Undergraduate Advising
Planning
Balancing Your Schedule
We advise our majors to take a balanced schedule.
Here’s how it works for English majors.
(Note: Creative Writing majors will have more electives; Teaching of English-Secondary Education minors will have few if any electives.)
| Courses | Credit Hours |
|---|---|
| General Education Courses: 10 courses at 3-4 credit hours each | 30-35 |
| English major courses: 11 courses at 3 credit hours each | 33 |
| Western Cultures courses: 2 courses at 3 hours each | 6 |
| TOTAL | 69-74 |
| Credit hours needed for degree | 120 |
| Hours of ELECTIVES | 46-51 credit hours |
The electives can be used in various ways; for exploration, for second majors, for minors, for coursework to enhance the major, or just for areas of interest.
Example schedule each semester
- 1-2 English courses
- 1-2 General education courses
- 1-2 Electives
- Total of 5 courses per semester or around 15 credit hours.
(Average course load is 15 hours per term. When multiplying this by 8 semesters the total is 120 hours needed for the degree.)
Example schedule Fall semester
Rhet + language + Engl 200 + gen ed + elective
Other Options
Freshmen should seriously consider taking Discovery courses and/or Global Studies courses or joining a Learning Community. These are options available only to freshmen and can be a great way to explore, expand, and meet new people.
