Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of General Studies in Literature, Language, and Writing

Why study English language and literature?

Because reading and writing shape the world.

KU's English Department is at the core of the humanities, highlighting the "human" through our individual, one-on-one interactions with our students, our emphasis on community and global engagement, and our abiding interest in our shared humanity through the stories of others. We seek to challenge the mind and to engage the imagination of our students, to teach them to ask questions and to seek for answers. We encourage them to grapple with the complexity of a culturally and commercially interconnected world and the global networks and processes of cultural exchange. We believe that words and ideas will shape the world. We teach our students life-long skills, so that they learn to write clearly, creatively, and effectively—discovering themselves even as they lay a solid foundation for professional success.

A commitment to teaching and learning.

Our department is renowned for its tradition of excellence in teaching. The vast majority of our undergraduate classes have 20-35 students, and much of the class time is dedicated to active learning and engagement with texts and ideas. In recent years, faculty members in the department of English have won eleven Kemper Fellowships for Excellence in Teaching, three Chancellors Club Teaching Professorships, a Career Achievement Teaching Award, and a wide variety of other university-level teaching and advising awards, and the department as a whole received the Center of Teaching Excellence (CTE) award for Department Excellence in Teaching at the University of Kansas.

A variety of career and life paths.

The Literature, Language, and Writing program at the Edwards campus helps to prepare undergraduate students for a variety of professions, including law, scholarship, publishing, library science, and marketing--as well as any number of other fields that value clear communication, interpretive skill, and critical and creative thinking.

KU Edwards Campus

The undergraduate program in literature, language, and writing is offered in its entirety only at the KU Edwards Campus, 12600 Quivira Rd., Overland Park, KS 66213. This program is designed for students who have earned an associate’s degree or equivalent hours and wish to complete the upper-level courses necessary for a bachelor’s degree.

Literature, Language, and Writing Program

The major in Literature, Language and Writing requires 30 hours of English credit hours, of which 3 hours may be an appropriate 200-level English course. The program includes professional writing courses. Internship opportunities may be pursued as credit toward the major, offering students the opportunity to develop communication skills in specific professional contexts.

In today’s rapidly changing work environment, employers are seeking people who can deal with concepts and abstractions, who are imaginative and creative, and who have good communication and people skills. A degree in English helps develop these skills, and it is good preparation for a variety of advanced professional degrees in areas such as business and law. English majors pursue a range of careers including editing, technical writing, advertising and public relations, teaching, market research, retail management, teaching English as a second language, nonprofit fund-raising and/or advocacy, web design, speech writing, sales, video production, script reading, radio and television, and many others. Some career paths require an advanced degree or specialized post-graduate training, but an undergraduate degree in English is an excellent base from which to explore career options.

For more on the program and admission, please visit our Literature, Language, and Writing Program website and submit a request for more information.

Undergraduate Admission

Admission to KU

All students applying for admission must send high school and college transcripts to the Office of Admissions. Prospective first-year students should be aware that KU has qualified admission requirements that all new first-year students must meet to be admitted. Consult the Office of Admissions for application deadlines and specific admission requirements.

Visit the International Support Services for information about international admissions.

Students considering transferring to KU may see how their college-level course work will transfer on the Office of the University Registrar website.

Requirements for the B.A. or B.G.S. Literature, Language, and Writing Major

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Core 34 General Education		34
The KU Core 34 is comprised of 34-35 credit hours typically completed during the first two years of study. The Core 34 consists of the following requirements: English (6), Communications (3), Math & Statistics (3), Natural & Physical Sciences with lab (4-5), Social & Behavioral Sciences (6 in two different disciplines), Arts & Humanities (6 in two different disciplines), US Culture (3), and Global Culture (3)
MATH 105 Introduction to Quantitative Reasoning is the designated "math pathway"course. MATH 101 or MATH 107 are also accepted. These courses will fulfill your Core 34 Math and Statistics requirement.
Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of General Studies (BGS) Degree Requirements		16-21
Students will follow the BA or BGS degree specific requirements based on their degree selection. BA students will demonstrate proficiency in a Non-English Language, complete a Quantitative Literacy course, a Laboratory or Field Experience, and two semesters of Writing. BGS students will complete a minor, two certificates, or a second major and a Career Preparation Course. Please see the College's undergraduate tab for more detailed information on these requirements.
1 credit hour of a Laboratory of Field Experience, 6 credit hours of Writing, and 3 credit hours of Quantitative Literacy are required for all BA students. These requirements will be met through the completion of the KU Core 34.
Major Requirements
Literature Before 1900		3
Satisfied by one course (3 hours) from the following (additional courses may be approved with departmental permission):
ENGL 301	Topics in British Literature to 1800: _____
ENGL 309	The British Novel
ENGL 312	Major British Writers to 1800
ENGL 314	Major British Writers after 1800
ENGL 315	Studies in British Literature
ENGL 317	Topics in American Literature to 1865: _____
ENGL 320	American Literature I
ENGL 331	Chaucer
ENGL 332	Shakespeare
ENGL 521	Advanced Topics in British Literature Before 1800: _____
ENGL 525	Shakespeare: _____
ENGL 565	The Gothic Tradition
ENGL 576	Advanced Topics in American Literature to 1865: _____
Literature		3
Satisfied by one course (3 hours) from the following (additional courses may be approved with departmental permission):
ENGL 300	Introduction to English Studies
ENGL 301	Topics in British Literature to 1800: _____
ENGL 302	Topics in British Literature Since 1800: _____
ENGL 305	World Indigenous Literatures
ENGL 306	Global Environmental Literature
ENGL 308	Introduction to Literary Criticism and Theory
ENGL 309	The British Novel
ENGL 312	Major British Writers to 1800
ENGL 314	Major British Writers after 1800
ENGL 315	Studies in British Literature
ENGL 318	Topics in American Literature Since 1865: _____
ENGL 325	Recent Popular Literature
ENGL 327	Studies in Twentieth-Century Drama: _____
ENGL 329	Topics in Forms and Genres: _____
ENGL 331	Chaucer
ENGL 332	Shakespeare
ENGL 334	Major Authors: _____
ENGL 340	Topics in U.S. Ethnic Literature: _____
ENGL 341	American Literature of Social Justice
Writing or English Language Electives		9
Majors must complete a total of 3 courses (9 hours) of writing and/or English language courses, of which 3 hours may be an appropriate 200-level English course.
ENGL 203	Topics in Reading and Writing: _____
ENGL 209	Introduction to Fiction
ENGL 220	Introduction to Creative Writing
ENGL 262	Professional Communication
ENGL 351	Fiction Writing I
ENGL 352	Poetry Writing I
ENGL 353	Screenwriting I
ENGL 354	Playwriting I
ENGL 362	Foundations of Technical Writing
ENGL 380	Introduction to Rhetoric and Composition
ENGL 381	Topics in Rhetoric and Composition: _____
ENGL 383	Cultural Rhetorics
ENGL 385	The Development of Modern English
ENGL 387	Introduction to the English Language
ENGL 389	Postcolonial and World Englishes
English Required Electives		12
Majors must complete 4 courses (12 hours) of junior/senior level ENGL courses (see lists above for options; additional courses may be approved with departmental permission). Up to 6 credits combined of ENGL 494 (Research Internship) or ENGL 495 (Directed Study) may be applied as major electives; they may not count as English core equivalents. Up to 3 credit hours of ENGL 496 (Internship) or ENGL 497 (Service Learning Internship) can be applied as major elective credit.
General Electives		40-35
Students will need to complete additional general elective credits to reach the required 120 hours.
Capstone		3
Satisfied by one course (3 hours) from the following (additional courses may be approved with departmental permission):
ENGL 506	Science Fiction
ENGL 507	Science, Technology, and Society: _____
ENGL 508	Contemporary Literary Theory
ENGL 521	Advanced Topics in British Literature Before 1800: _____
ENGL 525	Shakespeare: _____
ENGL 530	Irish Literature and Culture: _____
ENGL 534	Major Authors (Capstone): _____
ENGL 551	Fiction Writing II
ENGL 552	Poetry Writing II
ENGL 555	Nonfiction Writing II
ENGL 565	The Gothic Tradition
ENGL 569	Modernism
ENGL 570	Topics in American Literature: _____
ENGL 572	Women and Literature: _____
ENGL 574	African American Literature: _____
ENGL 576	Advanced Topics in American Literature to 1865: _____
ENGL 579	Poetry since 1945
ENGL 580	Rhetoric and Writing: _____
ENGL 581	English Language Studies: ______
ENGL 582	Multimedia/Multimodal Rhetorics
ENGL 587	American English
ENGL 590	Studies in: _____
ENGL 620	Renaissance English Literature: _____
ENGL 650	Romantic Literature: _____
ENGL 655	Victorian LIterature: ______
ENGL 690	Studies in: _____
Total Hours		120

Major Hours & Major GPA

While completing all required courses, majors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:

Major Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours of KU resident credit in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 12 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the major.

Major Junior/Senior Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in junior/senior courses (300+) in the major. GPA calculations include all junior/senior courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

Write clearly and proficiently in more than one genre / rhetorical context (e.g. academic, creative, public, professional, multimedia, etc.); demonstrate competence with the elements of form appropriate to the genre.
Demonstrate understanding of methods of interpretation and analysis, including but not limited to close reading, rhetorical analysis, and reading for craft.
Organize, develop, and sustain critical writing with a clear, complex thesis supported with textual evidence drawn from close reading and scholarly methodologies current in English Studies; also demonstrate ability to address potential objections or contradictory viewpoints.
Undertake independent research using scholarly methodologies current in English Studies [with special emphasis on writing studies]; cite research in an accepted citation style.
Understand and produce writing with an awareness of relevant social, professional, and historical contexts.
Demonstrate understanding of some major literary movements and/or forms before and after 1900.

Departmental Honors

To be admitted to the English Honors major program, an undergraduate student must have earned a 3.5 grade-point average in English courses. The student should declare an English major, if enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, or an English concentration, if enrolled in the School of Business or the School of Education.

Honors English majors must complete at least 1 section of ENGL 598 Honors Proseminar: _____ and ENGL 599 Honors Essay. This requirement, in effect, adds 3 hours of capstone-level coursework to the student’s emphasis.

2026-27 Academic Catalog