Minor Requirements

UB English minors discover the power and resources of the English language primarily through the study of British, American, and Anglophone literary traditions. Thanks to the range of the department’s course offerings, students often broaden the focus of their studies to include film and video, popular culture, mythology and folklore, as well as foreign-language literatures in English translation. Besides the standard English minor described on this page, students can also pursue minors in Creative Writing, Digital Humanities, and Global Film. All students enrolled in an English Department minor program are trained to become critical readers who employ the skills of close reading, historical contextualization and theoretical reflection. As critical writers, they learn how to formulate compelling questions and to craft original essays that effectively intervene both in academic and cultural conversations.

Students should be in good standing (i.e., have a GPA of 2.0), and have satisfied the University Writing Skills requirement.

Application includes a conference with the Director of Undergraduate Studies about the program's requirements and how the student may meet them.

For full Minor requirements, click here.

1. Literature Surveys. Students entering the University as freshmen are encouraged to take a full year of a 200-level survey course to satisfy the major requirement. The survey courses (221-2, 231-2, 241-2) will provide students with a sense of literary history that will serve as context for what they will study within the major. Transfer students or students who decide on the English major after taking their 200-level courses may wish to take more than the required four earlier literature courses if their 200-level courses were not surveys. Those planning to take the GRE in Literature and pursue English at the graduate level are strongly urged to take as much work as possible in the literature of historical periods before 1900.
2. Program Planning. Individual programs should be chosen in a coherent way and should take advantage of groupings and concentrations within the Major.
3. Department Advisement and Degree Evaluation. Feel free to consult with the Undergraduate Director in Clemens 303 about your progress towards the degree or your course selections. English majors should check with the Director if they have questions about their records, department requirements, or their program in general.
4. Transfer Credit Evaluation. Transfer credit is evaluated on an individual basis by the Undergraduate Director. Students must make an appointment with the Undergraduate Director to have an evaluation of transfer work. Students transferring from MFC or who are re-entering after several years absence should also consult with the Undergraduate Director for an evaluation of their English work. The Department may accept two lower-level and four upper-level transfer courses at the Director’s discretion.