English Major and Minor Requirements

English and Creative Writing Major | English and Creative Writing Minor

General Distribution Requirement

All courses in the English department count toward the general distribution requirement in humanities except for creative writing courses (ENGL 150, ENGL 280, ENGL 281, ENGL 282, ENGL 284, and ENGL 406) and ENGL 224. Courses numbered ENGL 150, ENGL 225, ENGL 280, ENGL 281, ENGL 282, ENGL 284, ENGL 286, and ENGL 406 count toward the requirement in fine arts. ENGL 101, ENGL 224, and 600-level courses do not count toward any distribution requirement.

General Education Requirements

Courses that meet the general education requirements in writing, quantitative thinking, internationalism and U.S identities and differences  will be posted on the Registrar's web page in advance of registration for each semester.

Additional information regarding the general distribution requirement and the general education requirements can be found in the graduation requirements section of this catalog.

Honors Program

The English department participates in the honors program. The honors program is open to senior English majors who have a departmental GPA of at least 3.6.  Eligibility requirements, application procedures and specific project expectations for the department are available from either the department office or the Academic Programs and Advising Office.

Topics Courses

ENGL 194, ENGL 294, ENGL 394, ENGL 494 

Topics courses offer alternative and exploratory approaches to literary works and issues through, for example, interdisciplinary study, studies of single authors or groups of authors from several periods, or studies of recurrent themes in literature. These courses often reflect faculty members' interests in new approaches to literary study or new areas of study. Several topics courses are offered each year, and students should consult the detailed course descriptions in the English department offices and the English department website. Every year. (4 credits)

Independent Study

The department offers independent study options in the form of tutorials, independent projects, internships, preceptorships and Honors independent projects. For more information contact the department and review the Curriculum section of the catalog.

English and Creative Writing Major

Major Requirements

Students earning a major in English and Creative Writing must take ten courses (40 credits) across a range of the following categories:

• Foundation course: one course at the 100-level. These courses serve as prerequisites for courses at the 300-level.
• Pre-1900 courses: three courses at the 200-, 300-, or 400-level, each of which must cover a different historical period from the following list: Medieval; Renaissance; 18th/19th Century British; 18th/19th Century American
• Writers of Color: one course at any level
• One capstone experience, taken as a senior, and selected from the following options: Senior Seminar; another course at the 400-level; an Honors project; an independent study.
• Four electives, which may be any other courses in the English and Creative Writing department, or may include one or more of the following:
  • no more than one literary course in a language other than English;
  • up to two courses from a study abroad program;
  • no more than one internship;
  • no more than one preceptorship.

Please note:
• Any given course may count towards only one of the requirements for the major.
• No more than three 100-level courses may count towards the major.
• Neither AP nor 1B credits nor ENGL 101 - College Writing may count towards the major.
• ENGL 125 - Studies in Literature taken at Macalester may count towards the major, unless it is granted by the Registrar as credit for AP or IB.

English and Creative Writing Minor

Minor Requirements

A minor in English and Creative Writing gives you flexibility to choose an area of concentration that particularly interests you (e.g. creative writing, a specific historical period, a particular genre, or literature by women, etc). The minor consists of five courses (20 credits) chosen in consultation with your English and Creative Writing department advisor, with the following stipulations:

• No more than two 100-level courses may count towards the minor.
• No internships or preceptorships may count towards the minor
• No more than one literature course taken on a study abroad program may count towards the minor (for which prior approval of the chair is required)
• Neither AP nor IB nor ENGL 101 - College Writing may count towards the minor
• ENGL 125 - Studies in Literature taken at Macalester may count towards a minor, but when it is granted by the Registrar as credit for AP or IB it may not count.