First-Year English Requirements

Students with satisfactory entrance proficiency in English take ENG 101 and ENG 102, the standard Freshman English sequence. Those whose SAT verbal scores indicate exceptional proficiency are invited to take ENG 103 (Advanced Freshman English) and follow it with ENG 102. For students in ENG 103 who receive a grade of “A,” "A-," "B+," or “B,” a free elective will replace 102. All new students whose standardized test scores indicate a need for further development of verbal or writing skills will be placed into a developmental English course (ENG 095 or ENG 096). Upon successful completion of this course, they will then matriculate into ENG 101 and will then follow the standard Freshman English sequence. Second-language students with serious writing problems may be required to enroll in additional developmental English courses before enrolling in ENG 101.  Students may petition for further evaluation of their reading and writing proficiency before enrolling in ENG 095/ENG 096 by contacting the Second Language Services Office (617) 573-8677 prior to the start of their first semester.

Students should have finished ENG 101 and ENG 102 or authorized equivalents by the time they have reached 64 credits. Delaying the English requirement may impair performance in upper division courses and make it difficult to graduate on schedule. Upper division students who have not completed all English requirements should do so before they achieve senior status.

Writing Sample

During the first class period, all students in first-year English courses will be asked to provide a writing sample. Students with inadequate reading and writing proficiency will be asked either to attend writing workshops or to withdraw from the course in order to enroll in a remedial English course.

NOTE: ENG 102 is a prerequisite for all English courses beyond ENG 124.

Second-Year English Requirements

All CAS undergraduates must take one sophomore literature course. This requirement may be satisfied by enrolling in ENG 213 (English Literature I), ENG 214 (English Literature II), ENG 216 (World Literature), ENG 217 (American Literature I), or ENG 218 (American Literature II).

Note that all English majors must take TWO sophomore surveys: ENG 213 and ONE of ENG 214, ENG 217 or ENG 218. Each course offers an introduction to a significant body of literature in English with continued instruction in reading and writing skills. 

English Major Requirements

Requirements for a major in English are satisfied by 36 credits of coursework in English (in addition to English 213, the sophomore CAS literature requirement). One course must be chosen from ENG 214, 217, and 218. Five courses must be chosen from the groups of English courses – one course per group – and lists of group courses are available in the English Department. A sixth course must be numbered 300 or above. Two English electives may be chosen from any English courses numbered above 104. The Seminar for Freshmen may satisfy one of the English electives at the discretion of the department. The English Honors Seminar may replace one of the five group courses if the student is invited to participate in the seminar. (Each Honors Seminar is relevant to a specific group.) Note that an English major must take ENG 213. An English major must earn the B.A.

Transfer students with an English major must complete at least 12 credits of English courses at Suffolk beyond the sophomore literature requirement (ENG 213, ENG 214, ENG 217, ENG 218).

Graduate Credit

English courses taken for graduate credit will require extra reading and writing assignments. Students are required to notify the professor during the first class meeting that they are seeking graduate credit for the course.