Literature, Undergraduate Certificate
Department of English
College of Arts and Letters
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To receive an undergraduate certificate (at least 15 units) at Northern Arizona University, you must complete a planned group of courses from one or more subject matter areas with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0.
Please be aware that federal financial aid is not available for some certificates, if the certificate is pursued and completed as a stand-alone certificate (i.e., not completed concurrently with a degree program). See the "Details" tab for additional information.
In addition to University Requirements:
- Complete individual plan requirements.
Students may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
| Minimum Units for Completion | 18 |
| Major GPA | 3.0 |
Purpose Statement
The Literature Certificate introduces non-English majors to the study of literature, film, and other texts. At the completion of the certificate, students will attain literacy skills that position them well to compete for jobs and or admission to graduate programs. In the certificate, students will have opportunities to develop critical thinking and writing skills. Students will learn to analyze and contextualize a variety of texts from different time periods, genres, and cultural traditions. Students will also study critical methods and gain research skills. Through all of this work, students will learn how language relates to social, cultural, and historical contexts and powerfully affects one’s understanding of the world.
These analytical and communication skills have a wide range of application. Students attaining the Literature Certificate will distinguish themselves in the workplace and in further professional or academic graduate studies through their careful, clear, and eloquent writing; through their ability to express their ideas and arguments persuasively; and through their ability to find and incorporate information to support their ideas. This certificate, as a complement to other degrees, can help students prepare to become productive, responsible members of the communities in which they live and work.
Student Learning Outcomes
A student with a certificate in literature will be able to:
- Analyze texts from emergent and established literary traditions for accurate literal meaning as well as for style, form, and word choice
- Define literary concepts, genres, and traditions and apply them to interpretations of texts
- Contextualize interpretations of individual texts, using focused, relevant information about societies, cultures, histories, and traditions
- Evaluate secondary sources, print and electronic, and skillfully incorporate them into critical writing that observes the conventions of academic writing about literature
- Write with rhetorical art and proper mechanics
Certificate Requirements
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Take the following 18 units with a minimum GPA of 3.0:
We accept a maximum of 6 units of lower-division course work. Select from the following lower-division courses (6 units):
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English Education Majors may only use six units from the major toward this certificate.
This certificate is not available to students pursuing the English BA or the English Minor.
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This certificate may only be pursued and completed concurrently with a degree program. This certificate is not available as a stand-alone certificate.
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Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also successfully complete. For prerequisite information, click on the course or see your advisor.