Olivia Cronk stands in front of the blackboard.
Ryan Poll points to the blackboard.
Chi Eze sits in his office.
Creative Writing Class students take notes.
Students in Amanda Goldblatt's Creative Writing Class enjoy the fall
Welcome to the English Department at NEIU — a community actively participating in a variety of courses, programs, student organizations and regular events that together help students develop a set of crucial skills and dispositions necessary for professional and personal success: critical thinking, creativity, empathy, clear and persuasive written and oral presentation.

Inside and outside the classroom

The English department offers a range of courses from traditional surveys of British and American literature and canonical authors to specialized electives in Creative Writing, diverse literatures (Latinx, Caribbean, Post-Colonial African, African-American, Chicano), rhetoric and composition, women's and LGBTQ+ literatures and cultures, film and graphic novel. 

Beyond these classroom experiences, however, students will find support and opportunity to bring their skills and creativity to broader communities within and outside the Department:

  • Research for papers to deliver at regional and national conferences built around our courses and our chapter of Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society;
  • presentations of their work at Å·²©ÓÎÏ·¹ÙÍø’s annual student Research and Creative Activities Symposium;
  • readings by professional poets and novelists in our 82 Writers Series; or
  • participation in or leadership of a variety of literary and cultural events run or sponsored by the Department.

Declaring your major (and why it matters!)

While taking our English courses is a great start, don't miss out by not becoming an English major until later on. 

To declare, fill out the Undergraduate Major Declaration form, sign and email it to our Office Administrator Hilary Jirka at h-jirka2@neiu.edu. 

Only when you declare will you become part of The Turtle Shell (ask professors about the name), a shared "course" on D2L with content constantly being updated with key information on internships, job opportunities, events and scholarships available to English majors. (And if for any reason you want to change majors, it's no big deal.)

Additional opportunities for support and professional development

To assist you in your academic, professional and personal endeavors, we offer the following financial assistance and professional preparation and opportunities:

  • Merit Tuition scholarships each term for continuing undergraduate majors (usually the equivalent of one course)
  • The opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to join an International Honors Society that offers scholarships, opportunities to publish and present research, and other professional opportunities
  • Graduate Assistantships for M.A. students to provide financial support as well as opportunities for professionalization and teaching experience
  • Merit Tuition Awards for M.A. students
  • Research opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate level
  • Professional internships at the undergraduate and graduate level
  • A vibrant and supportive student culture and literary journal
  • An engaged and growing alumni network that will support you while you are here through our department foundation and a resource for you after you graduate
  • Our monthly Alumni Talkback series of Zoom webinars, giving you networking possibilities and a view into how you'll use your English skills on the job!