The Writing Major is an interdisciplinary program designed for students who want to make writing central to their career. The major prepares students for careers in writing-related fields—such as technical writing, publishing, social media consulting, and public relationsor graduate studies in rhetoric and composition, communication, creative writing, education, or law. By combining courses from the English and Communication Arts departments, the major gives students a comprehensive education in writing and rhetorical theory along with the techniques necessary to craft effective documents in multiple genres. All students take six core courses that instill a firm foundation in writing fundamentals and two electives that allow students to customize their education. Every student also chooses one of six concentrations: technical and professional writing, creative writing, media writing, rhetoric and composition, public relations, or a customized concentration created by the student in consultation with their advisor. The major also includes a capstone portfolio that allows students to revise documents that they can show to potential employers or graduate programs.

  • Writing, BA requires 120 credit hours.
  • 36 of 120 credit hours must be taken at 300 level or higher.
  • Must have a 2.0 GPA in major, minor, and overall.
  • No more than 6 credit hours of HPE may count in degree requirements.
  • 12 of the last 18 credit hours must be taken at UAH.
  • 25% of the major, minor, and overall coursework must be earned at UAH.
  • No more than 60 credit hours from a two-year school can be applied toward a UAH degree. 
  • Any double counting of classes must be approved through the CAHS advising office.
  • For graduation application instructions, see here.
 
Area I: Freshman Composition3-6
COLLEGE WRITING I
COLLEGE WRITING I W/STUDIO
COLLEGE WRITING II
ACCELERATED COLLEGE WRITING
HONORS ENGLISH SEMINAR
Area II: Humanities and Fine Arts*12
Fine Arts3
ART HISTORY SURVEY: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL
ART HISTORY SURVEY: RENAISSANCE TO MODERN
ART HISTORY SURVEY: WORLD ART
DRAWING: FOUNDATIONS
THEATRE APPRECIATION
INTRO TO FILM STUDIES
INTRO TO MUSIC LITERATURE
Literature3-6
READINGS IN LITERATURE & CULTURE I
READINGS IN LITERATURE & CULTURE II
LITERATURE WITHOUT BORDERS
MYTHOLOGY
PROTEST LITERATURE
HEROES &/OR MONSTERS
LOVE &/OR ROMANCE
SPECULATIVE REALITIES
Humanities and Fine Arts3-6
Intro to Rhetorical Communication
INTRO FOREIGN LANG I: SPANISH
INTRO FOREIGN LANG I: ARABIC
INTRO FOREIGN LANG I:FRENCH
INTRO FOREIGN LANG I:GERMAN
INTRO FOREIGN LANG I:JAPANESE
INTRO FOREIGN LANG I:RUSSIAN
INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:SPANISH
INTRO FOREIGN LANG II: ARABIC
INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:FRENCH
INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:GERMAN
INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:JAPANESE
INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:RUSSIAN
INTERM FOREIGN LANG:SPANISH
INTERM FOREIGN LANG I: ARABIC
INTERM FOREIGN LANG:FRENCH
INTERM FOREIGN LANG:GERMAN
INTERM FOREIGN LANG: JAPANESE
INTERM FOREIGN LANG:RUSSIAN
INTERM FOREIGN LANG II:SPANISH
INTERM FOREIGN LANG II: ARABIC
INTERM FOREIGN LANG II:FRENCH
INTERM FOREIGN LANG II:GERMAN
INTERM FORGN LANG II:JAPANESE
INTERM FOREIGN LANG II:RUSSIAN
INTERNATIONAL CINEMA
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
INTRODUCTION TO ETHICS
INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC
TECHNOLOGY, SCIENCE & HUMAN VALUES
INTRODUCTION TO WOMEN'S, GENDER, AND SEXUALITY STUDIES
ANCIENT & MEDIEVAL WORLDS
ART HISTORY SURVEY: ANCIENT TO MEDIEVAL
ART HISTORY SURVEY: RENAISSANCE TO MODERN
ART HISTORY SURVEY: WORLD ART
DRAWING: FOUNDATIONS
THEATRE APPRECIATION
INTRO TO FILM STUDIES
INTRO TO MUSIC LITERATURE
Area III: Mathematics and Sciences11-12
Mathematics3-4
NATURE OF MATHEMATICS
ALGEBRA WITH APPLICATIONS
FINITE MATHEMATICS
PRECALCULUS ALGEBRA
PRECALCULUS TRIGONOMETRY
PRECALCULUS ALGEBRA & TRIG
MATH PROFESSIONAL APPLICATIONS
CALCULUS A
INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS
Natural Sciences (Lab)8
SURVEY OF ASTRONOMY
EXPLORING THE COSMOS I
EXPLORING THE COSMOS II
FUNDAMENTALS OF BIOLOGY
PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY
and LABORATORY
ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY
and ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY LAB
HUMAN ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY I
INTRO TO CHEMISTRY
and INTRO CHEMISTRY LAB
GENERAL CHEMISTRY I
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY I
GENERAL CHEMISTRY II
and GENERAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY II
GENERAL, ORGANIC, BIOCHEMISTRY
and INTRO CHEMISTRY LAB
CONCEPTUAL PHYSICS
GENERAL PHYSICS I
GENERAL PHYSICS II
GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS I
and GENERAL PHYSICS LAB I
GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS II
and GENERAL PHYSICS LAB II
GENERAL PHYSICS WITH CALCULUS III
and GENERAL PHYSICS LAB III
Area IV: History and Social and Behavioral Sciences*12
History3-6
WORLD HISTORY TO 1500
WORLD HISTORY SINCE 1500
UNITED STATES TO 1877
UNITED STATES SINCE 1877
Social and Behavioral Sciences6-9
WORLD REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY
PRINCIPLES OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
PRINCIPLES OF MACROECONOMICS
PRINCIPLES OF MICROECONOMICS
GLOBAL SYSTEMS AND CULTURES
INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS
INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY I
LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
INTRODUCTION TO CRIMINOLOGY
 

* Take either 1 EH (Area II) + 2 HY (Area IV) <OR> 2 EH (Area II) + 1 HY (Area IV). Area V allows no more than six hours in a single discipline from Areas II, III, or IV.  Area V should cover a breadth of disciplinary study.

 
Area V: Pre-Professional Courses20
Choose 3 Hours WLC 101, 102, 201, or 202
Choose 16 additional hours from the categories above Literature, Humanities, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Lab Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. AHS 300 may also count as a pre-professional elective.
CAREER PREPARATION & PLANNING
Writing Major Requirements39-40
Core Requirements15
Intro to Rhetorical Communication
PERSUASION
RHETORICAL CRITICISM
LITERARY CRITICISM & THEORY
INTRODUCTION TO THE WRITING MAJOR
ACADEMIC WRITING
CAPSTONE IN WRITING (Capstone)
Concentration Courses: Choose one concentration below.18-19
Technical and Professional Writing
TECHNICAL WRITING
TECHNICAL EDITING
PRACTICUM IN WRITING
THEORY & PRACTICE IN TECH COMM
Technical Electives: Choose six hours with faculty advisor.
Creative Writing
INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING
FICTION WRITING
POETRY WRITING
CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING
Literature Electives 300+: Choose six hours of EH 300+ literature courses.
Media Writing
INTRO TO JOURNALISM
ADVANCED MEDIA WRITING
NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC
NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC
ADVERTISING
SOCIAL MEDIA
CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING
PRACTICUM IN WRITING
Rhetoric and Composition
RHETORICAL CRITICISM (Take course not taken in core.)
LITERARY CRITICISM & THEORY
PERSUASION
COMPOSITION STUDIES FOR TEACHERS
RHETORIC AND WRITING
NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC
NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC
Public Relations
LEGAL ARGUMENT
INTRO TO JOURNALISM
INTRO PUBLIC RELATIONS
ADVANCED MEDIA WRITING
PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING
INTERNSHIP
PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN
Student/Advisor Designed
18 hours of approved writing electives designed in consultation with an advisor to meet specific career goals.
Electives: Choose two not taken above.6-7
INTRO TO JOURNALISM
INTRO PUBLIC RELATIONS
FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN COMMUNICA
PERSUASION
RHETORICAL CRITICISM
INTERNSHIP
ADVANCED MEDIA WRITING
CONTEMPORARY RHETORICAL THEORY
LEGAL ARGUMENT
PUBLIC RELATIONS WRITING
MASS MEDIA IN AMERICA
SOCIAL MEDIA
PUBLIC RELATIONS CAMPAIGN
ADVERTISING
INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING
STRATEGIES FOR BUSINESS WRITING
TECHNICAL WRITING
TECHNICAL EDITING
COMPOSITION STUDIES FOR TEACHERS
THEORY & PRACTICE IN TECH COMM
LITERARY CRITICISM & THEORY
FICTION WRITING
POETRY WRITING
SPECIAL STUDIES IN CREATIVE WRITING
CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING
RHETORIC AND WRITING
INTRODUCTION TO LANGUAGE SYSTEMS
INSTRUCTIONAL AND ACADEMIC LANGUAGE ACROSS CONTENT DOMAINS
NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC
NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC
VIDEO PRODUCTION
Minor18+
Elective courses
Elective hours vary by program, please see advisor.
Total Semester Hours120
 
Year 1
FallSemester Hours
EH 101COLLEGE WRITING I 3
CM 113Intro to Rhetorical Communication 3
Math  3
Social/Behavioral Sciences  3
FYE 101ACHARGER SUCCESS - ART,HUM,SOCS 1
 Term Semester Hours: 13
Spring
EH 102COLLEGE WRITING II 3
WLC 101  3
Social/Behavioral Sciences  3
Science w/Lab  4
HY 104WORLD HISTORY SINCE 1500 3
  or HY 103  or WORLD HISTORY TO 1500 
 Term Semester Hours: 16
Year 2
Fall
English Literature  3
EH 260INTRODUCTION TO THE WRITING MAJOR 2
Social/Behavioral Sciences  3
Science w/Lab  4
Area V Course  3
 Term Semester Hours: 15
Spring
English Literature  3
CM 375RHETORICAL CRITICISM 3
  or EH 403  or LITERARY CRITICISM & THEORY 
Area V Course  3
Minor Courses  6
 Term Semester Hours: 15
Year 3
Fall
Writing Concentration Courses  6
CM or EH Elective  3
Minor Course  3
Area V Courses  6
 Term Semester Hours: 18
Spring
EH 340ACADEMIC WRITING 3
Writing Concentration Course  3
Minor Course  3
Area V Courses  6
 Term Semester Hours: 15
Year 4
Fall
CM 310PERSUASION 3
Writing Concentration Courses  6
Minor Course  3
Elective  3
 Term Semester Hours: 15
Spring
EH 463CAPSTONE IN WRITING 1
Writing Concentration Course  3
EH or CM Elective 300+ Level 3
Minor Course  3
Elective  3
 Term Semester Hours: 13
 Total Semester Hours: 120