English BA
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Arts (BA)
Minimum Required Credits: 120.0
Co-op Option(s): Three Co-op, Two Co-op, One Co-op, No Co-op
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 23.0101
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 25-1123, 25-2031, 43-9081
About the Program
The BA in English encompasses the human art of language, blending ideas and creativity through the study of literary works, creative writing, and rhetorical skills. Students experience:
- A rich Academic Core grounded in disciplinary expertise that promotes literary exploration, sophisticated textual literacy, excellent writing, and other transferable skills;
- Applied Learning opportunities emphasizing research, interpretation, analysis, and writing to solve real-world problems;
- Opportunities for Civic Engagement, connecting with community partners to promote social justice and the common good.
Students hone their skills in critical thinking, reading, communication, and creativity through coursework, internships, coops, study abroad, guided research, and other experiential learning opportunities.
We engage issues critical to success in tomorrow’s ever-changing world: the connection between oral, written, and digital modes of expression; analytical, ethical, and critical thinking; the relevance and relation of the past to the present; the relations between and among cultures; the role of literary and philosophical texts in our attempts to explain human motives and behavior; issues of personal and communal identity; and the connection of the literary arts to social change.
Our location offers an intellectually stimulating learning experience as we embrace opportunities in Philadelphia, in our region, and across the world. Our dedicated and award-winning faculty foster creativity and rigor within a supportive environment.
Students in the English BA program move between literature, creative writing and practical publication as they prepare to master the literary and creative world of the future. Our flexible curriculum offers three concentrations:
- 1. Literary Studies, spanning genres, geographies, cultures, and historical periods.
- 2. Creative Writing, deepening mastery of the literary craft of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
- 3. Writing and Rhetoric, building skills in composition, argument, and analysis in personal, professional, and public contexts.
A BA in English prepares graduates for meaningful careers in the humanities, law, education, management, professional writing, communications, content creation, the arts, and a range of professional and creative fields.
Additional Information
For more information about this program, please contact the College of Arts and Sciences.
Degree Requirements
| UNIVERSITY REQUIREMENTS (minimum 62 credits) | ||
| CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
| ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
| ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
| UNIV H101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
| UNIV H201 | Looking Forward: Academics and Careers | 1.0 |
| Mathematics courses for a minimum of 6.0 credits | 6.0 | |
| Science courses for a minimum of 6.0 credits | 6.0 | |
| Language requirement (2 consecutive courses, reaching at least 103) | 8.0 | |
| Social and Behavioral Science courses for a minimum of 12 credits | 12.0 | |
| Humanities courses (other than ENGL or WRIT) for a minimum of 6 credits | 6.0 | |
| International Studies courses for a minimum of 6 credits | 6.0 | |
| Studies in Diversity courses for a minimum of 6 credits | 6.0 | |
| MAJOR REQUIREMENTS (30-credit CORE plus 36-credit concentration either in LITERARY STUDIES or in WRITING) | ||
| Core Courses, Required for All Concentrations | 30.0 | |
| English Freshman Seminar | ||
| African American Literature | ||
| English Major Colloquium (1-credit course, repeat twice for 3 credits total) | ||
| Shakespeare | ||
| Topics in World Literature | ||
| Women and Literature | ||
| Senior Project in Literature | ||
| Threshold Concepts in Writing Studies | ||
| Language Puzzles and Word Games: Issues in Modern Grammar | ||
| Creative Writing | ||
| Concentration in LITERARY STUDIES or in WRITING | 36.0 | |
| A) Literary Studies Concentration (36 credits) | ||
| Literature Surveys - Select 4 for a minimum of 12 credits | ||
| Classical to Medieval Literature | ||
| Renaissance to the Enlightenment | ||
| Romanticism to Modernism | ||
| Survey of World Literature | ||
| Post-Colonial Literature | ||
| American Literature I | ||
| American Literature II | ||
| British Literature I | ||
| British Literature II | ||
| Authors and Periods - Select 1 for a minimum of 3 credits | ||
| Period Studies | ||
or ENGL 320 | Major Authors | |
| Literary Impacts - Select 1 for a minimum of 3 credits | ||
| Literature & Science | ||
or ENGL 323 | Literature and Other Arts | |
or ENGL 360 | Literature and Society | |
| Literary Traditions - Select one for a minimum of 3 credits | ||
| The Bible as Literature | ||
or ENGL 335 | Mythology | |
| Literary Theory - 3 credits | ||
| Literary Theory | ||
| Literature Seminars - Take both for a minimum of 6 credits | ||
| Seminar in English and American Literature | ||
| Seminar in World Literature | ||
| English Electives - minimum of 6 credits | ||
Choose any additional 2 courses (300+) in ENGL or WRIT for a minimum of 6 credits | ||
| B) Writing Concentration | ||
| Foundations - Select 1 for a minimum of 3 credits | ||
| The Peer Reader in Context | ||
or WRIT 211 | Advanced Composition | |
| Rhetoric and Technique - Select 1 for a minimum of 3 credits | ||
| Intro to Rhetorical Theory | ||
or WRIT 295 | Forms Seminar | |
| Audience Awareness - Select 1 for a minimum of 3 credits | ||
| Writing for Target Audiences | ||
or WRIT 315 | Writing for Social Change | |
| Writing Practices - Select 7 additional courses for a minimum of 21 credits (at least 5 must be WRIT or ENGL courses) | ||
| Introduction to Journalism | ||
| Business Communication | ||
| Technical Communication | ||
| Grant Writing | ||
| Research Project Development | ||
| Playwriting I | ||
| Screenwriting I | ||
| The Peer Reader in Context | ||
| Advanced Composition | ||
| Intro to Rhetorical Theory | ||
| Story Medicine | ||
| Creative Nonfiction Writing | ||
| Writing in Public Spaces | ||
| “Mistakes Were Made”: Truth, Writing, and Responsibility | ||
| Forms Seminar | ||
| Writing Poetry | ||
| Writing Fiction | ||
| Writing Humor and Comedy | ||
| Life is Beautiful | ||
| Writing About the Media | ||
| Literary Editing & Publication | ||
| Writing and Reading the Memoir | ||
| Writing for Target Audiences | ||
| Writing for Social Change | ||
| Writing in Cyberspace: Writing for/about the Web | ||
| Advanced Poetry Workshop | ||
| Internship in Publishing | ||
| Special Topics in Writing | ||
| English Electives - minimum of 6 credits | ||
Choose any additional 2 courses (300+) in WRIT or ENGL for a minimum of 6 credits | ||
| FREE ELECTIVES | 52.0 | |
Choose 52 credits from any discipline. Consider a second major or minor, or education certification. | ||
| Total Credits | 180.0 | |
Program Learning Outcomes
- Critical reading and writing skills: Read and write critically across multiple genres to produce literary analysis, rhetorical analysis, information literacy, and research.
- Understanding of the interrelationship of form and content: Identify and describe variations of language, genre, style, literary techniques, and other formal elements, and how these textual features produce meaning.
- Understanding of the interrelationship of text and context: Analyze the way texts and textual production are impacted by contextual factors such as geography, historical events, social norms and values, political and economic forces, and technological developments.
- Reflective and meta-cognitive skills: Practice self-evaluation and analysis to better understand the ideas of others as well as to effectively communicate ideas to a range of audiences in differing contexts.
- Creativity: Deploy ideas and language in ways that transcend the obvious and that lead to new insights, problem-solving, and innovative world-building.
- Transferable skills for success in careers and further study : Gain valued capacities in critical thinking, reading, and writing in multiple formats and genres—honed in coursework, internships, coops, study abroad, and/or other experiential learning—that promote success in careers or graduate study in the humanities, law, teaching, professional writing, and other fields.
- LS. Advanced skills in literary studies: Research and analyze literary texts across genres, geographies, cultures, and historical periods.
- CW. Advanced skills in creative writing: Demonstrate mastery of literary craft across multiple genres, including fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.
- WR. Advanced Skills in writing and rhetoric: Demonstrate advanced and flexible skills in the composition and analysis of texts in personal, professional, and public contexts.