Major map:

English

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) - View all program options

Learn how to get the most out of your degree and prepare for your future career.

The study of English is an exploration of the ways in which we express and create worlds through language. English immerses students in literatures from across centuries and around the globe, fostering understanding of other worlds and forms of human experience, and of their own histories and possibilities as well.

Explore your major

Learn more about some of the required major-specific courses for this degree. View the course and program catalogue or meet with an academic advisor to understand all program requirements.

Year 1 courses
You choose
  • Any two 100-level English courses (6 cu), to gain critical writing skills and foundational knowledge of literary forms and history

Academic tips


What will I learn?
  • Read literary works and other media analytically, discovering how they work to captivate and persuade
  • Interpret works from different historical and cultural contexts, identifying the relationships between social conditions and cultural expression
  • Explore historical and contemporary cultural contexts through a variety of research methods and tools
  • Analyze and evaluate critical arguments, identifying methods, assumptions, and rhetorical strategies
  • Craft persuasive arguments and convey your ideas effectively in written and oral forms

Gain relevant experience


Create local and global connections


Get career ready

Featured courses

Explore your major

Learn more about some of the required major-specific courses for this degree. View the course and program catalogue or meet with an academic advisor to understand all program requirements.

Year 2 and 3 courses
You choose
  • One or two courses in Histories of English (ENG 210.3, ENG 211.3, ENG 212.3)
  • Begin meeting the program requirments for Canadian Literature (at least one course) and Indigenous Literature (at least one course)
  • Explore a range of historical periods, from Anglo-Saxon England to the 21st century

Academic tips


Add to your major

Choose from a variety of certificates and minors to complement to your major.

Gain relevant experience


Create local and global connections

ENG 207.3 | Introduction to Colonial and Decolonizing Literatures
ENG 209.3Transnational Literatures
ENG 243.3 | Introduction to Indigenous Literatures
ENG 383.3 | Decolonizing Theories and Literatures

Get career ready

Career readiness competencies

Career Readiness Competencies are transferable skill sets that will prepare you for the world of work and include the top attributes that employers are looking for:

  • Career & Self-Development
  • Communication
  • Critical Thinking
  • Equity & Inclusion
  • Leadership
  • Professionalism
  • Teamwork
  • Technology

Explore your major

Learn more about some of the required major-specific courses for this degree. View the course and program catalogue or meet with an academic advisor to understand all program requirements.

Final year courses
You choose
BA Program Students
BA Honours Students
  • Dive deep: complete four courses (12 cu) of 400-level seminars
  • Share ideas and showcase your best work in the capstone English Honours Colloquium (ENG 497.0)

Apply to graduate

Academic tips


Consider applying to a graduate program

Choose from:

Find a program

Gain relevant experience


Create local and global connections

  • Consider attending or presenting a paper at the annual Literary Eclectic English Graduate Conference, held at the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina in alternating years (contact the English Graduate Chair for details)
  • Join the USask Alumni and Friends community

Get career ready

Career readiness competencies

Career Readiness Competencies are transferable skill sets that will prepare you for the world of work and include the top attributes that employers are looking for:

  • Career & Self-Development
  • Communication
  • Critical Thinking
  • Equity & Inclusion
  • Leadership
  • Professionalism
  • Teamwork
  • Technology

Possible destinations

People with an English degree take their knowledge and skills into many different industries and occupations. Note that some of the career paths listed here require further education and training.


Career paths

  • Book Review Editor
  • Cataloguer
  • Communications
  • Content Developer
  • Copy Editor
  • Copywriter
  • Creative Writer
  • Editor
  • English as a Second Language Teacher
  • Grant Writer
  • Human Resources Professional
  • Indexer
  • Journalist
  • Lawyer
  • Librarian
  • News Editor
  • Playwright
  • Proofreader
  • Publisher
  • Researcher
  • Screenwriter
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Content Writer
  • Speech Writer
  • Teacher
  • Technical Writer
  • Travel Writer
  • Tutor
  • Web Editor
  • Youth Worker

Graduates from the English program have excellent written communication skills, and the keen ability to see issues from multiple perspectives. They are exceptionally critical thinkers, careful readers, and attentive to details. English graduates are excellent researchers, ensuring that our communications are factual, effective, and mindful of the audience's needs.

—Sabrina Kehoe, Manager, TLSE Service Team at USask

Where do USask English alumni work?

  • 7shifts
  • alto
  • Bank of Montreal (BMO)
  • Bow Valley College
  • Broadway Business Improvement District
  • Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
  • Ethical Digital
  • Federated Co-operatives Limited
  • Government of Saskatchewan
  • Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools
  • Prairie Spirit School Division
  • Rawlco Radio
  • Royal Bank of Canada (RBC)
  • READ Saskatoon
  • Remai Modern
  • Saskatchewan Health Authority
  • Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT)
  • Saskatchewan Polytechnic
  • Saskatoon Public Library
  • Saskatoon Public Schools
  • Saskatoon StarPhoenix
  • SaskTel
  • Tourism Saskatchewan
  • University of Saskatchewan
  • Vendasta
  • Verb Media
  • Wordplay Creative

Explore Canadian salaries for various occupations using the Job Bank Career Planning Tool


"Choosing English as my major has allowed me to strengthen and expand my critical thinking skills, improved my ability to construct a persuasive written argument, and deepened my knowledge of social history. One of the most valuable parts of the program has been the chance to connect with like-minded people, whether students or professors."

—Ava, third-year English student

"I am interested in both education and law as career paths. Class discussions and essay work are helping to develop my critical thinking and communication skills, and the English careers presentation showed how useful and versatile those skills are."

—Logan, third-year English student

"Through my English classes, I've learned different skills when researching that have greatly helped increase the qualities of my papers, while also helping me in other courses."

—Alexander, third-year English student