All TAMU students must take courses which fulfill the graduation requirement for writing (W courses).  TAMU 2004-05 Undergraduate Catalog, #127 requires one (1) W course.TAMU 2007-08 Undergraduate Catalog, #130 requires two (2) W courses. 

All students must take at least two courses in their major that are designated as fulfilling the writing graduation requirement (W). This requirement may not be met by any course listed as a University Core Curriculum communication requirement, nor may it be met through credit-by-examination. It may be met by a course transferred from another institution of higher learning, with the approval of the dean of the student's college and the Dean of Undergraduate Studies and Associate Provost for Academic Services. Upon request, students will provide their dean with a course description, syllabus or writing sample from the course being transferred.

Double majors must take two, not four, W courses. They should take both courses in at least one of their majors, rather than one in each. In other words, students have to satisfy the W course requirement in at least one of their two majors or in one of their two degrees.

This is a graduation requirement, not a Core Curriculum requirement. In addition to taking the W course, students must fulfill the 6-credit hour Core Curriculum Communication requirement. That requirement specifies that they take ENGL 104 plus three hours from the following list:

A course may meet other Core Curriculum requirements and count for the W course. For example, COMM 407, Women, Minorities, Mass Media, might fulfill both a W and international and cultural diversity requirement for students who major in Communication. However, for students who major in English, COMM 407 would fulfill only the international and cultural diversity requirement.

The W course is expected to be in the major or related to the major. One way this can be determined is whether the course is used to calculate the GPR in the major. All academics departments must notify the Office of the Registrar to designate that a section of an approved course should be listed as their W course.

W Courses will not be listed in the catalog. Instead, you will find W courses online and in the Schedule of Classes. A 900-section number will be used to identify W courses on SIMS and online. A 970-section number will be used to identify courses that are both W and Honors. You will find a current list of approved W Courses on this site. This list does not designate which sections of the course are W—some departments may elect to teach all sections as W, while others may designate specific sections. It is recommended that departments add a note to the Schedule of Classes designating which sections of the course are W, as in the example below.

Example:
ACCT 320 - ACCOUNTING COMMUNICATION
ACCT 320 SECTS 901 & 902 FULFILL THE WRITING GRADUATION REQUIREMENT

Level of difficulty
Although some students shy away from writing because they are worried it is too much work or too difficult, advisors should explain that W courses are designed so that student writers get instruction, feedback, and other support. The amount of writing in a W course is determined by the instructor. The minimum required is 2000 words or 8 pages of finished writing. Most W courses give the student an opportunity to revise the major writing after receiving feedback from the instructor or peers.

Additional Resources

For more information or further clarification, contact Valerie Balester, Chair of the W Course Advisory Committee.

Information about the TAMU 2004-05 Undergraduate Catalog, #127, #130 and other catalogs

Schedule of Classes

Office of the Registrar

W Course Advisory Committee

Putting the "W" back in writing - PowerPoint by Valerie Balester, UWC Executive Director