Friday, September 19, 2014

Introducing the English Minor

Who is this minor for?  Pre-med, pre-law, and other pre-professional students, students applying to competitive majors where writing is an important part of the admission process, students planning for graduate study who want to enhance their writing ability, students planning for careers -- and for anyone who enjoys writing and literature.

What will the minor do for me?
  Employers across nearly all fields rate writing and communication at the top of their lists of the skills they seek when hiring new college graduates.  Some of the UW's most competitive majors have writing requirements or writing examinations as part of their admission process.  Medical/dental schools ask applicants to complete at least a year of English before they apply.  Pre-law students must have strong writing skills to survive law school.  And, someday, you might just write the great American novel!

What are the requirements? 
30 credits in English courses at the 200 level or above (20 of which must be taken at the 300 or 400 level).  More details can be found here:  http://depts.washington.edu/engl/ugrad/minor.php

How do I declare the minor? 
Check with your adviser in your major department closer to the end of autumn quarter to file a Change of Major/Minor form.

What is covered in the courses?  We post detailed quarterly course descriptions on our website at http://depts.washington.edu/engl/ugrad/offering.php.  For example, we offer many sections of ENGL 200-W, but each has its own theme -- from "Vampire Romance" to "Freedom, Race, and Slavery in the 19th c." to "Kitchen Poets" (see fall course descriptions for more details).

Where can I get more information? 
Please come by the English Advising Office if you'd like to talk about the minor or would like assistance in choosing classes that would be of interest to you.  We are located in A-2-B Padelford Hall, and we can be reached at (206) 543-2634 or engladv@uw.edu.