2025-2026 Catalog

English, BA

Degree Requirements - 126 credits

Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree with this major

English Major Requirements: 11 courses, 41 credits

Core Requirements (5 courses, 17 credits)

Introduction to Textual Interpretation
Complete the following:
ENG-200Introduction to Textual Interpretation

4

Senior Capstone Seminar
Complete the following:
ENG-500Senior Capstone Seminar

4

Career Readiness
Choose one of the following:
CAS-201College to Career: Explore Your Options and Find Your Path

1

CAS-H201Honors College to Career: Explore Your Options and Find Your Path

1

ENG-202Careers in English

1

Literature I Requirement
Choose one of the following:
ENG-213English Literature I

4

ENG-217American Literature I

4

Literature II Requirement
Choose one of the following:
ENG-214English Literature II

4

ENG-218American Literature II

4

Electives (3 courses, 12 credits)

-Choose one additional 4-credit ENG course at the 100-level or higher

4

-Choose one additional 4-credit ENG course at the 300-level or higher

4

-Choose one additional 4-credit ENG course at the 300-level or higher

4

Concentration Requirement (3 courses, 12 credits)

Choose one of the following areas of concentration:

  1. Creative Writing

  2. Literature

  3. Public and Professional Writing

View concentration requirements by clicking "CONCENTRATIONS" above.

Residency Requirement Policy: In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.

About the English Major

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.

View the Program Page

Concentrations

Creative Writing Concentration: 3 courses, 12 credits

Core Requirement (1 course, 4 credits)

ENG-212Introduction to Creative Writing

4

Creative Writing Workshop Requirement (2 courses, 8 credits)

Choose two of the following:

ENG-370Fiction Writing Workshop

4

ENG-371Creative Non-Fiction Workshop

4

ENG-375Poetry Writing Workshop

4

Literature Concentration: 3 courses, 12 credits

Literature Survey Requirement (1 course, 4 credits)

Choose one of the following in addition to the surveys taken for the core requirements:

ENG-213English Literature I

4

ENG-214English Literature II

4

ENG-217American Literature I

4

ENG-218American Literature II

4

Literature Before 1900 Requirement (1 course, 4 credits)

Choose one of the following:

ENG-344English Romantic Literature

4

ENG-348Jane Austen

4

ENG-356Whitman and Dickinson

4

ENG-389History of the Book

4

Diverse Literature Requirement (1 course, 4 credits)

Choose one of the following:

ENG-340Readings in Decadent Literature

4

ENG-34720th Century Female Gothic

4

ENG-H347Honors 20th Century Female Gothic

4

ENG-348Jane Austen

4

ENG-355African-American Nonfiction

4

ENG-357African-American Literature

4

ENG-358Women Writing the American West

4

ENG-387Writing Women

4

ENG-392Readings in Post-Colonial Literature

4

ENG-399Irish Literature

4

ENG-409Literary Bloomsbury: Woolf and Forster

4

Students in the Honors Program have the option of completing the Honors version of a course.

Public and Professional Writing Concentration: 3 courses, 12 credits

Style, Editing, and Grammar Requirement (1 course, 4 credits)

Choose one of the following:

ENG-312English Grammar and Usage

4

ENG-390Writing Process and Revision

4

ENG-396Varieties of Workplace Writing

4

Rhetoric and Composition Requirements (2 courses, 8 credits)

Choose two of the following:

ENG-221Tactical Rhetoric: Advocacy & Activism, Propaganda & Power

4

ENG-222Technical Writing

4

ENG-230Environmental Writing: Memoir, Science, and Activism

4

ENG-376Literary Publishing

4

ENG-377Writing for Digital Media

4

ENG-395Rhetoric and Memoir

4

About the English Major

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.

View the Program Page

 

English Major Learning Goals and Objectives

Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program. These transferable skills prepare Suffolk students for success in the workplace, in graduate school, and in their local and global communities.

Learning Goals Learning Objectives
Students will... Students will be able to...
Demonstrate effective writing - Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence
- Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research
- Develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach
Develop and display critical thinking - Understand, effectively analyze, and evaluate literary, critical, and theoretical source materials
- Use proper citation and research methods, including following MLA formatting
Cultivate cultural literacy - Demonstrate broad familiarity with British and American literary traditions through study of major English and American writers and the literary history of England and America
- Gain exposure to diverse perspectives through study of literature with focuses on gender, race, ethnicity, immigrant experiences, or literary influences

About the English Major

Learn more about the experiences and opportunities available within this major.

View the Program Page

Honors in the Major

To become a candidate for honors in the major, a student must:

  1. Have an overall GPA of 3.3
  2. Have a major GPA of 3.7
  3. Receive an invitation to apply from the department/major
  4. Submission of application by May 1
  5. Application criteria: Letter of Interest (1-2 pages); Workday Academic Progress Report; Two names of English faculty who have agreed to serve as references

 

To complete requirements for honors in the major, a candidate must:

  1. Graduate with an overall GPA of 3.3
  2. Graduate with a major GPA of 3.7
  3. Complete ENG H555 Senior Honors Thesis with grade of A or A-
  4. Complete Honors Real-World Problems Interdisciplinary Course in your junior year
  5. Present your thesis at the CAS Honors Symposium at the end of your senior year
  6. Present your thesis to English Department at the end of your senior year