Program Contact: Valerie Smith 203-582-8452
The English Department inspires students to engage with big ideas in literature and to express themselves in writing with eloquence and style. By studying great works of prose and poetry from the medieval period to the present, students deepen their understanding of diverse cultures, histories and sociopolitical perspectives. In our intensive writing courses, students hone their skills with language and find their unique voices as poets, fiction writers, essayists and critics. English majors practice strong writing, active reading, careful research and creative thinking, all of which are crucial skills for success in 21st-century careers.
As an English major, you’ll work closely with a faculty adviser to craft a curriculum that focuses on your literary interests and career goals. All English majors have the option of declaring a concentration in creative writing or secondary education, tailoring their curriculum to focus in these areas. Our flexible 36-credit major is also ideal for adding a double major or minor in complementary disciplines like Law and Society, Psychology, Drama, Biology, Film, Journalism, Game Design, Public Relations and many others.
English majors are encouraged to pursue internships. The flexible major allows students to pursue 1-credit, repeatable internships in supervised fieldwork related to writing or reading to investigate career opportunities and to develop professional contacts. Interested students should see their adviser and the CAS Career Development Office.
An Honors Thesis in English is also available. Students who have an overall 3.30 GPA and a 3.50 in the English major may seek the recommendation of any English department faculty member to pursue a Senior Thesis Project (EN 470) in addition to the capstone course (EN 460). Students who are planning to attend graduate school in English or other related fields might discuss taking advantage of this opportunity with their advisers.
Students majoring in English must meet the following requirements for graduation:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| University Curriculum 1 | 46 | |
| Modern Language Requirement | 3-6 | |
| English Major Requirements | ||
| Flexible Requirements: | ||
| Select at least 6 EN credits at the 300 level from each category (A and B) and an additional 9 credits at the 200 or 300 level from either category; courses cannot count for multiple categories: | ||
A. Language, Rhetoric, Genre and Form | ||
B. Periods, Places, Cultures and Identities | ||
| Advanced Requirements | ||
| Select one from each of the following categories: | 9 | |
Literary History Underrepresented Writers: | ||
| Hippies, Punks and Rude Boys | ||
| Literature by Women | ||
| Black Writers in and Beyond the US | ||
| Literature of the Americas | ||
| American Literature by Women of Color | ||
| Immigrant Fictions | ||
Literary History I: | ||
| Chaucer and the Medieval Period | ||
| English Literature of the Renaissance | ||
| Milton and the 17th Century | ||
| 18th-Century British Literature (1660-1800) | ||
| Origins of U.S. Literature (1492-1865) | ||
Literary History II: | ||
| Composing America | ||
| Twentieth-Century British Literature | ||
| Modern British Literature (1900-1945) | ||
| Contemporary British Literature (1945-Present) | ||
| British Romanticism (1785-1832) | ||
| Victorian Literature (1832-1901) | ||
| The American Renaissance (1830-1865) | ||
| Modern U.S. Literature (1900-1945) | ||
| Contemporary U.S. Literature (1945-Present) | ||
| EN 304 | Junior Seminar in Critical Theory | 3 |
| EN 460 | Senior Seminar Capstone | 3 |
| Free Electives | 50-53 | |
| Total Credits | 114-120 | |
Concentration in Creative Writing Curriculum
All students wishing to fulfill the requirements for a concentration in creative writing must take the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select two 200-level creative writing courses | 6 | |
| Select two 300-level advanced creative writing workshops 2 | 6 | |
| Select one course in contemporary/post-WWII literature, including but not limited to the following: | 3 | |
| The Short Story As a Genre | ||
| Composing America | ||
| Modern British Literature (1900-1945) | ||
| Contemporary British Literature (1945-Present) | ||
| Modern U.S. Literature (1900-1945) | ||
| Contemporary U.S. Literature (1945-Present) | ||
| Modernist American Poetry | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | |
- 1
All students must complete the 46 credits of the University Curriculum.
- 2
The 300-level workshop can be repeated once for credit (i.e., a student interested in fiction can take the Advanced Fiction Workshop up to two times). Credits in the concentration can count for flexible and advanced requirements.
Concentration in Secondary Education Curriculum
To earn the concentration in secondary education, students complete 18 credits, including:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Credits in the concentration can count for flexible and advanced requirements | ||
| One course in British literature | 3 | |
| Two courses in American literature | 6 | |
| One course in Shakespeare | 3 | |
| One course in advanced composition | 3 | |
| History of the English Language | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, students will have achieved the following competencies:
- Written communication: an increasing command of language use and conventions.
- Writing to learn: growth in writing effectively to learn about and convey knowledge and ideas about literature in essays and/or creative texts.
- Writing proficiency: the ability to summarize and synthesize written materials into a fluent, coherent and edited text.
- Inquiry-driven analysis: the ability to read texts proficiently and critically leading to rigorous analysis that explains the complexities, difficulties, ambiguities and contradictions in texts.
- Critical thinking: the ability to evaluate and compose arguments based on logic and evidence, using counterarguments.
- Creative thinking: strong integrative skills and an ability to see patterns and connections among texts and arguments.
- Research methods: the ability to investigate the contexts of critical and creative writing, including historical context, literary history, canons, language and terms appropriate to literature and textuality; facility with theoretical and scholarly materials; perform research using methods employed in the analysis of various forms of writing.
- Cultural understanding: the ability to determine how forms of writing create meanings, values and ideas, and how writing exposes social and economic perspectives and conflicts among nations, peoples and individuals throughout global history; assess how different forms of writing operate to pose questions about culture and question cultural assumptions.
Concentration in Creative Writing
English majors can earn a concentration in creative writing by completing 15 or more credits, within in the 36-credit major, in creative writing and contemporary literature courses. Students who earn the concentration in creative writing not only hone their compositional, reading and analytical skills in one or more genres, but they also build a foundation for understanding and utilizing the power of creativity in their professional lives after college. This concentration is especially recommended to those students who hope to pursue a master of fine arts degree. Successful completion of the concentration in creative writing is indicated on students’ transcripts.
Concentration in Secondary Education
English majors who are planning to teach high school need a more structured curriculum tailored to state requirements and discipline-specific knowledge of literature. To earn the concentration in secondary education, students complete 18 credits, within the 36-credit major, in a strong, broadly based literature and expertise in writing foundation. The concentration enables them to move to graduate-level work successfully, and greatly benefits them in their professional lives as high school teachers. Students use the flexible and advanced requirements to explore a range of courses in national literatures, genres, authors and writing.
Admission Requirements: College of Arts and Sciences
The requirements for admission into the undergraduate College of Arts and Sciences programs are the same as those for admission to Quinnipiac University.
Admission to the university is competitive, and applicants are expected to present a strong college prep program in high school. Prospective first-year students are strongly encouraged to file an application as early in the senior year as possible, and arrange to have first quarter grades sent from their high school counselor as soon as they are available.
For detailed admission requirements, including required documents, please visit the Admissions page of this catalog.
Transfer into the English Major
Seamless Transfer Agreement with Gateway Community College (GCC), Housatonic Community College (HCC) and Norwalk Community College (NCC)
Under this Transfer Agreement, GCC, HCC and NCC graduates will be guaranteed admission into a bachelor’s degree program with third year (junior) status at Quinnipiac University on the condition that they:
- Graduate with an associate in arts, an associate in science in business, College of Technology engineering science, nursing or an allied health degree with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (this may be higher in specific programs).
- Satisfy all other Quinnipiac University transfer admission requirements and requirements for intended major.
Quinnipiac University agrees to accept the general education embedded in these associate degree programs in accordance with Quinnipiac preferred choices for general education as meeting all the requirements of its undergraduate general education except for the Integrative Capstone Experience and where courses are encumbered by the major (e.g., General Chemistry for the Disciplinary Inquiry Natural Science requirement for a Biochemistry major).
Suggested Transfer Curriculum for BA in English
A minimum of 60 credits is required for transfer into the BA in English program. Below is a recommended plan of study for the first two years prior to matriculation at Quinnipiac University.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Credits | |
| English/Composition I | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| English/Composition II | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| English 200-level (EN221 or EN231) | 3 | |
| English 200-level (EN245 or EN246) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 15-16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| English 200-level (EN222 or EN232) | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 60-62 | |
Shown below is one of many possible paths through the curriculum. Each student's individual academic plan is crafted in consultation with their academic adviser.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Year | ||
| Milestones: Earn 30 credits, meet with your adviser at least once a semester and have a GPA of 2.00 or higher. | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| EN 101 | Introduction to Academic Reading and Writing | 3 |
| FYS 101 | First-Year Seminar | 3 |
| English course at the 200 level | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EN 102 | Academic Writing and Research | 3 |
| MA course - satisfies UC Foundation Inquiry | 3 | |
| EN course at the 200 or 300 level | 3 | |
| Language at the 101 level | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Milestones: Earn 60 credits and a GPA of 2.00 or higher. Meet with your adviser at least once per semester to discuss academic, experiential learning, career and co-curricular opportunities. | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| English course at the 200 or 300 level | 3 | |
| English course at the 300 level | 3 | |
| Language at the 102 level (Satisfies CAS Language Requirement) | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 4 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| English course at the 300 level | 3 | |
| English Course at the 300 level | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Milestones: Earn 90 credits and a GPA of 2.00 or higher. Meet with your adviser at least once per semester. Participate in study abroad, complete internship or research opportunities. | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| EN 304 | Junior Seminar in Critical Theory | 3 |
| English course at the 300 level | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| English Course at the 300 level | 3 | |
| English Course at the 300 level | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| University Curriculum course | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Milestones: Earn 120 credits and a GPA of 2.00 or higher. Complete possible minor or double major and prepare for graduation. | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| English Course at the 300 level | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| EN 460 | Senior Seminar Capstone | 3 |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 3 | |
| Open Elective | 2 | |
| Total Credits | 120 | |