Arts Academic Plans

A Joint Honours academic plan with English - Rhetoric and Professional Writing may be taken in combination with most Arts disciplines in which an Honours academic plan is offered or with many Honours majors in other Faculties.

Continuation in this academic plan requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and cumulative English average of 75%.

Eligibility for graduation in the Joint Honours English - Rhetoric and Professional Writing (RPW) academic plan includes successful fulfillment of the following requirements:

1. Appropriate Program-level requirements for the Home Faculty, including at least 20 academic course units (40 courses). If the Home Faculty is Arts, see Bachelor of Arts Degree Requirements.    
2. English Plan-level requirements:
   • at least eight academic course units (16 courses) in English with a minimum cumulative average of 75%, including:
     • two ENGL courses at the 100-level, excluding ENGL 119 and ENGL 129R (see Notes 1 and 4)
     • Survey of British Literature: ENGL 200A, 200B (see Note 3)
     • Criticism: ENGL 251A, 251B (see Note 3)
     • Literature: two of ENGL 305B, 310, 313, 315, 316, 318, 322, 325, 330, 342, 343, 344, 345, 346, 347, 348, 350, 361, 362, 363, 364, 410, 430, 451, 460, 463
     • Writing: one of ENGL 210E, 210F, 210H, 210I            
     • ENGL 292, 306A
     • History and Theory of Rhetoric: one of ENGL 309A, 309B, 309C (see Note 5)
     • Professional Writing and Communication Design: two of ENGL 293, 371, 392A, 392B, 403, 408A, 408B, 408C, 470C, 471 (see Note 5)
     • History and Theory of Language; Forms of Media and Critical Analysis: one from the other 306 courses, other 309 courses, 203, 204, 303, 305A, 319, 320, 335, 336, 376R, 377R, 406, 407, 409A, 470A, 470B, 495A/B when devoted to projects in linguistics, rhetoric, professional writing, or communication (see Note 5)
     • Special Topics: one of ENGL 481, 484, 485, 486, 492, 493, 494       
3. Plan-level requirements for the second major

Notes:

1. Students may use only two English courses at the 100-level to fulfill English plan requirements; additional 100-level English courses may count as degree electives. Courses transferred from other institutions without a specific course designation (e.g., ENGL 2XX) may only be counted towards the English electives.
2. Results from all English courses taken at the University of Waterloo are used to calculate the cumulative English average.
3. ENGL 200A, 200B, 251A, 251B, 292, and one of 210E-I are strongly recommended for second year.
4. The following English courses do not fulfill English course requirements for any English plan, including the minor: ENGL 119, 129R. These courses are designed primarily to make students aware of the different functions of language in various contexts and to assist them in improving their writing.  
5. Students who take more than the required History and Theory of Rhetoric and/or Professional Writing and Communication Design courses may count the additional courses towards their History and Theory of Language; Forms of Media and Critical Analysis requirements.
6. Rhetoric and Professional Writing students are strongly advised to take a university-level course in computer science.

Although the Department of English provides advisors to help students choose their academic plans, arrange their courses and conform with the University, Faculty, and Department regulations, students are urged to study the Undergraduate Calendar very carefully because they are themselves responsible for failure to abide by these regulations.