English, AB

The major in English is a largely elective-based program that emphasizes customizability, breadth, and rigor. It requires 10 courses and 30 credits, with some of those courses being identified as Histories (pre-1800 and pre-1900) and Identities (focusing on the literature and expressive cultures of non-majority social groups); it includes a senior seminar experience. See Requirements for details.

Additional Information

Except for extraordinary reasons and upon petition to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in English by the individual student, electives offered by other Georgetown departments will not count as electives toward the English major, unless they have already been approved and cross-listed in the Schedule of Classes. All approved cross-listed courses will count as electives in the English major, but they will not fulfill the Ways of Reading, Identities, Histories, or senior seminar requirements without specific approval from the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Integrated Writing Requirement

Writing is a core component of the English major at every level of our curriculum, but especially in our electives and senior seminars.

Transfer Students

During orientation, transfer students meet with the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the English department and determine which courses taken at the previous institution can count toward the English major at Georgetown. At that time and in subsequent meetings, students have the opportunity to discuss their individual programs. Students must fulfill all requirements for the English major and take at least six courses in the English department.

Study Abroad

Transfer of credit from study abroad toward the English major requires the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies. Students are strongly encouraged to have their program of study approved before they go abroad. In general, students can seek approval to have one study abroad course fulfill a specific requirement, with the exception of Ways of Reading, which must be taken at Georgetown. Any other study abroad courses will count as electives..

Summer School

Transfer of credit from summer programs outside Georgetown toward the English major requires prior approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Honors in English

Admission to the Honors Program is competitive and by application in the spring of the student’s junior year. Details about the program and application process are listed on the department website. Students admitted to the Honors Program are required to complete 33 credits, including a two-semester, six-credit sequence (ENGL 4989 and ENGL 4940) in their senior year, the first semester of which replaces and fulfills the standard senior seminar requirement in the major. Students present their finished work to the public at a colloquium at the end of their senior year. In order to graduate with honors, a student must earn a grade of A- or better in ENGL 4940 for a thesis project produced under the mentorship of an English Department faculty mentor. The grade for ENGL 4940 will be an assessment of the thesis itself as an average of the assessments of the mentor, the second reader, and the Director of Honors.

Accelerated AB/MA English Program

The English Department’s AB/MA program allows qualified undergraduate English majors and minors to enroll in up to two graduate-level English courses during each semester of their senior year. All of these courses will be double-counted towards both College and English MA Program requirements, though only two of the classes will count towards the undergraduate major or minor in English. Students are thus able to complete all requirements of the English MA in as little as two semesters following their graduation from the College. The Graduate School considers AB/MA students part of the Master’s program, and they are automatically admitted following their undergraduate graduation, though they are not obligated to continue.