Undergraduate Program
A Bachelor of Arts in English is an enriching pursuit that can lead to an exciting career in teaching, law, publishing, information science, business, and beyond. Here, our B.A. programs in English include introductory course work in the study of language, the principles of critical investigation and critical writing, and methods of literary and/or language study.
All English majors complete core requirements, which include six units of lower-division coursework in literature in English, a Junior Seminar (ENG 480), a course in Shakespeare, and two to three courses surveying the history of Literature in English. Beyond these core courses, students pursue programs of study further exploring literature, language studies, or English education. The requirements for each of these concentrations familiarize students with one of the principal areas of English studies, and show how other areas of English studies can illuminate his or her area of concentration.
Students preparing for a graduate degree in linguistics or in TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) ideally will concentrate on language studies; this concentration is also appropriate for students interested in working in areas of information technology that focus on the structure of language (e.g., jobs with Google orAsk.com).
The sequence of courses in the English Education concentration is designed for students preparing for the single-subject credential in English and Language Arts in California. Students should meet with an English education advisor to plan their program of study.
Students may also work with an advisor to create an individualized course of study.
The English Major and Minor
We offer four concentrations in the major and two concentrations in the minor:
Major:
Minor:
B.A. Checklists
Degree Road Maps
SFSU's Registrar provides Degree Road Maps for each major in the university. They are semester-by-semester guides that will help you plan completion of all university and major requirements. If you take advantage of this resource, make sure you do so with your major advisor and in combination with your DARS report, the Bulletin and your transcript. Below you will find links to Degree Road Maps for each of the English majors for the current academic year (2010-2011). Links to Degree Road Maps for other academic years are availalbe online.
- English (Literature)
- English (Linguistics)
- English (Individual Major)
- English (Education-Creative Writing Emphasis)
- English (Education-Drama Emphasis)
- English (Education-Linguistics Emphasis)
- English (Education-Literature Emphasis)
Course Classification Guide
A list of courses that fulfill the various requirements of the English major and minor is available online.
Course Descriptions
Course descriptions for lower-/upper-division courses and graduate courses are available online.
New/Old Major Requirements Advising FAQs
Advising FAQs are avaible online.
Academic Calendar
Current academic calendar for SFSU.
University Writing Requirements
All students must demonstrate competency in writing skills as a requirement for graduation. For information on university-wide writing requirements please see undergraduate writing requirements. For information about GWAR (Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement) and an approved GWAR course list please visit Writing Across the Curriculum and in the Disciplines at SFSU. For more information about JEPET, including test dates, please visit the Junior English Proficiency Essay Test (JEPET) website.
English Tutoring Center
Composition Students (English 114, 214, etc.) in need of tutoring should contact the English Tutoring Center.
