English, BA, Concentration: English Writing

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)

• 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 (30 Credits)

Public Writing and Rhetoric (15 credits) - select five (5 from the following:

• ENGL 20200 - Engaging English    
• ENGL 20500 - Introduction To Creative Writing  **
• ENGL 30502 - Creative Writing As A Profession  **
• ENGL 42800 - Special Topics In Writing *
• ENGL 43300 - Writing Proposals And Grants  
• ENGL 44300 - Intermediate Creative Writing */**
• ENGL 48000 - Internship In Writing  (e)

         * variable topic, may be repeated for credit

 **ENGL 20500, 30502, and 44300 count towards the minor in Creative Writing as a Profession

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

• ENGL 42401 Writing For Digital Media   
• ENGL 42501 - Writing For New Media  
• ENGL 42601 - Writing For Social Media  (e)
• ENGL 43100 - Web Usability: Writing And Reading On The Web  (e)
• ENGL 43500 - Topics In Writing For Interactive Digital Media *
• ENGL 43700 - Writing For Video Games  (e)
• ENGL 43800 - Games And Gamification  

*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

Other Required Courses (36 Credits)

• Students choose thirty six (36) 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

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. 

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