Undergraduate
Majors and Minors
The following information reflects the requirements for students entering the University of South Florida in or after summer 2020. For students who entered prior to summer 2020, please review the requirements for your specific catalog year or meet with your advisor.
ENGLISH
A bachelor’s degree in English prepares students for any field that values critical thinking, high reading comprehension, clear and effective writing, and the ability to interpret and analyze language. It provides two concentrations from which students must choose one: creative writing and literary studies.
Creative writing
This concentration is designed for aspiring writers of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students who graduate with this concentration will demonstrate the following:
- Knowledge of the forms and techniques of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction
- Knowledge of literary genres and the techniques used by authors within each genre
- The ability to analyze literature in its cultural and philosophical context
- The ability to critique student manuscripts and offer constructive feedback within a workshop setting
Major requirements: English B.A., with Creative Writing Concentration
Literary studies
This concentration provides students with a knowledge of literary method, literary history, and a broad range of literary accomplishment (including knowledge of emerging fields, world literatures, and ethnic literatures). While the concentration places much emphasis on appreciating works of literature as artifacts produced in their own culture contexts, it also enables students to make connections between contemporary life and the study of literature. It evaluates students' grasp of formal and technical elements of literary practice and emphasizes the development of writing skills and the production of disciplinary writing.
Successful completion of the major with this concentration will enhance students' capacity for aesthetic enjoyment, critical reflection, and effective self-expression, and may provide preparation for further study (graduate and professional schools) or communication and research skills to be used in a work environment.
Major requirements: English B.A., with Literary Studies Concentration
PROFESSIONAL AND TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION
Professional and Technical Communication (PTC) students learn to think, write, and speak carefully and critically. They acquire research skills and become familiar with the main theoretical paradigms that shape PTC as an academic discipline and a professional practice. The program produces ethical, critical graduates who can effectively assess audience and purpose, navigate the composing process, write in a variety of genres, and work with the full range of writing tools available today. As students progress through the program, they gain competence in skillfully creating digital, visual, and print-based documents for diverse purposes and audiences.
Designed to meet the needs of active professionals as well as traditional on-campus students, the PTC degree program offers courses on the Tampa and St. Petersburg campuses as well as online. Drawing on the benefits of a multi-campus department, students can take a range of classes, work closely with faculty, join the English honor society Sigma Tau Delta, pursue internships, and work with non-profit clients in the local community.
Potential Careers in Professional and technical communication
- Content strategy
- Government writing
- Publisher
- Editor
- Technical writer
- Grant writer
- Advertising
Requirements for the major in professional and technical communication
Always refer to the Undergraduate Catalog for degree requirements. Students will typically begin progress toward the major by taking at least one course from the major core, as these often serve as prerequisites for the electives. Students are urged to consult with their advisors to create the most beneficial set of courses.
Please take a look at USF's Undergraduate Catalog.