The plan listed below is designed to provide suggestions for sequencing your major courses, but there are also other ways to sequence most majors. This plan is meant to provide aid in early, provisional planning. Please consult with your academic advisor to make strategic academic decisions about which courses to take each semester.
Sample Four Year Plan: English (BA)
FALL - Semester 1
TRU 100 + 110 Self & Society +Symposium
ENG 190 Writing as Critical Thinking
ENG 216 New Majors Seminar – ENG degree REQ Common Experience
200-level course for Dialogues: Arts & Humanities Perspective
Foreign Language (through Intermed II)
SPRING - Semester 2
ENG 209 Dialogues w/Lit, ENG 211 Perspectives on Lit & Film, or ENG 280 Film Form & Sense
-–options for ENG degree REQ Common Experiences
Course for ENG degree REQ Electives
COMM 170 Public Speaking
Other Dialogues Perspectives coursework
Foreign Language (through Intermed II)
FALL - Semester 3
Course for ENG degree REQ Geographical & Historical Contexts
Course for ENG degree REQ Electives
Dialogues Perspectives coursework
Foreign Language (through Intermed II)
Spring - Semester 4
Course for ENG degree REQ Electives
Course for ENG degree REQ Diverse Perspectives
Dialogues Perspectives coursework
Foreign Language (through Intermed II)
FALL - Semester 5
Course for ENG degree REQ Electives
Course for ENG degree REQ Electives
Dialogues Perspectives coursework
JINS 3XX Junior Interdisciplinary Sem
--(taken fall or spring of junior year)
SPRING - Semester 6
Course for ENG degree REQ Genres, Forms, & Audiences
Course for ENG degree REQ Electives
Dialogues Perspectives coursework
Additional coursework (minor etc)
FALL - Semester 7
ENG 498 Senior English Seminar – ENG degree REQ Common Experience
--(taken fall or spring of senior year)
Dialogues Perspectives coursework
Additional coursework (minor etc)
SPRING - Semester 8
Dialogues Perspectives coursework
Additional coursework (minor etc)
Important Notes
Coursework for the English major is divided into the following: Part I: Common Experiences - three courses, 8 credit hours; Part II: Guided Exploration - three courses, one from each of three areas, 9-12 credit hours; Part III: Electives - additional 14-17 hours of approved coursework to total a minimum of 34 credits, at least 20 of which need to be at 300-level or above
- The ENG (BA) is extremely flexible; the plan above is intended to illustrate a typical distribution of courses from various areas of the program
- Ofstad Visiting Scholar courses may count toward the degree program — details will be included in open course lists
- Students interested in the MAE should check ED catalog pages for certification requirements (ex., ENG 209 Dialogues w/Lit is required for secondary English certification)
- The Dialogues Curriculum requires a certain number of courses/credit hours in the following Perspectives: Social, Arts and Humanities, STEM, Communications, and Statistics. The exact number of courses a student will be required to take during their undergraduate career varies individually according to the credit transferred in.
Department Chair: Please contact the Center for Academic Excellence with any updates to the plan above.
This is a sample course sequence to illustrate class offerings for this major. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for certifying completion of degree requirements based on requirements specified in Truman's Official Catalog.
Sample Plans for Related Majors
Communication: Sample 4-Year Plan Creative Writing: Sample 4-Year Plan