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Undergraduate Program Requirements
Note: University regulations apply to all students at Laurier. If there is any discrepancy between the program or progression requirements outlined on this page and those in the university's academic calendars, the academic calendars are the official sources of information. The information below is from the latest calendar, and you may be following progression requirements from an earlier calendar. Students are responsible for checking the appropriate calendar. Contact your academic advisor should you notice any discrepancies.
Laurier's Department of English and Film Studies offers many different degrees, options and minors to suit student needs.
Effective Sept. 1, 2023, the structures for the Honours English degree and Combined Honours English degree will change. Honours English Majors will still need to complete 10.0 credits of English and Combined Honours English Majors will need to complete 7.0 credits of English, but we are replacing the old Category requirements (i.e., minimum 1.0 credit in Categories 1-4), in favour of something more streamlined.
Students already in the program have a choice: you may either follow the new, simplified requirements, or you may use the Calendar requirements for the year in which you entered the program (i.e., the requirements as listed on the old worksheets). We hope you will find that the new program structure is straightforward and easy to follow. The new worksheets are posted below so that you can map out your program ccording to the new requirements should you choose to do so.
Undergraduate English Programs
- You need a total of 20.0 credits overall, including a minimum of 10.0 (but no more than 14.0) credits in English.
- No more than 7.0 credits at the 100-level may be used toward the 20.0 credits required for the degree.
- Remember: single-term courses are worth .5 credits each, so two courses = 1.0 credit.
- Your course choices need to cover our four categories (see list below and the Honours BA in English worksheet).
- In order for you to progress through the honours program, you need a minimum cumulative GPA of 5.00 (C) in English and 5.00 (C) overall. In order to graduate, you need a minimum cumulative GPA of 7.00 (B-) in English and 5.00 (C) overall.
Requirements
A minimum of 10.0 and a maximum of 14.0 EN credits:
- 1.0 credit 100-level EN
- min. 0.5 credits Theory Courses (EN301 or EN240)
- min. 2.5 credits 300-level EN
- 1.0 credits 400-level EN (no more than 0.5 credit of which can be EN489)
- An additional 5.0 credits 200- or 300-level EN
Notes: Students are encouraged to take EN245: Brit. Lit. Tradition I and EN246: Brit. Lit. Tradition II as part of their program.
Students may choose a maximum of 1.0 credit from senior Film Studies and/or not-designated writing courses (EN206, EN304) toward the 10.0 required EN credits.
Note that these requirements are in effect as of Sept. 1, 2023. Students who have started the program earlier than this date may either use these new (and simpler) requirements, or use the requirements listed in the Academic Calendar for the year they started the program.
Resources
- Want to know more about your choices? See our Program Roadmaps page for suggestions and tips year-by-year.
- Download the Honours BA in English worksheet.
- You need a total of 20.0 credits, including a minimum of 7.00 credits in English.
- No more than 7.0 credits at the 100-level may be used toward the 20.0 credits required for the degree.
- Remember: single-term courses are worth .5 credits each, so two courses = 1.0 credit.
- Your courses choices need to cover our four categories (see list below and the combined Honours BA in English worksheet).
- In order for you to progress through the honours program, you need a minimum cumulative GPA of 5.00 (C) in English and 5.00 (C) overall. In order to graduate, you need a minimum cumulative GPA of 7.00 (B-) in English and 5.00 (C) overall.
Requirements
- 1.0 credit in 100-level EN
- min. 2.0 credits of 300-level EN
- 0.5 credits 400-level EN
- 3.5 additional credits from EN courses at the 200- or 300-level
Note that these requirements are in effect as of Sept. 1, 2023. Students who have started the program earlier than this date may either use these new (and simpler) requirements, or use the requirements listed in the Academic Calendar for the year they started the program.
Resources
- Want to know more about your choices? See our Program Roadmaps page for suggestions and tips year-by-year.
- Download the combined Honours BA in English worksheet.
To do a Minor in English, you need 3.0 credits:
- 1.0 credit from 100-level EN courses.
- 2.0 credits from any 200- and 300-level EN courses.
- Students may include no more than 0.5 credit of the following as part of this minor: EN271, EN272, EN369, EN370, or EN371.
Resources
The English program offers non-English Majors the opportunity to work towards a Minor in Creative Writing. The Minor pursues two main goals: 1) to provide opportunities to think and practice beyond the usual forms of academic writing; and 2) to offer students real-world experience in using their creative, analytical, and editorial skills to develop writing for professional publication.
The requirements for the Minor consist of the following:
- 1.0 credit in 100-level English courses
- EN272: Introduction to Creative Writing (required)
- 1.5 credits from the following list of specialized genre courses:
- EN271: The Creative Process
- EN369: Creative Writing - Nonfiction
- EN370: Creative Writing - Poetry
- EN371: Creative Writing – Short Story
- FS374: Screenwriting and Directing
- EN480: Creative Writing: Advanced Workshop in Genre
- Students completing this Minor must declare themselves to be non-English Majors.
- English Majors may take the Creative Writing Concentration.
- EN369, EN370, and EN371 may not be double counted for both this minor and a minor in Writing for Career and Community.
Please note that not all of these courses are offered every year.
Resources
The English program offers English Majors the opportunity to work towards a Concentration in Creative Writing. The concentration pursues two main goals: 1) to provide opportunities to think and practice beyond the usual forms of academic writing; and 2) to offer students real-world experience in using their creative, analytical, and editorial skills to develop writing for professional publication.
The requirements for the Concentration consist of the following:
- 1.0 credit in 100-level English courses
- EN272: Introduction to Creative Writing (required)
- 1.5 credits from the following list of specialized genre courses:
- EN271: The Creative Process
- EN369: Creative Writing - Nonfiction
- EN370: Creative Writing - Poetry
- EN371: Creative Writing – Short Story
- EN480: Creative Writing: Advanced Workshop in Genre
- FS374: Screenwriting and Directing
Please note that not all of these courses are offered every year.
For a Minor in Youth and Children: Texts and Contexts (YCTC), you need to take 3.0 credits from these designated YCCT courses offered across disciplines in the Faculty of Arts, in English as well as in Archaeology, Film Studies, Sociology, Youth and Children, and Women’s Studies:
- 0.5 credit in 100-level English courses (excluding EN190)
- 0.5 credit in YC100: Studying Youth and Children: An Introduction (required)
- 2.0 credits in the following courses (of which at least 1.0 credit must be from EN courses):
- AR332: Children in the Ancient World
- EN201: Children's Literature
- EN213: The Child in African Literature and Popular Culture
- EN285: Tween Literature and Culture
- EN286: Young Adult Literature
- FS260: Youth Culture in Film
- SY303: Sociology of Youth
- SY412: Constructions of Parenthood and Children in Canada
- YC200: Youth and Children Through the Ages
- YC326: Children, Toys and Media
- WS203: Girls, Women and Popular Culture
Resources
Honours English Majors
Laurier students applying to the Vancouver Film School (VFS) must be registered at Laurier in the English program and have completed a minimum of 4.0 credits in English. Laurier students may start the VFS program after completing 10.0 overall credits at Laurier (normally Year 3) and then return to Laurier to complete Year 4 and their remaining degree requirements.
Students in this pathway must complete at least 10.0 credits of English courses, fulfilling specific requirements in consultation with the English Advisor. Students must use this worksheet in tandem with the English Honours worksheet to determine which courses fit each Category requirement.
Honours English and Film Studies Majors
Laurier students applying to the Vancouver Film School (VFS) must be registered at Laurier in the English and Film Studies programs and have completed a minimum of of 1.5 credits in English and 1.5 credits in Film Studies. Laurier students may start the VFS programs after completing 10.0 overall credits at Laurier (normally Year 3) and then return to Laurier to complete Year 4 and their remaining degree requirements.
Students in this pathway must complete at least 7.0 credits in English and 7.0 credits in Film Studies, fulfilling specific requirements in consultation with their English and Film Advisors. The following requirements are for the English portion of the Combined Honours Degree. Students must use this worksheet in tandem with the Combined Honours English worksheet to determine which courses fit each Category requirement.
Resources
Undergraduate Film Studies Programs
The Honours Film Studies program consists of 20.0 credits, of which no more than 7.0 credits may be at the junior (100) level, including a minimum of 10.0 but no more than 12.0 credits in Film Studies courses. Of the required 10.0 credits in Film Studies, no more than 1.0 may be at the 100 level. Students may also count up to 1.0 credit from senior EN courses. At least 1.0 credit must be chosen from the annual fourth-year offerings; FS489 may be used for only 0.5 credit.
Note: Single-term courses are worth .5 credits each, so two courses = 1.0 credit.
Required FS Courses (4.0 credits):
0.5 credit in National
Cinemas courses: FS237, FS238, FS239, FS244, FS246, FS250, FS301, FS330, FS333, FS336, FS355, FS360, FS365;
1.0 credit in 400-level FS courses: (only 0.5 credit of FS489 may be taken)
Elective FS courses (6.0 credits)6.0 additional credits in FS courses at the senior level. Students may also count up to 1.0 credit from senior EN courses.
Degree Program Electives
An additional 10.0 credits toward the degree total of 20.0 credits, (of which no more than 6.0 credits can be at the 100 level).
Resources
- Want to know more about your choices? See our Program Roadmaps page for suggestions and tips year-by-year.
The combined Film Studies program is available only in combination with another honours BA program. The program consists of a total of 20.0 credits, of which no more than 7.0 may be at the junior level (100 level), with at least 7.0 credits and no more than 9.0 credits as follows:
0.5 credit in National
Cinema courses: FS237, FS238, FS239, FS244, FS246, FS250, FS301, FS330, FS333, FS336, FS355, FS360, FS365
0.5 credit in 400-level Seminars
3.5 additional credits from senior (200-, 300-, or 400-level) FS courses
Note: Single-term courses are worth .5 credits each, so two courses = 1.0 credit.
Degree Program Electives
An additional 13.0 credits toward the degree total of 20.0 credits, which includes the second BA major.
Note: Students may count no more than 1.5 credits of Film Production courses towards their degree: FS272, FS275, FS370, FS371, FS373, and FS374, FS380, FS381.
Resources
- Want to know more about your choices? See our Program Roadmaps page for suggestions and tips year-by-year.
This page is intended for Laurier students who are entering VFS (normally in Year 3). If you are a VFS student who is entering Laurier, visit the Academic Calendar.
Laurier has a partnership agreement through which Laurier students can complete, in 20.0 credits, the Honours BA Film Studies at Laurier and one of VFS’s Diploma programs in Film Production; Writing for Film, Television, and Games; Acting for Film and Television; 3D Animation; or Digital Design. Laurier students attend Year 1 and Year 2 at Laurier, Year 3 at VFS, and Year 4 at Laurier. Laurier’s Honours Film Studies program consists of 20.0 credits, of which 15.0 are completed at Laurier and 5.0 credits can be completed at VFS.
Laurier Credits (15.0 credits):
Laurier’s Honours Film Studies program consists of 20.0 credits, of which no more than 7.0 credits may be at the junior level (100 level), including a minimum of 10.0 but no more than 12.0 credits in FS courses, and no more than 1.0 may be at the 100 level. Students may also count up to 1.0 credit from senior (200- or 300-level) EN courses. At least 1.0 credit must be chosen from the annual fourth-year offerings; FS489 may be used for only 0.5 credit.
- 1.0 credit from Introductory FS courses: FS100, FS105
- 1.5 credits from Film Cultures courses: FS200, FS205, FS300
- 0.5 credit from National Cinema FS courses: FS237, FS238, FS239, FS244, FS246, FS250, FS301, FS330, FS333, FS336, FS355, FS360, FS365
- 1.0 credit from 400-level FS courses: FS443, FS444, FS446, FS489
- 6.0 additional credits from FS courses at the senior level (including the FS credits earned at VFS).
Note: Students may also count up to 1.0 credit from senior EN courses as FS electives. Students in the VFS Film Production, Writing, Acting, or Digital Design program may count up to 0.5 credits in FS production courses (FS272, FS275, FS370, FS371, FS373, FS374, FS380, FS381). Students in the VFS 3D Animation & Visual Effects program may count FS272 and FS373, but no other production courses.
Degree Program Electives: An additional 10.0 credits including non-major electives (including those earned at VFS) toward the degree total of 20.0 credits, (of which no more than 6.0 credits can be at the 100 level).
VFS Credits (5.0 credits):
The student’s year at VFS counts as 5.0 credits towards the 20.0 credits of the Honours Film Studies program (depending on which program the student takes at VFS) as follows. (No credit awarded for partial completion)
A. VFS's Film Production program:
- 2.5 from non-major elective 200- or 300-level (senior) credits
- 2.5 from Film Studies 200- or 300-level (senior) credits
- VFS's Writing for Film, Television, and Games program:
- 2.5 from non-major electives 200- or 300-level (senior) credits
- 2.0 from Film Studies 200- or 300-level (senior) credits
- 0.5 equivalent to FS374 - Screenwriting Fundamentals
- VFS's Acting for Film and Television program:
- 3.0 from non-major elective 200- or 300-level (senior) credits
- 2.0 from Film Studies 200- or 300-level (senior) credit
- VFS's 3D Animation & Visual Effects program:
- 2.5 from non-major elective 200- or 300-level (senior) credits
- 2.5 from Film Studies 200- or 300-level (senior) credit
- VFS's Digital Design program:
- 2.5 from non-major elective 200- or 300-level (senior) credits
- 2.5 from Film Studies 200- or 300-level (senior) credits
Tuition discounts and scholarships to attend VFS are available to WLU Honours BA Film Studies majors.
- Students attending VFS in Year 3 must have maintained a minimum overall GPA of 5.0 as well as a minimum GPA of 5.0 in Film Studies.
- Students attending VFS in Year 3 must have completed a minimum of 9.25 credits overall, with a minimum of 4.0 credits in Film Studies.
- Refer to the University Regulations chapter for progression and course regulations and the earlier section regarding Regulations for All Honours Programs.