Preparation for the English major now begins at the freshman level. In both the fall and spring semesters, freshman seminars of fifteen students or fewer are led by distinguished faculty on subjects such as detective fiction, literature and justice, the invention of romantic love, and the cultural history of the American university. Other freshman seminars train skills in creative writing through close reading of celebrated literary texts.

Their department's commitment to cross-fertilizing creative and critical literacy is genuine and longstanding. Home to one of the leading MFA programs in the United States, the department offers an undergraduate minor in writing as well as a major with a concentration in creative writing. English students frequently enroll in creative writing workshops or classes in advanced rhetoric, and three such courses may count toward the regular English major.