English

Degree Type

Bachelor of Arts

About

Learn from classic and contemporary stories to gain the skills you need to write your own way.

Introduction

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:

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
FRSEM 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

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History

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Global Studies

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Urban Arts

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African American Studies

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College

English lives in the Department of Humanities in the School of Arts & Sciences within the College of Arts & Sciences, and Education