International Direct - Bachelor of Arts - English

Program Description

International direct admission is for international students with advanced English-language skills. It focuses on academic, cultural, and professional growth so students can excel in school—and prepare for a successful future.

International direct students receive:

• Exclusive and rigorous academic coursework
• Priority access to in-demand courses that fit their interests
• Guidance from academic advisors and mentors
• Career development and networking opportunities
• Intensive classes with domestic students

The study of English puts students in touch with works of power, beauty, and imagination—and empowers them to create those works themselves. The English major connects a passion for imaginative expression to some of today's most in-demand skills: analytical writing, critical interpretation, original inquiry and research, and the ability to discuss, debate, and develop complex ideas. English Major at University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston) can:

• Allow students to express their passion for reading, writing, studying literature, and engaging with visual, verbal, and digital texts.
• Connect to professors in small discussion-based classes. Students hone their reading, writing, and thinking skills by working side-by-side with their professors and fellow students.
• Allows students to add areas of concentration to their major. Most majors do a straightforward English major of 11 courses. If students are interested in adding focus to the major, they can concentrate in creative writing, professional writing, or Irish studies, or work toward teaching licensure as part of the English major.
• Offer numerous extracurriculars, ranging from the Sigma Tau Delta Honors Society to the Literary Theory Reading Group.   
• Offer internships as a capstone option.
• Prepares students for jobs by offering a one-credit mini-course on “English 457: Careers in English and Preparing for the Job Market”

The English department offers exciting events—such as guest speakers, creative writing readings, and six-word story and Twitter poetry contests—that are free and open to the UMass Boston community.