English - BA
The Department of English is dedicated to the study of literatures and cultures of those parts of the world in which English is a primary language. Our curriculum is shaped by the flow of English-speaking people and cultural production in English across both time and space, combining historical, linguistic and cultural analysis with creative work in literature, film, and emerging media. The varied interests of our faculty and students include creative writing, rhetoric and discourse studies, gender and women’s studies, film studies, digital humanities, health humanities, science fiction, and the full range of literatures and varieties of English, including African American, the African Diaspora, Latinx, Asian American, Native American, and South Asian studies.
The B.A. in English allows students to develop their own areas of expertise through concentrations in areas such as literature, composition and rhetoric, creative writing, science fiction and fantasy studies, and film. Students who major in English learn how to communicate effectively and persuasively; develop writing skills (including in technical and business writing, and/or creative writing); learn textual analysis and effective research methods; and strengthen their critical thinking skills. This degree prepares students for a variety of careers including education, law, technical writing, publishing, entertainment, management, marketing and advertising, counseling and medicine.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Semester Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 303 | Approaches to English Studies | 3 |
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3 | |
| Public Speaking | ||
| Communication for Technical Professions | ||
| Argumentation and Debate | ||
| Composition and Rhetoric | ||
| Technical and Business Writing | ||
| American history | 3 | |
| Foreign language 2 | 4 | |
| Social and behavioral sciences 3 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 203 | Writing about Literature 1 | 3 |
| Foreign language 2 | 4 | |
| Life and physical sciences | 3 | |
| Mathematics 4 | 3 | |
| English elective 5 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| World Literature | ||
| American Literature: The Beginnings to Civil War | ||
| Survey of English Literature I | ||
| Medieval English Literature | ||
| The English Renaissance | ||
| Seventeenth-Century Literature | ||
| Early British Drama | ||
| History of Rhetoric | ||
| Studies in Shakespeare | ||
| Milton | ||
| Chaucer | ||
| Foreign language 2 | 3 | |
| Government/Political science | 3 | |
| English elective 5 | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| World Literature | ||
| Survey of English Literature II | ||
| Eighteenth-Century Literature and Culture | ||
| Nineteenth-Century Literature (Romantic) | ||
| Nineteenth-Century Literature (Victorian) | ||
| The American Renaissance | ||
| American Realism and Naturalism | ||
| Nineteenth-Century American Novel | ||
| The British Novel to 1870. | ||
| Foreign language 2 | 3 | |
| Government/Political science | 3 | |
| Life and physical sciences | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| American Literature: Civil War to Present | ||
| Texas Literature | ||
| Life and Literature of the Southwest | ||
| Life and Literature of the American South | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Drama | ||
| Twentieth-Century Literature to World War II | ||
| Literature, World War II to Present. | ||
| Literature and Film | ||
| American Poetry | ||
| The American Novel Since 1900 | ||
| The British Novel, 1870 to Present. | ||
| Postcolonial Literatures | ||
| Contemporary Literary Theory | ||
| Language, philosophy and culture | 3 | |
| Mathematics 4 | 3 | |
| English elective 5 | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to African-American Literature | ||
| Introduction to Africana Literature | ||
| Transnational Literature and Culture | ||
| African-American Literature Pre-1930 | ||
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Literatures | ||
| American Ethnic Literature | ||
| African-American Literature Post-1930 | ||
| Native American Rhetorics and Literatures | ||
| Latino/a Literature | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| Folklore, Literature, and World Cultures | ||
| Studies in Africana Literature and Culture | ||
| Studies in Women Writers | ||
| Creative arts | 3 | |
| English elective 5 | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| American history | 3 | |
| Language, philosophy and culture or creative arts | 3 | |
| English elective 5 | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 481 | Senior Seminar | 3 |
| Life and physical sciences | 3 | |
| Social and behavioral sciences 3 | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 3 | |
| General elective 3,6 | 1 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 | |
| 1 | Must make grade of C or better. |
| 2 | Complete 14 hours of a foreign language through the intermediate level. If you choose to enroll in a language you have studied previously without receiving college credit, you must first take a placement test. See academic advisor. |
| 3 | Middle School Certificate seekers should consult an undergraduate English advisor for required courses. |
| 4 | At least 3 hours must be in MATH. Three hours may be PHIL 240. |
| 5 | Select from ENGL 100-499, LING 200-499. |
| 6 | Up to 12 hours of ENGL 300-499 courses may be used. |
Up to 51 credits in English can be applied to the degree; at least 21 credits must be in literature. A grade of C or higher is required for a course to be counted in the major. For residency, a student must have at least 12 hours in 300- or 400-level English classes from Texas A&M University.
College and University Requirements
Graduation requirements include 3 hours of International and Cultural Diversity courses and 3 hours of Cultural Discourse courses. A course satisfying a Core category, a college/department requirement, or a free elective can be used to satisfy this requirement. The required 6 hours may be met by courses satisfying other areas of a degree program. See your academic advisor for further information.
Other courses may qualify for the following categories. All courses are to be selected with the approval of the student’s academic advisor. The courses incorporate University Core Curriculum requirements. No course can be counted in more than one category, except as allowed in the minor field of study and the International and Cultural Diversity and Cultural Discourse graduation requirements. A minimum of 36 hours of 300- or 400-level coursework must be completed at Texas A&M University, with at least 12 of those hours being in the major.
Minor Field of Study
English majors are advised, but not required, to select a minor field of study. Students who elect to complete a minor should contact the department or program that offers the minor to determine the requirements for that minor. A grade of C or higher is required for a course to be counted in the minor field. A minor field must be declared before the student has completed 75 credit hours.