English (Non-Teaching)
College of Humanities and Social Sciences
Location(s): Logan, Beaver, Bicknell, Blanding, Brigham City, Castle Dale, Delta, Ephraim, Grantsville, Junction, Kanab, Moab, Montezuma Creek, Monticello, Monument Valley, Nephi, Panguitch, Randolph, Richfield, Roosevelt (Uintah Basin), Tooele, Tremonton, USU Eastern (Price), Vernal (Uintah Basin), Wendover
Major Description
The English major helps students develop skills in analysis, production, and understanding of texts in the English language. You will learn to write, think, and communicate effectively in a technologically and culturally complex world. You will develop skills in the areas most valued by employers, including critical thinking, teamwork, and oral and written communication, which will prepare you to enter into a wide range of career options.
You are required to select and complete one emphasis – initially, you are assigned no emphasis until you are ready to declare one. We encourage you to choose your emphasis before you complete 45 total credits. During your first year or so, you will have a chance to take a class from each one to help you decide. You can complete elective credits with courses from another emphasis, however, only one emphasis is officially awarded at graduation. See brief descriptions of each emphasis below:
The creative writing emphasis at Utah State University offers a nurturing community for writers. At some schools, faculty seal themselves off from students. Not at USU. We pride ourselves in mentoring students so that they can achieve the kind of artistic and intellectual skills that we associate with the best creative writing. Through practice in all genres—fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction—and a comprehensive study of literature, students learn the art of literary writing and develop critical, cognitive, and writing skills applicable in numerous professional fields.
In addition to mentorship and training, our students have opportunities to join The Bull Pen, the department’s creative writing club, to intern with Sink Hollow, the Utah State literary magazines, enter the Creative Writing Contest (winners are published in a special edition of Sink hollow) and to organize Helicon West, Logan’s bi-monthly open mic night.
Literature
The Literature program invites students to explore literature as a field of diverse representations that give shape and meaning to human experience. The program combines the pleasure of reading literature with the challenge of mastering valuable skills such as writing, editing, speaking, logical and critical analysis, argumentation and research.
In developing and sharing ideas about literature with one another, our students learn to respect, appreciate, and synthesize differences of opinion and perspectives, preparing them to be open-minded and productive citizens of our diverse society.
Recognized for innovative teaching, faculty members offer courses that range from Beowulf to Virginia Woolf, from Shakespeare to Salman Rushdie, from American colonialism to film noir. In classes of no more than 30 students, undergraduate majors enjoy the opportunity to work closely with their teachers. The Literature faculty consistently publishes original scholarship with the finest academic presses and journals, allowing our students to encounter the most exciting ideas about literature and engage directly with the most current critical debates.
Technical Communication and Rhetoric
Earning an English degree with the Technical Communication and Rhetoric emphasis will prepare you to enter the broad and exciting field of technical communication. In the emphasis, you will quickly learn new technologies in terms of both conceptual knowledge and hands-on skills. By the time you earn your degree, you will be able to demonstrate a range of skills and abilities, such as:
- Web design
- Screencasting
- Game design and analysis
- Effective and ethical communication
- Rhetorical theory for professional communication
- Social media management for professional organizations
- Usability testing for products and documents
- Grant and proposal writing
- Document design for digital and print documents
- Editing for technical and professional documentation
Perhaps this widespread need is why jobs in technical writing are growing fast, and the median annual salary for technical writers in 2019 was $72,850 (source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
To improve your competitiveness for the best jobs, you should earn a minor in a relevant subject area such as computer science, life or physical sciences, business, or multimedia development, among others.
Technical Communication and Rhetoric
Admission Requirements
Freshmen: New freshmen admitted to USU to good standing qualify for admission to this major.
How to Customize Your Own Class Schedule
ACT/SAT Scores, AP, IBO, and Concurrent Enrollment/Transfer Credits
Gather your ACT/SAT and advanced placement (AP) scores, any concurrent enrollment, International Baccalaureate (IB), and transfer credits you have taken or are currently taking.
- Know your ACT/SAT scores so you can determine which prerequisites you have already met (particularly for math). Make sure these scores are all in Banner by clicking “Test Scores” in your student records, and double check when you took the test (math scores are only good as prereqs if taken after August 1, 2021).
- See how your AP credits will count at USU by viewing the AP table in the University Catalog. You can see if USU has received your AP scores by viewing your transcript by clicking on “View Transcript” in your student records
- See how your IBO credits will count at USU by viewing the IBO table in the University Catalog.
- See if your transfer or concurrent enrollment credits are equivalent to any courses or requirements at USU by looking at the “Course by Course” page on the transfer page. Make sure your previous courses are on your USU transcript by clicking “View Transcript” in your student records.
- Go to the Finding Your Scores/Courses webpage if you need help getting current scores or credits transferred to USU.
If you have already satisfied some recommended first-semester courses listed on this guide, you may need additional credits to complete your schedule. Refer to the four-year plans in the University Catalog, register for the next courses listed in your plan, and then verify your course selections with your advisor after the date listed in the advising section below.
Placement Tests
Math Placement
Every incoming student has access to the ALEKS math system for free. ALEKS is the software you will use to place into a math class, and brush up on math skills you lack. You can take up to five proctored exams for placement purposes, and you can work through customized learning modules for up to six months so you can place higher in math, or learn some basic skills so your math class isn’t as difficult once you get into it.
Go to ALEKS and take a proctored math exam to determine when you can place in math. After that, feel free to study in ALEKS before the semester begins, and take additional placement exams if you think you can place higher. This website has information about how to take a proctored exam in Logan, throughout Utah, and at an out-of-state location.
Note: some students with math ACT/SAT scores, AP scores, or college-credit math grades earned after August 1, 2021 are able to automatically register for a math class because they meet the pre-requisite for the course. If you think you can automatically qualify to register for a math class, click on a specific math class in the math path below to see the pre-requisite scores needed for that class.
Language Placement
If you have foreign language skills, take the language placement exam if you would like to earn inexpensive elective credits for previous knowledge, or place into a higher language course.
Call the freshman hotline at (435) 797-0283 if you have additional questions as you prepare.
Class Schedule
Use the results from steps one and two, along with the recommended courses below, to make a list of several classes you would like to take. Be sure to include a few extra courses as back-ups.
Recommended First Semester Courses
Register for five of the following classes, which have been recommended by your academic advisor. We recommend you take 15 to 16 credits your first semester. Make sure you register for a math class each semester until you are finished with math/stats.
Critical First Semester Courses are the classes you need to take during your first semester at USU. Additional Classes should be used to fill in to reach 15 to 16 credits. If more credits are needed, refer to the four-year plan in the University Catalog or take additional breadth courses.
Critical First Semester Courses
Do everything you can to get into these classes. If a class is full, add yourself to a waitlist. If the class doesn’t have a waitlist option, check back frequently to look for openings. You’ll be surprised how quickly waitlists turn over, and remember you can add yourself to multiple waitlists for the same course. (Don’t forget to check your USU email daily so you see any waitlist notifications before they expire.)
MATH CLASS
3-5 credits
(See Math Path below)
Additional Courses
Fill in the rest of your schedule with these classes as needed until you have 15-18 credits.
(See catalog to view all options)
(See catalog to view all options)
(See catalog to view all options)
(See catalog to view all options)
Your Math Path
- The following math path has been recommended by the advisor for this major. Start at the highest math class you can. Click on the course below to see the catalog description, along with prerequisites needed to register for the course. All math prerequisites expire after one year, so your prerequisite will only be valid to get you into another math class if it was earned after December 1, 2024
- If you don’t have a current prerequisite needed to get into a course, or if you aren’t sure where to start in math, take a proctored ALEKS exam (see math placement section above). This applies to nearly all students who have been on leave for an extended period of time, i.e. missionaries or students on military leave.
MATH 0950 --> STAT 1045* (QL) or STAT 1040* (QL)
You need a higher math ACT, higher math placement score, or MATH 0995 to take STAT 1040. Take STAT 1040 if you can place into it now, otherwise take STAT 1045.
—or—
MATH 0950 --> MATH 0995* --> MATH 1050* (QL)
Prerequisites and Course Descriptions
The classes marked with an asterisk(*) have prerequisites. For course descriptions and prerequisite information, click on the the course in this guide or see the University Catalog and click on "Course Numbers and Descriptions."
If you have met a class prerequisite via AP or IBO scores or college credits, but have not yet transferred them to USU, you can request a temporary prerequisite override. Only do this if you have already met the prerequisite and are certain you can get your test scores/credits to USU and into Banner well before December 1, 2024 . This is the day that your temporary override will expire and your class will be dropped unless you meet the prerequisite in Banner. After you submit a temporary override request, allow for up to 3-4 business days for the request to be processed. Once processed, the Registrar’s office will reach out to you via email.
Math prerequisites typically only last 1 year, math prerequisites the 2021 semester are valid if they were earned after December 1, 2024.
English 1010 (CL1) and English 2010 (CL2) or English 2020 (CL2)
The Communications Literacy 1 requirement (CL1) is typically fulfilled by ENGL 1010. You have already satisfied the CL1 requirement if you have any of the following:
- ACT English Test: Score of 29 or higher
- RSAT Reading Test (if taken after March 2016): Score of 34 or higher
- SAT Critical Reading Test (if taken before March 2016): Score of 640 or higher
- AP English Language Test: Score of 3 or higher (for CL1 only)
- CLEP College Composition Test: Score of 50 or higher (for CL1 only)
- IBO English A: Language & Literature Test: Higher-level Score of 5 or higher (for CL1 only)
If you have already met the CL1 requirement, you should take English 2010 (CL2) or English 2020 (CL2).
When You Can Register
Registration opened for all students on November 14, 2024 and is an ongoing process. Incoming students can begin registering for classes as soon as they complete the second orientation module. For specific dates on when registration will close, check the USU Catalog.
Waitlist Information
If the class you want to register is full, and it uses the waitlisting feature, you will see an option to join the waitlist. If the course has an opening, an email is sent to the student first in the waitlist line. That student is given 24 hours to add the class online. Once the first week of classes starts, the time a waitlist student has to add a class is shortened to 12 hours. You can view your position in the waitlist through your student schedule in Banner.
Advising for First-Year Students in this Major
You can find more information about this degree on the degree finder website or at the department website.
Degree Works is a useful software that helps students see the degree requirements. A student tutorial is available to help you use Degree Works tool.
After you have utilized the instructions listed in this guide and completed Module 2 of the New Student Orientation, it is highly recommended that you schedule an appointment with your Statewide advisor by going to www.usu.edu/advisors and selecting your advisor by location and program.
Degree Works is a useful software that helps students see the degree requirements. Below is a link with a tutorial on how to use Degree Works.
Academic Advisor
Office Location: Old Main 106
Phone: (435) 797-3883
Email: susie.parkinson@usu.edu
Academic Advisor Literature Emphasis
Office Location: Old Main 106
Phone: (435) 797-3883
Email: stacey.kelly@usu.edu
In addition to your academic advisor students at one of the statewide campuses are also assigned a success coordinator, who will be a central point of contact for any questions or concerns you have. They can help you understand campus resources as well as help you with localized tutoring or campus events, the financial aid office, our wellness psychologists, or finding your academic advisor. If your success coordinator doesn’t know the answer, they will help connect you to an expert at USU to resolve your question or issue. Visit a campus site to find your success coordinator.