Comparative Literature
College of Arts & Sciences
An undergraduate major in Comparative Literature trains students in the critical analysis of texts. It explores how the rhetorical and aesthetic features of those texts — whether literary, visual or theoretical — respond to and shape social values, attitudes and beliefs. International in scope and interdisciplinary in orientation, the major emphasizes intellectual breadth and maximizes students’ opportunities to design their own courses of study. It explores the relationships among different cultures and between literature and other fields of knowledge, both visual and verbal, such as art history, philosophy, religion and political thought. Graduates of this degree pursue careers in a variety of fields such as marketing, publishing, law, technology, public relations and the arts.
Major category:
Curricular options: Cinema Studies, Literary Studies
Area(s) of interest: Arts, Humanities and Design
websiteDegree requirements
Applicant type
First-year students can apply to the UW to begin autumn quarter or winter quarter (U.S. applicants only)
An application for general admission to the UW is required for all transfer students. UW accepts general applications for Autumn and Winter with some select majors allowing applications in Spring. Review your intended major’s website for information about which quarters it is open for admission.
Preparation for the major is a factor in transfer admission.
Use the information below to help you prepare for this major. Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.
- Visit MyPlan to run a degree audit.
- Use the UW Equivalency Guide to find out how courses taken at a Washington state community or technical college will transfer to the UW.
- UW college and school graduation requirements
Department admission information
This major has minimum admission requirements, including a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.
Suggested first- and second-year college courses include foreign languages, classics, history, philosophy, literature and writing.
Visit the Comparative Literature website for more information on this major.
Read more about applying to the UW as a transfer student.
Courses REQUIRED for admission:
- English composition or Writing course
- Complete one of the following courses:
- C LIT 250 A&H – Introduction to Comparative Literature: Literature and Culture
- C LIT 251 A&H – Introduction to Comparative Literature: Themes
- C LIT 252 A&H – Introduction to Comparative Literature: Genres
Entering transfer information:
Total undergraduates: 10
Total from Washington community colleges: 2
Entering transfer GPA (from WA community colleges):
3.75 – 4.00: <5
3.50 – 3.74: <5
3.25 – 3.49: <5
3.00 – 3.24: <5
2.75 – 2.99: <5
2.50 – 2.74: <5
2.49 and below: <5