English majors at Xavier study a wide variety of literature by men and women from various periods in Britain, the United States and the rest of the world.

The major in English is designed to develop writing skills, a critical and historical understanding of the English language and its literature, and a knowledge of current theories of literature, language, and humanistic interpretation. The English major is an excellent preparation for law school and for careers in education, journalism, editing, publishing and other communications fields. It is also a fine preparation for a variety of business careers and for graduate school in business and, with appropriate science courses, for medical school. In essence, majoring in English at Xavier provides a student with skills that are highly desirable by any
employer or graduate school: critical and analytical thinking, writing and research.

Majors develop their writing abilities in all English courses; special attention is paid to writing during the first two years and in later writing electives. Research skills are developed during the final two years, culminating in the senior seminar. This course emphasizes both written and oral presentation of the student's research and analysis.

The English major can conveniently be combined with the business minor (a 20-21 hour concentration), the peace studies minor (15 hours), or the women's and minorities' studies minor (15 hours), if the student chooses.