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 English Courses

All English majors must successfully complete all core courses regardless of concentration.

Literature in History (9 credits)

  • ENGL 201 British Literature I or ENGL 202 British Literature II
  • ENGL 205 American Literature I
  • ENGL 206 American Literature II

Critical Methods (6 credits)

  • ENGL 208 Critical Writing
  • ENGL 210 Introduction to Literary Genres

African-American Literature (6 credits)

  • ENGL 235 Literature of the Black American I or ENGL 236 Literature of the Black American II
  • ENGL 338 Studies in Black American Literature

Upper-Level Writing (3 credits)

  • ENGL 305 Advanced Expository Writing or ENGL 307 Technical Writing or 300-level Creative Writing (CRWR) or Journalism (JRNL) course

Program Electives (12 credits)

  • At least four 300-level English (ENGL), Creative Writing (CRWR), Philosophy (PHIL), Journalism (JRNL), or World Literature (WLIT)

Bachelor of Arts Requirements (9 credits)

  • 300-level Philosophy (PHIL)
  • At least two 200-level Spanish (SPAN), French (FREN) or Latin (LATN) or WLIT 207 World Literature Ancient to Post-Modern plus WLIT 386 Modern Literature: Africa, Asia, and Latin America or SPAN 303 Survey of Spanish Literature I or SPAN 304 Survey of Spanish Literature II

Capstone Assignment & Senior Colloquium (3 credits)

  • ENGL 496 Senior Colloquium 

Remember! You must complete all major and prerequisite courses with a grade of C or higher.

Additional Requirements

  • English majors must successfully complete all core courses with a C grade or higher.
  • English majors must earn a C grade or higher in a GER Philosophy course.
  • English majors must pass the Departmental Assessment, which is a capstone thesis paper.
  • Students who earn two or more grades below C in any single semester in Core English Courses may not be allowed to continue as English majors.

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

FRESEM 101

Freshman Seminar

ENGL 101

English Composition I

SOCI 201

Introduction to Sociology

MATH 110

College Algebra

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

Technology Fluency

HIST 204

U.S. History II

Fall Semester

Course

Name

ECON 103

Introduction to Business and Economics

PHSC 103

Technology and Human Affairs

WLIT 207

World Literature Ancient to Post-Modern

ENGL 205

American Literature I

ENGL 208

Critical Writing

Spring Semester

Course

Name

ENGL 202

British Literature II

ENGL 206

American Literature II

ENGL 210

Literary Genres

IDIS 102

Music and Dance

GEOG 102

World Regional Geography

Fall Semester

Course

Name

HIST 205

African American History I

ENGL 235

Literature of the Black American I

ENGL 305

Advanced Expository Writing

HEED 101

Personal Health

ANTH 207

Cultural Anthropology

Spring Semester

Course

Name

ENGL 307

Technical Writing

ENGL 338

Studies in Black American Literature

ENGL 391

Special Topics: Hip Hop Women

SPAN 304

Survey of Spanish Literature II

PSYC 201

General Psychology

Fall Semester

Course

name

CRWR 303

Creative Writing

ENGL 240

Introduction to Film

ENGL 392

Special Topic: Black Creators and New Media

PHIL 3XX

Upper-level Philosophy

ART 103

Basic Design

Spring Semester

Course

Name

ENGL 496

Senior Colloquium

DANC 226

Fundamentals of Choreography

MUSC 201

Survey of Jazz Music

THEA 211

Acting for Non-Majors

POSC 201

Introduction to Political Science

Related Programs

English

Undergraduate

Dance

Undergraduate

History

Undergraduate

Global Studies

Undergraduate

Urban Arts

Undergraduate

African American Studies

Undergraduate
College

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