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About
First-Year Application Deadline
Don't miss your chance to apply to Marist and join the Red Fox Family!
• Early Decision II and Regular Decision: Sunday, Feb. 15About
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Academics
First-Year Application Deadline
Don't miss your chance to apply to Marist and join the Red Fox Family!
• Early Decision II and Regular Decision: Sunday, Feb. 15Academics
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Admission & Financial Aid
First-Year Application Deadline
Don't miss your chance to apply to Marist and join the Red Fox Family!
• Early Decision II and Regular Decision: Sunday, Feb. 15Admission & Financial Aid
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Student Life
First-Year Application Deadline
Don't miss your chance to apply to Marist and join the Red Fox Family!
• Early Decision II and Regular Decision: Sunday, Feb. 15Student Life
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An English Degree to Choose Your Path and Hone Your Craft
English Majors at Marist read, write, and create in a supportive community with many opportunities to hone their craft, share their artistry, and expand their horizons. A self-driven major enables you to choose the classes which interest you. Combine classroom work with hands-on experience to prepare for careers in publishing, education, public service, law, and many other fields.
Customize Your English Curriculum
Marist’s English program offers a broad interdisciplinary foundation, as well as concentrations in literature, writing, and theatre to enable you to choose coursework based on your unique interests.
Literature
All students have the opportunity to add a Literature concentration or minor. Gain a sense of the historical development of the literary tradition with courses such as Literature of the Holocaust and Shakespeare.
Theatre
Those with interests in theatre and drama can either concentrate or minor in Theatre. You’ll be able to take courses that cover all aspects of the theatre discipline, including Acting, Directing, Stagecraft, and many others.
Writing
Students with a passion for writing can explore numerous genres through courses in creative and professional writing, as well as composition and rhetoric. The program offers a concentration in Writing, as well as interdisciplinary minors in Creative Writing and Professional Writing. Take courses like Fiction Workshop, Collaborative Writing, and Writing for the Digital Age
Adolescence Education
As an English major at Marist, you also have the option to prepare for a career in teaching by earning your Adolescence Education Teaching Certification in New York State through our 5-year BA/MA program.
Learn from Active Scholars in English
Our English faculty members are active scholars with a diverse range of specialties. They are teachers and mentors for our students, and they engage in one-on-one work with students in many areas, including Creative Writing, Professional Writing, Literature, and Theatre. Meet a few of our faculty members below, or view all English faculty members>
Design Individualized Research Projects as an Undergraduate
Working on your own, with classmates, and alongside esteemed faculty, you’ll have the opportunity to conduct important research in the field of English and present your work at local, regional, and national conferences. In recent years, English majors have presented work at the Sigma Tau Delta (National English Honor Society) National Convention, the National Collegiate Honors Conference, as well as the Supernatural Studies Conference held right here in the Hudson River Valley.
Sigma Tau Delta
Marist's Sigma Tau Delta chapter continues to highlight the strength of our English program. Eight students previously traveled to St. Louis to present their creative and academic work at the annual Sigma Tau Delta Convention — engaging in panel discussions, author readings, and networking with peers from around the country. The chapter’s achievements offer students valuable opportunities to showcase their talents, grow as writers, and connect with a broader network of English scholars.
Theatre Technology Conference
Marist’s commitment to experiential learning shined at the 2025 Theatre Technology Conference. Students attended the annual United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) gathering in Columbus, Ohio, where they worked one-on-one with professional stage managers, assisted large-scale events, and honed technical theatre skills. Their hands-on roles allowed them to put leadership, communication, and problem-solving into practice in a fast-paced, professional setting.
Gain Hands-on Experience at Premier Internship Destinations
English majors at Marist gain hands-on experience toward their career goals by completing exciting internships at on and off-campus sites. The Albany Summer Internship Program, Tarver Summer Internship Program, Marist in Manhattan Program, the Writing Center, and the Hudson River Valley Institute are only some of the prominent avenues through which our English majors attain their internships. Check out some examples of previous internship locations:


Explore Your Passions
As an English student at Marist, you have many opportunities to participate in extracurricular activities related to your major and other interests. The English Department is home to four campus-recognized student organizations: Sigma Tau Delta National English Honor Society, Marist College Club of Theatre Arts (MCCTA), Alpha Psi Omega National Theatre Honor Society, and the Literary Arts Society. Each provides students from across campus with opportunities to explore our disciplines through performances, publications, workshops, and events. English majors regularly participate in other clubs, play sports, hold internships, and host annual events such as Literary Desserts, The John P. Anderson Playwriting Festival, and the Poetry Slam.
New York Stage and Film
Marist’s ongoing partnership with New York Stage and Film (NYSAF) brings world-class theater to campus — and, as part of its 2024 Summer Season, students had the chance to work directly with leading Broadway, television, and film artists. NYSAF offers internships in production, marketing, and creative roles, connecting academic study with real-world theatrical practice.
The Mosaic
The Mosaic, Marist’s student-run literary and arts magazine, gives students real-world publishing experience and a platform to share creative work. The team curates, edits, designs, and prints roughly 375 copies each semester. Through Mosaic, students from a wide range of majors publish poetry, short stories, photography, and visual art. Many tout the experience as having helped them land internships and careers in publishing, journalism, and beyond.
Pushcart Prize
Marist’s Pushcart Prize sponsorship continues to strengthen our literary community. As part of this initiative, two-time Pushcart Prize winner Joan Murray visited campus, giving students and faculty the chance to engage with an acclaimed poet up close. Her poems, filled with vivid imagery and emotional resonance, sparked conversation about creativity, craft, and the power of language in everyday life.
The Opportunities are Endless. Enhance Your Degree with the Academic Triangle.
Marist’s liberal arts curriculum encourages an academic triangle approach: we encourage you to complement your major with an additional major, minor, or supplementary coursework, as well as internship and research experiences to round out your educational career. This trifecta enhances your academics, opening up a wide range of career opportunities after you graduate. Take a look at some real examples of how our English students have been successful with this method:
English Major<br />+ Writing Concentration<br />+ Philosophy Major<br />+ Spanish Minor<br />+ Theatre Minor<br />= Political Reporter, <em>New York Post</em>
English Major<br />Literature Concentration<br />+ Psychology Minor<br />+ Theatre Minor<br />+ Adolescence Education Certification<br />= Arts Academy Manager, Westhampton Beach Arts Center
English Major<br />+ Writing Concentration<br />+ Creative Writing Minor<br />+ Political Science Minor<br />= Editorial Assistant, Little, Brown, and Company Publishing
English Major<br />+ Literature Concentration<br />+ Philosophy Major<br />+ Spanish Minor<br />= Boston University School of Law; Associate Attorney, K & L Gates
Image of the Marist rotunda.
The Value of a Marist Education
Marist cultivates the intellectual growth and well-being of its students through unique and personalized combinations of coursework and experience in and out of the classroom. These experiences provide valuable personal growth and occupational expertise to reflect students' individual passions.
Employed or attending grad school 6 months after graduation
Of Marist Graduates Participated in one or more internships
Graduation rate, higher than the average for public and private colleges
Marist study abroad is the national leader for academic year programs, per Open Doors Report.
Top 10 Regional Universities-North