Requirements

The English Major consists of no fewer than 12 courses, of which a minimum of 7 need to be upper-division (#100-199) :

• English 45A - Literature in English: Through Milton
• English 45B - Literature in English: The Late-17th through the Mid-19th Century
• English 45C - Literature in English: The Mid-19th through the Mid-20th Century
• A course in Shakespeare (17, 117A, 117B, 117J, or 117S)
• English 90 - Practices of Literary Study
• English 100 - The Seminar in Criticism
• English 190 - The Research Seminar or H195A/B - The Honors Seminar
• Five English Department elective courses.  One of these electives, or else an appropriate 90, 100 or 190, satisfies the "Literatures in English" major breadth requirement. One upper-division elective, or else an appropriate 100 or 190, satisfies the "Literature Before 1800" major breadth requirement.  For "Literatures in English" and "Literature Before 1800" course offerings, please view the announcement of classes.​

​ENGLISH 90 and ENGLISH 100 must be taken in sequence prior to ENGLISH 190. Transfer students entering the third-year class may be able to apply credit for ENGLISH 90 by transferring certain qualified literature courses completed at their prior college. To ascertain which courses are already articulated with English 90, check  ASSIST; if you think that another of your other upper-level community college courses might qualify, consult with an Undergraduate Major Advisor. (Composition courses are not eligible.) Students entering in their freshmen year should complete English 90 by the end of their sophomore year, then an English 100 in their junior year, and an English 190 in their senior year. 

If you haven't declared the English major yet, visit our Major Completion Sheet. This will help you plan your schedule.

Requirement Details

General:

• Students majoring in English are expected to complete at least seven courses in the English Department here. Other courses counted toward the major can total no more than five and may not be taken concurrently while a student is enrolled at UC Berkeley. (Note, in other words, that students cannot take community college courses towards the major English after they have enrolled here at Cal.) For more about transferable courses, see the Extra-Departmental Work and Study Abroad tab at left.
• English 45A, 45B, 45C, and Shakespeare are required of all majors and must be taken for a letter grade. Students declared beginning Fall 2021 must also complete the English 90-100-190 sequence for a letter grade.
• Students must also take one course (an elective or an appropriate 90, 100 or 190) that satisfies the department’s “Literatures in English” requirement and one upper-division course (an elective or an appropriate 100 or 190) that satisfies the “Literature Before 1800” requirement. Neither of these courses can be taken P/NP.
• Please keep in mind that a minimum of 7 out of 12 of your major requirements must be upper-division (#100-199) ; this means the majority of your electives, if not all, will be upper-division. 
• Electives:  Of the twelve courses required for the English major, 5 are elective courses in the English Department. Elective courses are those that you take based on your personal interest in the study of English; an elective course is any four-unit course in the English Department. Two of the five elective courses for the major may be taken P/NP. The P/NP option in English is subject to the regulations set forth in the L&S Announcement.
• See both the "Berkeley Connect, Independent Study, Decal" tab and "Extra-Departmental Work and Study Abroad" for possible exceptions for electives. All exceptions must be approved by a Major Adviser and updated on your APR.
• No more than two 4-unit English Department Summer Session courses taken at UCB may be counted toward the major (Note: this rule was waived for all English Department courses taken Summer 2020).
• No more than two Creative Writing courses may be counted toward the major (English 43, 141, English 143 A, B, C). English 141 can not be taken twice.
• To graduate with a degree in English, a student must achieve at least a 2.0 GPA in:  a) all work undertaken at the University of California (all campuses); b) all courses required for the English major, and; c) all upper-division courses in the English major.

Course Specific:

• English 90: Practices of Literary Study

​​​​​​​​This course is a small, faculty-led seminar on the practice and discipline of literary analysis. It is meant for all students who seek an introductory literature course and would like to improve their ability to read and write critically, including those who may wish to major in English. Focusing on the close study of a few works, rather than a survey of many, the seminar will help students develop college-level skills for interpreting literature while gaining awareness of different strategies and approaches for making sense of literary language, genres, forms, and contexts. The seminar also will develop students’ ability to write about literature and to communicate meaningfully the stakes of their analysis to an audience. 

ENGLISH 90 and ENGLISH 100 must be taken in sequence prior to ENGLISH 190. Doing so will give you your best preparation for the capstone research seminar and, in fact, all your English Department courses. ​

• English 100: The Seminar on Criticism

This seminar is designed to provide English majors with intensive and closely supervised work in critical reading and writing. Although sections of the course may address any literary question, period, or genre, they all provide an introduction to critical and methodological problems in literary studies.

• English 190: The Research Seminar  

This seminar is an intensive examination of critical approaches, literary theory, or a special topic in literary and cultural studies.  This course is research-oriented and designed for upper-division English majors who have completed their foundational courses and at least some exploration in their electives.  Students who complete additional sections of English 190 may use them as electives for the major.  Students pursuing honors in English take H195A/B instead of 190.

• English H195A/B:  The Honors Course 

English H195A/B is a year-long seminar that always begins in the fall and may be taken instead of English 190.  The successful completion of the Honors Course is required to obtain Honors in English.  This course is an instructor-approved course open only to senior English majors with an overall G.P.A. of 3.51 or higher and a major G.P.A. of 3.65 or higher in courses taken at Berkeley towards the major.  In order to be considered for admission to the Honors Course, students must electronically apply, using the link on the course listing in the "Announcement of Classes" available beginning in early April.

• Shakespeare
  • ­­­English 17, 117A, 117B, 117J, or 117S all satisfy the Shakespeare requirement. English 117T does not satisfy the Shakespeare requirement.

• Literatures in English
  • One elective (or else an appropriate 90, 100 or 190) must satisfy the Literatures in English breadth requirement.
  • Standard course offerings that would meet this requirement include but are not limited to: 31AC, 33, 37, 53, 133A, 133B, 133T, 135AC, 137A, 137B, 137T, 138, 139, 166AC, 175.  There also may be special topics courses (English 165 or 166) or seminar courses (English 100 or 90) offered in a semester that are designated as satisfying the "Literatures in English" requirement. 
  • To see which courses satisfy this requirement in a given semester, please view the announcement of classes for that semester's offerings that satisfy that requirement.

• Literature Before 1800 
  • One upper-division course in British, American, or Anglophone literature from an historical period before 1800. Standard course offerings that would meet this requirement include but are not limited to: English 104, 105, 110, 111, 112, 114A, 114B, 115A, 115B, 118, 119, 120, 125A, 130A.  Please note: there also may be special topics courses (English 165/166) or research seminar courses (English 190) offered in a semester that are designated as satisfying the Pre-1800 requirement.
  • To see which courses satisfy this requirement in a given semester, please view the announcement of classes for that semester's offerings that satisfy that requirement.
  • English 107, any Shakespeare course, or a course outside the department that does not include a substantial amount of literature in English will not fulfill this requirement.

Requirements

The English Major consists of no fewer than 12 courses, of which a minimum of 7 need to be upper-division:

• English 45A - Literature in English: Through Milton
• English 45B - Literature in English: The Late-17th through the Mid-19th Century
• English 45C - Literature in English: The Mid-19th through the 20th Century
• A course in Shakespeare (17, 117A, 117B, 117J, or 117S.)
• An upper-division, Pre-1800 course
• A research seminar course (English 190 or English H195A/H195B)
• 6 English Department elective courses

Requirements Details

General:

• English 45A, 45B, 45C, Shakespeare, the Pre-1800 requirement, and the research seminar course are required of all majors and must all be taken for a letter grade. Students declared beginning in Fall 2021 must also complete the English 90-100-190 sequence. 
• Students majoring in English are expected to complete at least seven courses in the English Department here. Other courses counted toward the major can total no more than five and may not be taken concurrently while a student is enrolled at UC Berkeley. (Note, in other words, that students cannot take community college courses towards the major English after they have enrolled here at Cal.) For more about transferable courses, see the Extra-Departmental Work and Study Abroad tab at left.
• No more than two 4-unit English Department Summer Session courses taken at UCB may be counted toward the major.
  • Note: this rule was waived for all English Department courses taken Summer 2020.
• No more than two Creative Writing courses may be counted toward the major. Creative Writing courses include English 43, 141, any English 143 series course. English 141 can not be taken twice.
• To graduate with a degree in English, a student must achieve at least a 2.0 GPA in:  a) all work undertaken at the University of California (all campuses); b) all courses required for the English major, and; c) all upper-division courses in the English major.

Course Specific:

• Shakespeare
  • English 17, 117A, 117B, 117J, or 117S all satisfy the Shakespeare requirement. English 117T does not satisfy the Shakespeare requirement.
• Pre-1800 
  • One upper-division course in British, American, or Anglophone literature from an historical period before 1800. Standard course offerings that would meet this requirement include but are not limited to: English 104, 105, 110, 111, 112, 114A, 114B, 115A, 115B, 118, 119, 120, 125A, 130A.  Please note: theree also may be special topics courses (English 165/166) or research seminar courses (English 190) offered in a semester that are designated as satisfying the Pre-1800 requirement.
  • To see which courses satisfy this requirement in a given semester, please view the announcement of classes for that semester's offerings and sort the "Course Area" tab by "Pre-1800 Requirement."
  • English 107, any Shakespeare course, or a course outside the department that does not include a substantial amount of literature in English will not fulfill this requirement.
• Research Seminar
  • Only English 190 or H195A/B will satisfy the Seminar Requirement:
    • English 190: Research Seminar:  English 190 is an intensive examination of critical approaches, literary theory, or a special topic in literary and cultural studies.  This course is research-oriented and designed for upper-division English majors who have completed their foundational courses and at least some exploration in their electives.  Students who complete additional sections of English 190 may use them as electives for the major.
    • English H195A/B: Honors Course: English H195A/B is a year-long seminar that always begins in the fall.  The successful completion of the Honors Course is required to obtain Honors in English.  This course is an instructor-approved course open only to senior English majors with an overall G.P.A. of 3.51 or higher and a major G.P.A. of 3.65 or higher in courses taken at Berkeley towards the major.  In order to be considered for admission to the Honors Course, students must electronically apply, using the link on the course listing in the "Announcement of Classes" available beginning in early April.
• Electives
  • Of the twelve courses required for the English major, 6 are elective courses in the English Department. Elective courses are those that you take based on your personal interest in the study of English; an elective course is any four unit course in the English Department*.
    • Two of the 6 elective courses for the major may be taken P/NP.  The P/NP option in English is subject to the regulations set forth in the L&S Announcement.
    • *Please see both the "Berkeley Connect, Independent Study, Decal" tab and "Extra-Departmental Work and Study Abroad" for possible exceptions for electives. All exceptions must be approved by a Major Adviser and noted on your major record card.
    • Please keep in mind that a minimum of 7 out of 12 of your major requirements must be upper-division; this means the majority of your electives, if not all, will be upper-division. Also, 7 out of 12 of your requirements must be taken in the English Department at UC Berkeley.

Declaring the English Major

Eligibility

To be eligible to declare a major in English, the student must have completed:

1. at least 30 units

2. the L & S Reading and Composition requirement

3. two of the following major course requirements (with a letter grade):  

• First course must be either English 45A or 45B
• Second course must be either English 45A, 45B, 45C, 90, or Shakespeare

NOTE: if you are currently taking the course and do not have a letter grade just yet, we cannot declare you. Please wait until you receive a letter grade. To check, go to the My Academic tab located in CalCentral.

How to Declare

To declare a major in English, students will need to fill out the English Major Declaration form after they have met the requirements and received a letter grade for the courses required. Students who have taken all coursework towards their major at UC Berkeley (and have received a letter grade) do not need to bring anything with them. Students who are articulating coursework from other colleges or universities should confirm that their transcripts are uploaded to CalCentral prior to declaring the English Major (You can confirm this by looking under "My Academics" at the Transfer Credit Report, which should show all of your articulated coursework. If your articulated coursework is not available on the "Transfer Credit Report" on CalCentral, please wait until they have been uploaded into CalCentral before declaring).

After declaring, English majors should meet periodically with an adviser to monitor their course of study.

Berkeley Connect (English 98BC/198BC)

• Berkeley Connect in English is a one unit mentorship and discussion course which aims to foster community in the English Department by offering a space for “serious play”: small group discussions about ideas and texts, explorations of the many riches of the Berkeley campus, visits by department faculty and distinguished alumni, and one-on-one advice on courses and graduate programs from graduate students and professors. For more information, please see the Berkeley Connect in English website.

Decals (English 98/198)

• Students wishing to take a decal sponsored by the English Department can use the DeCal website to find courses that interest them. 
• Students wishing to teach a decal sponsored by the English Department should review the "Decal" tab on the Announcement of Classes for the semester they wish to teach the DeCal for instructions. 

Independent Study (English 99/199)

• Students may receive credit for working on projects individually with professors via Independent Study. Once a student has found an English Department faculty member to sponsor them for independent study, they should complete and submit the Application for Independent Study.  Students will be notified via email once they have been manually enrolled.

English Major Credit

A student may use a total of four (4) units of English independent study/ Berkeley Connect/ DeCal as one of the 5 electives required for the major. The four units need not be taken in a single course. These courses are taken on a P/NP basis only. Independent study courses are subject to the regulations set forth in the L&S Announcement.  For it to count as an upper division elective, ¾ of the units should be upper division (anything above 100). Once you have the four units, please reach out to an advisor in order to have an elective requirement fulfilled on your APR. This will NOT automatically pull in.

Courses that are eligible for major credit are as follows:

• English 98/198 - Student-Led DeCal courses sponsored through the English Department. Students receive course control numbers directly from the instructor of these courses. 
• English 98BC/198BC - Berkeley Connect in English. Students may enroll directly in this course via course control numbers found on the Berkeley Connect in English website.
• English 99/199 - Individual Independent Study courses. After submitting the application, students will be notified via email once they have been manually enrolled.

Note: Students cannot use the combined 4 units (DeCal, BC or Independent Study) towards English minor.

Students wishing to receive academic credit for an internship must coordinate with an English Department faculty member who agrees to sponsor an Independent Study course (99/199) based on the internship. Students should provide the faculty member with official documentation from their internship employers. Credit is based on completion of a critical or creative work on a topic related to the internship. No more than two units will be awarded per internship. Please note that students must register for Summer School Session C for summer internships.

After finding a sponsoring faculty member, students will submit their Application for Independent Study here.

All of the following must be approved by the Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS) and documented in the student’s record.

Courses taken outside the English department

With the approval of the DUS, students may count up to two upper-division courses in departments other than English for the major.  To submit a petition, please use this online petition form: Petition for Courses Outside the UC Berkeley English Department.  The student’s request for course approval will include a course syllabus and a compelling intellectual rationale, one that explains how the student’s work for the English major will be enriched through the inclusion of the particular outside course the student wishes to include.  There is no pre-approved list of courses and students must complete the course before submitting a petition.

• Note: Only one such course may be taken during the summer and all petitioned courses must be taken for a letter grade.

Education Abroad Programs

The DUS determines credit toward the major for coursework completed through an Education Abroad Program on a case-by-case basis. Upon returning to campus, students must provide documentation (e.g., course descriptions, syllabi, completed exams, papers, and other written work) to demonstrate that the education abroad course is comparable in coverage, rigor, and substance to a UCB upper-division course. Although there is no official limit on the number of courses transferred from education abroad programs, generally two courses will be counted easily.  We strongly advise you to talk as well with an advisor in the College of Letters and Science to review non-major and total unit requirements.

Additional Exceptions

For courses taken elsewhere that are not covered above, students must petition for approval by providing documentation, including a course syllabus and a transcript showing the completion of the course.  A course taken elsewhere during the summer may only satisfy an elective for the major.

With the approval of the DUS, additional exceptions to the English major requirements may be approved. These exceptions must be noted on the student's APR. Exceptions are only granted for circumstances based on documented student needs and goals.