BA English at University of California, Santa Barbara

Programme overview

As an English major, you’ll learn to think and to write critically and creatively about literature and culture. Your studies will take you to other historical moments, around the globe, and into fundamental questions of the meaning and value of life.

Faculty: College of Letters and Science | Department: Department of English | Study mode: full-time | Location: Santa Barbara, CA, United States

What you will study

Major requirements are organised as Preparation For The Major: ENGL 10, ENGL 11, ENGL 15, ENGL 22, ENGL 25, ENGL 34NA, ENGL 39, ENGL 40BA, ENGL 40BB, ENGL 50; Upper-Division Major. The English major requires at least 56 units in English, at least 44 of which must be upper-division, as outlined below.

Career pathways

Graduate and professional pathways include Media and communications; Publishing; Law; Nonprofit organizations; Education; Literature.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admission to UCSB is to the university and a college (College of Letters and Science, College of Engineering, College of Creative Studies), not to the individual major; applicants must meet the University of California subject requirements for first-year or transfer applicants and apply through the UC Application. Selective-major and second-choice-major rules are described by UCSB Undergraduate Admissions.

Entry term: fall. First-year and transfer applicants apply for fall 2027 through the UC Application.

First-year and transfer applications for fall 2027: UC Application filing period October 1 - November 30, 2026 (opens August 1). Application fee: $80 per campus for U.S. residents, $95 per campus for international students. Transfer applicants also submit the UCSB TAG Application September 1-30. First-year decisions mid-March; transfer decisions mid-April; Statement of Intent to Register May 1 (first-year) and June 1 (transfer).

SAT and ACT scores are not used in admission selection or scholarships; submission is optional and may be used for course placement. Students applying to College of Creative Studies majors submit a supplemental application; Dance and Music B.M. applicants complete an audition.

Graduate applicants apply through the UCSB online graduate application; the deadline is set by each department. Application fee: $135 for US citizens and permanent residents, $155 for all others, payable by credit card, check or money order. GRE required only by some programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://admissions.sa.ucsb.edu/

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