Declaring a Major, Concentration, or Minor

To declare a single major:

1. Meet with your current academic adviser (on Zoom or in person) to discuss your current academic progress.
2. Email Julissa Acosta to inform them that you're declaring as an English major.  In this email, please state whether you have a major adviser in mind or would like Julissa to choose a major adviser for you.
3. Fill out a Major Declaration Form via Slate online. The form will go to Julissa, who will ensure that it gets to Associate Chair Patricia Denison and to the Registrar's Office.

To declare a double major:

1. Meet with your current academic adviser (on Zoom or in person) to discuss your current academic progress.
2. Contact the department for your non-English major to find out the steps to be assigned a major adviser for that department and to obtain that department chair's signature.
3. Email Julissa Acosta  to inform them that you're declaring as an English major.  In this email, please state whether you have a major adviser in mind or would like Julissa to choose a major adviser for you.
4. Fill a Major Declaration Form via Slate online.  The form will go to Julissa, who will ensure that it gets to Associate Chair Patricia Denison and to the Registrar's Office.

To declare a double major with a single integrating project:

1. Obtain a Double Major with Single Integrating Project Form (not a Major Declaration Form).
2. Meet with Chair Peter Platt and the chair of the other department (on Zoom or in person). Both department chairs must agree to the course(s) to be used for the senior project.
3. Submit the completed form to the Office of the Registrar. You must give the completed form (with all required signatures) to the Office of the Registrar in order to complete the major declaration process.

To apply for a Special or Combined Major:

1. Meet with your class dean to discuss application requirements and procedures.
2. Once you are at the point of submitting an application, obtain a Special Major Form or a Combined Major Form.
3. Follow the instructions on the form and obtain the necessary signatures (for any signatures involving the English Department, consult Chair Peter Platt).
4. Submit the completed form to the Office of the Dean of Studies.

Note that declaring a creative writing concentration requires a special application process outlined in the next section. 

If you are declaring an English major for the first time:

1. Meet with your current academic adviser (on Zoom or in person) to discuss your current academic progress.
2. Review the requirements for your desired concentration(s). If you would like to declare a single concentration, speak with the professor who is listed as the contact person for that concentration. If you would like to declare more than one concentration, speak with the Chair of the English Department.
3. Email Julissa Acosta to inform them that you're declaring as an English major.  In this email, please state whether you have a major adviser in mind or would like Julissa to choose a major adviser for you.
4. Fill out a Major Declaration Form via Slate online. The form will go to Julissa, who will ensure that it gets to Associate Chair Patricia Denison and to the Registrar's Office.

If you have already declared an English major but would like to add concentrations:

1. Review the requirements for your desired concentration(s) and meet with your major adviser to discuss your current academic progress.
2. Fill out a Change of Major Form (not a Major Declaration Form) via Slate online.
3. When filling out the form, put "English" as the major currently on myBarnard. If you are double-majoring, be sure to list that major as well.
4. When filling out the form, put "English" and the appropriate concentrations for what the major should now be. If you are double-majoring, be sure to list that major as well.

The creative writing concentration differs from the others in that students must submit an application to be considered for it. Questions about applying to or declaring a creative writing concentration may be directed to Prof. Ken Chen or Sarah Hilligoss.

To apply to the creative writing concentration:

1. Interested majors can be in the second semester of their sophomore year or junior year to apply. Applications are due by the last day of the advanced registration period in that semester (occurring in mid-November for the fall semester or in mid-April for the spring semester). The application deadline for English majors who are second semester sophomores or juniors in spring 2023 will occur on Friday, April 14th at 11:59 PM ET.
2. Applications must consist of 15-20 pages of prose (including fiction, personal narrative, creative non-fiction or playwriting) and/or poetry writing, and must be submitted online via the Barnard Creative Writing Concentration Application Form.
3. Students who are accepted into the concentration will be notified in January if they applied in the fall semester or in June if they applied in the spring semester.

To declare a creative writing concentration:

Once you have been accepted into the creative writing concentration, you will be notified by Sarah Hilligoss and it will be automatically added to your major in myBarnard. Students are unable to declare creative writing concentrations themselves.

1. Review the requirements for the English minor.
2. Obtain a Minor Elective Form via Slate online.
3. Fill out the form. If you decide to pursue a minor, please submit this form to the Registrar’s Office once all of the courses are "in progress" or completed – and no later than March 1 of your senior year.