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English Learning Module

English Requirement: Completing General Studies Level I

Students must complete, first, ENG 1010 OR both ENG 1008 and ENG 1009, and then ENG 1020 as a requirement for graduation from MSU Denver. For many majors completing this requirement is a prerequisite for course work in the major. Consequently, students must complete both ENG 1010 (or ENG 1008 and ENG 1009) within their first 30 hours at MSU Denver and ENG 1020 within their first 60 hours.

If you also have a remedial English (ER) hold

In order to succeed in college-level writing courses, students need adequate preparation. Test scores are the most common way to show this preparation, and the College accepts ACT, SAT, or Accuplacer scores as demonstrating readiness for ENG 1010 (or for ENG 1008), the first course in the two-course English composition sequence. Remedial course work from a community college can also be used to prepare for college-level English composition courses. If you have the remedial English hold, it means that you don’t have an adequate test score or the appropriate community college remedial courses.

How can students become eligible for ENG 1010?

  1. Enter MSU Denver with an ACT English score of 18 or higher
  2. Enter MSU Denver with an SAT Reading score of 440 or higher
  3. Take the Accuplacer test, which can be at the MSU Denver Assessment and Testing Center
    1. Achieve a 95 score or higher on the Sentence Skills exam (eligible for ENG 1010)
    2. Achieve a score of 80-94 on the Sentence Skills exam and a passing score on the English Secondary Essay Assessment (ESEA)(eligible for ENG 1008)
    3. If you receive a lower score lower than 80 on the Accuplacer, then you must take, depending on the score, remedial courses (Basic Skills courses) at a community college.

Are there other ways of completing the ENG 1010 requirement?

Yes, there are three primary method for completing this requirement (in addition to taking ENG 1010 or ENG 1008/1009 at MSU Denver, of course):

  1. Transfer in credit earned from the IB English A-1 Higher Level exam or the AP English Composition and Literature exam or AP English Language and Composition exam
  2. Earn the appropriate minimum score on the CLEP College Composition exam
    1. Please note that it is not possible to complete the second course, ENG 1020, through a CLEP exam
  3. Transfer in credit earned from a course equivalent to ENG 1010 from another institution, such as ENG 121 in the Colorado Community College System. See the State of Colorado Guaranteed Transfer (gtPathways) program for more information about transferring credit from other public Colorado institutions of higher education.

How do students become eligible for ENG 1020?

  1. Complete ENG 1010 or ENG 1009 with a grade of C- at MSU Denver
  2. Transfer in a completed equivalent course/credit from another college (see above)

I have low English test scores. Why not just put off taking my English composition courses?

  • Students must complete the English composition two-course sequence in their first 30 hours at Metro. Eventually you will be prohibited from taking any courses at all at Metro if you don't take and pass both English composition courses.
  • The English composition courses will help you in other college courses that require writing, so completing the courses early in your college career just makes sense.
  • The English composition sequence must be completed in order to take courses in many majors.
    • For example, Business Core courses require the completion of ENG 1010 and ENG 1020

I qualify to take ENG 1008/1009, ENG 1010, or ENG 1020, but I think I could use more help for my writing.

The College’s Writing Center is available for all students of the College in any courses they may be taking. They welcome students from English composition courses, too. Please consult the Writing Center website for the sort of help you can expect to receive.

What do I do next?

  • Click English Level 1 Quiz on the left-hand menu
  • The quiz covers the material you have just been reading
  • You can refer back to this material as you take the quiz
  • You have to get all 5 question right in order to pass the quiz
  • After passing the quiz
    • You will take a brief survey
    • Then you will fill out a form with your Student ID (900 number) and MSU Denver user name
    • The hold comes off when this last step is complete and the form is submitted!