Interested in exploring rich literary traditions, from William Shakespeare to Toni Morrison, or in investigating cultural forms as diverse as comic books and digital writing? All while sharpening your skills in critical analysis and writing? The General English Major offers our widest selection of courses, allowing you the flexibility to tailor a program of study to your interests and career plans. The General English Major is also a good choice to pair with a second major or minor.
Literature Core (5 courses):
- Choose 2 courses in literature before 1800
- Choose 3 courses in literature from 1800 to today
Major Electives (5 courses):
- Choose any 5 additional ENGL courses numbered 300 or above—from offerings in literature, creative writing, professional writing and rhetoric, film and media, and linguistics
- At least 1 course will be a linguistics course (ENGL 370, 389 or 450-456); this course can be part of the Carolina Core, your major courses, or minor, cognate, or electives
Diversity Requirement (1 course):
- Choose 1 course that highlights diversity
- This course may also serve as a pre- or post-1800 literature course or an elective
Click here for the Checklist for the General Major
Click here for details in the USC Bulletin
The concentration in Communication and Culture provides humanities-based approaches to the study of communication, broadly defined to include writing, oral communication, rhetoric, and media (e.g., film, comics, digital media). Choosing courses from across these areas, majors emerge with a capacious understanding of communication informed by the historical and contemporary insights of multiple academic disciplines (e.g., communication studies, rhetoric, cultural studies, media studies); critical analytical tools for navigating diverse forms of communication across oral, written, digital, and audio-visual modalities; and advanced skills and experience in writing, speaking, argumentation and advocacy, and interpretation. A great choice for students interested in law, business, media, and technology, as well as for those seeking a flexible toolkit for most any career!
Communication and Culture Core (6 courses):
- Choose 2 courses in Speech Communication and Rhetoric
- Choose 2 courses in Writing and Rhetoric
- Choose 2 courses in Media & Culture
Major Electives (4 courses):
- Choose 2 additional courses from any of the areas listed above
- Choose 2 additional ENGL courses at the 300 level or above
Diversity Requirement (1 course):
- Choose 1 course that highlights diversity
- This course may also serve as an ENGL elective
Click here for the Checklist for the Communication and Culture Major
Click here for details in the USC Bulletin
Interested in creative writing, professional writing, editing, digital literacy, or public relations? This track lets you concentrate on a specific genre—fiction or poetry, say—or gain broad experience in a range of forms, including fiction, poetry, non-fiction, professional, and digital writing. The Writing Concentration Major is a good choice to pair with a second major or minor.
Literature Core (4 courses):
- Choose 2 courses in literature before 1800
- Choose 2 courses in literature from 1800 to today
Major Electives (6 courses):
- Creative Writing – ENGL 360
- Introduction to Rhetoric – ENGL 387
- Choose 3 writing workshops and/or rhetoric courses
- Choose 1 additional ENGL course numbered 300 or above—from offerings in creative writing, professional writing and rhetoric, literature, film and media, and linguistics
Diversity Requirement (1 course):
- Choose 1 course that highlights diversity
- This course may also serve as a pre- or post-1800 literature course or an elective
Click here for the Checklist for the Writing Concentration Major
Click here for details in the USC Bulletin
Thinking about teaching at the secondary school level? This program enables you to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in English geared toward meeting undergraduate course requirements for secondary education certification in most states. The major leads directly into the College of Education’s Master of Teaching in Secondary Education (MT) and is part of its accelerated degree program, which allows you to complete both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in five years. The use of dual credit (courses that can be used toward both degrees) enables acceleration of the program, reducing your total enrollment time by one semester.
Literature Core (2 courses):
- Choose 1 course in literature before 1800
- Choose 1 course in literature from 1800 to today
Certification requirements (8 courses):
- English Grammar – ENGL 450
- 1 course in the English language: ENGL 389 or ENGL 453
- 1 course in theory and criticism – ENGL 388, 440 or 449
- 1 course in African-American literature: ENGL 428a or 428b, or 430
- Young Adult Literature – ENGL 432
- Women Writers – ENGL 437
- Advanced Writing – ENGL 460
- 1 course in Writing or Rhetoric –ENGL 360, 387, 461, 462, 463, 464, 465, 467, 468, 469, 470, 471, 472, 485, 486
Major Electives (1 course):
- Choose any 1 additional ENGL course numbered 300 or above—from offerings in writing, rhetoric, literature, film and media, and more
Plus an education component (5 courses, in place of a cognate or minor):
- Schools in Communities – EDFI 300
- Learners and the Diversity of Learning – EDPY 401
- Equity and Community Engagement – EDSE 500
- Teaching Middle and High School (English) – EDSE 547
Click here for the Checklist for the Secondary Education Major
Click here for details on the Secondary Ed BA+MT at the College of Education and in the USC Bulletin
If you’re considering graduate school or just wanting to take more of the English classes you love, this is an ideal option. The Intensive Major track requires a methods course and a thesis, which lets you work closely with a professor in your chosen area.
Literature Core (7 courses):
- Choose 3 courses in literature before 1800
- Choose 4 courses in literature from 1800 to today
Methods (1 course):
- 1 course in theory and criticism – ENGL 388 or ENGL 440
Senior Thesis or ENGL 490 (1 course)
Major Electives (4 courses):
- Choose any 4 additional ENGL courses numbered 300 or above—from offerings in literature, creative writing, professional writing and rhetoric, film and media, and linguistics
- At least 1 course will be a linguistics course (ENGL 370, 389 or 450-456); this course can be part of the Carolina Core, your major courses, or minor, cognate, or electives.
Diversity Requirement (1 course):
- Choose 1 course that highlights diversity
- This course may also serve as a pre- or post-1800 literature course or an elective
Click here for the Checklist for the Intensive Major
Click here for details in the USC Bulletin
With any of these majors, you can earn a degree with “Distinction in English”:
The BA with Distinction can be earned with any of the five major tracks. It requires:
- Overall GPA of 3.30 or higher and a GPA of at least 3.5 in the major
- Senior Thesis (may be the same thesis submitted for the Intensive Major or Honors College in English)
- Submission of the distinction intent form to the English undergraduate office at the beginning of the semester in which you write your thesis
- Public presentation of thesis in an approved venue (e.g., USC Discovery Day, INK! conference, scholarly publication)
Click here for details on the English BA with Distinction in the USC Bulletin
In any major you can also earn a degree “With Leadership Distinction”:
The Graduation with Leadership Distinction (GLD) lets you develop, and demonstrate (to future employers, graduate programs, etc.), purposeful engagement beyond the classroom. Students choose one or more of several GLD pathways: Community Service, Diversity and Social Advocacy, Global Learning, Professional & Civic Engagement and Research.
- for details on pathways and requirements, visit GLD online