Department of English

The department was first created as a sub functionary department of the parent “Department of English Language & Literature” established in 2003 by Hazara University in its Garden Campus situated at Mansehra. Now, the department has recently got its own independent status in 2015 as part of Abbottabad University of Science & Technology (AUST). The “Department of English Language & Literature” has been a center of academic, intellectual and cultural activities since it was founded in 2007 in the Havelian campus of Hazara University. Apart from running its two full-time programs i.e. BS English (four-year) and MA English (two year), the department provides support to all other academic departments of the campus by offering interdisciplinary English courses, e.g. Functional English, Academic Reading & Writing, and Communication Skills, etc.
Keeping in view the recommendations of the HEC and NCRC in English and new trends and developments in the discipline of English, the Board of Studies in English (Hazara University) has recently revised the curricula of the ongoing programs of study and at present, it has been adopted by the department of English language & literature of AUST as such. Further updating in the designed scheme of studies will be sought to make the programs more effective and quality oriented. The courses have been designed to help students develop a strong knowledge-base in each specific area and be able to apply their knowledge to discuss the domain-specific issues and seek solutions to various problems.
Research is the major component of our study programs. Thesis is a compulsory requirement for BS English programme. It is optional in MA English programme. Our students conduct research on a variety of topics from Literature to Applied Linguistics under the supervision of learned advisors. The department will soon start MPhil & PhD programs in the up-coming semesters to further the horizon of quality research especially in the field of Linguistics/Applied Linguistics.
The department is currently preparing a feasibility study for establishing a state of the art, scientific “Language Laboratory” where quality language teaching and learning will take place to produce high impact researchers and language users in the fields of Linguistics & Applied Linguistics. It will also help to arrange preparatory classes for special groups of IELTS, TOEFL and GRE. These classes will be taught by trained and qualified professionals in the field. To keep the on-campus English teachers and those of the affiliated colleges abreast with the new trends of the discipline, the department is planning to conduct workshops/seminars in collaboration with national and international stakeholders, such as the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, the Culture Affairs Section of the US Embassy and the British Council in Islamabad, and with any other organization of repute working in the same sector.