Welcome to the Department of English Language and Literature at the University of Waterloo, a pioneering Department specializing in English literature, rhetoric and communication design, and digital media.

We offer B.A. (General) programs in English Language and Literature and B.A. (Honours) programs in Literature, Literature and Rhetoric, and Rhetoric and Professional Writing; the Honours programs include optional Specializations in Digital Media Studies and in English Literature in a Global Context. We offer M.A. programs in Literary Studies, Rhetoric and Communication Design, and Experimental Digital Media. Our Ph.D. program, unique in Canada, combines literary study with rhetoric, semiotics, and digital media studies. Co-op is available at both the undergraduate and M.A. levels.

Starting in first year, our programs provide the tools you need to develop your analytical and critical capacities, your understanding of digital media, your sensitivity to language and its uses, your practical writing abilities, and your love of literature. Our diverse faculty teach exciting courses ranging from Chaucer to global English literature, from information design to digital media.

Graduates of our B.A. and M.A. programs routinely find successful careers in industry, law, government, teaching, medicine, and self-employment, with our co-op program often getting them started; they also go on to advanced studies in English. Our Ph.D. graduates hold academic and non-academic positions across Canada and the U.S.

The English Department is associated with the Critical Media Lab, the Games Institute, First Person Scholar, as well as, the Waterloo Directory of Victorian Periodicals, and is supported by a dedicated Advisory Council. In 2010-11, many exciting events were planned in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Department.