An English degree is not technically hard the way STEM degrees are, but the reading volume is enormous, the writing standards are high, and the subjective grading creates constant uncertainty. If you are a fast reader and strong writer, it is very manageable. If you are not, it will consume your life.
You are considering English and hearing two messages. One says it is an easy major for people who like to read. The other says it is pointless and will not get you a job. Neither is right, and the real concern underneath both is whether this major will actually challenge you and lead somewhere.
English is not easy. It just looks easy because there are no labs, no problem sets, and no exams with objectively right answers. The difficulty is in the volume of reading, the quality of writing expected, and the intellectual rigor of literary analysis. These are skills that most people underestimate because they confuse reading for pleasure with reading critically and writing casually with writing analytically.
The Workload Reality: Hours Per Week
English majors spend 15 to 22 hours per week on reading and writing outside of class. The reading volume alone can reach 200 to 400 pages per week across three to four courses1.
Writing is where the hours accumulate. A single literary analysis paper can take 15 to 25 hours from research through revision. Upper-division courses typically assign 3 to 5 major papers per semester, plus shorter responses and discussion posts. If you are a slow writer who agonizes over sentences, the workload is substantial.
The reading is not casual. You are not reading novels the way you read them at the beach. You are analyzing structure, language, historical context, and critical theory simultaneously. A 300-page novel might require 8 to 12 hours of careful reading with annotation, not the 4 to 5 hours you might spend reading for pleasure.
The Toughest Courses (and Why They Trip People Up)
Literary Theory and Criticism is the most difficult course for most English majors. You are reading Derrida, Butler, Foucault, and other theorists whose writing is deliberately dense and abstract. The concepts challenge your assumptions about language, meaning, and interpretation in ways that can feel destabilizing.
Shakespeare at the upper-division level requires reading multiple plays and engaging with 400 years of critical interpretation. The language barrier of Early Modern English is real, and the analytical expectations are higher than in intro courses.
If you hate literary theory, English will be frustrating. Theory is not a single course you take and forget — it is a framework that shapes every upper-division course. Professors expect you to apply theoretical lenses to your analysis, and students who resist this expectation consistently earn lower grades.
Senior Thesis or Capstone requires producing a 30- to 50-page original work of literary scholarship. This is months of sustained research and writing at a level that approaches graduate-school expectations. Students who have not developed strong research and revision habits throughout the major find this project overwhelming.
Old English / Medieval Literature in programs that require it presents a language challenge. You are essentially learning a dead language while analyzing texts from a completely different cultural context.
What Makes This Major Harder Than People Expect
The subjectivity of grading is the most consistent source of frustration. Two professors might evaluate the same essay completely differently. There is no answer key, no rubric that guarantees an A, and no way to verify whether your interpretation is correct. This ambiguity requires a tolerance for uncertainty that many students lack.
The secret to getting As in English courses is not writing more or reading more. It is engaging deeply with the professor's specific analytical framework and demonstrating that you can apply it to texts independently. Every professor has a lens. Figure out what it is by week 3 and your grades will improve immediately.
The reading speed required is something you either have or you need to develop quickly. English majors who read 50 pages per hour manage the workload. English majors who read 20 pages per hour are drowning by the third week. Reading speed is trainable, but the training period is miserable.
According to NCES data, English degrees have been declining in popularity over the past decade, with fewer students choosing the major each year1. Despite this decline, English graduates have strong employment rates in fields like publishing, marketing, education, and corporate communications. The decline reflects career anxiety more than any change in the major's value.
The writing standard escalates dramatically. Freshman composition teaches you to write clear paragraphs with thesis statements. By senior year, you are expected to produce original literary arguments that engage with published scholarship, use theoretical frameworks, and contribute something new to the critical conversation. That leap is enormous.
The revision process in advanced English courses is more demanding than in other humanities. Professors expect you to revise papers based on their feedback and resubmit improved versions. This iterative process produces better writing, but it doubles the time investment for each major paper. Students accustomed to writing a paper once and moving on find the revision requirement frustrating and time-consuming.
The cultural breadth of the reading list can be disorienting. A single semester might include 18th-century British novels, postcolonial literature from West Africa, contemporary American poetry, and Japanese fiction in translation. Each requires a different set of cultural knowledge and critical approaches. This breadth is intellectually stimulating but also means you are constantly learning new contexts rather than developing deep familiarity with any single tradition until you specialize in upper-division courses.
Who Thrives (and Who Struggles)
Students who thrive read voraciously, write well (or are willing to invest heavily in improving), and enjoy analyzing why texts work the way they do. They are comfortable with ambiguity and subjective evaluation. They see close reading as a puzzle rather than a chore.
Students who struggle chose English because they liked reading in high school and expected college to be a book club. They resist literary theory, dislike revision, and are frustrated when professors do not tell them whether their interpretation is correct. They want concrete answers in a field that deals in arguments.
Students who pair strong analytical writing skills with curiosity about language and culture tend to thrive. Students who are passionate about creative writing sometimes struggle with the analytical emphasis, since most English programs focus on criticism rather than creation.
How to Prepare and Succeed
Build your reading speed and stamina. Read for at least one hour every day throughout the summer before starting the major. Read challenging material — literary fiction, long-form journalism, anything that requires concentration. The stamina matters more than the specific books.
Start writing longer analytical papers before your junior year. If your first 15-page paper is assigned in a 300-level course that affects your GPA, you need the skill already developed. Use electives or writing center workshops to practice extended analytical writing.
Keep a reading log from your first English course. For every text you read, write a one-paragraph response that identifies the argument, the technique, and your question about it. By senior year, this log becomes an invaluable research resource and a record of your intellectual development.
Build relationships with 2 to 3 English professors. In a field where grades are subjective and recommendation letters are critical for graduate school or competitive jobs, having faculty who know your work and your potential is essential.
Pair your English degree with a practical skill: data analysis, a foreign language, digital media, or technical writing. The combination of analytical writing ability plus a secondary skill set creates career options that the degree alone does not.
FAQ
Is English one of the easiest majors?
It is easier than STEM majors in terms of mathematical demand, but it requires more reading and writing than almost any other major. Students who are fast readers and strong writers find it manageable. Students who are neither find it far more time-consuming than they expected.
Do I need to have read a lot of classic literature before starting?
No. English programs teach you the texts. What you need is the ability to read carefully and analytically, not prior familiarity with specific books. However, students who have read widely have more context for understanding literary traditions and feel less overwhelmed by the reading volume.
What is the hardest English course?
Literary Theory is the most conceptually difficult. The Senior Thesis is the most time-intensive. Shakespeare and Medieval Literature have the steepest language barriers. Which one is hardest for you depends on whether your weakness is abstract thinking, sustained writing, or historical language.
Can I get a good job with an English degree?
Yes. English graduates work in publishing, marketing, corporate communications, education, content strategy, technical writing, law, and media. The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that writers and authors earn a median of $73,1502, with significant variation by industry and specialization. The degree's value comes from the transferable skills — analytical thinking, clear communication, and persuasive writing — not from the title on the diploma.
How does English compare to communications in difficulty?
English is more intellectually demanding. It requires deeper reading, longer writing, and more theoretical engagement. Communications is more practical and applied, with a lighter reading load and more production-oriented coursework. English students write better. Communications students present better. Both are valuable but the difficulty levels differ, with English requiring more sustained analytical effort. NCES data shows both are popular choices for students interested in writing and media1.
- English Degree Guide — Overview
- Is It Worth It?
- Career Paths
- Salary Data
- Requirements
- Internships
- Best Colleges
Footnotes
-
National Center for Education Statistics. (2024). Undergraduate Degree Fields. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cta ↩ ↩2 ↩3
-
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Writers and Authors. Occupational Outlook Handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/writers-and-authors.htm ↩
-
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2024). Media and Communication Occupations. Occupational Outlook Handbook. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/home.htm ↩