English, BA
English and World Languages Department
Program Overview
English, BA
Ready to turn your love for reading and writing into a solid career? Our B.A. in English gives you the sharp writing and critical thinking skills that every employer—from publishing to law—is looking for in today’s diverse workplace.
At least 120 credits
2.0 or higher
Bachelor of Arts
Major
Description
The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English is a four-year program that doesn’t just teach you about books—it prepares you to be a highly skilled, top-performing communicator ready for today’s diverse and demanding workplace!
This degree gives you an amazing foundation in the Humanities while developing the specialized skills employers are looking for.
What Makes This Program Special?
This major is a deep dive into the stories, cultures, and critical theories that shape our world, with a special focus on the literature of the African Diaspora. You won’t just study literature; you’ll explore the voices and experiences that have profoundly impacted history and culture.
By the time you graduate, you won’t just have a degree; you’ll have a strong liberal arts background, specialized skills, and a professional portfolio built through your concentration, internship, and thesis!
Program and Degree
Requirements
General Education Requirements (CUNY Common Core & College Option)
These requirements align with the CUNY Common Core and College Option structure:
- Required Core (12 Credits):
- English Composition: ENGL 112 and ENGL 150.
- Mathematics and Quantitative Reasoning: 1 course (e.g., MTH 115).
- Life and Physical Sciences: 1 course (e.g., BIO 101 or PHS 101).
- Flexible Core (18 Credits – 6 Courses): Complete one course in each of the five areas, plus an additional Flexible Core course in any area. No more than two courses from any one discipline are permitted.
- World Cultures and Global Issues
- U.S. Experience in its Diversity
- Creative Expressions
- Individual and Society (e.g., ECON 212 or ECON 213)
- Scientific World (e.g., CIS 101).
- College Option (9 Credits – 3 Courses):
- Socio-Cultural and Diversity Cluster III: 1 course (e.g., SOC 202).
- Integrative Knowledge Cluster IV:
- Socio-Cultural and Diversity Cluster III
- Integrative Knowledge Cluster IV (Humanities, Social & Behavioral Sciences, and Natural Sciences & Mathematics)
Major Requirements
Here are the courses you must complete for your degree.
Required Core Courses
- Core English & Writing Skills
The courses provide the foundation for your communication and analytical abilities:- ENGL 208 – Applied Linguistics, ENGL 210 – Intermediate Composition, ENGL 211 – Introduction To Literary Studies, ENGL 365 – Applied Literary Theory
- Capstone & Professional Experience
These courses wrap up your degree and prepare you for your career:- ENGL 420 – English Internship I, ENGL 422 – Senior Thesis
- Required Literature Exploration (Choose One from Each Pair)
To ensure a broad literary background, you must take one course from each of these sequences:- ENGL 315 – British Literature I: 8th – 18th Centuries OR ENGL 316 – British Literature II: 19th-21st Centuries
- ENGL 319 – African-American Literature I: 1619-1932 OR ENGL 320 – African-American Literature II: 1932 to the present
- ENGL 322 – American Literature I: Beginnings to the Emancipation Proclamation OR ENGL 323 – American Literature II: Reconstruction to the Present
- ENGL 325 – Caribbean Cosmopolitanism OR ENGL 327 – Caribbean Literature II: 1970 to the present
- Specific Literature Requirement
You must take this course as part of your global literature focus:- ENGL 326: African Literature
- General Education & Other Requirements
The courses cover essential skills and knowledge out of your major:- Foreign Language I: FREN 201 – Intermediate French I OR SPAN 201 – Intermediate Spanish I
- Foreign Language II: FREN 202 – Intermediate French II OR SPAN 202 – Intermediate Spanish II
- First-Year Seminar: FS 101 & 102 – Freshman Seminar I
- History: HIST 101 – World Civilizations I
- Library Skills: LIB 100 – Lib & Resch Methods
- Philosophy: PHIL 101 – Introduction to Logic
- Complete any 300-level English Elective from the Cross-Cultural, Creative Writing or Professional Writing Concentrations
Major Elective
- Earn at least 12 English elective credits
- Choose any HUM, ENGL, ART, MUS course not already taken or PHIL 201 or PSYC 101, SSC, SOC. (3 cr)
Concentration Options
- Cross-Cultural Literature
Complete at least 4 of the following courses:- ENGL 319, ENGL 320, ENGL 325, ENGL 327, ENGL 328, ENGL 330, ENGL 331, ENGL 334, ENGL 360, ENGL 363, ENGL 364, ENGL 366, ENGL 371, ENGL 372
- Creative Writing
Complete at least 4 of the following courses:- ENGL 301, ENGL 302, ENGL 303, ENGL 304, ENGL 305, ENGL 306, ENGL 307, ENGL 260, ENGL 362
- Professional Writing
Complete at least 4 of the following Courses:- ENGL 362, ENGL 310, ENGL 311, ENGL 312, ENGL 313
Degree Map
Think of this map as your personal GPS for college. It shows you the perfect sequence of courses to take, semester by semester, ensuring you hit all your requirements in the right order. This plan is designed to make sure you take any prerequisite courses (the classes you must pass before you can take a more advanced one) at the right time.
Admission into BA Program
Admission to the English BA program is open to all students. English majors must earn a minimum grade of C in all English courses. The AA degrees in English and African Diaspora Literature offer seamless transfer into the BA. In addition, the English Department has a formal articulation agreement with Kingsborough’s Journalism Program and the Borough of Manhattan Community College’s Writing and Literature Program.