English Department at a Glance

Undergraduate Studies in English

Put your passion for literature and writing to good use. When you major or minor in English at Cleveland State University, you will hone skills that employers consistently want in college graduates: critical thinking and analysis, written and oral communication, creative problem solving, and research proficiency. As an English major at Cleveland State, you will benefit from small classes taught by our outstanding faculty, who will guide you through our programs and degree tracks that include concentrations in Literature, Creative Writing, Honors, and Secondary Education Teaching Licensure.

Recent undergraduate courses include:

• ENG 203 Creative Writing: Forms and Techniques
• ENG 333 Law and Literature in the Eighteenth Century
• ENG 347 Hip Hop and Black Feminism
• ENG 364 Graphic Novels
• Recent Senior Seminar (ENG 495) topics include Literature and Social Justice, the Courtship Plot, and Literature of the Apocalypse

Graduate Studies in English

Master of Arts (MA): The Master of Arts in English degree program focuses upon literature, emphasizing research and the application of various critical approaches to problems in literary interpretation and composition.

Master of Fine Arts (MFA): The English Department at Cleveland State is part of the NorthEast Ohio Master of Fine Arts (NEOMFA) in Creative Writing, a three-university consortium incorporating the faculty and resources of Cleveland State University, Kent State University, and the University of Akron.

Recent graduate courses include:

• ENG 506 Composition Theory
• ENG 553 Horror Fiction
• ENG 563 American Women Playwrights of the Twentieth Century
• ENG 616 MFA Literature: Dystopian Literature
• Recent Graduate Seminar (ENG 695) topics include Love, Sexuality and Literature; Poe, Hawthorne, and Gender; and Shakespeare and Freud

Notable Graduates

English graduates at Cleveland State University have succeeded in a broad range of professions and careers. CSU English Alumni include

• Sam Allard, Senior Writer, Cleveland Scene
• Kevin Keating, Author, The Natural Order of Things (Vintage, 2014), Los Angeles Times Finalist for First Fiction
• Doug Koi, Vice President, Retail Banking, PNC Bank
• Patricia Leebove, Business Relationship Manager, MTD Products
• Andrew Pegman, Associate Professor of English, Cuyahoga Community College
• Scott Raab, Author, You're Welcome, Cleveland: How I Helped LeBron James Win a Championship and Save a City (HarperCollins, 2017)
•  Justin Reynolds, Author, Opposite of Always (HarperCollins, 2019)
• Elaine Richardson, Author, Motivational Speaker, and Professor at Ohio State University
• Joseph Salem, Director of Libraries, Michigan State University
• Rachel Stallard, Content Director, Yalo!
• Carol Story, Producer, CBS News (NY)