Degree Requirements

Fundamental Skills Requirement

Writing

Students must complete English composition and intensive writing requirements.

English Composition
This part of the writing requirement may be fulfilled in any one of the following ways:
  1. Exemption without credit. Students scoring 670 or higher on the SAT Critical Reading test, or 32 or above on the ACT English Composition section, or 4 to 5 on the Advanced Placement English Composition section, are exempt from English composition.
  2. Exemption with credit. A student will be granted 2 credit hours of English W143 if the student has:
    • a score of 670 or above on the SAT Critical Reading test, or 32 or above on the ACT English Composition section, or 4 to 5 on the Advanced Placement English Composition section, plus
    • a score of 660 or higher on the SAT Writing Test, and if the student applies to the Department of English in Ballantine Hall 442. 
  3. Completion of any of the following options with a grade of C– or higher:
    • English W131 (3 cr.)
    • English W170 (3 cr.)
    • African American and African Diaspora Studies A141 and A142 (4-4 cr.)
    • Two semesters of English W143 (1 cr.) combined with two introductory courses, Comparative Literature C145 and C146 (3-3 cr.)
    • One of the following combinations:
      • AAAD L141 (4 cr.) and CMLT C146 (3 cr.) + ENG W143 (1 cr.)
      • CMLT C145 (3 cr.) + ENG W143 (1 cr.) and AAAD A142 (4 cr.)
Note: Courses taken under these options, except for English W131, W143, and W170, may, if they are so designated, be applied toward distribution requirements.

Intensive Writing
This part of the writing requirement may be fulfilled by completing one intensive writing course at or above the 200 level after completing the English composition requirement. Normally, intensive writing sections are taught by faculty in small sections and include written assignments in which students are asked to make, illustrate, and develop arguments. Graded revision of assignments is a requirement of all intensive writing courses. Students must check the listings for courses in the online Schedule of Classes each semester to make certain that the course section they have chosen fulfills the requirement.

Intensive writing credit will not be awarded for written work in courses that are not listed as intensive writing unless special arrangements have been completed and approved prior to the relevant deadline. All special arrangements are subject to the approval of the College. Students who wish to arrange an individual intensive writing component for a course or section that is not listed as intensive writing must obtain the approval of the faculty director of undergraduate studies of the department of their major concentration as well as that of the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs of the College of Arts and Sciences (Kirkwood Hall 012). The deadline for submitting a Proposal to Satisfy Intensive Writing by Special Arrangement is the end of the second week of instruction for regular semester-length courses, the end of the first week of instruction for eight-week courses, and the end of the first week of instruction for a course taught in a summer session.