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Mentoring, motivating and guiding

As an English major at SFA, you’ll work with caring, dedicated faculty advisors who provide guidance and support as you work toward your degree. From helping you choose a degree plan that aligns with your interests and career goals to answering questions about choosing a minor, finding an internship or going to grad school, your advisor will be there to offer advice.

Your advisor will help you choose (or change) your major or minor, register for classes, adjust to college life and keep track of your academic progress. Wondering how to become an English teacher? Need some additional academic support? Interested in getting involved with one of SFA’s literary publications? Your advisor can help.

More than degree plans

At SFA’s Department of English and Creative Writing, we believe the role of an academic advisor goes far beyond simply helping you register for classes and file a degree plan. Your advisor will act as a sounding board and mentor – someone you can trust to guide you and keep you motivated throughout your college career.

That’s why all English majors at SFA choose their own faculty advisors. We think it’s the best way to ensure that you work with someone you like and trust – someone you feel you can talk to about any issues that arise during your time at SFA.

To choose your advisor, please come to the main office in Dugas Liberal Arts North, Room 203, and visit with the department chair.

How to make an appointment

You can make an appointment with your advisor by contacting your advisor directly, either in person, by phone or by emailing purpledoors@sfasu.edu.

Degree plans and transfer maps

Want to know more about prerequisites, coursework and degree requirements for your program? Check out sample degree plans on our Degrees and Areas of Study page.

Advising FAQs

What careers can I choose as an English major?

Due to the acquisition of communication and critical thinking skills, English majors are poised for numerous career options. In addition to professions in teaching, English majors often are sought after for jobs in management and administration, creative or technical writing, public relations, social work, government work, financial services, advertisement, nonprofit agency work, account supervision, broadcast journalism and more. English majors become speechwriters for government officials, writers of government policy, television anchors, bank executives, archivists, literary agents, actors, songwriters, attorneys, buyers for corporations or businesses, counselors, environmental planners, correspondents, researchers, lobbyists, politicians, digital publishing specialists, filmmakers, scriptwriters, fundraisers, communication specialists for foreign agencies and much, much more. English graduates often become CEOs. In fact, the English major has been called “the new M.B.A.”

What is a degree plan? And when do I need to file one?

The Department of English and Creative Writing offers three undergraduate plans of study: the Bachelor of Arts in English, the Bachelor of Arts in English for secondary education, and the Bachelor of Fine Arts in creative writing. The degree plan provides students with a roadmap that identifies necessary core coursework, major coursework and minor coursework. Advisors work closely with students to make certain that students remain on track, and the plan of study helps to guide students toward the completion of their degrees. Due to federal regulations, it is advisable that students file a degree plan as soon as possible; students who receive federal assistance must adhere to programmatic hours, and the sooner the plan is filed, the sooner the university is able to verify appropriate progress toward the degree.

How do I become an English teacher?

We offer a Bachelor of Arts in English with a specialization in secondary certification. Students must complete the plan of study for the English education emphasis and a minor in secondary education, which will include the professional internship (i.e., student teaching experience). Coursework in the plan of study provides students with the acumen needed to pass State of Texas certification examinations. SFA is one of a half-dozen universities in Texas that has achieved national English education accreditation with the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education and National Council of Teachers of English. We have approximately a 99% success rate in guiding our students through the certification process.

What minor should I choose as an English major?

Minors should be chosen to complement or enhance objectives for academic majors and career choices. Students studying theater arts, for example, might find a minor in creative writing useful, especially if students hope to write plays or produce scripts for television or cinema. Students studying scientific disciplines may choose our minor in technical and professional writing, while students studying art history or history may find the study of period literature in a minor most helpful and informative as it contextualizes the milieu. Students whose interests are connected to languages, speech therapy, criminology, hearing impairment and so on may find linguistics to be a perfect choice. English majors often take minors in the discipline to deepen their knowledge and to make themselves more competitive in their career pursuits.

What if I want to change my major or minor?

Students may change their majors or minors easily, either by coming to the Main Office of the Department of English and Creative Writing (Dugas Liberal Arts North, Room 203) or by visiting the College of Liberal and Applied Arts Advisement Center in Ferguson, Room 291.

What is academic suspension?

Students are placed on academic suspension when they do not make appropriate progress toward their degrees; this usually happens when a student loses good standing for two semesters in a row by having a grade point average that falls below 2.0.

What is academic probation?

Students are placed on academic probation when a GPA for one semester falls below a 2.0 average. This is a warning that either courses need to be retaken or course completion needs to be successful during the subsequent semester.

How – and when – do I file for graduation?

When the student reaches 90 hours toward a completed plan of study, the student should make an appointment with the Department chair to determine how best to complete the last two semesters of study at SFA; the student needs to apply for graduation at least one full semester before the anticipated graduation date.

 

Contact

Department of English and Creative Writing
936.468.2101
Dr. Liz Tasker Davis, Chair
english@sfasu.edu

Dugas Liberal Arts North
Room 203

Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 13007, SFA Station
Nacogdoches, Texas 75962