Languages Department

Collegiate-level English courses at Motlow are designed to meet the needs of students who wish to enter careers immediately as well as students who are pursuing more broad-based liberal arts or technical curricula which lead to transfer into four-year degree programs. The freshman composition sequence (ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020) is required of all degree-seeking students. The freshman composition courses and sophomore literature courses have been carefully sequenced to build on particular skills, hence the carefully structured prerequisite requirements. Students may also follow the Honors sequence of English offerings. (Please see the Honors English explanation below.) Other elective offerings in English include Creative Writing, Literature of the South, Children’s Literature, and Topics in English.

PROGRESSION STANDARD FOR COMPLETING THE ENGLISH REQUIREMENT

A first-time college student who is registering as a full time student (12 or more semester hours) must register for the appropriate English course (basic, developmental, or collegiate) within the full-time load during the first semester of attendance and remain in an English course each semester until the appropriate English requirement is completed.

PLACEMENT IN ENGLISH COURSES

Students who are 21 years of age and have ACT English sub-scores of 17 or below will be placed in a learning support writing course according the Placement Chart located in the Learning Support Assessment and Placement Procedures section of this Catalog. Students may challenge their placements by taking the writing portion of the COMPASS test whose scores override ACT placement. New students who are 21 years of age or older must take the writing portion of the COMPASS test unless they have valid ACT English sub-scores whereby they will be placed according to guidelines that apply to students under 21 years of age.

ADVANCED STANDING CREDIT IN ENGLISH

Students under 21 years of age with an ACT sub score in English/Writing of 27 to 30 or an SAT sub score in Writing of 610 to 680 will be given 3 hours of advanced standing credit for ENGL 1010.   Students under 21 years of age with an ACT sub score in English/Writing of 31 or an  SAT sub score in Writing of 690 or higher will be given 6 hours of advanced standing credit for ENGL 1010 and ENGL 1020.  The maximum amount of advanced credit allowed from all advanced credit sources, which includes advanced standing credit in English, is 30 credit hours required for graduation.

Any student possessing the above score who elects to enroll in composition rather than receive advanced standing credit is encouraged to enroll in ENGL 1010, English Composition I – Honors and ENGL 1020, English Composition II – Honors.