English, BA, Concentration: English Literature

About the Program

The Literature option is the broadest of our degrees, and involves the careful analysis of texts in their cultural, historical, and formal contexts.  Because the Literature degree involves extensive training in writing and the close attention to the meaning of texts, this option provides a flexible set of skills that can be applied to a wide variety of careers.

Degree Requirements

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)

• Four (4) College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences (CHESS) electives from courses outside of the student’s major. Electives may not be used toward the fulfillment of General Education requirements (*See notes below) (12 Credits)
• World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

*Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:

1. Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
2. Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
3. Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
4. Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)

Major Core (39 Credits)

• ENGL 23100 - Introduction To Literature  
• ENGL 28800 - Theory And Investigation  
• ENGL 38800 - Literature And Culture In Context  - variable topics course, to be taken three times (9 credits)
• Choose one course focused on diversity in literature (3 credits): ENGL 25700 , ENGL 31100 , ENGL 31200 , ENGL 31300 , ENGL 32300 , ENGL 32400 , ENGL 33400 , ENGL 33600 , ENGL 33800 , ENGL 34600 , ENGL 34900 , ENGL 35300 , ENGL 36000 , ENGL 36500 , ENGL 36600 , ENGL 39600  
• Choose one Multimodal Writing course (3 credits):  ENGL 42501 , ENGL 42601 (e), ENGL 43100 (e), ENGL 43500 (e),  ENGL 43700 (e), ENGL 43800  

 *Variable topics course, may be repeated for credit

• Choose any course in Public Writing and Rhetoric (3 credits):  ENGL 20200 , ENGL 30502 , ENGL 34400 , ENGL 42800 *, ENGL 43300 , ENGL 44300 *, ENGL 47000 *, ENGL 48000  

*variable topics course, may be repeated for credit

• Capstone Course (3 credits): ENGL 30502 , ENGL 48700 , ENGL 48000 , ENGL 49500  
• English Literature Elective (3 credits): Choose any English Literature course, ENGL 20000 or above
• English Electives (9 credits): Choose any three courses with an ENGL prefix at the 20000-level or above

Other Required Courses (27 Credits)

• Free Electives (27 Credits)

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

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.  See Important Dates and Deadlines for annual FAFSA filing deadlines and Indiana state aid deadlines. State Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to maintain eligibility for the 21st Century Scholars award and the On-time Frank O’Bannon grant.

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. 

College Scorecard

The U.S. Department of Education has created a scorecard for each university and its programs.  The scorecard shows data for the university such as graduation rate, average annual cost, and median earnings.  Then, when certain minimum standards have been met, data are available for a specific program.  That data could include median earnings, median total debt, and number of graduates. The link below will help you learn more:

https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?490805-Purdue-University-Northwest&fos_code=2301&fos_credential=3