The English Department offers the following undergraduate specializations and minors:

American Studies - (Major & Minor)
Many key issues tied to the roots, development, and expression of American culture transcend the boundaries of traditional subject areas and are best explored from a variety of perspectives or disciplines. The American Studies major and minor provide students with the opportunity to integrate studies in various fields into a broader understanding of American culture and its antecedents. Although housed in the Department of English, the American Studies Program permits students to choose relevant courses for their cognate areas from a variety of participating departments throughtout the University.

British and Commonwealth Studies - (Minor)
The minor in British and Commonwealth Studies, sponsored jointly by the English and History departments, allows undergraduates to experience interdiscipinary study and broaden their international perspectives. Students engage in interdisciplinary study by doing extended work outside their home departments, while at the same time integrating their study around a single area. They enhance their international experience by deepening their knowledge of the British Isles and of the British Empire's contact with world cultures in the Commonwealth and other postcolonial nations.

Creative Writing - (Major)
This 52-credit emphasis is devoted to the art of literary writing: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and drama. Through practice in a chosen genre and a comprehensive study of literature, students learn the craft of literary writing as discovered and practiced over the last three thousand years of written human culture. The emphasis prepares undergraduates for graduate work in creative writing and develops critical, cognitive, and writing skills applicable in numerous professional fields.

English - (Minor)
The standard nonteaching minor consists of 18 credits of various courses, 12 of which must be in upper-division coursework.

English Education - (Major & Minor)
This 52-credit emphasis, leading to professional licensure in the teaching of secondary-level English, prepares prospective English teachers to participate actively in the many communities related to the profession. Students become well-versed in their academic subject matter (language, writing, literature, and multimedia); skilled in the methods of teaching the various components of the English curriculum and in classroom management techniques; and committed to the achievement of all students regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or socioeconomic standing.

Folklore - (Minor)
The 18-credit minor in folklore is an interdisciplinary program sponsored by the English Department and the History Department. The Director of the Folklore Program or the Folklore Advisor must approve the coursework at least one year prior to graduation. Folklore minor students must maintain a 2.75 GPA admission and graduation standard.

Literary Studies - (Major)
This 49-credit emphasis is devoted to the study of literature. Its fundamental premise is that literature is a field of diverse representations that gives shape and meaning to human experience.

Professional and Technical Writing - (Major)
This 49-credit emphasis prepares students for career opportunities in various writing-related careers in professional organizations. The emphasis consists of: (1) a theoretical foundation in rhetoric and linguistics, enabling students to assess any writing situation and adapt their writing to the context as audience-aware writers; and (2) writing practice in a variety of contexts using the most up-to-date tools of technology, so that students know how to write and why they are writing, thus preparing them for the ever-changing job markets of the twenty-first century. For more information, please visit the Professional and Technical Writing website: http://techcomm.usu.edu/