Opportunities
English majors at Notre Dame can access a wide range of opportunities to supplement and enrich their education and prepare themselves for lasting success long after graduation. In addition to study abroad, we offer an incredible variety of undergraduate research opportunities, student publication venues, writing prizes, student clubs, internships, and more.
Internships
Internships give you hands-on experience in a professional field through monitored work or service. Along with volunteer work, summer service projects, research, summer jobs, and study abroad, internships provide valuable experiential learning and tools for career development. Internships may be paid or unpaid, for the summer or a semester, part of a large established program or crafted by or for an individual. Students who pursue internships and other experiential learning opportunities can often build those experiences into senior thesis research projects.
Our majors intern in many different places, but some of the most common local places are:
- Religion and Literature (English Dept. journal edited by Prof. Romana Huk)
- University of Notre Dame Press
- Ave Maria Press
- Mercury Learning Press
You can apply on a semester basis for the above internships, and sometimes also for the summer. To learn more about internship opportunities, contact Director of Undergraduate Studies Laura Betz.
Beyond the Dome, the Arts & Letters career services program, can also help you find and fund domestic and international internships and explore ways to apply your English studies to any number of professional paths.
Awards
Each year the Department of English makes the following awards, each of which carries a monetary prize:
- James Robinson Award for Outstanding Senior English Major
- Outstanding Student in Pre-1700 Literature
- Outstanding Creative Writing Student
- Billy Maich Academy of American Poets Prize
- Eleanor Meehan Award For Literary Excellence
- Richard T. Sullivan Award For Fiction Writing
- Ernest Sandeen Poetry Award
- Outstanding Honors Thesis Award
- Tom Brennan Prize for Excellence in Writing
Literature Awards Creative Writing Awards
Student Publication Opportunities
English majors are regularly published and hold leadership positions in multiple publications within the campus community, which include:
- The Observer
- The Juggler (literary journal)
- Re:visions ( literary journal)
Globally Engaged Citizens
Notre Dame’s Globally Engaged Citizens program rewards the learning and experiences you are already engaging in — and will stand out on your resume and show employers and graduate schools that you’re prepared to be a global citizen.
Students in any college or school can earn the certificate by taking two classes and participating in cultural activities on and off campus. You may already be well on your way to meeting the requirements.