A bachelor’s degree in English prepares students for any field that values critical thinking, high reading comprehension, clear and effective writing, and the ability to interpret and analyze data. It provides three concentrations from which students must choose one concentration: Creative Writing, Literary Studies and Professional Writing, Rhetoric and Technology.
Concentration Description
This 36-hour concentration is designed for aspiring writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students who graduate from this program will demonstrate the following: 1) knowledge of the forms and techniques of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction; 2) knowledge of literary genres and the techniques used by authors within each genre; 3) the ability to analyze literature in its cultural and philosophical context; and 4) the ability to critique student manuscripts and offer constructive feedback within a workshop setting.
The State of Florida has identified common course prerequisites for the major in English. These courses must be completed with a minimum grade of "C" before the degree is granted. If the courses are not transferred in, they may be taken at USF.
(CRW 3111 must be taken before any other courses in the Fiction series, and CRW 3311 must be taken before any other courses in the Poetry series. Students are urged to take these two courses during the first year of their major.)
CRW 4930 may be repeated twice, with different content, for a total of six (6) credits hours. Choices would include creative nonfiction, screenwriting, craft courses in fiction\poetry, young adult literature, lyric poetry, etc.).
Literature Requirements: Six courses as follows:
One of the following courses that concentrates on literature written pre-1900:
AML 3031 American Literature from the Beginning to 1860
Five (5) additional major literature courses from those listed in the Literary Studies concentration
Additional Major Requirements
Major Requirements
Students may not use more than one directed study course toward meeting the major requirements.
Major GPA Requirement
A 2.5 GPA in the major is required for graduation.
Major Grade Requirement
A grade of below C- will not be counted toward fulfilling the major requirements.
Major Residency Requirement
Transfer students must earn at least 15 hours in the major at USF.
Major Foreign Language Requirement
The English Department does not accept Sign Language as a foreign language.
Major Other Requirements
Students declaring English as a second major need to complete 30 credit hours. To do so, they must make a written request to the Undergraduate Director at the time they declare English as a second major. Courses taken in the first major may not count toward the 30 hours in English as a second major.
Optional Accelerated Program
B.A./M.A.
Additional Major Information
Major Faculty
Chairperson: H. Hawkins; Professors: C. Adams, R.L. Ciresi, C. Herndl, R.L. Hewitt, J.M. Moxley, D. Price Herndl, L.L. Runge, H. Sellers, P.J. Sipiora; Associate Professors: N.G. Discenza, J. Fleming, M. Gould, G. Grewal, E.A. Hirsh, J. Hopler, D.L. Jacobs, M. Johnson, G. Lemons, E.A. Metzger, S. Mooney, C. Patterson, D. Plant, J. Staggers, I. Sukrungruang; Assistant Professors: S. Altschuler, T. Cooper, Y. Irizarry, J. Lennon, N. Le, , J. Rosello, M. Santos, J. Zisk; Instructors: K. Brown, S.M. Diecidue, D. Donnelly, L. Head, J.Y. Karpay, M. Leahy, B. Moss, K. Riegel; M. Shuman, E. Smith; Professors Emeriti: J. P. W. Rogers, R. Baum, L. Broer, S.M. Deats, H.A. Deer, R.F. Dietrich, F.J. Fabry, S.R. Fiore, W. Garrett, M. Harmon, J. Hatcher, D.L. Kaufmann, W.T. Ross, D. Schenck, W. Scheuerle, N. Tyson.
More About this Major
Accelerated Program
This major has an accelerated track that confers an undergraduate and graduate degree upon completion.