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Undergraduate

Undergraduate Programs

Whether you’re pre-law, pre-med, looking to work in creative or tech industries, teach, or simply value the serious pleasure of reading, English is the major (or minor!) for you.

The English Major

What Can I Do in English?

The English major offers a broad education in reading, writing, literature, and language. Our courses help students become writers, readers, thinkers, and communicators. It’s the perfect major to set you on the path to a great career or to grad school. (We also have an accelerated BA/MA program: get two degrees in just five years!) Enroll in classes on William Shakespeare and technical communication, Indigenous activism and graphic novels, poetry and short story writing, digital composing and rhetoric. Join the English major for a degree that will take you anywhere you want to go.

 

The English Major is a 36-credit hour program in the Dodge Family College of Arts & Sciences. Students can choose a concentration in Writing or in Literary & Cultural Studies. Both concentrations include just four core courses: an introduction to literary and cultural analysis, two literature surveys, and a senior capstone. The rest of our courses are electives, so you can design the major that’s right for you.

Concentrations

The English major features two concentrations: Literary & Cultural Studies and Writing.

These tracks allow you to customize your degree and dig deeper into your interests. You can specialize without limiting the courses you take or the value of your degree.

Literary & Cultural Studies

Students take a pre-1700 and post-1700 elective, such as Arthurian Legend and Harlem Renaissance, a multicultural course, and five additional major electives in English.
 

Literary & Cultural Studies Requirements

Writing

Students take at least four writing-designated electives, a multicultural course of choice, and four additional major electives in English.

 

Writing Requirements

TE+ Program

Interested in a career in teaching but unsure about an education degree?

OU offers a Teaching Education PLUS certificate in Language Arts that you can pursue alongside your English degree (including crucial internship experience). Get your BA in English and get certified for teaching.

Minor Programs

Our minor programs require just 15 credit hours (five courses) in total, with at least 9 credit hours (three courses) taken at the upper-division level.

Editing & Publishing

Students must successfully complete at least 15 hours of interdisciplinary courses in publishing related subjects such as English, Journalism, Information Studies, Communication, Design, and more. Students may also earn credit through internships with publications such as World Literature Today or The University of Oklahoma Press.

Editing and Publishing Minor

English: Literature

Students must successfully complete at least 15 hours of courses acceptable for major credit in English. Explore courses in fiction, poetry, drama, and film from the Middle Agesto the 21st Century. An English minor is a great way to enhance the value of your degree while you study something you love.
 

Literary Culture Studies Minor

English: Writing

Students must successfully complete at least 15 hours of writing designated courses. Explore courses in creative writing and poetry, rhetoric, digital humanities, magazine editing, and more. Develop the craft of writing in ways that will serve you well in any degree or career path.

 

English Writing Minor

Accelerated B.A./M.A. Program

Earn a Master's degree in an accelerated time frame

OU English offers an accelerated MA that you can earn alongside your BA. With just one extra year of coursework, you can leave OU with two degrees. If you have five years of guaranteed funding for tuition, or if you’re ahead on your credit hours, this a wonderful opportunity. Get a head start on your career with our accelerated MA!

 

Be sure to discuss this option with our English advisor, Kayla Ciardi, if you are interested.

For more information on other OU accelerated programs, check out the University bulletin. 

Advising & Resources

Kayla Ciardi.
Kayla Ciardi

English Academic Advisor
ciardi.k@ou.edu

 

Kayla Ciardi joined the department in 2021 after completing her MA in Modern and Contemporary Writing from the University of East Anglia in 2021. She completed her BA in English at OU. Kayla advises majors and minors in English, Editing/Publishing, as well as Film and Media Studies. In her role as an advisor, Kayla apprises students of their academic progress, ensuring they complete all necessary graduation requirements; she addresses individual student needs, connecting students with resources as needed. She also assists students in defining and realizing their post-graduation goals.

Adivising

Academic advising is an interactive process in which the adviser helps the student set and achieve academic goals, acquire relevant information and services, and make responsible decisions consistent with interests, goals, abilities, and degree requirements. Advising appointments with a department academic advisor are mandatory for each semester prior to enrollment. Advising for upcoming course enrollment begins prior to each semester's enrollment, but students who have general questions about their program may email or make an appointment through iAdvise at any time.

Additional Resources

In addition to formal academic advising, students may select from a wide variety of additional counseling and support services, including workshops and tutoring offered by the Learning Center and the Center for Student Life; individualized support through the Arts & Sciences Student Succes Center; individual career assistance by the Career Center; and academic writing assistance through the Writing Center. For more detailed information and resources, check out the page linked below:

Undergraduate Student Resources