2022-2023 Academic Catalog

Feb 16, 2025

2022-2023 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

English, BA, Concentration: English Writing

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About the Program

Writing majors learn the practical aspects of communicating on the job, in business or in industry, to prepare for careers in publishing, editing, writing, and technical communication.

Degree Requirements

120 Credit Hours
Minimum grade of C required for all Foreign Language courses
Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits Minimum)

English Composition (6 Credits): ENGL 10400 - English Composition I and ENGL 10500 - English Composition II
Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 - Fundamentals of Speech Communication
Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits): Select from the Quantitative Reasoning Core list
Natural Sciences (3 Credits): Select from the Natural Sciences Core list
Technology (3 Credits): Select from the Technology Core list
Humanities (3 Credits): Select from the Humanities Core list
Social Sciences (3 Credits): Select from the Social Sciences Core list
Gen Ed Elective (3 Credits): Select from the Gen Ed Core list
First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credits): ENGL 11200 - First-Year Seminar For English

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

CHSS 10000 - Topics In Self & World (3 credits)
CHSS 20000 - Topics In Knowledge (3 credits)
CHSS 30000 - Topics In Individual & Society (3 credits)
CHSS 40000 - Topics In Happiness (3 credits)
World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

Major Core (39 Credits)

Public Writing and Rhetoric (18 credits) - select six (6) from the following:

ENGL 20200 - Engaging English
ENGL 30502 - Creative Writing As A Profession **
ENGL 34400 - Environmental Ethics, Policy, And Sustainability
ENGL 42800 - Special Topics In Writing *
ENGL 43300 - Writing Proposals And Grants
ENGL 44300 - Intermediate Creative Writing*/**
ENGL 47000 - Advanced Topics in Rhetorical Studies *
ENGL 48000 - Internship In Writing

*variable topic, may be repeated for credit

**ENGL 30502 and ENGL 44300 count towards the minor in Creative Writing as a Profession

Interactive Media (15 credits) - select five (5) from the following:

*variable topic, may be repeated for credit

Five courses from Interactive Media list will satisfy the Certificate in Writing for Interactive Media for Writing Concentration students

English Electives (6 credits): Choose two (2) ENGL courses at or above the 20000-level

Other Required Courses (27 Credits)

Students may choose twenty seven (27) credits in Free Electives

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Requirements

Minimum Grade and Grade Point Average (GPA): Minimum grade of C required in all Foreign Language courses; 2.0 GPA

Experiential Learning (EL): One EL course required. EL courses are noted by (e) next to the course title.

General Education Core: General Education notations can be found within the course description. Please click on a course to see if it meets a Gen Ed requirement.

Milestone Courses noted by (m) next to the course title have been identified as being critical to your success in this field of study.

Please see the Additional Information and Guidelines section below for more information.

Semester 1 (15 Credits)

CHSS 10000 - Topics In Self & World (See Note 3)
ENGL 10400 - English Composition I
ENGL 11200 - First-Year Seminar For English Majors
Humanities - select from Gen Ed Humanities Core List
World Language Level I (See Note 1)

Semester 2 (15 Credits)

COM 11400 - Fundamentals Of Speech Communication
ENGL 10500 - English Composition II (e)
Free Elective
Quantitative Reasoning - select from the Gen Ed Core List
World Language Level II (See Note 1)

Semester 3 (15 Credits)

Free Elective
Natural Science - select from Gen Ed Core List
World Language Level III (See Note 1)
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)

Semester 4 (15 Credits)

CHSS 20000 - Topics In Knowledge (See Note 3)
Technology - Select from the Gen Ed Core list
World Language Level IV (See Note 1)
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)

Semester 5 (15 Credits)

CHSS 30000 - Topics In Individual & Society (See Note 3)
Free Elective
Gen Ed Elective - Select from the Gen Ed Core list
Writing Concentration Requirement (See Note 2)
Writing Concentration Requirement (See Note 2)

Semester 6 (15 Credits)

English Elective - select any ENGL course at or above the 20000-level
Free Elective
Free Elective
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)

Semester 7 (15 Credits)

Free Elective
Free Elective
Free Elective
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)

Semester 8 (15 Credits)

CHSS 40000 - Topics In Happiness (See Note 3)
English Elective - select any ENGL course at or above the 20000-level
Free Elective
Social Science - Select from the Gen Ed Core list
Writing Concentration Major Course (See Note 2)

Additional Information and Guidelines

Note 1: SPAN, FR, or ASL; students must complete 4 semesters of the same language.

Note 2: English Writing Concentration Requirements:

Public Writing and Rhetoric – Select 6 courses from the following: (18 credits)

ENGL 20200 - Engaging English
ENGL 30500 - Creative Writing as a Profession
ENGL 34400 - Environmental Ethics, Policy, and Sustainability
ENGL 42800 - Special Topics in Writing*
ENGL 43300 - Writing Proposals and Grants
ENGL 44300 - Intermediate Creative Writing*
ENGL 47000 - Advanced Topics in Rhetorical Studies*
ENGL 48000 - Writing Internship

(ENGL 30502 and ENGL 44300 count towards the minor in Creative Writing as a Profession)

Interactive Media - Select 5 courses from the following: (15 credits)

ENGL 42501 - Writing for New Media
ENGL 42601 - Writing for Social Media (EXL)
ENGL 43100 - Web Usability: Writing and Reading on the Web-EXL
ENGL 43500 - Topics in Writing for Interactive Digital Media*
ENGL 43700 - Writing for Video Games (EXL)
ENGL 43800 - Games and Gamification

(Five courses from Interactive Media list will satisfy the Certificate in Writing for Interactive Media for Writing Concentration students.)

*Variable topic, may be repeated for credit

English Electives (6 credits) - Choose 2 courses from any ENGL course at or above the 200-level.

Other Courses (15 credits) - Choose any 5 free electives.

EXL = Experiential Learning

Note 3: All four CHESS Core seminar courses, CHSS 10000, CHSS 20000, CHSS 30000, and CHSS 40000, must be taken. Duplicates are not allowed.

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester. Certain exclusions apply.