Academics
Undergraduate Programs: Majors and Minors
Undergraduate Programs: Majors and Minors
English, B.A.
About the Program
The English B.A. program in literature offers a liberal arts English major, the enhancement of writing skills, and electives to satisfy Intellectual Foundations requirements.
About the English Department
326 Ketchum Hall
1300 Elmwood Ave
Buffalo, NY 14222
Phone: (716) 878-5416
Fax: (716) 878-5700
www.buffalostate.edu/english/
Contact Faculty and Staff in the English Department
Career Information
Depending on their program and course concentrations, English graduates are prepared for business or public-sector positions requiring skills in writing, analysis, and problem solving.
Graduates have been hired as proofreaders, assistant managers, Web designers, booksellers, and teachers. Typical hiring firms include publishers, retail businesses, and school districts.
Recent graduates have been hired by companies such as Avalon Books, Barnes & Noble, White Directory Publishers, and Xcel Communications.
Students who pursue advanced degrees in various disciplines may find themselves at a distinct advantage because of their well-honed communication skills. Students also may pursue advanced degrees in literature and become college professors.
Program Requirements
Intellectual Foundations Requirements 39–66 cr
Total Required Credits in English 42 cr
(27 credits must be upper-division)
A. Required Courses (15 cr)
1. ENG 190 Introduction to Literary Interpretation (Must be taken immediately after completion of basic communication requirement or within first year of transfer to English Department.)
2. Major Figure
Select one course from the following;
ENG 313 Milton
ENG 314 Chaucer
ENG 315 Shakespeare I
ENG 316 Shakespeare II
3. ENG 370 Foundations of Language
4. ENG 390 Literary Criticism and Theory
5. ENG 490 Senior Seminar
B. Area Courses in English (27 cr)
1. Three courses in British literature, at least one before 1800 and at least two before 1900.
Pre-1800 options: ENG 210, ENG 313, ENG 314, ENG 315, ENG 316, ENG 415, ENG 416, ENG 417.
Pre-1900 options: ENG 211, ENG 418, ENG 419, ENG 420, OR ENG 421. Other options: ENG 212, ENG 252, ENG 455. If students use ENG 313, ENG 314, ENG 315, or ENG 316 to satisfy their Major Figure requirement (see above), they cannot use it to satisfy their pre-1800 requirement.
2. Three courses in American literature, at least one prior to 1900, and ONLY one can be in a minority area.
Pre-1900 options: ENG 220, ENG 441, ENG 442, ENG 445. Other options: ENG 221, ENG 443, ENG 444.
Minority area options: ENG 240, ENG 241, ENG 353, ENG 354.
3. Two courses in world literature, one of which must be non-Western.
Non-Western options: ENG 230, ENG 345, ENG 346.
Other options: ENG 130, ENG 310, ENG 330, ENG 331, ENG 332, ENG 335, ENG 350, ENG 351. The following courses from the Modern and Classical Languages Department and the Humanities Program CAN apply to these areas with approval of English Department chair.
Non-Western option: FRE 341.
Other options: FRE 331, GER 337, GER 338, HUM 320, HUM 328, ITA 336, MCL 337, MCL 338.
4. One course in minority literature.
Options: ENG 231, ENG 240, ENG 241, ENG 353, ENG 354. (If any of these courses are taken to fulfill an American literature requirement, they cannot count for the minority literature requirement.)
Note: Other courses, such as topics courses, when appropriate, can also fulfill major requirements. Discuss questions with adviser.
All College Electives 12–39 cr
Total Required Credit Hours 120 cr
