Advising for English Majors

You can enjoy the benefits of smaller classes (and lower tuition) by beginning your college study at a community college and then transferring to a university for a bachelor’s degree, and then perhaps a master’s degree. Many students take an English bachelor’s degree directly into the job market, as good writing skills and the ability to read and analyze texts is useful in many fields. Another choice is to use an English degree as a platform for studying law, marketing, theology, or any number of other disciplines.

At EvCC, students interested in English are encouraged to pursue the Associate in Arts and Sciences - Option II. This degree meets statewide guidelines for smooth transfer to most of Washington's colleges and universities, and several in Oregon. With this degree, you will have completed most or all of the lower division, general education requirements typically required within a bachelor's degree. The complete description of this degree program, with a checklist, is provided in the Associate in Arts and Sciences - Option II Direct Transfer Guide.

Universities identify an “English major” in several ways. Requirements will differ with each institution, so you should examine catalogs from potential transfer institutions and consider programs such as Communications, Linguistics, Humanities, Journalism, Inter-disciplinary Studies, and Comparative Literature, as well as English. In reviewing the catalogs you will discover if special courses should be taken in the first and second year in order to prepare for entering the major as a Junior. In many cases, first- and second-year courses that are prerequisites for the major may be taken within the AAS-Option II degree plan; the “Suggested Preparation” section that follows lists those types of courses. For further clarification, contact one of the advisors listed in the right hand column.