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 (40 credits)
- Core English Courses (48 credits)
- Electives (32 credits)
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 |
English lives in the Department of Humanities in the School of Arts & Sciences within the College of Arts & Sciences, and Education.