College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Literature and Language
English Major Program Information
Department of Literature & Language
PO Box 70683
Johnson City, TN 37614
423-439-4339 | Fax 423-439-7193
email: Literature & Language
Dr. Katherine Weiss
208 Burleson Hall
423-439-6626
If you have a love of literature, a desire to become a better writer, and a need to develop stronger critical thinking skills, the English major is for you. The Bachelor of Arts in English offers a general grounding in both American and British literature, in addition to a selection of courses focusing on world literatures, drama, women’s literature, technical writing, creative writing, linguistics, film studies, and environmental studies.
Major–The English major consists of 36 credit hours above the freshman level. All English majors are expected to complete a minor in another area of study with no overlapping between the major and an interdisciplinary minor. English majors must meet requirements for the B.A. in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Nonteaching Majors–The major who does not seek teacher certification must complete at least 36 hours, as specified below:
General Program Information
To earn a degree from ETSU, there are specific course requirements put forth by ETSU, by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR), by each college, and by each department. All students must meet the degree requirements at each of these levels. Please follow the format below:
University-level Degree and Graduation Requirements
Total Credit Hours for Degree: 120
College of Arts and Sciences B.A. Degree Requirements
Students majoring in the College of Arts and Sciences must meet the following requirements for the Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree. Some requirements must be taken in addition to the General Education Core, whereas others specify which courses from the General Education Core must be taken.
| Foreign Languages | Completion of a foreign language course numbered 2020 or above with a grade of C- or better * ** |
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| Mathematics | Specified General Education Core: MATH 1530 or MATH 1910 |
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| Non-U.S. History | 3 credit hours |
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| Natural Sciences | General Education Core |
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| Social and Behavioral Sciences | General Education Core |
| * | International Students whose native language is not English, and whose admission to ETSU requires them to take a standardized test of English as a foreign language (e.g., TOEFL), may substitute scores that meet the admission requirements for the foreign language requirement. |
| ** | Consult the Literature and Language Department’s placement policy listed at www.etsu.edu/cas/litlang/documents/foreignlanguagerequirement.pdf and in the listing for Foreign Languages in this catalog. |
TBR General Education Requirements: 41 - 42 Credit Hours
Below you will see the categories and courses specified under TBR General Education Requirements. Note that certain courses are required for this degree, specific to this major. Thus, these courses will satisfy both a TBR General Education requirement AND a requirement of this major. (Other majors may require different General Education courses.) Where specific courses are required for this major, we only list those courses under the category. If there are no specific major requirements for a category, all course options appear.
Communication
9 credits, consisting of 6 credits of written composition and 3 credits of oral communication.
Written Composition
Complete both of the following:
Oral Communication
Complete one of the following:
Humanities and Fine Arts
9 credits, consisting of 3 credits of literature, 3 credits of fine arts, and 3 credits of humanities electives.
Literature
Complete one of the following:
Fine Arts
Complete one of the following:
Humanities Electives
Complete one of the following:
Social and Behavioral Sciences
6 credits, consisting of two of the following:
History
6 credits, consisting of both of the following:
Natural Sciences
8 credits, consisting of two of the following (some require labs which are listed directly after the lecture):
(Note: Students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in the College of Arts and Sciences must select 8 credit hours in a SINGLE laboratory science. Please see listing in College of Arts and Sciences B.S. Degree Requirements for options.)
Mathematics
Students eligible to enroll in this math course must do so during their first calendar year of enrollment or prior to accumulating 33 semester credits at ETSU.
Complete one of the following:
English Major (Nonteaching)
English Major Requirements: 36 Credit Hours
Minor: 18 - 27 Credit Hours
Electives: 10-19 Credit Hours
Additional Information:
Click here to view the Suggested Course Sequence for the English Major (B.A.) .
English majors should consult with the English Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Katherine Weiss (weisk01@etsu.edu) and their advisors to assure that their coursework fulfills departmental curricula.
- Credit from the 3000 or higher level must include a genre course and either a language course or literary criticism.
- Credit from the 4000 level must include at least 3 hours from ENGL 4700 (Chaucer), ENGL 4690 (Milton), or ENGL 4200 (Shakespeare).
- Students may elect to complete a 12-hour Writing Emphasis or Language Emphasis in place of 12-hour general elective requirements in English
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