Why Ball State?

When education fine tunes itself around individual talent, unexpectedly wonderful things can happen. This immersive and personal style of scholarship is at the heart of the Department of English.

Undergraduate Interactions
Ball State’s personal approach to education gives our undergraduate majors and minors an edge in the interplay of writing persuasively about a wide range of topics as well as offering the opportunity to teach English to others, and analyze ideas, language, and communications.

• Students have remarkable experiences through immersive learning opportunities and study abroad programs.
• Our internship program helps propel students into new experiences with businesses and agencies in Indiana as well as other states.
• Students assist their peers in improving their own writing.
• Edit The Broken Plate our international journal of creative writing.
• Collaborate with the living history facilitators at Conner Prairie.
• Work with community organizations to tell the stories of marginalized individuals.

Graduate Intersections
Our master’s and doctoral degree programs are transforming opportunities for you to study creative writing, linguistics, literature, rhetoric and composition, and the teaching of English to speakers of other languages with like-minded peers in a supportive, but rigorous, intellectual community.

• Our doctor of philosophy (PhD) in English program, with an emphasis in rhetoric and composition, is one of the oldest established programs in the United States.
• Our small class sizes—graduate classes typically have eight to 10 students—allow faculty to work closely with students. All of our faculty mentor students, help students understand their ambitions, and nurture student talents. The close academic relationships guide the building of student skills as scholars and teachers and encourage students from diverse backgrounds to flourish.