Department of English
Robert Bell Building (RB), Room 297
Ball State University
Muncie, IN 47306

Hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
Phone: 765-285-8580
Fax: 765-285-3765
E-mail: english@bsu.edu

Life After Ball State

At Ball State, English undergraduate students learn skills such as close reading, research, analysis, synthesis, and clear, creative communication through concentrations in rhetoric and writing, creative writing, English studies, literature, or teaching English/language arts. Upon completion of an English degree, Ball State graduates have endless career possibilities. “What can you do with an English major? Anything you want, I tell them,” says Jill Christman, Associate Professor and Assistant Chair of Programs. “None of us knows what the job market will look like in ten years, or even five, but I will tell you I cannot think of a single employer who is not looking for these skills in a prospective employee.” Some students go on to graduate school for student affairs or law school. Others go into publishing, or find jobs in government or business. A resource for any student, our department blog houses posts about English alumni and their success in a variety of career fields.  In fact, the strength of the English major is that it allows you to pursue many different kinds of opportunities after you graduate. On our department blog, we have gathered alumni stories that highlight careers and post-graduate opportunities for English majors. To read our alumni posts click on the links below.

Undergraduate
Business
        Sarah Robbins (PhD Rhetoric and Composition)
        Emily Disher (B.A. English)
Publishing and Marketing
        Johna Picco (B.A. Literature)
        Evan Himelick (English Major with a minor in Digital Publishing)
Technical Communications
        Christopher Newgent  
Teaching
         Steven Loser (B.A. Teaching English/Language Arts)
Teaching English as a Second Language
        Phil Call (B.A. Teaching English/Language Arts and ESL Liscense 2011)
        Christine Ellsworth (B.A. Literature 2006)
Student Affairs 
        Alex Wenning (M.A. English 2006)
        Lindsey Jendraszak (B.A. Literature 2006)
Graduate School (MFA and PhD) 
        Sarah Marty-Schlipf
        Nate Logan
Scriptwriting/Television Writing 
        Audrey Brown (M.A. English)
Fullbright Scholarship
        Katherine Kovac (B.A. Literature 2010)
Peace Corps
        J.D. Mitchell (B.A. Creative Writing 2011)
Government and Politics
        Sam Edwards (B.A. Creative Writing 2010)
Law School 
        Katie Dittelberger (B.A. English 2007)
        Whittley Lewis (B.A. Rhetoric and Writing 2011)