How Do I Declare an English Major or Minor?
How can I declare an English major or minor? In Covid times, you can declare a major entirely online from the comfort of your drawing-room - or even of your bed. Here's how:
1. Go to William & Mary Degreeworks, log in using your W&M user ID and password, enter your 93 number, and press Enter.
2. On the left-hand menu, select “What If?” and run an evaluation for the English major. This will tell you what requirements you have already fulfilled, and what you still have left to do.
3. Fill out the “Declaration of Major" or "Declaration of Academic Minor" form as much as you can. Don’t worry if you don’t know what to put on the worksheet for courses completed or in progress. Your adviser will help you fill that out. You can find links to information on the requirements for both the major and the minor on our Undergraduate Program page.
4. Find an adviser! Perhaps you’ve already taken courses in the English department and you’ve already chosen the professor you want to be your adviser. Or maybe your friend recommended someone. Either way, your next step is to contact your prospective adviser, ask her or him if s/he is taking on new advisees, and set up an online advising appointment (or in person if you and your adviser are comfortable with that).
5. At this appointment, you and your adviser discuss your course options and your adviser will help you fill in the form. Once it's completed, sign it (in hard copy or electronically), scan it (if necessary), and email the signed copy to your adviser, who will then also sign it.
6. If you are declaring a minor, you will need to get your form signed by the Chair of the Department.
7. In the Before Times, you would take a hard copy of your completed form to the Registrar’s Office in the basement of Blow Hall and turn it in. But now, all you need to do is email the form to degreeaudit@wm.edu from your W&M email account. Alternatively, your adviser can send it to the same email address from their account. It may take a couple of days for the declaration to be entered into Banner, but basically it’s now official! You’re an English major (or minor)! Enjoy!
Special note about using one course to fulfill two major requirements:
You may use one course to fulfill two major requirements. However, no amount of programming has succeeded in persuading Degreeworks of this fact. If you would like Degreeworks to recognize that you want to do this, you do not need to visit your adviser to get permission. Simply e-mail [[wdurba, Wendy Urbano]] in the registrar's office and explain exactly which course you are using to satisfy which requirements. There is no limit to the number of times you can do this.
