Program Overview

English Program Overview

The English program at Seattle Pacific University is designed to help students encounter fundamental questions about the human condition through the study of literature and language. As an English major or minor, students will think, read, and write extensively in a strong community-based academic program.

English Major

• A minimum of 61-64 credits are required for this major, including 30 upper-division credits.
• The major includes a shared core of courses that ground students' understanding of literary history and the interpretive tools of the discipline.
• Each concentration (Literature or Creative Writing) has a second core requirement emphasizing craft and methodology.
• If a student chooses both concentrations, the core English major courses may count toward both, but no more than 10 other English credits may be counted twice.
• After matriculating at SPU, no more than 10 credits earned through another university may be applied to the English major, with exceptions for extenuating circumstances.

English Minors

• A minimum of 30-33 credits are required for these minors, including 15 upper-division credits.
• Three minors are available: Creative Writing, Literature, and Professional Writing.
• Each minor includes core courses as well as electives.
• If a student is an English major, no more than 10 English credits may be counted toward both the major and the minor.

Admission to the Major or Minor

• To qualify for admission to the major, a student should have successfully completed at least 10 credits of work in English at SPU with a minimum 2.5 GPA, including at least five credits from specific core major courses.
• To qualify for admission to the minor, a student must have an average GPA of 2.5 or higher in at least two SPU English courses.
• The English and Cultural Studies Department chair must approve the application.
• Students must complete the major or minor requirements in effect in the SPU Undergraduate Catalog for the year of admittance to the major or minor.

Future Teachers

• For those planning to teach in elementary school, the Integrated Studies: Language Arts Concentration (BA) is recommended, along with the Teacher Certification program through the School of Education.
• For those planning to teach English in middle or high school, majoring in English and completing the Teacher Certification program is advised.

Study Abroad Opportunities

• Scotland and Ireland Seminar: A biennial study abroad program studying literature and culture in Edinburgh and Dublin.
• South Africa Seminar: A biennial study abroad program studying literature and culture in South Africa.
• Literature and Creative Writing in Rome: A biennial summer program studying literature and creative writing in Rome.
• Spain and Morocco Seminar: A biennial study abroad program studying literature and culture while traveling from Granada, Spain, to Fes, Morocco.

Internships

• Internship at Image: A Journal of the Arts and Religion, an award-winning literary journal, is available for English majors.

English and Cultural Studies Department

The department offers various programs and opportunities for students to achieve their goals and make a difference in the world.

Course Planning

Suggested course sequences are available to help students complete their degree in a timely manner.

Lingua

Lingua is SPU's student literary magazine, where students can participate in designing, contributing to, editing, and publishing under the direction of a faculty advisor.