English
An English degree is a liberal arts degree that focuses on developing strong reading, writing, communication, and critical thinking skills. Reading, research and analysis of journalistic, media, and literary pieces provide opportunities to learn transferable soft skills valuable to any career in any industry.
You can choose to major or minor in English.
Be the Author of Your Own Story
You'll learn from a firm English and liberal arts curriculum and graduate ready to pursue graduate or professional school, or a wide variety of careers in media, law, education, politics, creative writing, or public relations, among others.
Program Requirements
To graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in English, students must complete 120 credit hours. These credit hours split among:
- General Education Requirements, or GERs (78 credits)
- Core English curriculum (33 credits)
- Electives (9 credits)
Core Courses
All English majors must successfully complete all core courses regardless of concentration.
Literature in History (9 Credits)
- ENGL201 British Literature I or ENGL202 British Literature II
- ENGL205 American Literature I
- ENGL206 American Literature II
Critical Methods (6 Credits)
- ENGL208 Critical Writing
- ENGL210 Introduction to Literary Genres
African-American Literature (6 Credits)
- ENGL235 Literature of the Black American I or ENGL236 Literature of the Black American II
- ENGL338 Studies in African-American Literature
Upper-Level Writing
- ENGL305 Advanced Expository Writing or ENGL307 Technical Writing or 300-level Creative Writing (CRWR) or Journalism (JRNL) course.
Program Electives (12 Credits)
- At least 4 300-level or 400-level in English (ENGL), Creative Writing (CRWR), Philosophy (PHIL) or World Literature (WLIT)
Capstone Assignment & Senior Colloquium
- ENGL496 Senior Colloquium
Bachelor of Arts Requirements (9 Credits)
- 300-level or higher Philosophy (PHIL) course.
- Foreign Language (Spanish (SPAN), French (FREN), Latin (LATN) or other 201 or 202 or equivalent.
Remember! You must complete all major and prerequisite courses with a grade of C or higher.
Additional Requirements
Additional undergraduate program requirements include:
-
Passing the Departmental Assessment which includes a comprehensive exam and a writing portfolio
-
Earning a C or better in your GER philosophy course as well as an upper-level philosophy course
-
Completing 6 credits with a C or better in 1 foreign language at the intermediate level
Special General Education Requirements (GERs) include:
-
Passing Critical Writing (ENGL 208). English majors satisfy the GER literature requirement by successfully completing this course.
How to Stay an English Major
We strongly recommend you continuously work with your academic advisor through your program journey. Here are some important things you need to know about how to stay an English major in good academic standing:
- Complete all major and minor courses with a C or better.
- Maintain a cumulative 2.5 grade point average (GPA) in major courses and non-major courses taken to satisfy English major requirements.
Please note, students who receive 2 or more grades below C in any 1 semester in major courses and program non-major courses are not allowed to continue as English majors.
Sample Degree Plan
Be sure to connect with your academic advisor to plan your semester courses. The plan below is just an example—your journey may have different requirements.
Fall Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
ENGL 101 | English Composition I |
SOCI 201 | Introduction to Sociology |
MATH 110 | College Algebra |
ORIE 101 | Freshman Seminar |
HIST 203 | U.S. History I |
PHIL 102 | Introduction to Logic |
Spring Semester
course | name |
---|---|
ENGL 102 | English Composition II |
BIOL 101 | Biological Science |
SPCH 105 | Speech Communication |
MISY 150 | Tech Fluency |
HIST 204 | U.S. History II |
Fall Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
ECON 103 | Introduction to Business and Entrepreneurial Economics |
PHSC 103 | Tech and Human Affairs |
WLIT 207 | World Literature |
ENGL 20x | Survey of British Literature or American Literature I |
ENGL 208 | Critical Writing |
Spring Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
ENGL 20x | Survey of British Literature or American Literature II |
IDIS 102 | Music and Dance |
ENGL xxx | Program Elective |
ENGL xxx | Program Elective |
ENGL 210 | Literary Genres |
Fall Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
SPAN 101 | Introduction to Spanish I |
ENGL 305 | Advanced Expository Writing |
ENGL 353 | Shakespeare |
ENGL 353 | Black American Literature I |
ENGL 20x | Survey of British or American Literature I |
Spring Semester
course | name |
---|---|
SPAN 102 | Introduction to Spanish II |
ENGL 302 | Sociolinguistics |
ENGL 336 | Black American Literature II |
ENGL 202 | Survey of British or American Literature I |
ENGL xxx | Program Elective |
Fall Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
SPAN 201 | Intermediate Spanish I |
ENGL 495 | Senior Seminar |
XXXX xxx | General Elective |
XXXX xxx | General Elective or Minor |
XXXX xxx | General Elective or Minor |
Spring Semester
Course | Name |
---|---|
SPAN 202 | Intermediate Spanish I |
ENGL 496 | Senior Seminar II |
PHIL 3xx | 300 Level Philosophy |
XXXX xxx | General Elective |
XXXX xxx | General Elective |
English Major, Literature Concentration
Fall Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
ENGL 101 | English Composition I |
SOCI 201 | Introduction to Sociology |
MATH 125 | Math for Liberal Arts |
ORIE 101 | Freshman Seminar |
HIST 205 | African American History I |
PHIL 103 | Introduction to Philosophy |
Spring Semester
course | name |
---|---|
ENGL 102 | English Composition II |
BIOL 101 | Biological Science |
SPCH 105 | Speech Communication |
MISY 150 | Tech Fluency |
HIST 206 | African American History II |
Fall Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
PSYC 201 | General Psychology |
PHSC 103 | Technology and Human Affairs |
JRNL 210 | Introduction to News Writing |
ENGL 20x | Survey of British Literature or American Literature I |
ENGL 208 | Critical Writing |
Spring Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
ENGL 20x | Survey of British or American Literature II |
ENGL 302 | Sociolinguistics |
ENGL 210 | Literary Genres |
IDIS 102 | Music and Dance |
WLIT 324 | Sacred Literature of the World |
Fall Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
SPAN 101 | Introduction to Spanish I |
ENGL 305 | Advanced Expository Writing |
ENGL 353 | Shakespeare |
ENGL 335 | Black American Literature I |
ENGL 205 | Survey of American Literature I |
Spring Semester
course | name |
---|---|
SPAN 102 | Introduction to Spanish II |
PHIL 303 | Contemporary Philosophy |
ENGL 336 | Black American Literature II |
ENGL 206 | Survey of American Literature II |
JRNL 312 | Technology in Writing and Multimedia |
Fall Semester
Course | name |
---|---|
SPAN 201 | Intermediate Spanish I |
ENGL 495 | Senior Colloquium |
ENGL 3xx | Studies in Literature |
ENGL 3xx | Studies in Film |
WLIT 3xx | Studies in World Literature |
Spring Semester
Course | Name |
---|---|
SPAN 202 | Intermediate Spanish I |
ENGL 496 | Senior Colloquium II |
ENGL 3xx | Genre Studies |
XXXX xxx | General Elective |
XXXX xxx | General Elective |
English lives in the Department of Humanities in the School of Arts & Sciences within the College of Arts & Sciences, and Education