Fact Sheets

English @ MSUM

014MSU Moorhead has long been a regional leader in English and English Education. Its faculty have a national reputation as creative writers, as scholars, and as teachers. One of its professors was Minnesota's Teacher of the Year in 1994, while three others were nominated; several have received prestigious Fulbright Awards to teach overseas, or have participated in National Endowment for the Humanities programs to enrich their scholarly expertise; others have received local, state and national awards in recognition of their achievements as educators and writers.

Career Opportunities
Because English teaches graduates how to make decisions, solve problems and communicate clearly, employers are eager to hire them at entry-level positions in many professions. Currently, English alumni are working as writers, technical writers, and editors in the publishing, insurance, medical, academic, and software industries. Many of our alumni are teaching in high schools, colleges and universities; others are practicing attorneys, diplomats, and politicians.

Department Benefits
English classes average about 15-25 students or smaller in upper-level courses, providing personal one-on-one attention to students.

  • The department has an active student chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the national English honor fraternity.
  • Students are directly involved in the development and production of Red Weather, a literary magazine edited by students with submissions from students, alumni and faculty.
  • Students may earn a certificate in publishing and work with the New Rivers Press.
  • MSUM features an annual writers series, The Tom McGrath Series, that brings nationally known authors to campus for public readings and writing workshops.
  •  The English department boasts a professionally active faculty with national and international connections: published books include Dr. Laura Fasick's Vessels of Meaning: Women's Bodies, Gender Norms, and Class Bias from Richardson to Lawrence, Dr. Alan Davis' Alone with the Owl and American Fiction 1987-2000 (ed), Dr. Susan Imbarrato's Declarations of Independency in Eighteenth-Century American Autobiography, Lin Enger's Gun Peterson mystery novels (published with his brother Leif), John Early's Flesh and Metal, Drs. Sheila Coghill and Thom Tammaro's Visiting Emily and Visiting Walt poems about Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, and Mark Vinz's many poetry volumes.