English Studies is a proven gateway into any number of professional paths. Our students gain critical analysis skills; cultural awareness through diverse literatures; an understanding of the power of language and how it functions; the use of language creatively for exposition, persuasion, and artistic effect; and, perhaps most important, the ability to adapt to what comes next. Students of our program walk away with tremendous growth potential for an ever-changing world.

Major tracks within the English Department

The department offers four major tracks that are designed to prepare students for a wide array of careers or graduate study: Literature, Creative Writing, Professional Writing and Digital Rhetoric, and Secondary Education-English.

• The Literature Track offers in-depth study of literary periods, styles, and genres, as well as linguistics and writing courses. It is perfect for students with interests in digital and print publishing, law school, marketing and public relations, and English graduate study.
• The Creative Writing Track offers in-depth study of the craft of writing as well as the techniques of established writers. It is perfect for students with interests in a writing or editing career, either independently or within a business or nonprofit organization.
• The Professional Writing and Digital Rhetoric Track offers in-depth study of technical and professional writing in print and online. It is perfect for students with interests in writing for business and industry.
• The Secondary-Education English Track is offered in conjunction with the Department of Teaching and Learning to prepare students to teach English in grades 7 through 12.

Department of English

Department Chairperson
  Mark Decker | 570-389-4337
Department Secretary
  Nancy Rothermel | 570-389-4427

Minors within the English Department

Minors complement a student’s major to increase their areas of knowledge and improve their competitiveness on the job market or for graduate study. With planning, students can easily add one or more minors to their major without delaying their graduation date. Students may also major in one of the English Department tracks and pursue one of our other minors, such as majoring in Creative Writing and minoring in Technical and Professional Writing.

The English Department offers minors in Literature, Creative Writing, Technical & Professional Writing, and Linguistics. We also maintain the interdisciplinary minors in Gender Studies and in Ethnic Studies in the United States.