English Major CSU Academic Programs

The English Major Program consists of 33 credits in a core curriculum and 9 elective credits in Creative Writing, English, Journalism, Mass Communication, Philosophy, and World Literature for a total of 42 credits. 

The major in English includes a core curriculum in literature. Students in this program earn the Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree in English Secondary Education.

The English major prepares students for graduate programs in the humanities; for professional schools in areas such as law; and for careers in such professions as public relations, technical writing, and creative writing. It also prepares students for a wide variety of careers in the expanding media industry. The range of the program is from journalism and desktop publishing to interactive multi-media. All students are grounded in a firm English/Liberal Arts curriculum for the sake of developing strong reading, writing and critical thinking skills. The English major prepares students for careers as journalists and professional writers. English majors are required to maintain a portfolio of writing samples as directed by the English Major Assessment Coordinator, and are required to participate in academic advisement during each pre-registration period to prepare for enrollment in the ensuing summer session and/or semester.

The English major may select an English Secondary Education Concentration. Students wishing to teach English in secondary schools earn the Bachelor of Science degree and fulfill the requirements of the English major, in addition to satisfying the requirements in the Secondary Education Program as determined by the Department of Adult and General Education.

ENGLISH SECONDARY EDUCATION CONCENTRATION

Students in the Secondary Education Program seeking certification in English must satisfy all requirements for the English major as given here below. (For further information see "School of Education" and "Department of Adult and General Education" in this catalogue.) Students in the Secondary Education Program earn the Bachelor of Science Degree.

Except for students in the Secondary Education Program, English majors earn the Bachelor of Arts degree and satisfy the Departmental Assessment requirement by passing a comprehensive exam and submitting a passing writing portfolio. The Bachelor of Arts degree requires a grade of C or higher in an upper-level philosophy course in addition to the GER philosophy option. Students must also complete, with grades of C or higher, at least six college credits in one foreign language at the intermediate level.

SPECIAL GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

English majors satisfy the General Education Requirement in literature by passing Critical Writing (ENGL 208).

CORE COURSES

This section lists the courses required of all English Majors regardless of concentration (33 credits)

ENGL 201	Survey of British Literature I
ENGL 202	Survey of British Literature II
ENGL 205	Survey of American Literature I
ENGL 206	Survey of American Literature II
ENGL 210	Literary Genres
ENGL 335 or 336	Literature of the Black American I or II
ENGL 353	Shakespeare
ENGL 302	Sociolinguistics
ENGL 496	Senior Colloquium
ENGL 3--	Any additional English literature course at the 300 or 400 level (must be literature; linguistics and writing courses do not satisfy this requirement).
Writing Requirement:	CRWR 303 or 304, or ENGL 305, or JRNL 210

ELECTIVES

Any nine credits from among the following subjects: Creative Writing (CRWR), English (ENGL), Journalism (JRNL), Mass Communication (MCOM), Philosophy (PHIL), and World Literature (WLIT).

STANDARDS FOR RETENTION IN THE ENGLISH MAJOR

• Students must complete all the major and minor courses with a grade of "C" or higher.
• Students receiving two or more grades below "C" in major courses, including courses taken in other disciplines to satisfy English major requirements, in any one semester will not be retained as majors.
• Majors must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 in major courses, including courses taken in other disciplines to satisfy English major requirements, to be retained as majors.

English Major