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• DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

  Bachelor of Science
  Major in Professional Writing

  Bachelor of Arts
  Major in English

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DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

William Gilbert, PhD, Interim Chair

Room 1045-South, 713-221-8013

Faculty

Professors:		Dressman, Harned
Associate Professors:		Ahern, Bartholomew, Birchak, Cunningham, Farris, Gilbert, Jarrett, D. Jones, L. Thomas
Assistant Professors:		Cheng-Levine, Chiaviello, Creighton, Dahlberg, Jennings, Maitland, Moosally, Pavletich, Rizzo, Sullivan, T. Thomas
Lecturers:		Canetti-Rios, Clark, Coblentz, Corrigan, Fadely, Hanson, Kanter, Kuzmick, Read, R. Wilson, C. Woods
Emeriti:		Franks, Levy
Academic Areas:		American studies, communication, English, reading

Programs of Study

Bachelor of Arts with a major in English
Bachelor of Arts with a major in Humanities
Bachelor of Science a with major in Professional Writing
Bachelor of Science with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies

The Department of English offers a wide variety of courses designed to improve students’ communication skills and enhance their appreciation of the literature, thought, and culture of the English-speaking world. The department’s courses in writing and literature support all degrees offered at the University of Houston–Downtown. In addition, courses taught by the department form a major component of the programs of the Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and the Bachelor of Science with a major in Interdisciplinary Studies.

The Department of English offers a Bachelor of Science with a major in Professional Writing and a Bachelor of Arts in English. The Professional Writing major combines the strengths of a solid liberal arts education with practical training and technical expertise. All Professional Writing majors share a required upper-level core of courses and beyond that choose from clusters of courses, including internships. The flexibility of the degree enables students to prepare to enter such fields as corporate communications, medical writing or computer documentation, or to continue their education in graduate or professional schools.

The English major gives students a grounding in the language and literature of English, making them aware of how cultural forces shape them and critical approaches illuminate them.

Like the B.S. in Professional Writing, the BA in English offers students a range of educational and career options on graduation, including entrance to graduate and professional schools in preparation for careers in academia and such fields as public policy, social work, and law. Students seeking secondary teaching certification in English should consult the Department of Urban Education.

Bachelor of Science
Major in Professional Writing

Robert L. Jarrett, PhD, Coordinator

Room 1045-South, 713-221-8013

Degree Requirements

The professional writing major requires a minimum of 120 hours. For degree completion, at least 25 percent of the semester credit hours must be earned through instruction offered by UH– Downtown. The last 30 of the total hours and 18 of the upper-level hours toward the degree must be successfully completed in residence at UH–Downtown. An overall minimum grade point average of 2.0 at UH–Downtown is required for graduation, and a minimum average of 2.0 must be maintained in the upper-level hours in the major.

Common Core Requirements (42 hours)

See listing under General Education Requirements in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences. SPCH 3306 Business and Professional Speech Communication is recommended in fulfillment of the speech communication component.

Lower-Level Requirements (15 hours)

30 Philosophy (6 hours) Literature (3 hours) Approved lower-level electives: 6 hours, chosen with a concentration area in mind in consultation with the degree coordinator or assigned advisor.

Upper-Level Requirements (45-48 hours)
SPCH 3306		Business and Professional Speech Communication (may be omitted here if taken as part of the core curriculum)
ENG 3302		Business and Technical Report Writing (3 hours)
ENG 3304		Advanced Business and Technical Report Writing (3 hours)
ENG 3330		Desktop Publishing (3 hours)
ENG 3331		Advanced Desktop Publishing (3 hours)
ENG 4322		Editing, Rewriting and Copyreading (3 hours)
ENG 4380		Field Experience or approved substitute courses in English or communication (6 hours)
Any 3 upper-level literature courses (9 hours) Any 3 upper-level writing and language courses (9 hours), including one writing-for-special-purposes course, such as Science Writing, Medical Writing, Legal Writing, Documentation and Manuals, Proposal Writing, Public Relations Approved upper-level electives (6 hours), chosen with a concentration area in mind in consultation with an assigned advisor.

Electives (15–18 hours)

From any department at any level, with the following restrictions: Developmental courses (ENG 1300, MATH 0300, MATH 1300 and RDG 1300) may not apply to graduation requirements. No more than 25 percent of the hours presented for graduation may be credits in business. Included among the electives should be a course (3 hours) in nonverbal analytical skills if this requirement is not fulfilled by an equivalent course in the lower-level or upper-level requirements. ADM 1301 is recommended for students who need keyboarding skills. Electives are an important part of the degree program and should be selected in consultation with an academic advisor.

Minor in Professional Writing (18 hours minimum)
Required Courses (12 hours)
ENG 3302		Business and Technical Report Writing
ENG 3304		Advanced Business and Technical Report Writing
ENG 3330		Desktop Publishing
ENG 4322		Editing, Rewriting and Copyreading
Upper-Division Electives (6 hours), selected in consultation with an advisor from courses in Writing and English Language.

Minor in English (18 hours minimum)

Required Courses (9 hours) Six hours, both halves of sophomore survey of Western World, American, or British Literature. Three hours in one of the genre courses (ENG 3311, 3312, or 3313). Upper-Division Electives (9 hours) selected in consultation with an advisor from courses in Literature and Theory and/or Writing and English Language.

Bachelor of Arts
Major in English

William Gilbert, PhD, Coordinator

Room 1045-South, 713-221-8013

Degree Requirements

The English major requires a minimum of 122 hours. For degree completion, at least 25 percent of the semester credit hours must be earned through instruction offered by UH–Downtown. The last 30 of the total hours and 18 of the upper-level hours toward the degree must be successfully completed in residence at UH– Downtown. An overall minimum grade point average of 2.0 at UH–Downtown is required for graduation, and a minimum average of 2.0 must be maintained in the upper-level hours in the major.

Common Core Requirements (42 hours)

See listing under General Education Requirements in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Lower-Level Requirements (29 hours)

Foreign language in one language (8 hours) Fine Arts (3 hours) Philosophy (6 hours) Social Sciences (6 hours) Literature, both halves of a survey of Western World, American, or British Literature (6 hours)

Upper-Level Requirements (36 hours)
ENG 3311		Studies in Poetry (3 hours)
ENG 3312		Studies in Fiction (3 hours)
ENG 3313		Studies in Dramatic Literature (3 hours)
Writing and/or English language (6 hours), such as Creative Writing, Advanced Composition, History of Rhetoric, Studies in the Theory of Rhetoric, Introduction to the Study of Language, or History of the English Language Literature and/or Theory (21 hours)

Electives (15 hours)

From any department at any level, with the following restrictions: Developmental courses (ENG 1300, MATH 0300, MATH 1300 and RDG 1300) may not apply to graduation requirements. No more than 25 percent of the hours presented for graduation may be credits in business. Included among the electives should be a course (3 hours) in nonverbal analytical skills if this requirement is not fulfilled by an equivalent course in the lower-level or upper-level requirements.

Minor in English (18 hours minimum)

Required Courses (9 hours) Six hours, both halves of sophomore survey of Western World, American, or British Literature. Three hours in one of the genre courses (ENG 3311, 3312, or 3313). Upper-Level Electives (9 hours) selected in consultation with an advisor from courses in Literature and Theory and/or Writing and English Language. 31