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English

Major Requirements

Welcome to the Major Requirements and Advising page. You can learn more about the major, including degree requirements, by exploring the information below.

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Declare the ENG Major

Beginning in 2020-21 the English major consists of 56 credit hours divided among:

  • lower-division courses that increase your understanding of literary genres and histories
  • a writing requirement where you can deepen your understanding of grammar and style while increasing your rhetorical versatility
  • Foundations courses that offer you tools and methods for critical analysis
  • upper-division requirements and electives where you will explore a wide range of texts and cultural artifacts to increase your moral and aesthetic sensitivity

Lower-Division Requirement (16 credit hours)

  • Two courses in genre: ENG 205 Genre (8 credit hours)
  • Two lower-division electives (8 credit hours)
    • In some terms, ENG 199: Special Studies, will count in this category.
    • Only one Introduction to Literature course (ENG 104, 105, 106) can be used for lower-division electives.
    • Folklore (FLR) courses count when taught by English department faculty. See the annual Undergraduate Major Advising Supplement below.
    • Select courses in the Clark Honors College (HC 221H, 222H, and 223H) and the Humanities program (HUM 101, 102, and 103) can count as lower-division electives.

Foundations of the English Major (8 credit hours)

You must take ENG 303, and 304 or 305. ENG 304 and 305 will be taught in alternate years.

  • ENG 303: Text (Fall term)
  • ENG 304: Context
  • ENG 305: Theory

Writing Requirement (4 credit hours)

  • One of the following courses:
    • ENG 209: The Craft of the Sentence
    • ENG 420: The Art of the Sentence
    • WR 320: Scientific and Technical Writing
    • WR 321: Business Communication
    • WR 423: Advanced Composition

Additional Upper-Division Coursework (32 credit hours)

Additional upper-division coursework must total a minimum of 32 credit hours. A minimum of 28 of the upper-division requirements must be taken at the University of Oregon.

You must take at least one class in each of the following categories:

  1. Literature, Pre-1500
  2. Literature, 1500-1789
  3. Literature, 1789-Present
  4. Theory and/or Rhetoric
  5. Media, Folklore, and/or Culture
  6. Gender, Ability, Queer Studies, and/or Sexualities
  7. Empire, Race, and/or Ethnicity

Note: In addition to selecting courses that automatically satisfy requirements in two areas, during any given term other courses may also fulfill two requirements at once. 

Upper-Division Electives:

Additional upper-division work may be needed to fulfill the minimum of 32 credit hours required for the major. You may use a maximum of 8 credit hours in ENG 401, 402, 405, 408, and/or WR 408. Electives may include any of the upper-division courses listed above in areas A-G as well as any others listed in the Advising Supplement.

Planning Note: If the upper-division requirements have all been satisfied with 4-credit courses, only 4 credits would be required in this area. If you double-dip two courses, 8 credits would be required. All courses for the major must be passed with grades of mid-C or better to count.

Declare the English Major