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, ENGL 200B (see Note 3)
     • Criticism: ENGL 251A, ENGL 251B (see Note 3)
     • Literature: two of ENGL 305B, ENGL 310, ENGL 313, ENGL 315, ENGL 316, ENGL 318, ENGL 322, ENGL 325, ENGL 330, ENGL 342, ENGL 343, ENGL 344, ENGL 345, ENGL 346, ENGL 347, ENGL 348, ENGL 350, ENGL 361, ENGL 362, ENGL 363, ENGL 364, ENGL 410, ENGL 430, ENGL 451, ENGL 460, ENGL 463
     • Writing: one of ENGL 210E, ENGL 210F, ENGL 210G, ENGL 210H, ENGL 210I, ENGL 210J
     • ENGL 292, ENGL 306A
     • History and Theory of Rhetoric: one of ENGL 309A, ENGL 309B, ENGL 309C (see Note 5)
     • Professional Writing and Communication Design: two of ENGL 293, ENGL 371, ENGL 392A, ENGL 392B, ENGL 403, ENGL 408A, ENGL 408B, ENGL 408C, ENGL 470C, ENGL 471, ENGL 472 (see Note 5)
     • History and Theory of Language; Forms of Media and Critical Analysis: one from the other ENGL 306 series, other ENGL 309 series, ENGL 203, ENGL 204, ENGL 303, ENGL 305A, ENGL 319, ENGL 320, ENGL 335, ENGL 336, ENGL 376R, ENGL 377R, ENGL 406, ENGL 407, ENGL 409A, ENGL 470A, ENGL 470B, ENGL 495A/ENGL 495B when devoted to projects in linguistics, rhetoric, professional writing, or communication (see Note 5)
     • Special Topics: one of ENGL 481, ENGL 484, ENGL 485, ENGL 486, ENGL 492, ENGL 493, ENGL 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, ENGL 200B, ENGL 251A, ENGL 251B, ENGL 292, and one of ENGL 210E-ENGL 210I 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, ENGL 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.
7. 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.