Majors, Minors and Certificates

We prepare skillful communicators at both the theoretical and applied levels. Our program is flexible, allowing you to tailor the curriculum to meet your individual career and personal goals.

The Ph.D. program in Communication Studies is intended to qualify students to teach and conduct research in instructional communication, interpersonal communication, mediated communication, health communication, and organizational communication, among other courses, at the university level. Students who are accepted into the Ph.D. program in Communication Studies are awarded an assistantship for the first year that is renewable for the second and third years of the program.

The Master of Fine Arts at West Virginia University is a three-year program that combines work in a primary genre and at least one other genre with course offerings in literature, pedagogy and professional writing and editing.

Majoring in English develops skills in communication, research, critical thinking and focused creativity. You will deepen your understanding of people and cultures while learning how to use language effectively in a variety of contexts.

Tailor this major to your interests by taking courses in one of these areas:

• Creative Writing
• Literary and Cultural Studies
• Professional Writing and Editing

The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in English is designed for students who have shown an aptitude for sustained literary study, and who desire to pursue a more intensive and extensive academic training. The two-year M.A. program extends knowledge of the cultural, linguistic, and literary heritage of Great Britain, America, and other English-speaking lands, and develops the research, writing, and analytical skills necessary for professional success.

The doctoral program in English develops fluency in the critical discourses of the profession and prepares graduates to teach English professionally on the post-secondary level, or to enter a wide range of alternate academic careers.

Geology is a dynamic field of natural science that aims to understand how the Earth works and provide solutions to pressing global challenges such as global climate change, evolving demands for energy and water, and environmental issues.

Tailor this major to your interests by taking courses in one of these areas:

• Research
• Professional Studies

The graduate history program has a long and distinguished record, dating back nearly a century. Early on, the Department of History established a reputation for diplomatic history, and later, West Virginian and Appalachian history. Today, the West Virginia and Regional History Collection is one of the strongest of its kind, housing primary source materials for political, economic, social, cultural and technological history of the state and region.

Ph.D. students in History at WVU create a curriculum in consultation with faculty advisors and the Director of Graduate Studies in four fields: one major field and three minor fields (one of which must be outside of the student’s area of research concentration). In addition to these areas, the Department of History encourages doctoral research that is transnational and comparative in perspective.

The Department of Political Science offers a comprehensive curriculum leading to a Master’s Degree (MA) or to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Our PhD and MA graduates have also been employed by government agencies and non-profit institutions such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the U.S. Department of State.

Regardless of what other subjects you're interested in and what careers you’re considering, PWE will improve your writing and communication skills — skills that are highly sought after by employers.

Professional writers do more than simply translate complex, technical information into easy-to-read prose. Professional writers assess the information needs of audiences from different languages and cultural backgrounds, and analyze how written texts circulate through the organizations in which they work. Professional writers possess the critical, rhetorical and technical knowledge necessary to produce successful and effective communications.

A degree in STW provides you with the experience and credentials you need to write, design and communicate complex topics.

The WVU School of Social Work develops leaders in solving the most demanding social issues of our day through rigorous research, academic innovation and public service. Our faculty and students are empowered to extend their reach, deepen their impact and engage in real-world social change. They learn to critically analyze personal, familial and environmental factors affecting practice settings and practice techniques, and to advocate for those who confront barriers to achieving their fullest potential. The school’s programs prepare students for careers as professional social workers committed to public service in nonprofits, government, education, business and higher education.