Undergraduate Writing FAQ

If you are considering the major…

Creative Writing is a declared major. As of 2020, you no longer need approval to declare the major. Students can declare their major through the major declaration form during the major declaration period, usually in March.

Related courses must be from outside of the Creative Writing Program. A related course is a course you’ve taken that relates to your Creative Writing major in some way. These can be, for example, literature courses you’ve taken in other departments, or film courses, screenwriting courses, art practice courses, etc.

You can count two courses that—

  • Also counts toward the Global CORE requirement (except University Writing)
  •  Also counts toward the fulfillment of another major’s related courses.

Related courses must be 3000 level or above, unless it’s a Global CORE requirement or in an art-related field, such as Painting, Dance, or Theater.

Two classes can be transferred from another institution as related course credit.

If your courses fulfill the above criteria, Genre Advisors and the DUS will likely approve. For the courses you’re more unsure about, you will need to write a short paragraph about the rationale of each of your related courses. Before you make an appointment with the Director of Undergraduate Studies to gain approval, please fill out the Related Courses portion of the Major Worksheet.

If you would like to learn more about our major, we encourage you to visit us in Watson Hall 710, come to our advising events, or sign up with a genre advisor by emailing Mitchell Glazier, Program Assistant, (tmg2153).

With the exception of application-only workshops (any workshop that is not Beginning), all registration is done through the university registration system. Continue to look for openings online until the semester begins. If you see an online opening at any time, contact the instructor immediately for a syllabus and any missed work. There’s a great deal of shuffling during the first two weeks of the semester; typically, students do end up with at least one of the classes they wanted to take, even if they start off on the waitlist. The most important thing is to let the instructor know of your interest and show up to the first weeks of class.

Every class in the Creative Writing Program is open to non-majors, though most workshops that are not in the Beginner Level are application-only, and preference is sometimes granted to majors.

Register for any Beginning Level workshop online when your registration period opens. For Intermediate level and above, you will need to apply for the course. The application portal opens typically a month before school begins, and you can find the link on our homepage. You will need to prepare a short writing sample in order to apply. Exact instructions and will be specified in the application portal, once it opens.

No to both questions. While it makes the most sense to take the workshops as a sequence, it is not necessary. You may count two workshops at the same level toward your degree and you may take any level workshop in any order.

Not always. It strengthens your application if you have taken a Beginning Level workshop so the faculty member who is vetting your application knows you have a strong foundation in workshop conduct. While it strengthens your application, it is not a requirement to get into Intermediate or Advanced. For the time being, Intermediate and higher classes will require an application to get in.

Beginning Level workshops are designed for students who have had no prior workshop experience. Intermediate and Advanced workshops are designed for students who have taken a workshop before. Senior Workshop is designed for senior majors who are working toward a cumulative project such as a thesis portfolio or graduate school work samples. All instructors in all courses will try to accommodate your particular needs and interests, so don’t worry if you think you’re working at an “advanced” level and you end up in an “intermediate” workshop. The labels are there to help instructors organize and design their curriculum. The level of instruction will be excellent regardless of level. That said, for Advanced and Senior workshops, instructors almost always prioritize declared majors who are in their last years of study.

You might not have gotten in for a variety of reasons. The instructor may have had far more applications than available seats in the course. The instructor may think that you should take a Beginning or Intermediate workshop first, based on your work sample. The instructor is also looking for overall fit and dynamic of the entire classroom. The instructor might think that they are not the instructor for your project, so they might recommend you take the class with another instructor. If you don’t get into the workshop you applied for, you can also try to get into your second or third choices, provided there’s room. And never hesitate to apply again next semester.

Students can take only one Undergraduate Creative Writing workshop each semester.

Students can take up to two Undergraduate Creative Writing seminars each semester.

Independent Study (IS) will receive a maximum of one credit. According to university and state guidelines, one credit means 1 contact hour each week, with two hours of independent work (readings, writings, projects, etc) each week. You can do an Independent Study with a faculty member if they are a full-time faculty member. You will need to reach out to the faculty member directly and ask for their approval. It will strengthen your case if you have a clear idea what you would like to accomplish in the independent study, and why it needs to be done with that particular professor. If you can write out a vision plan or syllabus for this study, that will be even better.

Please check the Directory of Classes periodically for updates. For additional programming updates, we recommend visiting our office in Watson 710.

Once you are a major…

After declaring, you will need to start tracking your courses to make sure you graduate on time. If you would like advising on how to complete the major, you may fill out our Major Worksheet and request a meeting with a Genre Advisor. You must fill out a form before you request advising.

You can do a self-check. To graduate as a major, you will need the following—

Students may elect to complete the major in a Single Genre (Poetry, Fiction, or Nonfiction) or as a Cross-Genre (a combination of two genres) course of study for a total of 12 classes (36 points).

If you have fulfilled these requirements and your courses are clearly shown on all relevant transcripts, you will be approved to graduate with the major.

Email Mitchell Glazier, Program Assistant, ([email protected]) with a request to schedule an advising appointment.

Yes and No. You WILL be able to count workshops taken at another institution towards your Related Courses requirement. However, you will NOT be able to count them towards the Workshop requirement. Our program is built around our workshops and we think it is important for you to experience that here in our department.

No more than two courses taken elsewhere may be applied to the major and these courses cannot be used to fulfill seminar and workshop requirements. All seminars and workshops counted for the major must be taken within the department.

Yes. Seminars and art-related courses taken in another institution can also count towards your Related Courses.

Again, no more than two courses taken elsewhere may be applied to the major and these courses cannot be used to fulfill seminar and workshop requirements. All seminars and workshops counted for the major must be taken within the department.

You may petition if there is demonstrated need. If you are graduating with ample time left to fulfill your major requirements, the answer will be no. We have very high demand for our courses so this is a way to make sure as many students as possible have the opportunity to take one of our classes.

Yes, but please consult a Genre Advisor before registering.

Yes, you may earn up to three Related Course or Seminar credits depending on your position with the magazine. Work on Quarto begins in October and continues through April; students register for credit in the spring term.

Students must obtain the approval of the Director of Undergraduate Studies to receive credit for courses taken elsewhere. Transfer students and students planning study abroad should bring relevant material—transcripts, course descriptions, syllabi—to the Director, who decides whether and how outside courses may be used for the major. No more than two courses taken elsewhere may be applied to the major and these courses cannot be used to fulfill seminar and workshop requirements. All seminars and workshops counted for the major must be taken within the department.

No, we don’t count internships for Independent Study credit or for any credit.

Administrative Support 

Genre Advisors