Bachelor of Arts

Program Description

The Department of English provides graduates with the essential foundations of critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. English majors often engage in undergraduate research projects, presenting conference papers at local, regional, and national conferences and publishing work in peer-reviewed journals. Our award-winning student literary journal, Arden, provides students an opportunity to gain editing and publishing experience as undergraduates. In addition to numerous study abroad courses, English majors have the opportunity to participate in the New York Arts program.  

With the BA in English-Creative Writing track, students explore various kinds of creative writing (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, playwriting) and then develop their talents to a higher level with advanced courses: advanced poetry writing, advanced fiction writing, and advanced creative nonfiction writing.

Career Opportunities

In addition to pursuing traditional careers in the discipline—like teaching, library science, journalism, and creative writing—our graduates succeed in business, law, and medicine. Our majors also pursue graduate degrees in English, creative writing, rhetoric, and technical communication.

Admission Requirements

There are no program specific admission requirements.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates will:

• Students demonstrate competency in written communication by writing effectively in a variety of situations and for a variety of audiences.

• Students demonstrate competency in quantitative reasoning by solving real-world problems in contexts that involve numerical data.

• Students demonstrate competency in critical thinking by interpreting and evaluating evidence in a piece of writing and drawing valid conclusions based on the information presented.

Additional Program Requirements

There are no specific academic regulations.

Program of Study

Area A Essential Skills Required Hours: 9
ENGL 1101 (with a grade of "C" or better)
ENGL 1102 (with a grade of "C" or better)
Select one of the following courses:

Area B Institutional Options Required Hours: 4-5
COMM 1110
Select two of the following courses:

OR
Select one of the following courses:

Foreign Language 1001, 1002, 2001, or 2002
Any Area C-E course with a study abroad component.

Note: Students must complete Area B and Area D with a combined total of 15 credit hours within the following ranges: Area B, 4-5 hours; Area D1, 7-8 hours; Area D2, 3-4 hours. Any additional hours may be applied to Area F or beyond, depending on the program of study. Students should consult their advisors.

Area C Humanities/Fine Arts/Ethics Required Hours: 6
Select one of the following humanities courses:

Select one of the following fine arts courses:

*ITDS 1145, though listed under both humanities and fine arts, may be taken only once.

Area D Science/Math/Technology Required Hours: 10-11
Select two science courses from the list below, one of which must include a lab.

D2: Select one of the following courses or a science course from above:

Note: Students must complete Area B and Area D with a combined total of 15 credit hours within the following ranges: Area B, 4-5 hours; Area D1, 7-8 hours; Area D2, 3-4 hours. Any additional hours may be applied to Area F or beyond, depending on the program of study. Students should consult their advisors.

Area E Social Sciences Required Hours: 12
Select one course from the following two courses:
HIST 2111
HIST 2112
Take the following course:
POLS 1101
Select one behavioral science course from the following courses:

Select one world cultures course from the following courses:

Wellness Requirement Required Hours: 3 

PHED 1205
Select any one PEDS course.

Area F Courses Related to Major Required Hours: 18
A grade of "C" or better is required in each ENGL course.
ENGL 2155: Introduction to Literary Studies: Critical Methods
ENGL 2156: Introduction to Literary Studies: Poetics
ENGL 2157: Writing for the English Major
Foreign Language 1002
Foreign Language 2001

Choose one of the following: 3 hours
ENGL 2111: World Literature I
ENGL 2112: World Literature II
ENGL 2135: Multicultural Literature

Area G Program Requirements Required Hours: 24
A grade of C or better is required in each course.
ENGL 1000 must be satisfactorily completed five times.
ENGL 1000: English Convocation

Choose three from the following: 9 hours
ENGL 3105: Introduction to Fiction Writing
ENGL 3106: Introduction to Poetry Writing
ENGL 3107: Introduction to Creative Nonfiction Writing
ENGL 3108: Introduction to Playwrighting
ENGL 3109: Introduction to Screenwriting

Take two sections of the following:  6 hours
ENGL 4176 Advanced Topics in Creative Writing

Take the following:  3 hours
ENGL 4175 Creative Writing Capstone

Take each of the following: 3 hours
ENGL 4000 Baccalaureate Survey
ENGL 4555 Capstone: Selected Authors

Choose one of the following: 3 hours
ENGL 5545 Advanced Topics in Literature, Writing, and Theory
ENGL 5744 Studies in the Novel

Area H Program Electives Required Hours: 18
A grade of C or better is required in each course.
Select one of the following courses: 3 hours

Select one of the following: 3 hours
ENGL 5166 History of the English Language
ENGL 5167 English Grammar
ENGL 5187 Old English
ITDS 5105 History and Practice of Translation

Select two courses from the following: 6 hours

Select two courses from the following: 6 hours
ENGL 3145 Early American Literature
ENGL 3148 American Modernism
ENGL 3149 Contemporary American Literature
ENGL 4506 Selected Topics in American Literature
ENGL 4507 Selected Topics in African American Literature

Area IGeneral Electives Required Hours: 18

Total Hours Required: 123