
About the University Writing Program

The UWP offers courses that fulfill the UCR writing requirement. These courses are designed to help students write effectively in other University courses and later in their professional lives. University writing demands the ability to read carefully, to analyze what is read, and to draw conclusions about those data for both general and expert audiences. Our courses help students learn to write well, read closely, and speak formally in public.
University Writing Program Courses
Entry-Level Writing Courses
WRIT001 - Foundations of Academic Discourse | 5 units total (15-student enrollment cap) Includes a 4-unit lecture course (WRIT001) and a 1-unit online lab (WRIT001L). Prerequisites: an appropriate score on UCR's Writing Placement Process. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Writing 1 is designed for multilingual, first-generation, or other students needing intensive, multi-quarter support in academic discourse foundations in writing, reading, listening, and speaking. |
WRIT003 - Fundamentals of Academic Discourse | 5 units total (15-student enrollment cap) Includes a 4-unit lecture course (WRIT003) and a 1-unit online lab (WRIT003L). Prerequisites: an appropriate score on UCR's Writing Placement Process. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Writing 3 is designed for multilingual, first-generation, or other students needing support in academic discourse fundamentals. |
WRIT005 - Frameworks of Academic Discourse | 5 units total (15-student enrollment cap) Includes a 4-unit lecture course (WRIT005) and a 1-unit online lab (WRIT005L). Prerequisites: an appropriate score on UCR's Writing Placement Process. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). Writing 5 is designed for multilingual, first-generation, or other students needing focused additional support honing academic communication skills. |
WRIT007 - English Writing for Academic Inquiry | 5 units total (21-student enrollment cap) Includes a 4-unit lecture course (WRIT007) and a 1-unit online lab (WRIT007L). Prerequisites: an appropriate score on UCR's Writing Placement Process. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) is available. Students who pass the course with a grade of “C” or better satisfy the UC Entry-Level Writing Requirement and are eligible to enroll in WRIT 010 (Academic Writing). |
WRIT009 - Academic Writing: Intensive | 5 unit Freshman-level course in total (18-student enrollment cap) Includes a 4-unit lecture course (WRIT009), a 1-unit online lab (WRIT009L), and tutor support. Participation is limited to a small number of invited students originally placed into Writing 7. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) is available. Students who pass the course with a grade of “C” or better satisfy the UC Entry-Level Writing Requirement, earn credit for WRIT 010, and are eligible to enroll in WRIT 020 (Persuasive Writing). |
Legacy Courses | Courses listed below have been renamed as of Fall 2025 |
BSWT001/BSWT002* | Immersive English (4 units) focuses on writing/reading. Oral Communication (2 units) focuses on speaking/listening. (15-student enrollment cap) Prerequisites: an appropriate score on the Analytical Writing Placement Exam. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). As of Fall 2025, course has been renamed to WRIT001. |
BSWT003* – Basic Writing for Second-Language Students | 6 units total (15-student enrollment cap) Includes a 4-unit lecture course, a 1-unit online lab, and a 1-unit journal component (BW3L & BW4). Prerequisites: an appropriate score on the Analytical Writing Placement Exam. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). As of Fall 2025, course has been renamed to WRIT005. |
ENGL004* – English Writing | 5-unit college-level course (21-student enrollment cap). Includes a 4-unit lecture course and a 1-unit online lab course Prerequisites: an appropriate score on the Analytical Writing Placement Exam or a grade of “S” in BSWT003. Students who pass the course with a grade of “C” or better satisfy the UC Entry-Level Writing Requirement and are eligible to enroll in ENGL 001A. Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC) grading are not available. As of Fall 2025, course has been renamed to WRIT007. |
ENGL01PA* – Beginning Composition: Intensive | 5-unit Freshman-level course (18-student enrollment cap). Includes English 5L (a one-unit online course) & tutor support. Participation is limited to a small number of invited students originally placed into English 4. Students who pass the course with a grade of “C” or better satisfy the UC Entry-Level Writing Requirement, earn credit for ENGL 001A, and are eligible to enroll in ENGL 001B. As of Fall 2025, course has been renamed to WRIT009. |
*Courses will no longer be offered as of Fall 2025.
Writing Composition Courses
WRIT010 (or WRIT010S) - Academic Writing | 4-unit Freshman-level course (23-student enrollment cap for WRIT010). For students who have satisfied the Entry-Level Writing Requirement (ELWR). Writing 10 introduces strategies of personal writing and encourages consideration of audience and genre conventions, responses to different rhetorical situations, and incorporation of various forms of research when engaging with academic writing that employs individual voice and style. |
WRIT020 (or WRIT020S) - Persuasive Writing | 4-unit Freshman-level course (23-student enrollment cap for WRIT020). Prerequisites: Passing Writing 10 with a grade of ‘C’ or better. Writing 20 emphasizes the transition from personal to public writing as students learn to apply the essential tenets of the rhetorical tradition of persuasion to various genres and develop arguments. |
WRIT030 (or WRIT030S) - Analytical Writing | 4-unit Freshman-level course (23-student enrollment cap for WRIT030). Prerequisites: Passing Writing 20 with a grade of ‘C’ or better. Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) writing-intensive courses are alternatives to this course. Writing 30 addresses the function of writing in a range of contemporary situations (including that of the academy) from a critical and theoretical perspective. |
Legacy Courses | Courses listed below have been renamed as of Fall 2025 |
ENGL 001A* – Beginning Composition | 4-unit Freshman-level course (23-student enrollment cap). For students who have satisfied the Entry-Level Writing Requirement (ELWR). As of Fall 2025, course has been renamed to WRIT010 or WRIT010S. |
ENGL 001B* – Intermediate Composition | 4-unit Freshman-level course (23-student enrollment cap). Prerequisites: Passing English 1A with a grade of ‘C’ or better. As of Fall 2025, course has been renamed to WRIT020 or WRIT020S. |
ENGL 001C* – Applied Intermediate Composition |
4-unit Freshman-level course (23-student enrollment cap) |
*Courses will no longer be offered as of Fall 2025.
Other courses
WRIT040 Series | 0.5 unit workshop taken concurrently with a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) lecture course. Each WAC lecture course has a designated Writing 40 workshop that must be taken concurrently. |
WRIT055 | 4-unit Freshman-level course (20-student enrollment cap). An introduction to public speaking. |
Legacy Courses | Courses listed below have been renamed as of Fall 2025 |
ENGL 007* – Workshop in WAC | 0.5 unit workshop taken concurrently with a Writing Across the Curriculum lecture course. As of Fall 2025, course has been renamed to WRIT040. |
ENGL 008* – Oral Communication | 4-unit Freshman-level course (20-student enrollment cap). An introduction to public speaking. As of Fall 2025, course has been renamed to WRIT055. |
*Courses will no longer be offered as of Fall 2025.
Student Resources
On-campus Resources
Off-campus Resources
Writing Process Help
Colorado State University's Writing Guides
Purdue's OWL (Online Writing Lab) - Writing Process Help
Technical and Grammar Help