Courses for your English degree

First-year courses and beyond*

Honours Arts – English

September to December

Choose one of:
- ENGL 101A – Introduction to Literary Studies
- ENGL 101B – Introduction to Rhetorical Studies
- 100-level ENGL course
Arts First requirement 1**
Prospective major #2***
Two electives

January to April

Choose one course from:
- ENGL 101A – Introduction to Literary Studies
- ENGL 101B – Introduction to Rhetorical Studies
- 100-level ENGL course
Arts First requirement 2**
Prospective major #2***
Two electives

Arts and Business – English

September to December

ARBUS 101 – Introduction to Business in North America
ECON 101 – Introduction to Microeconomics
Arts First Requirement 1**
One of:
- ENGL 101A – Introduction to Literary Studies
- ENGL 101B – Introduction to Rhetorical Studies
- 100-level ENGL course
Prospective major #2***

January to April

ARBUS 102 – Accounting Information for Managers
ARBUS 202 – Professional and Business Ethics
Arts First Requirement 2**
One of:
- ENGL 101A – Introduction to Literary Studies
- ENGL 101B – Introduction to Rhetorical Studies
- 100-level ENGL course
Prospective major #2***

After first year

40% of the classes you’ll take will be English courses. With your remaining classes, you can choose electives from many of the 100 subject areas at Waterloo – and even spend a semester abroad earning credits toward your degree.

Sample upper-year courses

ENGL 290 – Global Shakespeare
ENGL 294 – Introduction to Critical Game Studies
ENGL 308 – Race and Resistance
ENGL 392B – Visual Rhetoric

*This is a sample schedule. Courses are subject to change depending on availability each term.

**The Arts First requirement consists of two first-year courses that are capped at 25 students: ARTS 130 – Inquiry and Communication and ARTS 140 – Information and Analysis. Instead of listening to a lecture and trying to capture notes, Arts First courses will have you and your classmates working together to respond to a challenge posed by the instructor.

***Arts students don't declare their major until the end of first year and are encouraged to explore a secondary major in first year.

Advisors are here to help

With so much flexibility, you might have a lot of questions. We're here to help! If you're applying for admission, contact our Faculty of Arts recruitment team.

Once you're a Waterloo student, you'll have access to academic advisors who can help you