Department of English
Welcome to the English Program
Students who study English at Fresno State explore the power of language, literature, and writing around the world. They learn to read thoughtfully and write well for a variety of purposes. Class sizes are small. We believe the best English classrooms are communities in which students and teachers work together to analyze and construct meaning.
Program Coordinator: Dr. Samina Najmi (email)
B.A. in English
Visit the University Registrar website and click on "Forms."
Download and fill out the form needed. Then, make an appointment and take your form to the appropriate professor listed on the advising page.
Note: Forms are updated frequently, so make sure to download forms directly from the registrar's webpage and not from a general web search.
The Bachelor of Arts degree in English offers multiple paths. In all three options, students take core courses in literature, textual analysis, and writing, as they learn to engage a wide range of authors, periods, and genres of literature deeply and skillfully.
B.A. English, Literature option — Extended study of literature with specialized coursework and scholarly research in literature and/or rhetoric and writing studies.
B.A. English, Creative Writing option — Extended study in the art of literary writing in the genres of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as literary publishing.
B.A. English Education — Extended exploration of educational contexts for teaching English, including issues in literacy, society, and communication.
Degree requirements are determined by your catalog year. That means you may have different requirements than other English majors. This is why it is especially important to meet with an adviser early to make sure that you understand what courses (and in which order) you need to take.
Start with your catalog year. Catalog years are determined in one of three ways:
• the academic year (AY) you began classes on the Fresno State campus;
• the AY you began classes at one of our area community colleges (Fresno City or Clovis, for instance);
• or, the AY you graduate.
Most students have the catalog year for when they began classes as the Fresno State campus. You may change your catalog year, but you then must meet all of the requirements for that catalog year.
Note: If your catalog year is between AY 2003-04 and AY 2018-19, you will have one set of requirements, and if your catalog is AY 2019-20, you will have a different set of requirements.
If you aren’t sure what your catalog year is, it will be identified at the top of your Degree Progress Report, which you can access through the My Fresno State portal.
For more, you can visit the Academic Regulations page of the University Catalog website, and click on "Choice of Catalog."
Visit the University Catalog website. In the left index, click on "Courses by Department" and then search for English.
Visit the English Department's Students page for a list of current topics courses being offered.
Note: Every year faculty design our courses in response to changes in the field and student interests. Recent topics include Literature of the Central Valley, Magical Realism, Victorian Children's Literature, Teaching the Graphic Novel, Arab American Literature, and more.
Visit the English Department's advising info page for guidelines and contact information.
What can’t you do?
With honed communication skills and an eye for analysis, English graduates gain an edge in many fields. They become counselors, teachers, lawyers, technical writers, editors, filmmakers, business owners, policy analysts, and even doctors.
- Advising Info and Support
- Department Scholarships and Financial Aid
- Program Coordinator: Dr. Samina Najmi (email)
Degree Requirements
B.A. English, Literature Option
Degree information, 2020-21: University catalog
Degree roadmaps, 2020-21: 4-year (freshman) and 2-year (transfer)
Degree checklist, 2020-21: Checklist
B.A. English, Creative Writing Option
Degree information, 2020-21: University catalog
Degree roadmaps, 2020-21: 4-year (freshman) and 2-year (transfer)
Degree checklist, 2020-21: Checklist
B.A. English, previous options
Degree information for the B.A. English, English Major option, from the spring 2019 catalog and earlier, can be found on page 321 inside the 2018-19 University catalog archive (PDF, 4.2MB).
Degree roadmaps and checklists for the B.A. English, English Major option, from the spring 2019 catalog and earlier, can be obtained from your major adviser.