Declare Your Major

If you are ready to declare right now, read on for details about the process and requirements.

1. When to Declare

It’s best to declare as soon as you know you want to major in English. Why wait? Declaring early in your time at UWM helps you to get good advising on course selection and puts you on the right path to graduation.

2. Explore the Different Tracks in the Major

The English Major is divided into specific tracks with different course requirements as described at Undergraduate Major Tracks. Examine the tracks and think about which one suits your interests best. You can make an appointment with the Coordinator of a track to get more information. See our Contact page for their names and email addresses.

3. Submit the Declaration of Major Form

To begin the process, fill out and submit the

Declaration of Major Form »

4. Initial Advising Appointment to Declare the Major

The next step is to contact the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies, preferably via email (mznewman@uwm.edu). At that appointment, the Associate Chair can answer your questions about the major, including what track within the major to choose based on your interests and career plans.

You should plan to meet with your advisor once a semester, before registering for classes, to talk over your progress in the major and your plans for future classes. (If you should forget the name, phone number, or e-mail address of your advisor, simply contact the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies.)

A good sequence for majors and minors would be this:

  • Determine the courses needed to fulfill specific requirements and which of those are being offered in the upcoming semester.
  • Visit the online schedule and check what courses will be offered. The course descriptions attached to the classes on the UWM Schedule website should help you to refine your choices by telling you what texts will be covered, what the main issues of the course are likely to be, how many papers and exams will be expected of you, how grades will be determined, and so on.
  • Discuss those choices with your major advisor to get their feedback.
  • Do all this early enough so as not to be closed out of any courses you may want or need.

Honors in the Major

In order to qualify to graduate with “Honors in the Major”, English majors must maintain all of the following:

  • at least a 3.50 GPA in courses for the major,
  • a 3.50 GPA on all advanced (300-level and above) courses in the major, and
  • a 3.00 overall GPA on all UWM graded credits attempted.

Calculation of Honors in the Major will automatically be done during your graduation audit in L&S Advising.