Since its inception 125 years ago, the Department of English has been engaged in imparting quality education, in keeping with the vision Sir Syed Ahmad Khan who had the Department of English established in 1877. Early teachers included A. A. J. Nesbitt, L. Tipping, F. J. Moss, Dr. L. Chase, H.O. Lee and M. Coffins. In 1885, Walter Raleigh, a distinguished literary critic who later taught at Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow before he became King Alfred Professor of English in Merton College Oxford and had a major role in organizing English Studies in the University of Oxford, was appointed the first Professor of English at the MAO College, Aligarh. In 1921 Professor E. C Dickinson, Mr. Firebrace Mr. Hadow Harris and Professor F. J. Fielden, took over as Heads of the English Department later. The Department also had on its staff D. Hamour, F. J. Moss and K. M. Pannikar.
English Literature was a compulsory subject for all B.A. students till the early fifties. Professor A Bose not only promoted research, he also gave ELT its due place in the new one year Pre University and three year degree courses introduced in the late fifties.
At present the department offers MA in English and ELT, BA (Hons.) in Communicative English and English, PhD in English, Subsidiary English Courses for other faculty students and private course in English Only.
