Because of the university's outstanding reputation for cultivating writers, more than 800 students major in English at Iowa. It is one of the most popular majors for first-year students. Yet most classes are small enough to encourage spirited discussion and offer abundant writing opportunities. About one-fourth of English graduates plan to teach, while another one-quarter plan to be writers of some kind. The rest use English as a background for the study of law, business, theology, or other professions.

Student Responsibilities

Review the responsibilities required to become and remain eligible for the 2 Plus 2 Guaranteed Graduation Plan.

Student Responsibilities

Eastern Iowa Community College District checkpoints
  • Complete the fourth level of a single world language as needed for Iowa's General Education Program.
  • The following courses will be accepted, up to four total:
    • ENG 221 Creative Writing
    • ENG 230 Creative Writing: Fiction
    • ENG 238 Creative Writing: Nonfiction
    • LIT 110 American Lit to Mid-1800s
    • LIT 111 American Lit Sn Mid-1800s
    • LIT 126 Mod American Poetry
    • LIT 130 African American Literature
    • LIT 131 Native American Lit
    • LIT 135 Film As Literature
    • LIT 161 The Short Story
    • LIT 180 Mythology
    • LIT 183 Masterpiece: Neoclassic-Modern
    • LIT 185 Contemporary Lit
    • LIT 194 Humor & American Popular Culture
    • LIT 195 Nature Evil in Lit
    • LIT 196 Literature & Blues
    • LIT 198 Existential Lit
    • LIT 200 St in Literary Form
    • LIT 210 The Graphic Novel
    • LIT 220 St Literary Theme
  • Complete all requirements for the AA degree.
  • When transferring to Iowa, present a cumulative transfer grade-point average (GPA) of at least 2.00 from all colleges attended.
University of Iowa Checkpoints
  • Complete ENGL:2010 Foundation of the English Major: Histories, Literatures, Pleasures during your first year of enrollment at Iowa.
  • Complete ENGL:201* Reading and Writing About [topic of your choice] during your first year of enrollment at Iowa.
  • Complete the UI courses required for this major, as specified in the UI General Catalog.
  • Complete at least 21 semester hours needed for your major and degree during each of your two years at Iowa. (A total of 36 semester hours is required for the English major and 120 semester hours for the BA degree.)

A current schedule of UI courses is available online via Iowa Student Information Services (MyUI).