ENGL: B.A. in English Language and Literature

The Department of English at the University of Maryland College Park offers a flexible undergraduate major, the MA and PhD degrees in its nationally-ranked graduate program, and an MFA in creative writing. While maintaining its historic strengths in English Renaissance/early modern and American literature, the department has more recently developed strengths in the literatures of the African diaspora, feminist criticism and theory, gender and gay and lesbian studies, textual and digital studies, and rhetoric. As the largest department in the College of Arts and Humanities at the University of Maryland, the Department of English is well-positioned to take advantage of and contribute fully to the rich intellectual and cultural resources provided by its location just nine miles northeast of Washington DC and its proximity to the greater Baltimore area.

To earn a B.A. in English Language and Literature, students are required to complete all CORE, College of Arts and Humanities, and English Undergraduate Studies Office requirements. The College of Arts and Humanities has a dual advising system which means that you need to meet regularly with an advisor in the Office of Student Affairs (ARHU advisor) regarding your CORE and ARHU College requirements and with your departmental advisor for your major requirements. For more information about individual courses listed in the plan, you can consult the Course Catalog.

Please note: These sample templates presume that a student is full time and entered the major during the freshman year. All part-time students and students who have changed their major into the college, should consult with their advisors to determine how to develop an individualized plan.

For college advising, please contact: Office of Student Affairs
1120 Francis Scott Key Hall
301-405-2108

For departmental advising, please contact: English Undergraduate Studies Office
Advisor: English Undergraduate Advising - english@umd.edu
Phone: 301-405-3825
Office: 2115 Susquehanna Hall Please call for an appointment

What can I do with my major?

Download an editable (RTF) or plain text version of this plan.

You should also download and print the ARHU Advising Worksheet (MS Word format) before meeting with your advisor.

Year 1

Semester 1

CORE/ARHU Requirements and Electives
Major Requirements
  • MATH 110/111/113/115/140/220/STAT 100
  • ENGL 101 (A/H/U/S or X)
  • UNIV 100 or 101
  • Language Requirement (#1)
  • CORE (e.g. SH or SB)
 None listed

Semester 2

CORE/ARHU Requirements and Electives
Major Requirements
  • CORE (e.g. Lab - LL or PL)
  • CORE (e.g. HO)
  • CORE (e.g. HA)
  • Language Requirement (#2)
  • ENGL 2xx-3xx (Literary and Cultural History) (CORE HL)
First year benchmark (or 30 credits):
  • CORE: Fundamental English and Math requirements
  • MAJOR: ENGL2xx course from CORE

Year 2

Semester 3

CORE/ARHU Requirements and Electives
Major Requirements
  • CORE (e.g. Non Lab – LS/PS/MS)
  • CORE (e.g. SH or second SB)
  • Language Requirement (#3)
  • ENGL 2xx-3xx (Literary, Linguistic, or Rhetorical Analysis)
  • ENGL 301

Semester 4

CORE/ARHU Requirements and Electives
Major Requirements
  • CORE (e.g. Non Lab – LS/PS)
  • CORE (e.g. SH or second SB)
  • CORE (e.g. Diversity)
  • ENGL 2xx-3xx (Literature of African Americans, peoples of color, women, or LGBT)
  • ENGL 3xx-4xx (emphasis/elective)
Second year benchmark (or 60 credits):
  • CORE: 7 of 9 Distributive Studies courses;
  • ARHU: At least 50% of the foreign language sequence completed.
  • MAJOR: ENGL301

Year 3

Semester 5

CORE/ARHU Requirements and Electives
Major Requirements
  • CORE Advanced Studies (#1)
  • CORE Professional Writing (ENGL 391/392/393/394/395)
  • Elective (1xx-4xx)
  • ENGL 3xx-4xx (Literature pre-1800) (course #1)
  • ENGL 3xx-4xx (Modern British, Anglophone, and/or Postcolonial Writing post-1800)

Semester 6

CORE/ARHU Requirements and Electives
Major Requirements
  • CORE Advanced Studies (#2)
  • Elective (1xx-4xx)
  • Elective (1xx-4xx)
  • ENGL 3xx-4xx (Literature pre-1800) (course #2)
  • ENGL 3xx-4xx (Literature in American, African American, and/or U.S. Ethnic Writing)
Third year benchmark (or 90 credits):
  • CORE: Distributive Studies Completed.
  • ARHU: Intermediate level language requirement, 24 of the required 45 upper level credits (~50%). (Upper level courses needed to fulfill major requirements as well as upper level CORE requirements are included in the 45 upper level requirement).
  • MAJOR: 5 ENGL3xx-4xx (excluding Professional Writing)

Year 4

Semester 7

CORE/ARHU Requirements and Electives
Major Requirements
  • Elective (3xx-4xx)
  • Elective (1xx-4xx)
  • Elective (1xx-4xx)
  • ENGL 3xx-4xx (emphasis/elective)
  • ENGL 3xx-4xx or ENGL 388 Internship

Semester 8

CORE/ARHU Requirements and Electives
Major Requirements
  • Elective (1xx-4xx)
  • Elective (1xx-4xx)
  • Elective (3xx-4xx)
  • Elective (3xx-4xx)
  • ENGL 3xx-4xx (emphasis/elective)