Dear English Department Alumni:

Please join us for a virtual alumni mixer on December 9, 2021. We'll be celebrating the release of faculty member Johnny Damm's new graphic novel. It has been described as "Damm's distinctive style of collage transforms 1950s horror comics into true stories of artistic failure."

Publisher's Weekly called it "[S]ophisticated and delightfully bizarre... Damm's ideal reader is an open-minded culture junkie and fan of poetry, high art, and comics, someone with a penchant for everything from Dada to Derrida." That sounds like English majors to me!

Register in advance (and for free) for this webinar:

https://sjsu.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YdvdKF6KTk2b2bUjHCIC2w

Dr. Damm will be doing a reading and Q & A. Although we can't physically mix this year, we can chat with each other and enjoy what promises to be an entertaining night in.

For Future Students

Learn the requirements for admission, whether you are entering as a freshman or as a transfer student.

Major Advising

Have major-specific questions? Schedule an appointment with your major advisor today.

MA English Program

Learn about our MA program, important dates, and the MA comprehensive exam.

MFA Creative Writing Program

Learn about how our MFA program offers a rich opportunity for students to pursue their craft with active, publishing faculty and talented peers who go on to vibrant publishing careers.

English Credential Program

Learn about how our English Educational Program prepares credential candidates with the content and pedagogy to teach English in middle and secondary schools.

For Freshmen

Welcome to your first semester at SJSU! Find resources, course descriptions, and advice on how to choose your first English course.

For Faculty and Staff

Find resources, forms and policies, getting funded, getting up to date, and getting ahead.

Four Undergraduate Concentrations

Our department offers four B.A. concentrations that include focuses on literature, creative writing, teaching, and technical writing. The department also houses the composition program in which undergraduates complete their general education writing requirements.

MA Program

Our MA program offers a great opportunity to expand your literary horizons with a program perfectly suited to working adults.  

MFA Program

Our MFA program, the Literary Incubator in the Heart of the Silicon Valley, offers a rich opportunity for students to pursue their craft with active, publishing faculty and talented peers who go on to vibrant publishing careers.

The Place for You!

So, whether you want to work on Reed Magazine, the oldest literary journal west of the Mississippi, read literary classics, attend readings by local and high-profile writers, or learn about a career in technical writing, the Department of English and Comparative Literature is the place for you!

Award Winning Faculty

Our faculty are committed to student success, and many have won recent teaching awards marking their successes in the classroom. Our alums are employed throughout the Bay Area in positions that draw upon their training as English majors, showing how practicality meets passion in our department.  

Scholarships and Opportunities 

We have very generous scholarships and awards for both undergraduates and graduates, and all of our students benefit from the Center for the Literary Arts' programming and the Lurie Chair, a prestigious award that funds spring semester residencies for highly distinguished writers.