Best Online Degrees in: English Literature

Editor's Picks: Online Schools for English Literature

Value
Southern New Hampshire University‘s English language and literature online bachelor's degree wins the award for best value. It is ranked No. 110 on U.S. News & World Report‘s list of the best regional universities in the north. In addition, PayScale.com reports that Southern New Hampshire University students can expect to see a return on their tuition investments of 4.9% without financial aid, and 5.8% with financial aid.

Flexibility
The winner of the best online English literature bachelor's degree for flexibility goes to Southern New Hampshire University. By providing class options specifically geared toward adult learners with busy schedules through asynchronous courses, Southern New Hampshire University ensures all students have the opportunity for higher education. SNHU also accepts up to 90 transferred academic credits and automatically completes a credit evaluation in the application review process. SNHU provides 24/7 technical support for Brightspace, its online learning management system where students may access their course materials including lectures, assignments, and course discussion.

Career Support
Southern New Hampshire University's career development center provides support for students and alumni including career counseling, mock interviewing, resume review, and professional social media networking. Career and internship opportunities are also posted on SNHU Recruit, Southern New Hampshire University's free online job database. SNHU also provides job resources for career self-assessment, starting a small business, and for earnings and outlook comparison. Therefore, we're naming Southern New Hampshire University the best online English literature program for career support.

Financial Support
The best online English literature degree for financial support is offered by Southern New Hampshire University. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 96% of first-time, full-time Southern New Hampshire University students are offered some form of financial aid. In addition, 63% of all undergraduates receive a scholarship or grant.

Technology Support
Southern New Hampshire University has a website dedicated to providing its students with technology assistance. Students can visit the website for up-to-date system alerts, answers to commonly asked questions, and resources. In addition, students can access a help desk via phone and chat. Southern New Hampshire University is therefore our winner of the best online English literature bachelor's degree for technology support.

Disability Support
Southern New Hampshire University has an office dedicated to providing disability services. Students can contact the office through phone, email, or fax, and can download important documents from the website. In addition, the website has information on the Americans with Disabilities Act and the university's privacy policy. It is therefore the winner of best disability support.

Library and Research Support
Southern New Hampshire University‘s library website gives students access to catalogs, journals, and research guides, all of which they can utilize for their course work. Students can contact librarians via phone, email, and chat. In addition, the library can be found on Twitter and Facebook. Southern New Hampshire University is therefore our winner for best library and research support.

Learning Support
Southern New Hampshire University has a learning center that provides students with mentoring, remedial studies, seminars, and tutoring opportunity. Students can also receive advising from college counselors. It is therefore our winner of the best online English literature bachelor's degree for learning support.

Faculty Accessibility
Southern New Hampshire University is ranked as No. 92 out of 1,138 by student reviews on College Prowler‘s list of the top colleges for caring professors. In addition, the National Center for Education Statistics reports that Southern New Hampshire University has a student-to-faculty ratio of 18-to-1. By offering small classes and a caring environment, Southern New Hampshire University instructors are able to give students the individualized support that they need. It is therefore our winner for the best online English literature bachelor's degree for faculty accessibility.

Alumni Engagement
The winner of best alumni engagement goes to Southern New Hampshire University. SNHU's alumni website provides information on development events like athletic games, news including profiles of prominent alumni, and helpful resources to stay in touch with colleagues, friends, and faculty. SNHU also offers resources to establish networks, including the Alumni Mentor program, which connects current students with volunteering alumni to act as a resource for interviewing, networking, industry research, and employment advice and opportunities.

Prior Learning Options
Southern New Hampshire University provides many options for college credits, and is therefore our winner of the best online English literature bachelor's degree for prior learning options. According to their website, the university offers credit for military training. The catalog also describes an advanced placement system, through which students can get credit for life experience.

New Online Student Orientation
Southern New Hampshire University has an online orientation that provides tutorials to students for using Blackboard, accessing online classes, and utilizing university email. Students can also read the handbook, which has helpful tips for online learning, and complete self-assessments. Southern New Hampshire University is therefore our winner for best new online student orientation.

Explore a Bachelor's Degree in English Literature

An English literature degree may include disciplines like linguistics, creative writing, and comparative literature. Linguistics is the study of language, its use, and the influences that define its form. Creative writing cultivates skills in writing effective prose. Comparative literature studies national traditions of literature through historical periods and cultural structures. English literature as an undergraduate major may be applied to further academic study in English, or may lead to salaried writing positions in journalism, communications, or a related field.

Class Curriculum

Most degree programs in English literature will begin with general education requirements like communication and mathematics before students start completing major-specific course work. Major-specific course work may include American, British, and world literature courses, fiction writing, poetry writing, and other creative writing courses, author-specific classes, and literature within specific themes. The following are sample courses typical in an English literature program:

• Creative Writing. Creative writing covers the basic analysis and writing of fiction or poetry, including basic techniques and vocabulary. Creative writing fiction explores traditional and contemporary fiction.
• American Literature. American literature may be broken into several courses by time period, for instance before 1860, after 1860 to 1960, and 1960 to present. American literature studies trends and cultural themes during those time periods, for instance, postwar American literature, the Beat movement, or postmodernism.
• Literature in Context. Literature in context covers themes in literature and is designed to prepare students for literary criticism. Students focus on close reading and formal, historical, and cultural approaches to literary texts.

English literature students can expect the majority of their course work other than lecture to consist of reading assignments, whether the literature itself, literary criticism, or academic articles. English literature students will be expected to write their own criticisms and support their arguments with secondary sources or related academic articles or literary excerpts. Writing courses will assign papers that demonstrate concepts learned in lecture.

Building a Career

A salaried job as a writer typically requires a bachelor's degree in English or a related field such as journalism or communications. An English literature major may also work in academia by continuing his/her education on to a master's and Ph.D. Salaried writers may require additional skills in design, page layout, multimedia software, and HTML as material is prepared directly for the Internet or publication. About 26% of writers and authors work part time or set their own hours. In addition, 68% of writers are self-employed.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for writers and authors was $55,420. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that writers and authors employment is expected to increase by 6%. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that English Literature teachers in colleges, universities, and professional schools earned an annual mean wage of $68,730.