English

Florida Atlantic’s English programs stand out for their breadth, flexibility, and innovative offerings. You can tailor your studies to your interests—whether that’s literary analysis, creative writing, or professional and technical writing. The department offers unique opportunities, including one of the only graduate concentrations in Science Fiction and Fantasy in the world, and a strong focus on both traditional and emerging fields. You’ll learn from award-winning faculty, join a vibrant community of peers, and have access to internships, honors programs, and student organizations that connect your studies to real-world experiences and career paths.

Degrees Offered at Florida Atlantic

Undergraduate

  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English
  • BA in English with Professional & Creative Writing Concentration
  • English Minor

Graduate

  • Master of Arts (MA) in English (with optional concentrations in Science Fiction and Fantasy or Rhetoric and Composition)
  • Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing
  • Graduate Certificate in Environmental Studies
  • Graduate Certificate in Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies

Explore Degree Programs in English

Educational Objectives & Student Outcomes

1. Develop advanced skills in literary analysis, critical thinking, and written communication.
2. Gain broad knowledge of literary traditions, genres, and theoretical approaches.
3. Prepare for diverse career paths in education, writing, research, and related fields.
4. Foster creativity, independent research, and long-term project development.

1. Analyze and interpret a wide range of literary texts and genres.
2. Write clearly, persuasively, and creatively for different audiences and purposes.
3. Conduct scholarly research and present findings effectively.
4. Engage in original creative or critical projects, such as a thesis or honors manuscript.
5. Connect classroom learning to real-world experiences through internships, student organizations, and community engagement.

The English Honors Program provides an opportunity for our best and brightest English majors to engage in advanced research in a supportive community of undergraduate peers. The program is designed for students who

  • plan to pursue a graduate degree in a variety of fields, including literature, writing, rhetoric, communication, library studies, and law.
  • want to quantify their research skills and demonstrate research proficiency to future employers.
  • want to develop problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills that will enable them to excel in their chosen career field or field of study.

English Honors Eligibility

Course & Credit Eligibility: To be eligible, by the end of Spring 2026, applicants should have

  • completed at least 60 credits towards their B.A. degree and 15 1 credits towards the English Major
  • completed or be enrolled in ENG 3822: Introduction to Literary Studies OR LIT 3213: Literary Theory / PHI 3882: Philosophy of Literature 2

GPA Eligibility: 3 Applicants should have a GPA 4 of 3.0 and a GPA in the English Major of 3.5 or higher.

1. The English Undergraduate Committee may consider excellent students with fewer than 15 credits in the major and/or 60 credits towards their B.A. degree.
2. Students who have not yet taken ENG 3822 or LIT 3213 / PHI 3882 can petition to take either concurrently with Honors Seminar; approval will be granted at the discretion of the English Undergraduate Committee.
3. The English Undergraduate Committee may consider excellent students who do not yet meet GPA threshold(s).
4. Students can use either their institutional GPA or overall GPA.

Honors Courses

The English Honors Program entails taking two related courses (3 credits each), taken in the fall and spring and completing an Honors thesis between 20-30 pages.

ENG 4932: Honors Seminar ▪ 3 credits; fall
Prerequisites or corequisites: ENG 3822 and LIT 3213 / PHI 3882
Honors Seminar is required for honors students but open to those interested in more advanced literary study. This course allows students to synthesize the literary knowledge and critical skills gained in the English major. The seminar is more intensive and interactive than the Department's other courses and will be organized in ways that anticipate graduate-level courses. The seminar is offered every fall and topics change yearly. (ENG 4932 can be counted as either Category I or II in Fall 2026.)
ENG 4910: Honors Research (RI) ▪ 3 credits; spring
Prerequisites: ENG 4932; honors only; department permission required
This Research Intensive (RI) course facilitates completion of the honors thesis—a 20 page project (double-spaced) that makes a contribution to the discipline. Honors Research will expose students to the standards and best practices of research-level literary scholarship while also preparing the ground for the students' intended research topics. The course may include library research visits, presentations on different research and analytical methodologies, and peer editing workshops. At the end of spring semester, students will present their theses at an Honors Research course event or the Undergraduate Research Symposium. Honors Research is offered once each spring.

Fulfillment & Honors Designation

On satisfactory completion of the requirements below, at graduation, students will receive the designation "Honors in English" on their transcripts. At their graduation ceremony, honors students and may wear an FAU silver/white/blue double cord in recognition of their academic achievement and honors status.

  1. Fulfillment of all normal field distribution requirements for the English major.
  2. Completion, with a grade of "B" or higher, of Honors Seminar and of Honors Research.
  3. Achievement of an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and a GPA of at least 3.5 in all English courses at the time of graduation.
  4. Completion of a thesis of substance and quality that meets with the approval of the course instructor and/or thesis director.

Students in the Honors Track in English who complete all requirements, but who do not meet the GPA requirements for honors at the time of graduation, will receive credit for all work completed, but will not be certified as having received honors.  Students who engage in academic dishonesty will be dismissed from the Honors program and face additional penalties from the university.

2026-2027 English Honors Program Application

For more information please contact Prof. Regis Fox at mannr@fau.edu.

Concentration

FAU’s Science Fiction and Fantasy MA concentration was the first ever graduate program in science fiction studies and fantasy studies and one of only a handful of similar programs in the world. In fact, the SF/F MA celebrated its 20th year anniversary in 2022-2023.

The department boasts nine faculty members who publish on and teach about science fiction and fantasy including four core SF/F faculty members and five adjacent SF/F faculty. In addition to these nine faculty members, FAU has two professor emeriti who work in SF/F. This critical mass of eleven faculty working in SF/F is one of the most unique factors of FAU’s English Department.

Our graduate students present regularly at major conferences in the field including the International Conference for the Fantastic and the Arts and the Science Fiction Research Association Conference. Our SF/F graduate students also publish book reviews and peer-reviewed journal articles during their MA studies in major venues in the field such as Mythlore, The Journal for the Fantastic in the Arts, and Extrapolation. Many of our alumni go on to have wonderful careers in a range of professions tied to the field whether they are working in higher education, library science, publishing, the non-profit sector, and beyond. In fact, the newest faculty hire in the department for SF/F is an alumna of the SF/F concentration.

FAU has a storied and long history in the field. One of the largest international organizations for the study of SF/F was founded at FAU by late professor Bob Collins in 1980: the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts, which is the home to not only one of the major academic conferences in the field, the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts, but also of one of the major journals in the field, the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts. Notable past FAU SF/F faculty and professor emeriti include fantasy author Thomas Burnett Swann, fantasy scholar Bob Collins, and science fiction studies scholar Carol McGuirk. FAU faculty have edited and continue to edit major journals in the field such as Science Fiction Studies and the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts.

The SF/F track requires students to take at least three courses in the area, with a different course offered each semester. Recent graduate course offerings include: Theorizing the Fantastic; Mythologies in Latinx SF/F; Afrofuturism: Race to the Future; Artificial Intelligence in Literature and Film; Cyborg and Posthuman Rhetorics; Utopia/Dystopia; and Superheroes.

English Honors Program Available

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Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

The College of Arts & Letters offers degree programs and certificates in the performing arts, fine arts, languages and social sciences.