Earn your Bachelor of Arts (BA) Degree in Literature from Simmons University

With a Bachelor of Arts in Literature, you will be able to write insightfully, read closely, think critically, and do independent research in ways that serve you in a variety of career paths or further degree programs.

Why become a Literature major?

Our students develop sophisticated understandings of literature, reading works by a diverse range of authors from the United States, Britain, the global south, and the world. Guided by award-winning faculty who are poets, novelists, literary scholars, and cultural critics, Literature majors discover their own style and talent as thinkers and writers. During their time at Simmons, students are introduced to individual and cultural values, ideas, debates, and insights woven into literature, and sharpen their understanding of the English language.

Literature majors learn to read with discernment and write with clarity and force. Such abilities enrich students’ personal lives while providing them with practical skills that serve them well in their professional lives. Literature majors discover their own voices, learn to collaborate and revise, develop skills of critical analysis and creative expression, and gain confidence in themselves as independent thinkers.

What will you learn as a Literature major?

Students will be able to read closely, write critical essays driven by their own insights in conversation with those of published scholars, do research independently, reflect critically on their own analytical thinking, and talk intelligently about their insights in discussions or formal presentations.

Students will be able to discuss how literary works fit into the context of their times and grow out of a society with a particular history and politics. They will be able to discern the complex relationship of representation to issues of power in relation to race, class, gender, and sexuality.

Internship opportunities for Literature majors

Students in our Literature program take advantage of internships in Boston and beyond, building their skills and resumes and learning from mentors in their fields.

Recent internship sites include:

Charlesbridge Publishing
The Actors' Shakespeare Project
Make-a-Wish Foundation
Brookline Center for the Arts
Horn Book Magazine
Candlewick Press
Boston Ballet

What can you do with a BA in Literature?

Graduates from our Bachelor of Art in Literature program are able to read carefully, analyze complex and sophisticated material, and communicate clearly in written and verbal form, skills that will always be in demand.

Literature majors go on to careers in law, publishing, advertising, business, government service, technology, public service, media, journalism, writing and teaching.

Find out more about our Bachelor of Art in Literature!

Earn your Bachelor of Art in Literature degree at Simmons University and get started on the path to a fulfilling career. You can request more information, schedule a campus tour, or find out how to apply today!

The Literature & Writing department offers a Literature major and a Writing major. Described below are the requirements for the Literature major.

The Literature Major

The Literature major consists of 10 courses given by, or approved by, the department.

Two core courses are required for the Literature major. All students will complete LTWR 199. In most cases, Literature majors will fill the core requirements by taking LTWR 200. Literature majors who minor in Cinema and Media Studies can substitute LTWR 221 for LTWR 200.

Two of the following core courses are required for the Literature major:

LTWR 199 Approaches to Literature
LTWR 200 Intro to Theory (or LTWR 221 The Critical Lens for Cinema and Media Studies minors)

Four Context courses that cross borders of space or time are required for the Literature major:

Two courses that emphasize Geographical and Cultural Contexts
Two courses that emphasize Historical Contexts

Of the ten courses required for the Literature major, two must be upper-level courses:

One course designated by the department as a 200-level Research Methods course.
One course taken at the 300 level.

The remaining two courses are taken as electives.

LTWR 199 is an introduction to the Literature and Writing majors and is open to all students thinking about majoring in Literature or Writing. All potential majors are urged to take it no later than the beginning of their sophomore year. While LTWR 199 and LTWR 200 constitute a sequence in the Literature major and must be taken in that order, this sequence is not necessarily consecutive: LTWR 199 is a class appropriate for incoming first-year students, while LTWR 200 is an advanced course in critical theory, open only to students with sophomore standing and above who have taken LTWR 199. Students will thus typically take LTWR 199 at the beginning of their first year, and they will take LTWR 200 no earlier than the beginning of their second year.

LTWR 199 is the prerequisite for all 300-level classes offered by the department. Some 300-level classes may have additional prerequisites.

The Department of Literature & Writing does not permit double-counting. Although some of our courses fill multiple requirements, each course can only be used to fill one requirement for a particular student's major or minor.

We encourage our students to augment their required courses with in-depth study in the liberal arts and additional courses in the major. Dual-degrees, interdisciplinary programs, and a wide range of minors are also available. You'll work with your advisor to develop a coherent course program that will meet your educational goals.

We also offer a minor in Literature & Writing and a minor in Cinema and Media Studies for students pursuing other majors.

Majors in the Department of Literature & Writing take advantage of internships in Boston and beyond, building their skills and resumes and learning from mentors in their fields. Simmons Literature & Writing majors have interned at: