English, Secondary English Teacher Licensure Concentration, B.A.

Department of English  
615-898-2595
Ron Kates, program coordinator
Ron.Kates@mtsu.edu

A major in English that also satisfies the academic requirements for teacher licensure consists of a minimum of 32 semester hours, at least 29 of which must be upper-division..

1. Students should take the required ENGL 3000  as soon as possible after completing freshman and sophomore General Education requirements for English. The other core courses should be distributed throughout each student’s remaining time at the University. It is not recommended to take all three in one semester.
2. In addition to the four core courses (ENGL 3000 , ENGL 3010 , ENGL 3020 , and ENGL 3030  that all English majors must take, an English major with a Secondary Teacher Licensure Concentration must take ENGL 3745 , ENGL 4500 , and either ENGL 3510  or ENGL 4510 .
3. Students must also take one course form each of the following groups:
   1. Shakespeare (ENGL 3135 , ENGL 4130 , ENGL 4140 )
   2. Multicultural Literature (ENGL 3735 , ENGL 3300 , ENGL 3340 , ENGL 3360 , or ENGL 3365 )
   3. European Literature in Translation (ENGL 3400 , ENGL 3420 , or ENGL 3430 )
4. An additional two (2) hours of upper-division English electives are required and are usually satisfied with a 3-hour course. Approved electives include ENGL 3410 , ENGL 3450 , ENGL 4540 , ENGL 4605 , ENGL 3760 , ENGL 4750 , or an additional course from 3b or 3c above.
5. With advisor approval, courses from the Special Topics, 3900/4900 number sequence, and literature courses offered outside the department or certain interdisciplinary Honors seminars (UH 3500 and 4600) may be substituted, when appropriate, for the multicultural, European, or guided electives above. Students must consult with their advisors before enrolling in any course that is not listed above, as not all substitutions are possible or appropriate.
6. This concentration is for students who wish to become high school English teachers. Students whose primary ambition is to teach English at the college level should look into a program that will prepare them for admission to graduate school. Students who do not wish to teach 7-12 should explore the “classic” English, B.A.  without concentration or the English, Cultural Studies Concentration, B.A. ; English, Literary Studies Concentration, B.A. ; or the English, Writing Concentration, B.A.  
7. Students may not apply more than twelve (12) hours of upper-division distance learning (web-based, correspondence, videoconferencing, or other format) without special permission. No more than three (3) hours may be taken outside MTSU.
8. ENGL 1010 , ENGL 1020 , ENGL 2020 , or other lower-division English courses taken to satisfy General Education requirements may not be counted as part of the hours required for an English major.
9. A maximum of three (3) lower division hours not taken for General Education credit may be substituted by advisor.

Students wishing licensure to teach in the State of Tennessee must also complete the Secondary Education Minor . In addition, students must choose a second minor. Recommended minors for English majors include Anthropology, Foreign Languages, History, Philosophy, Psychology, Political Science, Theatre, Film Studies, Writing, and Women’s and Gender Studies, but students may choose any minor from those listed under the B.A. requirements (see Academic Policies and Procedures ) or Interdisciplinary Majors and Minors .

In order to complete the English licensure program in four years, students are encouraged to work closely with a faculty advisor. It is important to declare the major early and to consult the English advisor regularly to ensure enrollment in the right courses in the best sequence.

Beginning with Fall 2012, English majors are instructed to keep the English 3000 essay and two other essays from different upper-division classes for submission in the senior writing portfolio. ENGL 4999  (senior writing portfolio) will be required of all English majors graduating under the 2012-13 or later catalogs.