FASTFACTS
- Approximately 95 percent of PC educators remain in the teaching profession after three years, compared to the national average of 50 percent.
- The PC Teacher Education Program is accredited by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education/Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation, and approved by the South Carolina State Department of Education.
What you’ll study as an English major
As an English education student, you develop valuable skills such as analysis, research, and critical reading and thinking. You hone the ability to communicate in speech and writing. And you learn how to prepare and present lessons appropriate for high school English classrooms.
Your degree program, a rigorous combination of English and education courses, totals 73 hours. English curriculum requirements are mostly the same as the basic major, with courses like Studies in Linguistics and three survey courses in American, British or world literature. Instead of three pre-1900 Literature courses, you’ll choose one, such as Chaucer or Austenmania. You’ll also choose a post-1900 Literature course like Southern Women’s Writing or Holocaust Literature. Other required English courses include Adolescent Literature and The Teaching of Composition. You’ll then conduct original research on a topic of your choice for your Senior Capstone in English.
Most of your coursework, 40 hours of it, comes from the secondary education curriculum. Lower-level courses include Introduction to Education as well as Meeting the Needs of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. After your acceptance into the teacher education program, you’ll take upper-level courses like Content Area Literacy and Methods and Materials of High School Teaching. After a series of practicum experiences in local schools, you’ll conclude the program with student teaching during your final semester. By then, you should be little more than a Praxis test away from applying for your teaching credential.
MORE INFORMATION
- Course Requirements »
- COMM Course Descriptions »
- CRWR Course Descriptions »
- ENGL Course Descriptions »
- WGST Course Descriptions »
- CO = Co-requisite
- POI = Permissions of Instructor
- PR = Pre-requisite
- RE = Recommended
- XL = Cross-listed
Careers in English
The program’s emphasis on secondary education enables graduates to teach high school English. Those who pursue an advanced degree also have the opportunity to teach at the college or university level.
According to PayScale, those with a bachelor’s degree in secondary English education earn an average salary of $62,000 a year.
Eighty-two percent of PC education majors begin their teaching careers right after they graduate. They are well-prepared for the national licensure examinations and experience a high pass rate. Alumni work in rural, urban, and suburban areas across the United States, and internationally in places like Thailand and Hong Kong. They teach in both K-12 and higher education. Many go on to become principals, district office administrators, and school board members.
No matter your career goal, PC’s liberal arts education prepares you with problem-solving, communication, and other soft skills employers look for.
CAREER PROFESSIONS
The Business World
- Advertising (Copywriter, Executive)
- Corporate Communications
- Customer Service
- Fashion Merchandising
- Human Resources
- Management
- Marketing
- Public Relations
- Software Design and Testing
- Technical Writing (Editor, User Documentation Writer)
- Television and Film (Agent, Director or Producer, Publicist, Screenwriter)
- Technical Consultation (Training Specialist)
- Translation
- Web Design and Management
Education
- Education Administration/Resource (Curriculum Planning, Educational Program Specialist, Educational Research, Reading Specialist, Tutor)
- Library Science
- Museum Curatorship
- Teaching
- Professional Fields
- Law (Attorney, Paralegal, Judge, Judicial Clerk)
- Medicine (Biomedical Researcher, Dentist, Doctor, Health-Care Consultant)
- Ministry
- Public Service
- Environmental researcher
- Fundraiser (For Charities, Education, Political Candidates, Social Causes)
- Government (Congressional Researcher, Lobbyist, Foreign Service Officer)
- Public Administration (City Manager, Urban Planner)
- Social Work
Writing and Editing
- Creative Writing (Poet, Playwright, Novelist)
- Documentation Specialist
- Print Journalism (Columnist, Editor, Reporter)
- Radio and Television Journalism (Commercial Writer, Continuity Writer, Editor, Newscaster, Reporter)
- Publishing (Editor, Literary Agent, Publicist, Publisher)
- Publications Research
- Technical Writing (For Grants, Law or Medical Journals, Public Relations, Speeches)
English majors from PC have also gone on to earn advanced degrees in a number of fields:
Graduate Schools
- English or Education
- Master of Arts or Fine Arts
- Doctorate of Philosophy
FACULTY
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