English
The English Department offers a diverse set of courses in literature, writing studies, linguistics, film, and English Education. English majors form strong communication skills, learn effective research methods, develop flexibility in facing complex situations, and increase their awareness of the humanities tradition. These ideals suit both the liberal arts major and the practical, pre-professional student. Success in an information economy is dependent upon one’s ability to produce, analyze, understand, and restate written, oral, and visual material. Through its offerings, the department continues the rich tradition of language and literature study while it also responds to the needs of today’s students.
The department teaches and values collaboration among its students, and seeks out collaborations for itself at NDSU. The department contributes to the Humanities major, the Scholars Program, and the Women and Gender Studies minor. Moreover, the department supports the Cooperative Education Program and welcomes efforts to create student internships. The department serves the university’s students through the General Education Writing Curriculum and it welcomes and encourages double majors and minors.
The English Department offers a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree in English. Both English degrees require 45 credits in English courses beyond the first-year English composition sequence. The B.A. degree requires functional proficiency in at least one language other than English, which is typically acquired through 14 credits of coursework (see Bachelor of Arts Requirement using a Second Language); the B.S. degree requires a minor in an area other than English.
Students must earn a grade of “C” or above in all courses used to fulfill requirements for the English major. These courses may be repeated only once.
The Department of English partners with the School of Education to offer a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in English Education through the College of Human Development and Education. The B.A. in English Education requires 39 credits in English courses beyond the first-year English composition sequence, functional proficiency in at least one language other than English, which is typically acquired through 14 credits of coursework (see Bachelor of Arts Requirement using a Second Language), 34 credits in Education courses, and elective credits to total 122 credits. The B.S. in English Education/Communication Option leads to teacher certification in Secondary Language Arts and prepares students to coach extra-curricular speech and debate teams. The B.S./Communication Option requires 39 credits of English courses beyond the first-year English composition sequence, 20 credits of Communication courses, 37 credits of Education courses, and elective credits to total 122 credits.
English Education majors may take additional courses to earn endorsements to teach middle school (grades 5-8) and/or to teach multilingual students who are English Language Learners (ELL). The Middle School Endorsement requires 7 additional credits, and the ELL Endorsement requires 10 additional credits for a total of 16 credits (6 of the 16 credits are included in the English Education degree requirements). English Education majors should contact the English Education adviser or the School of Education for additional information.
Students must maintain a GPA of at least 2.75 in all English courses and in all professional education courses to remain in the Teacher Education Program.
Major Requirements
Major: English
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 122
General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree
- A dynamic list of approved general education courses offered by term is available on the NDSU General Education Requirements website.
- General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable. Students should carefully review the major, minor, and program emphases requirements for minimum grade restrictions, if applicable.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Year Experience (F) | 1 | |
| Skills For Academic Success (Also offered with the following prefixes: ABEN, AGRI, BUSN, HD&E, ME, NURS, PHRM) | ||
| Communication (C) | 12 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| College Composition II | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
Upper Division Writing † | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning (R) † | 3 | |
| Science and Technology (S) † | 10 | |
| Humanities and Fine Arts (A) † | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (B) † | 6 | |
| Wellness (W) † | 2 | |
| Cultural Diversity (D) *† | ||
| Global Perspectives (G) *† | ||
| Total Credits | 40 | |
| * | May be satisfied by completing courses in another General Education category. |
| † | May be satisfied with courses required in the major. Review major requirements to determine if a specific upper division writing course is required. |
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Degree Requirements
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree – The completion of a minor program of study, a second major, or a second degree is required.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree – Second year language proficiency at college level required.
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences College Requirements
An additional 9 credits are required by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for all Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree programs of study, except the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, the Bachelor of Music degree, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree, and the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AH&SS College Requirements | ||
Courses used to satisfy any general education requirement cannot be used to also count toward the AH&SS College Requirements. A minimum of three credits is required in each of the 3 following areas for a total of 9 credits. Choose only those courses with the prefixes listed for each area. A course with the WGS prefix can only be used in one area. | ||
| Area One: Humanities | 3 | |
ARB, ENGL, FREN, GERM, HIST, HUM, PHIL, RELS, SPAN, or WGS | ||
| Area Two: Social Sciences | 3 | |
ANTH, CJ, COMM, EMGT, POLS, SOC, or WGS | ||
| Area Three: Fine Arts | 3 | |
ARCH, ART, ENVD, LA, MUSC, or THEA | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Major requirements
Students must earn a grade of 'C' or better in all courses used to fulfill requirements for the English major. These courses may only be repeated once.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| ENGL 167 | Introduction to English Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 272 | Literary Analysis | 3 |
| ENGL 275 | Introduction to Writing Studies | 3 |
| ENGL 358 | Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences (May satisfy general education category C) | 3 |
| ENGL 467 | English Studies Capstone Experience | 3 |
| Lower Division Elective Courses - Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Linguistics | ||
| Introduction to Literature | ||
| Introduction to Poetry | ||
| Introduction to Creative Writing | ||
| Literature Survey Courses - Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| World Literature Masterpieces | ||
| British Literature I | ||
| American Literature I | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| British Literature II | ||
| American Literature II | ||
| Cultural Diversity Courses - Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| The Bible as Literature | ||
| British and American Women Writers | ||
| Contemporary Women Writers | ||
| Multicultural Writers | ||
| Literature and The Environment | ||
| 19th Century American Fiction | ||
| 20th Century American Fiction | ||
| Themes in American Culture | ||
| Study Tour Abroad | ||
| British Fiction | ||
| Young Adult Literature in a Multicultural World | ||
| Social and Regional Varieties of English | ||
| Language Bias | ||
| International Technical Writing | ||
| Literacy, Culture and Identity | ||
| Native American Literature | ||
| Upper Division Elective Courses: 300-400 level courses | ||
| ENGL | 300-400 Level Courses | 6 |
| ENGL | 400 Level Courses | 9 |
| Total Credits | 45 | |
- A grade of ‘C’ or better is required in all English specialty and Professional Education Requirement courses.
