Skip to main content Skip to navigation
Department of English Minors and Certificates

Minors

The English Minor:

Students must complete a minimum of 18 hours in English courses (excluding 101 and 198), half of which must be 300/400-level. Note: Because WSU undergraduates take either English 101 or 198 as graduation requirements, these courses may not be used for the minor in English. English 302 is required.

The Creative Writing Minor:

Students must complete a minimum of 16 credit hours distributed as follows:

English 251 (Introduction to Creative Writing) or English 252 (Introduction to Creative Writing and Creative Writing Pedagogy)

9-12 hours Creative Writing English Courses:

ENGLISH 351 (Creative Writing Prose), ENGLISH 352 (Creative Writing Poetry), ENGLISH 353 (Creative Writing: Nonfiction), ENGLISH 354 (Digital Storytelling), ENGLISH 357 (Topics in Magazine Editing and Creative Writing), ENGLISH 358 (Editing and Publishing Workshop), ENGLISH 359 (Topics in Creative Writing), ENGLISH 446 (Form and Theory in Creative Writing), ENGLISH 451 (Advance Creative Writing: Fiction), ENGLISH 452 (Advanced Creative Writing: Poetry), ENGLISH 453: (Advanced Creative Writing: Nonfiction Prose)

One additional 300- or 400-level ENGLISH course

One ENGLISH 358 (workshop), ENGLISH 498 (Internship), or ENGLISH 499 (Independent study) in Creative Writing

9 hours of upper-division work must be taken in residence at WSU or through WSU-approved education abroad or educational exchange courses.

The Professional Writing Minor:

The student must complete 18 hours, half of which must be 300/400-level, including Engl 301, 402 or 403, and 461. In addition, 9 hours from Engl 255, 256, 300, 354, 401, 402, 403, 405, and 498 are required.

The Linguistics Minor:

The student must complete 18 credits to earn the minor in Linguistics, half of which must be 300-400-level taken in residence at WSU or through WSU-approved education abroad or educational exchange courses. Required courses: ENGLISH 256; ENGLISH 443; ENGLISH 444; ENGLISH 457; two from ANTH 350, 450, ENGLISH 112, 454, 458, or PHIL 443.

The Humanities Minor:

The Department of English administers the humanities minor. The humanities minor is particularly appropriate for communication students with international interests, foreign languages majors seeking to broaden their studies beyond their major language, and history and business majors with interests in international arts and literature.

The student must complete a minimum of 18 hours in courses listed under “Humanities,” of which at least half must be 300/400-level.

Certifying a Minor:

To certify a minor email Leisa McCormick at lmccormick@wsu.edu.

Certificates

Editing and Publishing Certificate:

To formally register for the EPC, students must contact the certificate coordinator and complete the registration form, then file the signed paperwork with the academic coordinator. Upon registration, students must complete a total of 15 credits including DTC 201, ENG 357, ENG 405, three ENG 498 (Internship) credits, and at least one elective from the student’s selected sub-track (Digital, Literary, or Popular/Scholarly).

Core Curriculum [3 courses/9 credits]:

  • DTC 201 – Tools and Methods for Digital Technology
  • ENG 357 – Editing & Publishing
  • ENG 405 – Advanced Professional Writing and Editing

Electives [1 course/3 credits]:

  • Digital Track – emphasis on multimedia authorship, digital media tools, information and project management, web development, art/graphic design, and information architecture.
    • DTC 330, 331, 336, 354, or 475
  • Literary Track – emphasis on literary journals, creative writing, and literary agent/editor/publishing careers.
    • ENG 451, 452, or 453
  • Popular/Scholarly Track – emphasis on industry tools and conventions of grammar, copyediting, ESL editing and literacy, business, professional, and magazine writing, diversity, accessibility, and rhetoric.
    • ENG 255, 363, 364, 402, 403, or 495

Professional Writing Certificate:

To earn the Professional Writing Certificate, students must complete the following five courses with a 3.0 GPA or better: Anth 350, Engl 301, Engl 402, Engl 498, and one elective approved by the English advisor/faculty. Engl 498 must be taken only after the other four courses have been completed. The certificate can be earned online through Global Campus and/or on-campus offerings. The university undergraduate certificate fee will apply.

Science Writing Certificate:

To earn the Science Writing Certificate, students must complete the following five courses with a 3.0 GPA or better: Engl 301, Engl 402, and Engl 495. Students must also complete 6 elective credits with possible options including : Bio 330, EnvSci 285, Geol 210, MBios 320, Psych 401. Psych/WomenSt 324, or SolSci 360. The certificate can be earned through WSU Global Campus and/or on-campus offerings. The university undergraduate certificate fee will apply.

Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certificate:

To earn the Teaching English as a Foreign Language Certificate, students must complete 18 hours including the following courses: ENGLISH 443, 444, 456, 457, FOR LANG 440 or 441, and 3 credits of ENGLISH 498.  ENGLISH 256 is highly recommended.