Graduation Requirement for Discipline-Specific Writing
All students majoring in disciplines in the College of Arts and Humanities must satisfy the requirements for Discipline Specific Writing (DSW) in order to graduate.
DSW Requirements
- ENGL 1101 and 1102 (or the equivalent of) are prerequisite to all "W" (writing-intensive) courses.
- W-courses will require a minimum of 4000 words of original, formal, graded writing, including one major assignment entailing instructor feedback and revision.
- Students must take at least two 3000/4000-level W-courses (courses approved as writing-intensive courses and marked in the course bulletin with a W) for a total of at least 6 hours. Both courses must satisfy requirements or electives in the student's major, and at least one must be specific to the major. Departments may also elect to designate specific courses in allied disciplines that would fulfill the DSW requirement for the major.
- DSW requirements vary from department to department: students should consult the catalog and department DSW website for requirements specific to their major.
Certificate Option
A DSW certificate option is available for students who wish to gain additional experience in writing as well as to demonstrate a commitment to developing exemplary communication skills. A student may elect to double the basic DSW requirements, passing 12 hours of writing-intensive courses. These additional courses need not be in the student's major, unless the department specifies otherwise. Students who elect this option and earn a grade of C or above in each of their writing-intensive classes will receive:
- a Discipline-Specific Writing certificate, and
- transcript notation of this accomplishment.
