BA in English
Degree Program Description
English majors are trained to think broadly and deeply across a variety of topics, periods, styles, and methods. Students develop skills in reading, critical thinking, and writing while delving into one or more concentrations. These concentrations include Literature; Creative Writing; Language and Linguistics; Rhetoric, Writing and Media; or the option to Design Your Own. The BA in English curriculum provides a background in historical forms of literature from around the world while giving students the freedom to choose from an array of electives. A degree in English is intended to provide a broad, open-ended education that can lead to many different careers, especially those requiring excellent communication skills and analytical thinking. Recent graduates have gone on to careers in business, teaching, publishing, television, film, advertising, public relations, insurance, government, public service, management, and law.
Major Program Requirements
English majors must complete a minimum of 30 credit hours in English. At least 15 credit hours in the major must be at the 3000-level or above. At least 6 of those 15 hours must be at the 4000-level. A minor in a different discipline is recommended.
No more than 54 credit hours in English may be counted toward graduation. The required English composition credits (ENGLSH 1000 or ENGLSH 1010W) do not count towards the major, are excluded from this maximum, and are recommended to be taken before the student enrolls in any English courses numbered above 2000.
In addition to University, general education, and College of Arts and Science requirements, students must also meet the following major program requirements. All major requirements in the College of Arts and Science must be completed with grades of C- or higher unless otherwise indicated.
To graduate with departmental honors, students must qualify for and complete ENGLSH 4995W Honors Seminar in English - Writing Intensive (which will fulfill the English capstone requirement) and ENGLSH 4996 Senior Honors Thesis. Note that ENGLSH 4995W will count toward the requirements of 15 credit hours of 3000+ level English coursework and 6 credit hours of 4000-level English coursework, but ENGLSH 4996 will not. Both courses will count toward the requirement of at least 30 credit hours in English. Please see the English department website for information about applying for departmental honors.
Internships and Independent Research: Students are encouraged to explore possibilities for gaining professional experience through internal or external internships. They are also encouraged to follow up on opportunities to pursue independent research sponsored by the department, the College of Arts and Science, and other divisions of the University. Internships courses (ENGLSH 4940 or ENGLSH 4950) and independent research study (ENGLSH 4955 or ENGLSH 4960) count towards the major’s 4000-level requirements.
| Requirements | ||
| ENGLSH 2100 | Writing About Literature | 3 |
| Historical distribution: 4 courses at 3000+ level, consisting of one pre-1700 literature course, two other pre-1900 literature courses (which can include additional pre-1700 courses), and one 1900-present literature course. If applicable, historical distribution courses may be used toward the English Major Diversity Intensive course, Concentration courses, and non-honors Capstone-eligible courses. Other historically focused courses than those listed may be allowable with approval of English dept. advisor and/or Director of Undergraduate Studies. | ||
| Pre-1700 Literature: Choose at least one course from the following courses. | ||
| Survey of British Literature: Beginnings to 1784 | ||
| Genres, Beginning to 1700 | ||
| Major Authors, Beginning to 1700 | ||
| Major Women Writers, Beginning to 1700 | ||
| Early Medieval Literature | ||
| Medieval Literature | ||
| Renaissance and Seventeenth Century Literature | ||
| Early American Literature | ||
| Pre-1900 Literature: Choose two courses from any pre-1700 course(s) or from the following courses. | ||
| Survey of British Literature: Romanticism to the Present | ||
| Survey of American Literature: Beginnings to 1865 | ||
| Survey of African American Literature, Beginnings to 1900 | ||
| Genres, 1700-1900 | ||
| Major Authors, 1700-1900 | ||
| Major Women Writers, 1700-1900 | ||
| Restoration and 18th-Century English Literature | ||
| 19th-Century English Literature | ||
| 19th-Century American Literature | ||
| Major African Diaspora Women Writers, 1700-1900 | ||
| 1900 to the Present Literature: Choose one course from the following courses. | ||
| Survey of American Literature: 1865-Present | ||
| Survey of African American Literature, 1900-Present | ||
| Genres, 1900 to Present | ||
| Ethnic Literature, 1900 to Present | ||
| Modern Literature | ||
| World Literatures, 1900 to Present | ||
| Major Authors, 1900 to Present | ||
| Major Women Writers, 1900-Present | ||
| 20th-Century British Literature | ||
| 20th-Century American Literature | ||
| Major African Diaspora Women Writers, 1900 to Present | ||
| English Major Diversity Intensive Course | ||
Any course designated as meeting English Department Diversity requirement or any English course that is designated as fulfilling the A&S Diversity Intensive requirement. Any English course designated as fulfilling the A&S Diversity Intensive requirement may be used for both the English Major and A&S Diversity Intensive requirements. This requirement can be combined/fulfilled with a course that also counts toward historical distribution. | ||
| Concentration: 3 courses including one at 4000+ level; may be fulfilled with historical distribution courses. * | ||
| Capstone | 3 | |
All majors must completed the capstone either by taking a 4000-level course designated as "Capstone Eligible" in conjunction with the zero-credit capstone project (ENGLSH 4970W), or by qualifying and taking the Honors Seminar (ENGLSH 4995W). The non-honors capstone-eligible course can also be used to fulfill the historical distribution requirement. | ||
- *
The concentration consists of any 3 courses in one area of English studies, one of which must be 4000+ level. Students may earn multiple concentrations or take remaining credits as electives.
- Literature
- Creative Writing
- Rhetoric, Writing, and Media
- Language and Linguistics
- Design Your Own (e.g., Gender and Sexuality, the English Novel, Renaissance literature, Social Justice, etc.; requires approval of English dept. advisor and/or Director of Undergraduate Studies)
Accelerated BA to MA
The Accelerated program will provide strong English majors with the opportunity to acquire an MA in English by pursuing one extra year of study. Students in the accelerated program will take 108 undergraduate credits and 31 graduate credits, for a total of 139 credits, (12 of these credit hours are shared undergraduate and graduate credit hours, 7000-level courses.) Students will need to choose whether to pursue the Literature or Creative Writing track. Students who complete the accelerated program will have earned a BA in English with honors and an MA in English.
In the first year of the accelerated program, students will take 18 hours, (12 of which are at the graduate level), and will complete an honors thesis in English. Once a student receives their BA they will take an additional 19 graduate credit hours, 15 of which will be at the 8000-level. Three of the 19 hours will be the MA thesis hours. The honors thesis written in the first year can become the basis for the MA thesis.
| First Year (as Provisional Graduate Student) | ||
| ENGLSH 4995W | Honors Seminar in English - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| ENGLSH 4996 | Senior Honors Thesis | 3 |
| Any 7000-Level Course, at least one course must be a workshop if pursuing the creative writing concentration. | 12 | |
| Second Year (as Graduate Student) | ||
| ENGLSH 8005 | Introduction to Graduate Study * | 1 |
| ENGLSH 8050 | Contemporary Critical Approaches | 3 |
| or ENGLSH 8060 | Seminar in Criticism and Theory | |
| or ENGLSH 8070 | History of Criticism and Theory | |
| ENGLSH 8090 | Masters Thesis Research * | 3 |
| Any 8000-Level Literature Course | 6 | |
| 8000-Level Elective Course ** | 6 | |
- *
These hours do not count towards the 15 hours at the 8000-level.
- **
If pursuing the creative writing track, these courses must be a workshop. If pursuing the literature track, these courses must be a literature course.
Admissions
Students will apply for the accelerated program in the spring of their junior year and, if accepted, will being the fall of their senior year.
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | Math and Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| English, 1000-level literature | 3 | English, 1000- or 2000-level course | 3 |
| Second Language Requirement | 4 | Second Language Requirement | 4 |
| Behavioral Science from Arts and Science | 3 | Behavioral Science, 2000+ | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Humanities from Arts and Science | 3 |
| 16 | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ENGLSH 2100 | 3 | English, 3000+, 1900 to the Present literature | 3 |
| Second Language Requirement | 4 | Social Science, 2000+ | 3 |
| Missouri State Law Requirement: Social Science from Arts and Science | 3 | Humanities, First Writing Intensive | 3 |
| Humanities, 2000+ | 3 | Arts and Science Diversity Requirement | 3 |
| Biological, Physical, or Mathematical Science | 3 | Biological or Physical Science lab | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| English, 3000+ pre-1700 literature | 3 | English, 3000+, pre-1900 literature | 3 |
| Social Science | 3 | English, Diversity Intensive | 3 |
| Biological, Physical, or Mathematical Science | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, internship, or elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| English, 4000+, pre-1900 literature | 3 | English, 4000-level Capstone, Writing Intensive | 3 |
| English, any level | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, or elective, 3000+ | 3 | Second major, minor, certificate, internship, or elective | 3 |
| Second major, minor, certificate, internship, or elective | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
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If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.
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If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major.
- If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit:
- the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog,
- the MU Majors website.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.