The undergraduate degree in English emphasizes knowledge and awareness of:
In addition, students completing the degree in English are expected to acquire the ability and skills to:
The undergraduate degree in creative writing emphasizes knowledge and awareness of:
In addition, students completing the degree in creative writing are expected to acquire the ability and skills to:
Course code for this program is ENGL.
A minimum of 12 hours of upper-division course work for the English major must be completed on the Boulder campus. English courses taken at other colleges must be evaluated by the Department of English. Courses taken in other departments (except approved cross-listed courses) normally do not count toward the English major. English courses taken on a pass/fail basis do not fulfill major requirements. Independent study credit hours cannot fulfill a major requirement unless that requirement is not being offered or available within the year that the student graduates.
Note: For the Advanced Placement examination in English literature and composition, students will receive credit for ENGL 1500 for an exam score of 4 or 5.
Students must complete the general requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences and one of the two programs listed below.
Students are subject to the major requirements in effect at the time they formally declare the major. A minimum of 36 credit hours must be earned in the Department of English, 18 of which must be upper division. Requirements may be fulfilled by taking specific courses designated by the Department of English.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Students are subject to those major requirements in effect at the time they formally declare the major.
A minimum of 36 credit hours must be earned in the Department of English, 18 of which must be upper division.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Students declare the creative writing track when declaring their English major with the help of a student advisor. Students must have completed or be in the process of completing at least 6 hours of writing within the program before being allowed to declare. Students should declare no later than the second semester of their junior year. In order to take a workshop beyond the 2000-level, students who have not declared the creative writing track or the creative writing minor must submit a manuscript to the Department of English prior to registration. Each workshop may be taken three times for credit, except for ENGL 1191. All students completing the creative writing track must take and complete a 4000-level writing workshop. Students may not take two poetry or two fiction workshops in the department in the same semester. Students must satisfy all prerequisites required for a given workshop beyond the 1000-level with a grade of a B- or better before moving on to the workshop at the next level.
Declaration of a minor is open to any student enrolled at CU-Boulder, regardless of college or school. Students majoring in English, literature or creative writing track, cannot declare a creative writing minor. Students are subject to those minor requirements in effect at the time they formally declare the minor.
Completion of the minor requires 18 credit hours, at least 9 of which must be upper division.
Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours
Admission to the creative writing minor can be made at any time after a student completed ENGL 1191 Introduction to Creative Writing. Three hours of transfer workshop credits can be applied with department approval. Students should ideally apply no later than the second semester of their junior year.
Each workshop may be taken three times for credit, except for ENGL 1191. All students completing a creative writing minor must take and complete a 4000-level writing workshop. Students may not take two poetry or two fiction workshops in the department in the same semester. Students must satisfy all prerequisites required for a given workshop beyond the 1000-level with a grade of a B- or better before moving on to the workshop at the next level.
Upon declaring an English major, students are assigned an English advisor. The advisors are available to meet with students by appointment or on a drop-in basis. The advisors monitor and evaluate student progress in completing the arts and sciences core curriculum and major requirements, and certify students for graduation. The department encourages students to meet with their primary advisor at least once each semester to update their student file and ensure that they are making satisfactory progress in meeting the core and major requirements.
Consult the Four-Year Guarantee Requirements for information. The concept of “adequate progress” as it is used here only refers to maintaining eligibility for the four-year guarantee; it is not a requirement for the major. To maintain adequate progress in English, students should meet the following requirements:
Students interested in pursuing a special program leading to graduation with departmental honors should confer with the associate chair for undergraduate studies as soon as possible, but definitely no later than the beginning of spring term in their junior year.
Sheets listing the curriculum required for a teaching license for secondary schools may be obtained in Education 151. Since fulfilling requirements for both education and English makes a very tight schedule, students should seek early advising to complete their college requirements. For additional information, visit teaching licensure.
The Alex McGuiggan Scholarship was established in spring 2010 to recognize the achievement of an undergraduate English major studying creative writing with a preference for students whose strength is in writing poetry. The scholarship was established in memory of Alex McGuiggan, an English major at the University of Colorado Boulder.
The Curtis Michael Gimeno Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship benefits students with a creative writing emphasis who exemplify promise of talent in communicating through the written language. The scholarship was generously established by Donna Jorgenson Farrell in memory of and as a legacy to her son, Curtis Michael Gimeno, who enjoyed writing.
The Gentian Ascension Scholarship. This scholarship is a variable annual award established to benefit an undergraduate student who exhibits a past that demonstrates overcoming academic obstacles and shows budding talent as a writer.
The Jovanovich Imaginative Writing Prize. The Jovanovich prize is an annual award for excellence in poetry, fiction, playwriting, or nonfiction prose. Information is available in Hellems 111.
The Katherine Lamont Scholarship. The Lamont scholarship is a variable annual award to a continuing English major in recognition of sustained excellence and exceptional scholarly performance in the major.
Master’s Degree in English. The MA program offers theory and literary history combined with a rigorous training in critical analysis. Applicants interested in English literature should have satisfactory scores on the verbal and analytical writing sections of the GRE General Test. In addition, at least 24 credit hours in English (exclusive of composition, creative writing, and speech) are normally required for admission. Upper-division courses must comprise 15 of the 24 hours.
Master of Fine Arts Degree in Creative Writing. Applicants interested in creative writing must submit satisfactory scores on the verbal and analytical writing sections of the GRE. In addition, a BA degree, with an English major or at least 18 credit hours in English, is normally required. Each student must submit a manuscript of at least 10 pages of poetry or a minimum of 25 pages of fiction or nonfiction prose (other than literary criticism).
Doctoral Degree in English. Students must present satisfactory scores on the verbal and analytical writing sections of the GRE General Test and have either an MA or a BA degree in English. Entering graduate students with no degree beyond the BA are usually admitted to the MA program but may apply to be admitted directly to the PhD program. MA students may apply for admission to the PhD program upon completion of their degree.
Students wishing to pursue graduate work in English should note requirements for advanced degrees in the Graduate School section and write the department for a more complete description of graduate programs in English, or visit www.colorado.edu/English.