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Caleb Nichols Named SLO County Poet Laureate

The English Dept. is happy to share with you that our very own Caleb Nichols has been named the Poet Laureate of San Luis Obispo County!

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POLY BIORESOURCES AND AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING MAJOR WINS ACADEMY OF AMERICAN POETS PRIZE

Bioresources and Agricultural Engineering major Sarah Marks has won Cal Poly’s Academy of American Poets Contest for her poem “Permission”

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Cal Poly English Endowment

The Cal Poly English Department is incredibly excited to announce the establishment of the first-ever Cal Poly English Department Endowment

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Why Major in English at Cal Poly?

An English major or minor is great preparation for a career where critical thinking, nuanced analysis, and clear communication are essential. See our video and learn more.

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Cal Poly Masters in English

Find out how the English Department's Masters in English program can open your mind and kickstart your career.

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Creative Writing, Technical Communications, Linguistics/TESOL

You can take classes in Literature, Creative Writing, Technical Communications, Linguistics/TESOL, and Rhetoric as a student in the Cal Poly English department.

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Senior Projects

All English majors envision and complete their own individual senior projects, such as organizing and running a Human Library event! See the Senior Project area for more information.

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Black Lives Matter

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Welcome to the Cal Poly English Department

The Cal Poly English Department provides an inclusive learning environment to promote the study of language, literatures, and rhetorics in diverse contexts. We currently offer both a B.A. and M.A. in English as well as an English Minor. There is also an opportunity to pursue a minor in Linguistics and a certificate in Technical Professional Communication (TPC) or in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). 

We are committed to fostering a respect for difference within our curriculum, our scholarship, and our community. Our undergraduate and graduate students learn to read carefully and deeply; to think critically and creatively; to write clearly, persuasively, and ethically; and to understand how power structures and cultural practices shape the production and reception of texts. Our faculty offer courses in literature, creative writing, composition and rhetoric, technical and professional communication, linguistics, film, English education, and theory and criticism. Our interdisciplinary approach provides a rich foundation in English Studies for our majors, our graduate students, and General Education students.

Are you interested in getting more information about attending Cal Poly? Please visit the Cal Poly Admissions page to request info that is modeled to your interests.


Cal Poly is in tiłhini, the Place of the Full Moon. We gratefully acknowledge, respect, and thank yak tityu tityu yak tiłhini, Northern Chumash Tribe of San Luis Obispo County and Region in whose homelands we are guests. 

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