The English department will restructure its curriculum next fall and alter requirements for English majors beginning with the class of 2015.

The department will replace its Gateway courses with new foundational classes, according to an email sent to all English majors Wednesday evening by Department Director Elizabeth So. While the Gateway courses currently offered fulfill the core curriculum’s second humanities and writing requirement, the foundational classes will not.

Changes will also be made to the electives, which will have a new numbering system. The department previously required English majors take seven elective courses, but will now require only six. The majority of the Level I classes, which focus on basic writing and close reading, will meet the core curriculum’s HUMW II requirement. Level II courses, which consist of exploration of more specific fields, will now require foundational or Gateway classes as prerequisites. The department will also offer a Capstone seminar for seniors in the major.

Any classes students have previously taken for an English major will still count toward the degree. Sophomores are allowed to choose to follow either the old or new curriculum structures to complete their degrees. However, sophomore and junior English majors must still take seven electives.