Students can choose from three different minors that emphasize different subject areas and that demonstrate distinct skills to employers or graduate programs. Click on the link to the Minors and Certificates website to begin the process; instructions are in the box to the right.

The English Minor

The English minor is a flexible and varied program that can be tailored to individual students’ needs. It consists of 15 credit hours of coursework beyond the required composition course. It must include at least 6 credit hours in courses numbered 3000 or above and must include at least 3 credit hours at the 4000 level.

It may include no more than 6 credit hours in special problems, methods, or reading courses such as English 4955 and 4960. A grade of C- or above must be earned in all minor coursework and a minimum GPA of 2.0 achieved in the minor. A minimum of 9 credit hours must be completed in MU coursework.

The Creative Writing Minor

The Creative Writing minor consists of 15 credit hours of coursework and is designed to serve a writer’s need to develop effective literary skills. For Creative Writing courses, it must include at least 3 credit hours at the 1000 level (1500, 1510, 1520, 1530) in any genre, 3 credit hours at the 2000 level (2510, 2520, 2530) in any genre, and 3 credit hours at the 4000 level (4510, 4520, 4530) in any genre.

In addition to these requirements, students must take 6 credits of electives in any 3000- or 4000-level English courses. A grade of C- or above must be earned in all minor coursework and a minimum GPA of 2.0 achieved in the minor. A minimum of 9 credit hours must be completed in MU coursework. Students who declare a major in English cannot simultaneously minor in Creative Writing.

The Rhetoric and Writing Studies Minor

The Rhetoric and Writing Studies Minor consists of 15 credit hours of coursework, including both Rhetoric and Composition-specific requirements and English electives, that help the student to acquire a sense of the social and cultural contexts that shape writing and language practices.

The requirements serve the student writer’s need to develop a grounding in disciplinary methods and theories. Beyond the required course (English 2010), the minor includes 12 credit hours of electives from two categories: 1) Rhetoric and Composition and 2) Writing, Language, and Cultural Studies.  In addition to these requirements, students must take 3 credits of the electives at the level 3000 or above.

A grade of C- or above must be earned in all minor coursework and a minimum GPA of 2.0 achieved in the minor. A minimum of 9 credit hours must be completed in MU coursework. Students who declare a major in English cannot simultaneously minor in Rhetoric and Writing Studies.