English General Education Requirements

Students must complete the General Education Requirements  .

Students must also complete the University Studies Depth Requirements  :

• The following courses will fulfill the Communication Intensive requirement for students enrolled in each of the four emphases: Literary Studies–courses having CI designation (such as ENGL 5300  ); Professional and Technical Writing–ENGL 3400   and ENGL 4400   (both required); English Teaching–ENGL 4500   and ENGL 4510   (both required); Creative Writing–two courses having CI designation (ENGL 4420  , ENGL 4430   or ENGL 4440  ).
• Complete at least 2 credits in approved 3000-level or above courses from each of the following categories: Life and Physical Sciences (DSC) and Social Sciences (DSS)

Credits in Residence

Students must complete 21 credits of major-applicable coursework at Utah State University.

Course Requirements

Core/Explore Requirements (9 credits)

Students must complete 9 credits of exploration courses. Students must choose one course from each section: culture, literature, and writing. 

Students should complete the exploratory requirements as early as possible.

Literary Study Emphasis

Minimum GPA for Admission: 2.75 within all English courses (other than ENGL 1010  , ENGL 2010  , CLEP, AP, etc.); 2.75 USU cumulative (including courses taken for another USU major); 2.75 career total (including transfer credits) for new transfer students

Minimum GPA for Graduation: 2.75 within major courses; 2.0 USU cumulative; 2.0 career total

Minimum Grade Accepted: C within major courses (no grades of pass/fail)

Number of required credits:42

The Literary Studies emphasis combines the pleasures of reading fiction, poetry, and drama with the practices of communication, reasoning, and research.

Literature students will learn to be skilled writers, clear speakers, and critical thinkers.  They can solve problems both logically and creatively, both independently and in teams.  Graduates will thus be well prepared to pursue their individual goals in a wide variety of educational and professional paths.  They can also look forward to a lifetime of intellectual curiosity and cultural enrichment.

ENGL 2600 is the introductory course in Literary Analysis, which teaches students to read texts closely, to draw connections between form and content, to make interpretative claims, and to write persuasive arguments.

At the 3000 level, the courses in Literary History teach students to draw connections between literature and its historical context, and to read texts in conversation with one another.  Together, these courses give students a broad knowledge of British, American, and World literary history.

At the 4000 level, repeatable courses in Authors and Genres invite students to slice up the field of literature in other ways, by studying the work of particular authors and the evolution of specific genres.  The Shakespeare requirement ensures that students share a common core of literary knowledge.

ENGL 5300 is a repeatable Special Topics course, which brings together diverse literary texts in imaginative ways, encouraging students to think across historical, biographical, and generic boundaries.  ENGL 5310 is a repeatable course on Contemporary Literature, in which students bring literary history up to the present day.  

The emphasis includes 3 elective credits: students may set up an internship that combines their academic skills with their professional interests, or take an additional English course in any emphasis.