HOW TO BECOME AN ENGLISH MAJOR

The English Department offers two major programs of study: the traditional major and the writing concentration. The traditional major must complete at least 40 semester hours in the department and an additional 4 hours in a cognate course or courses, with grades of C- or better. Specific requirements are few: Study of Literature, Senior Colloquium, and one Seminar. At least 12 semester hours must be in breadth courses and at least 16 semester hours must be in depth courses. At least eight semester hours of literature courses at the 200 level are prerequisite to enrolling in 300-level courses. The requirements for the writing concentration are more specific and include a cognate course from outside the department and the following courses from the department: EN:210, EN:220, EN:280 (12 hours), EN:290, EN:300, EN:380 (4 to 6 hours), EN:520 or EN:540, EN:580 (at least 2 hours), and 8 hours of 300-level English electives.

The department also offers two minors: a minor in writing and a minor in English and American literature. Any course applying to a major or minor program must be completed with the grade of C- or better.

If you are declaring a major or changing your major to English, go to the Registrar's office and ask for the appropriate form. Fill it out, indicating that you would like to major in English. If you are choosing the writing concentration, make sure you note that on the form.

Next, get the signature of your current advisor. Ask him or her for your advising folder. Then take the change-of-major form and your advising folder to the chair of the English & Creative Writing Dept. for signature. At that point, you can choose an advisor from among the full-time faculty in the department. Occasionally, a faculty member will have too many advisees or will be on leave or about to take a leave. Usually, however, your preference will be honored in assigning an advisor. After you have received the two required signatures and been assigned a new English advisor, take the form back to the Registrar's office. You are now officially an English major. Please review the requirements for the major and make an appointment as soon as possible to see your new advisor so that you can begin to plan your course of study. Give her or him your advising folder.

If you are thinking about majoring in English but are not yet ready to declare your major, an ideal way to help you to make up your mind is to take another course or two in English. Any of the breadth courses are designed as introductions to literary study and are prerequisites for upper-level courses, too. "The Study of Literature" is an introduction to literary analysis, professional writing about literature, and serious consideration of literary theory and literary criticism.