Info for Prospective Students

All four programs [English Literature, English (Creative) Writing (fiction, nonfiction, and poetry), Public and Professional Writing, and Film and Media Studies] offer a wide range of exciting classes in both traditional studies and new media; our faculty are acclaimed writers, critics, filmmakers, and teachers and students have the opportunity to work closely with them both inside and beyond the classroom.

We have a strong internship program that encourages all majors; vets and advertises numerous internships, and helps students with registration for credit and, in some cases, financial support.  Internships can be used to satisfy major requirements in all of our programs, and an internship is required for all students pursuing the new PPW major.

With professional development in mind, we host numerous career/placement events; bring nationally and internationally renowned speakers to campus; sponsor writing and production competitions/awards; and present student conferences at which undergraduates have the opportunity to present their academic work, research and undergraduate teaching opportunities

We strongly encourage students to take full advantage independent research opportunities, Study Abroad, and field study programs. Pitt has an excellent Study Abroad office which manages a host of “Panther” programs for Pitt students to travel abroad plus exchanges with foreign universities and credit transfer for non-Pitt programs. A number of English department faculty teach in the Panther programs, including Pitt in Edinburgh (Scotland), Pitt in Prague (Czech Republic), Pitt in York (England), and writing courses in the Pitt in Ecuador and Pitt in Cuba summer programs—just to name a few.  

"Amy Murray Twyning provides her students with the opportunity to present research in a variety of settings, including literature conferences, undergraduate research poster sessions, and end-of-term showcases. In working with her, I have had the opportunity to engage with and benefit from the skills and resources of the Hillman Library, the Digital Scholarship Services staff, and the Office of Undergraduate Research."

–Margaret Laird (English Literature and Psychology)

Student-run publications are important here at Pitt, and English majors and minors have many roles as editors, reporters, and designers in, for example, the Pitt daily newspaper The Pitt News, the creative writing journals Three Rivers Review and Collision, and the satirical publication The Pittiful News. These venues provide good first-publication opportunities for aspiring poets, essayists, fiction writers, and illustrators, and good editorial and media-business experience as well for the newspaper/magazine staff

Extracurricular clubs and groups in English include the Fantasy Studies Fellowship, Pitt Project Potter, and Pitt’s chapter of the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta. In Film Studies, you can find such groups as Pitt in Hollywood and the Sprocket Guild; we expect that the new Film and Media Production track of the major will generate many more opportunities for collaborative film and video work outside the classroom.

For more information about our department, or to schedule a visit or tour, please contact the Dietrich School's recruitment coordinator, Madeleine Fahlbusch at madeleine.fahlbusch@pitt.edu.