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 relations—or 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.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Area I: Freshman Composition | 3-6 | |
| COLLEGE WRITING I | ||
or EH 101S | COLLEGE WRITING I W/STUDIO | |
| COLLEGE WRITING II | ||
| ACCELERATED COLLEGE WRITING | ||
| HONORS ENGLISH SEMINAR | ||
| Area II: Humanities and Fine Arts* | 12 | |
| Fine Arts | 3 | |
| 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 | ||
| Literature | 3-6 | |
| 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 Arts | 3-6 | |
| Intro to Rhetorical Communication | ||
| INTRO FOREIGN LANG I: SPANISH | ||
or WLC 101A | INTRO FOREIGN LANG I: ARABIC | |
or WLC 101F | INTRO FOREIGN LANG I:FRENCH | |
or WLC 101G | INTRO FOREIGN LANG I:GERMAN | |
or WLC 101J | INTRO FOREIGN LANG I:JAPANESE | |
or WLC 101R | INTRO FOREIGN LANG I:RUSSIAN | |
| INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:SPANISH | ||
or WLC 102A | INTRO FOREIGN LANG II: ARABIC | |
or WLC 102F | INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:FRENCH | |
or WLC 102G | INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:GERMAN | |
or WLC 102J | INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:JAPANESE | |
or WLC 102R | INTRO FOREIGN LANG II:RUSSIAN | |
| INTERM FOREIGN LANG:SPANISH | ||
or WLC 201A | INTERM FOREIGN LANG I: ARABIC | |
or WLC 201F | INTERM FOREIGN LANG:FRENCH | |
or WLC 201G | INTERM FOREIGN LANG:GERMAN | |
or WLC 201J | INTERM FOREIGN LANG: JAPANESE | |
or WLC 201R | INTERM FOREIGN LANG:RUSSIAN | |
| INTERM FOREIGN LANG II:SPANISH | ||
or WLC 202A | INTERM FOREIGN LANG II: ARABIC | |
or WLC 202F | INTERM FOREIGN LANG II:FRENCH | |
or WLC 202G | INTERM FOREIGN LANG II:GERMAN | |
or WLC 202J | INTERM FORGN LANG II:JAPANESE | |
or WLC 202R | 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 Sciences | 11-12 | |
| Mathematics | 3-4 | |
| 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 | |
| History | 3-6 | |
| WORLD HISTORY TO 1500 | ||
| WORLD HISTORY SINCE 1500 | ||
| UNITED STATES TO 1877 | ||
| UNITED STATES SINCE 1877 | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | 6-9 | |
| 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.
| Code | Title | Semester Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Area V: Pre-Professional Courses | 20 | |
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 Requirements | 39-40 | |
| Core Requirements | 15 | |
| Intro to Rhetorical Communication | ||
| PERSUASION | ||
| RHETORICAL CRITICISM | ||
or EH 403 | 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 | ||
or CM 454 | NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC | |
| ADVERTISING | ||
or CM 435 | SOCIAL MEDIA | |
| CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING | ||
| PRACTICUM IN WRITING | ||
| Rhetoric and Composition | ||
| RHETORICAL CRITICISM (Take course not taken in core.) | ||
or EH 403 | LITERARY CRITICISM & THEORY | |
| PERSUASION | ||
| COMPOSITION STUDIES FOR TEACHERS | ||
| RHETORIC AND WRITING | ||
| NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC | ||
or CM 454 | 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 | ||
or CM 454 | NEW MEDIA WRITING & RHETORIC | |
| VIDEO PRODUCTION | ||
| Minor | 18+ | |
| Elective courses | ||
| Elective hours vary by program, please see advisor. | ||
| Total Semester Hours | 120 | |
| Year 1 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Semester Hours | |
| EH 101 | COLLEGE WRITING I | 3 |
| CM 113 | Intro to Rhetorical Communication | 3 |
| Math | 3 | |
| Social/Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| FYE 101A | CHARGER SUCCESS - ART,HUM,SOCS | 1 |
| Term Semester Hours: | 13 | |
| Spring | ||
| EH 102 | COLLEGE WRITING II | 3 |
| WLC 101 | 3 | |
| Social/Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| Science w/Lab | 4 | |
| HY 104 | WORLD HISTORY SINCE 1500 | 3 |
| or HY 103 | or WORLD HISTORY TO 1500 | |
| Term Semester Hours: | 16 | |
| Year 2 | ||
| Fall | ||
| English Literature | 3 | |
| EH 260 | INTRODUCTION 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 375 | RHETORICAL 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 340 | ACADEMIC WRITING | 3 |
| Writing Concentration Course | 3 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Area V Courses | 6 | |
| Term Semester Hours: | 15 | |
| Year 4 | ||
| Fall | ||
| CM 310 | PERSUASION | 3 |
| Writing Concentration Courses | 6 | |
| Minor Course | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Term Semester Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| EH 463 | CAPSTONE 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 | |