Major in English

Course Planning

The English Program in FCCS offers four degree pathways at the undergraduate level:  Honours B.A., English Major, Combined Major, and Minor in English. The requirements for each pathway differ: students with 68% or better in their first-year English courses can declare English as their major at the end of first year. In their second year, students can elect to remain in the English Major, apply to the English Honours program, or pursue a Combined Major.

Major in English

In order to complete a Bachelor of Arts with a major in English, students need to complete 81 required credits (including BA requirements and major requirements) and 39 elective credits for a total of 120 credits.

BA degree credits CULT & ENGL

Year 1

Students must take at least two first-year English courses and can take a range of electives in other disciplines during their first year. For students planning to enroll in the English Honours, Major, or Combined Major degrees, we recommend taking at least two of ENGL 150, 151, and 154 in first year.

Sample Year One

  • ENGL 150: Introduction to Literary Genre
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • ENGL 151: Critical Studies in Literature
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective

Year 2

Students in the English Major (as well as those wishing to enroll in English Honours or in a Combined Major) must complete two historical survey courses and one theory course in second year: ENGL 220, 221, and 250. These courses provide essential foundational knowledge for further studies in English literature. A wide variety of other second-year English courses can also count towards a degree with a major in English.

Sample Year Two

  • ENGL 220: Foundations: Literature in Historical Context 1
  • ENGL 215: Reading Screens
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA Requirement OR Elective
  • ENGL 221: Foundations: Literature in Historical Context 2
  • ENGL 250: Foundations: Interdisciplinary Theory and Method in Literary Research
  • ENGL 222: Literature in Canada
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective

Years Three and Four – Major

Students take at least 30 credits of upper-level English courses that will fulfill three upper-level requirements, any of which can be taken as either 300- or 400-level courses. These courses will include any two upper-level English courses focusing on the pre-1800 period; any two upper-level English courses focusing on the post-1800 period; and one upper-level course in Canadian literature. Note that in addition to all the requirements listed above, students enrolled in the English Major must also take a minimum of an additional 3 university-level credits of English.

Sample Year Three

  • ENGL 309: Modern Critical Theory and Interdisciplinary Methods
  • ENGL 383: Contemporary British Novel
  • ENGL 387 Indigenous Literature: Intellectual Traditions
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • ENGL 333A: Canadian Fiction
  • ENGL 344A: Topics in Medieval Studies: Household Romance
  • ENGL 357: Restoration Drama and Culture
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective

Sample Year Four

  • ENGL 445: The Victorian Novel
  • ENGL 430: Feminist Forerunners: Early Modern Women’s Literature and Contemporary Theory
  • ENGL 472B: African American Literature
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • ENGL 456B: Topics in Auto/Biography – GRAPHIC MEMOIR
  • ENGL 457: Posthumanism and Critical Animal Studies
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective

English Honours

This program is a more advanced and more directed course of study than the program for English Majors and has additional requirements. Students enrolled in the Honours Program must complete 54 credits in English, 36 of which must be at the 300 and 400 level.

Years Three and Four – Honours

While they are completing 36 credits in English courses at the 300- and 400-level, students in the Honours Program must fulfill these particular requirements:

  • They must successfully complete 9 credits from each of the following three categories (27 credits in total):
    • Category A Courses: English Literature, Genre, and Historical Consciousness
    • Category B Courses: National, Transnational, and International Literatures
    • Category C Courses: Communications, Media, and Theory
  • They must enroll in ENGL 499 (Honours Essay). ENGL 499 is a 6-credit, two-term course, and while taking it students will write their honours essay, a well-researched work of approximately 18-25 pages.

English courses which fulfil the requirements of Categories A, B, and C are listed in the Academic Calendar.

Sample Year Three

  • ENGL 309: Modern Critical Theory and Interdisciplinary Methods
  • ENGL 394B: Interdisciplinary Studies in English Literature (JRR Tolkien)
  • ENGL 387 Indigenous Literature: Intellectual Traditions
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • ENGL 333A: Canadian Fiction
  • ENGL 344A: Topics in Medieval Studies: Household Romance
  • ENGL 357: Restoration Drama and Culture
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective

Sample Year Four

  • ENGL 499: Honours Essay (6 credits: Terms 1 and 2)
  • ENGL 445: The Victorian Novel
  • ENGL 437B: Postcolonial Studies
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • ENGL 499:  Honours Essay (continued)
  • ENGL 423: Approaches to 16th- and/or 17th-Century Literature (Spenser)
  • ENGL 457: Posthumanism and Critical Animal Studies
  • BA requirement OR Elective
  • BA requirement OR Elective

Note: The courses listed in each term are examples only, course offerings change every year. We recommend you meet with an advisor or program coordinator to decide which required, elective or BA requirement courses you take in each term as there are many choices available.

Minor in English

To complete a Minor in English, students must accumulate no fewer than 30 credits and no more than 42 credits in English out of the 120 credits required for the B.A. degree. At least 18 of these credits must be numbered 300 or above.

Combined Major with English

A combined major is created by satisfying the requirements for a combined major in English and another B.A. program that offers a combined major (currently Art History and Visual Culture, Creative Writing, Cultural Studies, and French). A single course can fulfill the combined major requirement for only one of the two programs in the combined major.

B.A. requirements, including the following:

  • ENGL 150, 151, 153, 154, 155, and 156 (the recommended English courses for the Combined Major)
  • ENGL 220 and 221;
  • One additional second-year English course;
  • ENGL 250 or CULT 275; and;
  • 70% average in 15 credits of English, of which only 6 credits may be at the 100 level.
  • 21 credits of 300-and 400-level English including 3 credits of upper-level Canadian literature.

Academic Advisor

In FCCS, we have a dedicated advisor for the programs and degrees that we offer.

Jessica Beck
Academic Advising, UNC 207D
250.807.9214 or 1.866.596.0767
jessica.beck@ubc.ca

The Academic Advising office also has a number of knowledgeable and helpful staff to assist you with all of your questions about your degree.

Program Coordinator

Robert Eggleston
Associate Professor, English
robert.eggleston@ubc.ca