Colleges require you to complete a certain number of credits within your major to graduate with a degree in that field. Each English-related class you take will be worth a certain number of credits (typically two to five, depending on the number of classes per week), and you need to make sure that you take enough by the time you graduate to meet major credit requirements at your college. Many colleges have more specific credit requirements, such as earning a certain number of credits in one area of English, such as literature or creative writing, or earning a certain number of credits in upper-level classes (rather than 101-level classes).
In order to earn your degree, you must earn a certain total number of credits outside of the requirements set forth by your major. Some colleges allow you to take whatever classes you want, but most require you to meet "elective" or "general education" requirements. This means that you need to earn a few credits in science, a few in math, a few in the arts and so forth. You get a more comprehensive education if you're required to take classes in a wide variety of areas to achieve a total credit count. Non-English requirements are usually not a part of master's degree programs.
All schools require that you maintain a certain minimum grade point average (GPA) to graduate. In addition that you maintain a higher standard for English classes, to ensure that you're adequately completing the coursework within your major.
Some programs require English majors to choose a minor or concentration. Minors are typically areas not necessarily related to English, such as business or art, while concentrations are typically specific types of English education, such as literature or professional writing. Minors and concentrations come with their own credit requirements and are not required at every college.
During your final semester, you may be required to complete a long-term project in order to graduate as part of a senior seminar class. For English education students, this is typically a semester of student teaching, while for writing or literature students, it could be a research paper, analysis or other type of project. At some schools, this is required of all undergraduate English majors, while at other schools, it is only required of honors students. If you go on to get a master's degree, you typically complete a thesis paper during your final semester, which is a more intensive research project.