Ask the Big Questions. Harness the Power of Language. Change the World.
Welcome to a department where the "why" questions are always celebrated, and where deep engagement with language, global literature and philosophical thought prepares you to flourish.
By putting you in conversation with the best things human beings have ever said, thought and created, our multidisciplinary curriculum challenges your intellect and stretches your imagination. Whether you are analyzing a masterpiece of world literature, mastering a new global language, building a custom interdisciplinary degree or examing real-world ethics and social justice, you will join a vibrant, close-knit community of thinkers, readers and writers dedicated to making a positive difference in the world.
Vital Skills for a Modern Workforce
Our discussion-oriented, student-focused courses don't just expand your mind — they build the exact competitive edges 21st-century employers look for:
- Critical Thinking and Analysis: Evaluate complex ideas and adapt swiftly to changing environments.
- Advanced Communication: Express nuanced arguments clearly across cultural boundaries.
- Intercultural Competence: Understand global flows of ideas and navigate our interconnected world.
- Empathy and Teamwork: Relate deeply to different human experiences and backgrounds to collaborate effectively.
Discover Your Academic Pathway
To help navigate college successfully, students majoring in one of our programs are assigned a faculty advisor early in their studies. Your departmental faculty advisor will help plan your program of study, focusing on your specific academic and career goals.
- Creative Writing (BA): Explore poetry, literary fiction, fantasy, science fiction, creative nonfiction and drama. Widen the range of what is possible on the page under the guidance of practicing, award-winning writers.
- English (BA): Dive into a rich array of cultures, time periods and genres. Study everything from “The History of the Novel” and “Oppression and Resistance” to film adaptations, linguistics and targeted seminars on authors like Jane Austen and Toni Morrison.
- Interdisciplinary Studies (BA): Tailor a broad, flexible knowledge base to match your exact career goals. Build
custom solutions to complex societal issues through core coursework in interdisciplinary
inquiry and choose from three dynamic emphasis areas:
- Gender, Race and Sexuality Emphasis: Tackle systemic injustices through analytical advocacy.
- Sustainability Emphasis: Gain the knowledge needed to drive environmental solutions across industries.
- Self-Designed Emphasis: Select two distinct disciplines to build a unique, niche skill set that sets you apart in the job market.
- Public Engagement and Philosophy (BA): Prepare to reason about complex problems, imagine varied futures and take meaningful action. This rigorous major combines ethics, foundational philosophy and persuasive communication to prepare you for leadership in law, advocacy, technology and creative industries.
Non-Degree Seeking
- English as a Second Language (ESL): The St. Louis ESL Program combines targeted instruction in academic English with coursework in other academic disciplines to fast-track your linguistic proficiency and confidence. Based on test scores or diagnostic assessments, undergraduate students can take up to 36 credit hours of ESLG classes as elective credits, which are posted to official university transcripts.
Technical Writing Certificate
18 Credit Hours | Available Online and St. Louis' Webster Groves campus
Designed both for students across all majors (including STEM fields) and working professionals seeking upskilling. Learn to communicate complex information clearly, accurately and ethically. Master plain-language techniques, document design and usability to build high-value workplace assets like reports, proposals, manuals, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and web-based help content. You will graduate with a polished portfolio of professional technical documents.
Enhance any primary degree program at Webster with one of our highly compatible minors:
- Minor in Creative Writing
- Minor in English
- Minor in French
- Minor in Japanese
- Minor in Philosophy
- Minor in Spanish
Global Perspectives and Language Innovation
The world is interconnected, and our department ensures you have the global literacy to navigate it. We offer instruction across multiple world languages: French, Spanish, Japanese, American Sign Language (ASL) and English as a Second Language (ESL).
Maximize Your Skills: Language Recognition Credit
If you already possess proficiency in a second language, you can jumpstart your academic progress. By enrolling in your first 3-credit language course at Webster and completing it with a grade of "B" or better, you can be awarded up to 12 Recognition Credit Hours (subject to a $10 processing fee). These hours apply directly toward a major, minor or certificate.
Direct Global Exchanges and Study Abroad
We are committed to helping you experience the world through transformative, immersive international journeys. Webster University's global campus network includes locations such as Athens, Greece; Geneva, Switzerland; Leiden, the Netherlands; and Vienna, Austria, alongside various Webster International Network of Schools (WINS) partnerships.
- Teaching Assistantships: Advanced French and Spanish students can apply for exclusive exchange programs to teach abroad via partnerships with the French Ministry of Education and the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza, Argentina. Students can also teach English in Argentina for a semester to experience life and work in a vibrant cultural environment.
- Japan Exchange and JET Programs: Immerse yourself in Japanese language and culture through our direct exchange program with Kansai University in Japan. Additionally, young professionals can live and work in communities across Japan while serving as U.S. cultural ambassadors through the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program.
- Faculty-Led Short-Term Travel: Want to study abroad but have tight outside commitments? Take advantage of short-term, faculty-led courses that travel over fall break, spring break or summer. Travel with a professor and classmates as part of standard courses, such as ENGL 2250: "Literary London" and ETHC 2050: "Inequality and the Environment."
- International Scholarships: Generous departmental and Office of Study Abroad scholarships are readily available to help offset travel costs.
Transcript
[Music fades in with text appearing over a photo of the St. Louis Arch.]
Text on screen: Welcome to Webster University
[Overhead shot of Webster Groves campus with fall leaves and students walking to class.]
Text on screen: and to our Global Campus Network
[A blue and black map of the world.]
Text on screen: Webster University’s Study Abroad Locations
Text on screen: Athens, Greece, Geneva Switzerland, Leiden, the Netherlands, Vienna, Austria
[Various photos of students at a historical site in Athens, aesthetic plants and the beachfront.]
Text on screen: Athens, Greece
[Photos of Geneva campus with mountains in the background, the campus dorms and a group student photo.]
Text on screen: Geneva, Switzerland
[Video of the Webster Leiden campus: multiple white and red buildings, a Webster Leiden flag, and a moving photo of students posing.]
Text on screen: Leiden, the Netherlands
[A photo of the Vienna campus, a large white building. A timelapse of the bustling city and a photo of three diverse students hanging out.
Text on screen: Vienna, Austria
[There is big, bold text in the middle of a photo collage.]
Text on screen: A Leader in GLOBAL EDUCATION
[One of the pieces of the collage mentions Webster’s WINS program and the photos slide out of frame.]
Text on screen: Webster University, WINS (Webster International Network of Schools)
[All text and photos disappeared and is replaced by text sliding into place.]
Text on screen: Webster’s Global Campuses EXPAND STUDY ABROAD for universities & students.
[The text is replaced by a fast-paced photo slideshow. The first photo is five students posing at the Athens campus, sitting on a railing with the sunset behind them. A student takes a photo with their camera phone.]
[A photo of six dance majors posing in the hallway with arms and legs outstretched. A student taking a photo of mountains and water, equipped with camera and hiking gear. A Vienna student bounces a ball on their knee.]
[A brief video of tourists and students at the Acropolis. A photo of a student posing with Greece behind them. A snippet of another video of a windmill in Leiden and cyclists crossing a bridge.]
[The photo slideshow continues. A photo of three students talking with old architecture behind them. A Gorlok poses with a student at an event.]
[Footage of a graduation ceremony at Webster Leiden. Students throw their caps in the air as the video fades to a blue screen.]
Text on screen: Webster University
[Ending video footage of the St. Louis campus.]
Specific Language Study Scholarships
- James R. and Consuelo E. Gallagher Endowed International Languages Scholarship: Established by Consuelo E. Gallagher, who taught Spanish language and culture at Webster from 1945 until 2004, to support students studying a non-native language.
- Rosita Endowed International Languages Scholarship: Established by Consuelo Gallagher to honor her mother's memory and promote internationalism through language and cultural studies.
- Marianne and Peter Gleich Endowed Scholarship for the Study of the French Language: Created to help students expand their horizons and pursue a passion for French language studies.
- Jeanelle and Mark Wiley Scholarship: Supports French language study or study abroad in Francophone countries.
Meet Our Global TAs: The department regularly employs native-speaking teaching assistants from Argentina, France and Japan. They bring contemporary, live culture directly into the classroom and host immersive campus events like weekly language tables.
High-Impact and Experiential Learning
We believe education shouldn't stop at the classroom door. Our students turn theory into practice through robust hands-on opportunities, gaining demonstrable milestones for their future resumes.
- Premier Internships: In partnership with the Impact Center, our students secure competitive placements at local landmarks and advocacy hubs, including River Styx literary magazine, the St. Louis Art Museum, the ACLU of Eastern Missouri and Spectrum Healthcare.
- Undergraduate Collaborative Research: Work side-by-side with a professor as a paid research partner funded directly by a Provost’s Undergraduate Collaborative Research Grant.
- Undergraduate Thesis and Senior Capstones: Synthesize and showcase your achievements. English and Creative Writing majors complete a comprehensive portfolio review (ENG 4600) and can choose to write a rigorous, original thesis. Public Engagement and Interdisciplinary Studies majors complete deep research and write a substantial final paper in INDS 4701: Senior Capstone.
- Public Presentations: Present your findings to real audiences at our regional, student-led Annual Undergraduate Philosophy Conference each spring, or the bi-annual Research Across Disciplines (RAD) conference in December and May. Or participate in Surfacing, our annual festival where students write, direct and produce their own one-act plays.
Vibrant Student Publications
Showcase your original creative and academic writing in our three peer-reviewed, student-run journals:
- The Green Fuse: Poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, translation and playwriting.
- The Mercury: Cutting-edge literary analysis and criticism.
- Sophia: Thoughtful student philosophical work.
Campus Literary and Creative Culture
Life in the department thrives on collaborative, student-driven organizations and unique campus spaces.
- The Literature Club: Open to anyone who shares a love for literature and wishes to join in the promotion of reading and writing. The club engages with the art of the written word through regular meetings, the Halloween Scary Story Night, a Dickens-themed Christmas party and other community events throughout the year.
- The Webster Writers’ Coalition: An encouraging environment for writers of any level within the Webster community to share, read, discuss and develop creative writing. The group was voted "Best New Club" at Webster University in 2022.
- The Student Reading Series: One evening each fall, students pack Pearson House to celebrate the work and words of outstanding student writers with live readings of their fiction, poetry and nonfiction.
- The David Clewell Visiting Writers Series: Operating since 1986 as a mainstay of the St. Louis literary scene, this series hosts prominent authors to visit classes, give public readings and conduct Q&A sessions and one-on-one student consultations. In 2022, it was renamed to honor the founder of Webster's Creative Writing Program, former Missouri Poet Laureate David Clewell.
Our Specialized Libraries
Located directly inside Pearson House, students may borrow materials from either collection at any time on a take-and-return system:
- The Clewell Poetry Library (Second Floor): A gift from former Webster poet David Clewell containing poetry collections, anthologies, craft books, criticism and biographies.
- The Lit-Mag Library (Basement Level): Features hundreds of issues of premier American literary journals, updated continuously through gifts from the English and creative writing faculty.
Language, Literature and Philosophy Blog
Alumni Spotlight: Alex Chrum
April 1, 2026
Meet Webster alum Alex Chrum, an English graduate turned independent content strategist and copywriter serving B2B and...
Legacy Family: Murray and Jack Farish
June 2, 2025
Murray and Jack Farish, a father-son legacy family of Webster University, discuss their time at Webster and what makes...
What Does it Mean to be Asian American in the Midwest?
May 2, 2025
Meaningful Careers and Proven Outcomes
Has anyone ever asked you, “What are you going to do with that major?” After learning at Webster, your answer will be, “Anything I want.”
Because our department focuses on teaching you how to think and connect ideas rather than just narrow, technical tasks, our graduates possess long-term career endurance. Whether your goal is business, law, healthcare, technology or public advocacy, our degrees fit everywhere.
“My time at Webster has broadened my mind and inflamed my passion to make the world a better and kinder place for all the beings who call it home.”
BA in Philosophy with an Emphasis in Ecofeminism, ’22
Structural Career Preparation Built Into Your Schedule
We don't wait until your senior year to think about your career launchpad. We weave professionalization directly into your weekly curriculum:
- ENGL 2000 (What’s Next? The English Major After Graduation): A highly recommended 1-credit course mapping out practical career paths. You will learn to target modern job fields, draft eye-catching resumes, conduct informational interviews and participate in mock interviews with local St. Louis professionals.
- PHIL 3000 (Public Engagement Proseminar): A recurring professional development seminar tracking real-world applications of ethical problem-solving and systemic advocacy.
- The Career Center Partnership: We partner directly with Webster’s Career Planning and Development Center (CPDC) to give you early, priority access to modern career management tools, networking events and direct interview coaching.
Visit Us at Webster Groves
Experience our community firsthand. We would love to show you around our historic
spaces and introduce you to the College of Humanities and Social Sciences collaborative faculty.
Language, Literature and Philosophy Newsroom Highlights
In the News May 18 2026
May 18, 2026
Deans Rothenbuhler and MacCartney to Retire
February 27, 2026
Faculty and Staff Highlights: Bruce, Hoover, Martin, McMullen
October 13, 2025
Webster University faculty and staff highlights offer a roundup of recent Webster faculty and staff activity and achieve...