The English major introduces students to literature across history and cultures, encouraging critical engagement with issues of race, gender, and class, as well as formal and textual analysis, through genres like film, drama, fiction, and poetry.
Students who wish to pursue P-12 teacher certification in English must apply to and be admitted to the Teacher Education Program. Once admitted, students will be matriculated into the B.A. in Secondary Education program as a second major.
Please visit the Teacher Education Program website for the required professional sequence of courses and other important Program requirements, guidelines, and procedures. Students also are strongly advised to review the Teacher Education Program Handbook. In addition to the courses listed below, ENGL 471 is the required teaching methods course for this program. Prerequisites for admission to the Program and current requirements may be obtained in the English Department or at montclair.edu/chss/english.
For details about this program, including program description, admission requirements, and contact information, click here.
120 credits of coursework is required for the baccalaureate degree with a minimum 3.0 overall GPA. Major GPA requirements differ depending on field of study. Consult the Teacher Education Program Handbook for more information.
Degree Requirements Overview
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| 1 |
| 24-27 |
| 36 |
| 37 |
| 22-19 |
| Total Credits | 120 |
Major Requirements
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| |
| ENGL 300 | Critical Approaches to English | 3 |
| ENGL 305 | Young Adult Literature | 3 |
| ENFL 208 | Introduction to the Film | 3 |
| ENGL 110 | Introduction to Literature: The Analytic Essay | 3 |
| or ENGL 111 | Introduction to Literature: The Short Story |
| or ENGL 114 | Introduction to Literature: Utopian and Dystopian Fiction |
| ENGL 116 | World Literature: The Coming of Age Theme | 3 |
| or ENGL 117 | World Literature: Voices of Tradition and Challenge |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| ENGL 353 | Shakespeare: Comedies-Histories | 3 |
| or ENGL 354 | Shakespeare: Tragedies-Romances |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| |
| Total Credits | 33 |
Multicultural Literature
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| AMSD 225 | Afrofuturism and Its Histories | 3 |
| AMSD 235 | Caribbean Diasporas | 3 |
| ENGL 229 | American Literature II: 1890 to Present | 3 |
| ENGL 237 | Black Women Writers: US | 3 |
| ENGL 238 | Black Writers in the United States: A Survey | 3 |
| ENGL 274 | Contemporary U.S. Literature of Immigration | 3 |
| ENGL 279 | Latinx Writers in the United States | 3 |
| ENGL 301 | The Novels of Toni Morrison | 3 |
| ENGL 308 | Gender and Sexuality in Asian American Literature | 3 |
| or GSWS 308 | Gender and Sexuality in Asian American Literature |
| ENGL 390 | The Harlem Renaissance | 3 |
Poetry
Study of American English
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| ENGL 284 | The English Language | 3 |
| ENGL 384 | The Grammars of English | 3 |
| ENWR 371 | Teaching Writing in the Public Schools | 3 |
| ENWR 385 | Theory and Practice of Tutoring Writing | 3 |
| or WRIT 385 | Theory and Practice of Tutoring Writing |
| LNGN 220 | Structure of American English | 3 |
| LNGN 230 | Language in Society | 3 |
| LNGN 284 | History of the English Language | 3 |
Pre-1800 Literature
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| ENGL 210 | Myth and Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 228 | American Literature I: Beginnings to 1890 | 3 |
| ENGL 240 | English Literature I: Beginnings to 1660 | 3 |
| ENGL 243 | King Arthur and Arthurian Literature in Medieval England | 3 |
| ENGL 315 | Introduction to Native American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 326 | Early American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 330 | Hebrew Bible/Old Testament as Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 340 | Literature of the Enlightenment Era | 3 |
| ENGL 341 | Literature of the Long Eighteenth Century | 3 |
| ENGL 342 | From Sensibility to Romanticism | 3 |
| ENGL 343 | Milton | 3 |
| ENGL 344 | Chaucer | 3 |
| ENGL 345 | Medieval English Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 348 | Renaissance Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 352 | English Drama: Beginnings to 1642 | 3 |
| ENGL 353 | Shakespeare: Comedies-Histories | 3 |
| ENGL 354 | Shakespeare: Tragedies-Romances | 3 |
| ENGL 381 | Satire in the Long Eighteenth Century | 3 |
| ENGL 444 | 17th Century English Poetry | 3 |
| ENGL 455 | Restoration and 18th Century Drama | 3 |
Pre-1900 American Literature
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Credits |
| AMSD 340 | Representing the American West | 3 |
| AMSD 380 | Shakespeare and American Identity | 3 |
| ENGL 228 | American Literature I: Beginnings to 1890 | 3 |
| ENGL 315 | Introduction to Native American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 326 | Early American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 333 | Literature of American Renaissance | 3 |
| ENGL 336 | American Literary Realism | 3 |
Co-Major in Secondary Education
Secondary Education (B.A.)
New Student Seminar
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| |
| 1 |
| Pathways to Success | |
| Freshman Seminar in Chemistry | |
| First Year Seminar | |
| Adult Academic Success Seminar | |
| New Student Seminar | |
| Freshman Seminar in Health and Physical Education | |
| Pathways to Adult Learning | |
| New Student Seminar | |
| New Student Experience for Mathematical Sciences | |
| Freshman Seminar for Music Majors | |
| Introduction to Nursing | |
| Freshman Seminar in Political Science and Law | |
SEEDS General Education Requirements
Click here for a list of courses that fulfill the SEEDS requirements.
Course List | Code | Title | Credits |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| 3 |
| |
| 3 |
| |
| 3-6 |
| 9 |
| |
| |
| Total Credits | 24-27 |
Recommended Roadmap to Program of Study Completion
This recommended degree plan is provided as an outline for students to follow in order to complete their program of study requirements within four years and 120 credits. This plan is a recommendation and must be used in consultation with their academic advisor. Important note: Students should be aware this plan assumes no pre-requisite coursework is required. If pre-requisite coursework is needed, students may have additional requirements to fulfill which do not appear on the plan.
| First Year |
|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
|---|
| SEEDS: Effective Writing I (Fulfilled by ENGL 110, ENGL 111, or ENGL 114) | 3 | SEEDS: Effective Writing II (ENGL 260 recommended) | 3 |
| SEEDS: Interactive Communication | 3 | SEEDS Exploration 2 (BIOL 100 - Scientific Reasoning recommended) | 3 |
| SEEDS: Quantitative Reasoning | 3 | ENFL 208 (Fulfills SEEDS: Exploration 3 - Literary and Artistic Analysis) | 3 |
| SEEDS: World Language 1 | 3 | SEEDS: World Language 2 or Free Elective | 3 |
| SEEDS: Exploration 1 | 3 | SEEDS: Exploration 4 (ENWR 213 - Creative Expression recommended) | 3 |
| New Student Seminar | 1 | |
| | 16 | | 15 |
| Second Year |
|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
|---|
| Multicultural Literature | 3 | SASE 210 (Fulfills SEEDS: Political and Civic Life) | 3 |
| ENGL 116 or 117 | 3 | ENGL 300 | 3 |
| EDFD 200 or FSHD 216 | 3 | ENGL 353 or 354 | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Study of American English | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| | 15 | | 15 |
| Third Year |
|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
|---|
| Pre-1900 American Literature | 3 | ENGL 305 | 3 |
| Poetry | 3 | Pre-1800 Literature | 3 |
| SASE 320 | 3 | English major elective | 3 |
| SASE 321 | 3 | SASE 322 | 3 |
| Free Elective | 3 | Free Elective | 3 |
| Free Elective | 1 | |
| | 16 | | 15 |
| Fourth Year |
|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
|---|
| SASE 450 | 3 | SASE 452 | 3 |
| SASE 451 | 3 | SASE 453 | 9 |
| ENGL 471 | 4 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| | 16 | | 12 |
| Total Credits 120 |
