English Minors and Certificates

The English minor is for students who want to broaden their understanding of literature and literary history and/or to enhance their skills in writing and critical analysis or Rhetoric and Writing. Like the major, the minor in English offers training and practice in writing, critical thinking, literary analysis, research, and the study of literary and rhetorical history. The skills and knowledge acquired in the minor may give students an edge in finding positions in education and research, publishing, journalism, professional writing, editing, advertising, public relations, and management. English minors also stand to gain in their academic experience in other disciplines, for the critical and writing abilities acquired through the study of English are valued in all disciplines.

Requirements

The Minor in English is for students who want to take a variety of courses in British and American literature, writing, rhetoric, and/or criticism and theory . This minor has the following requirements:

• 6 hours from 2620-2630
• 3 hours from 449-454, 456-463, 470, or 486
• 9 hours of electives in English (at least 3 hours 300 level or above)

Technical and Professional Communication Minor and Certificate

The undergraduate minor and certificate in Technical and Professional Communication are rigorous, transcripted courses of study for students who want to explore the field of technical and professional communication. The required courses offer a foundation through which students can develop skills as writers and editors while also getting a survey of opportunities available to them in technical and professional writing.

Technical and Professional Communication Minor

The Technical and Professional Communication Minor is available for students in disciplines outside of the English Department. Students pursuing a Technical and Professional Communication Minor will glean experience across a series of required and elective courses that will challenge them to develop their writing skills and be prepared to write for professional contexts they will encounter outside of the classroom.

Specific course requirements for the Technical and Professional Communication Minor can be found here.

Technical and Professional Communication Certificate

The Technical and Professional Communication Certificate is available to all students with majors and minors outside the English Studies department and is particularly appropriate for students in STEM who would like to add credentials in Technical and Professional Communication to their transcripts. The elective courses invite students to hone their writing in one of several courses designed to offer students a taste of what a 21st-Century technical and professional communication professional can expect. Students are then expected to put their skills to work in one of two capstone courses designed to give them experience as writers, editors, or tutors.

Specific course requirements for the Technical and Professional Communication Certificate can be found here.

Other Minors

Students interested in pursuing a minor in medieval literature are encouraged to look into the Medieval Studies minor offered through the Institute for Medieval Studies.