Minors in English
Adding a minor is an excellent way to complement your major, build new skills, or pursue an area of personal interest.
The Department of English offers three minors—English, Creative Writing, and Linguistics & Culture Interdisciplinary—that allow you to deepen your understanding of literature, writing, and language while developing communication, critical thinking, creativity, and analytical skills.
Whether you’re interested in exploring literary studies, expressing yourself through creative work, or examining the relationship between language and culture, these programs offer meaningful ways to expand your education alongside your major.
English Minor
The English Minor gives you the flexibility to explore the power of language, literature, and writing through a wide range of topics and perspectives. You’ll investigate how storytelling, rhetoric, and language shape the way we understand ourselves and the world while strengthening your reading, writing, and critical thinking skills.
Open to students across the university and available both on campus and through CSU Online, the minor allows you to enrich your primary field of study by examining questions of culture, identity, communication, and social change.
Students pursuing the minor complete 21 credits, including at least 12 upper-division credits.
Creative Writing Minor
The Creative Writing Minor invites you to develop your creative voice and produce original work while gaining experience in supportive workshop settings. You’ll write in genres such as poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, study with published authors, and engage with contemporary literary works and traditions. Along the way, you’ll build creativity, persistence, and the ability to give and receive constructive feedback—skills that support both artistic and professional growth.
The minor offers a meaningful opportunity to make creative work part of your college experience while pursuing any major. Available both on campus and through CSU Online, it complements studies in fields such as the sciences, business, engineering, and the humanities, bringing the imaginative freedom and cultural engagement of the arts to a wide range of disciplines.
Students pursuing the minor complete 21 credits, including at least 12 upper-division credits.
Linguistics & Culture Interdisciplinary Minor
The Linguistics & Culture Interdisciplinary Minor helps you explore the connections between language, culture, communication, and human behavior. Drawing on perspectives from linguistics, anthropology, philosophy, communication studies, and world languages, you’ll examine how language shapes identity, influences social interaction, and reflects the ways people understand the world. You’ll also explore topics such as language and thought, nonverbal communication, and communication across cultures.
Open to students from any major, the minor provides a deeper understanding of language and its role in society while complementing a wide range of academic interests. It is especially valuable for students interested in global engagement, communication, education, research, or other fields that benefit from strong analytical and intercultural communication skills.
Students pursuing the minor complete 21–25 credits, including at least 12 upper-division credits.
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