An English undergraduate degree from Saint Mary’s gives students a critical foundation in the study of literature through historical and genre-based contexts alongside new theoretical approaches. Students can choose from a wide array of subject areas such as Drama and Theatre Studies, Cultural Studies and Literary Theory, Medieval and Renaissance Literature, Eighteenth-Century, Romantic and Victorian Literature, Modern Literature, Twentieth and Twenty-First-Century Literature, Indigenous Literature, Black Atlantic Studies, and Postcolonial and World Literatures. In addition to our diverse range, the English department is distinguished by the many cross-listed courses available to students through interdisciplinary programs such as Atlantic Canada Studies, Irish Studies, and Women and Gender Studies. This particular feature allows students to expand the area of their academic studies, and to set up double major programs or major-minor combinations that reflect their own developing intellectual interests.
The department prides itself on its small class sizes, which enables students to work more closely with their peers and professors. Our goal is to create a thought-provoking learning environment where students gain rigorous reading, writing and critical thinking skills needed for our contemporary world.
Major
Students wishing to major in English must satisfy the general requirements set out by the Faculty of Arts, and complete forty-two (42) credit hours in English including three (3) credit hours at the Introductory level - ENGL 1XXX.
Minor
The Department offers five Minors.
A minor consists of at least twenty-four (24) credit hours in English with a maximum of three (3) credit hours at the 1000 level and a minimum grade point average of 2.0.
Students across the University can take discipline-based English Minor, as well as any of the following thematic minors: Creative Writing; Culture, Race and Resistance in Literature; Dramatic Literature; and English Language.
There is also a new Minor in British Studies, which we offer jointly with the History Department.
The thematic Minors can also be taken by students in the English Major or Honours program, to enhance their degree.
Courses offered in 2024-2025 for each Minor:
For more information about the Minors, contact BA Advising, or the Chair of the Department.
Concentration
A minimum of twenty-four (24) credit hours in English is required to obtain a concentration in English in partial fulfillment of the B.A. General degree (i.e., one with Double Arts Concentrations and a minimum of ninety (90) credit hours)
Further details are available from the Chairperson.
Honours
Students wishing to major in English with Honours must satisfy the general requirements set out by the Faculty of Arts, and complete sixty (60) credit hours in English including three (3) credit hours at the Introductory level - ENGL 1XXX.
For more detailed requirements for each ENGL program, click here.