Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English

4-Year Degree Plan (Sample)

About the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English

The 120 credit hour English major prepares students for a variety of careers that demand expertise in analyzing texts, thinking critically, and writing for a diverse audience. These include, among others, print and electronic journalism, teaching, law, public relations, marketing, technical writing, librarianship, and information management.

Program Planning

Each student who enters the English major degree program shall be assigned an English advisor. Advisors meet with students in conference at least twice each academic year (at least once each semester). The student is responsible for scheduling and attending advising conferences.

Students earning the Bachelor of Arts in English degree must complete the campuswide general-education requirements, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences requirements, and fulfill the following concentration requirements:

Total Hours Required

Complete 30 credit hours above the 100-level. Most majors take more than 30 credit hours. All majors choose a concentration in literature or in writing, and take six core courses.

Course Requirements (18 cr.)

All courses are 3 credit hours, unless otherwise designated.

• ENG-L 202 Literary Interpretation
• ENG-L 222 Introduction to Literary Criticism

Select two of the following:

• ENG-E 301 Literatures in English to 1600
• ENG-E 302 Literatures in English 1600–1800
• ENG-E 303 Literatures in English 1800–1900
• ENG-E 304 Literatures in English 1900–Present

Select one of the following:

• ENG-L 350 Early American Writing and Culture to 1800
• ENG-L 351 American Literature 1800-1865
• ENG-L 352 American Literature 1865-1914
• ENG-L 354 American Literature 1914-1960

Note | The American literature course must be taken in a different historical period than the two literatures in English courses

Select one of the following:

• ENG-L 450 Seminar: British and American Authors
• ENG-L 460 Seminar: Literary Form, Mode, and Theme

Note |The senior seminar shall not be taken until all or almost all other major courses have been completed.

Concentration in Literature Requirements (12 cr.)

• 200-level or higher English major course (3 cr.)
• 300-level or higher literature courses (9 cr.)

Concentration in Writing Requirements (12 cr.)

• 300-level or higher writing courses (6 cr.)
• 200-level or higher writing course (3 cr.)
• 200-level or higher English major course (3 cr.)

The following journalism courses are offered by communication studies in the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts and can count toward an English major. See communication studies for these offerings.

• JOUR-J 200 Reporting, Writing, and Editing I
• JOUR-J 341 Newspaper Reporting

The department recommends that students who plan to continue in a graduate degree program take several hours of world languages, because master’s and doctoral degree programs in English, as well as in many other areas, commonly require one or two world languages