W&C Courses

Words of Wisdom

It's okay to disagree with the thoughts or opinions expressed by other people. That doesn't give you the right to deny any sense they might make. Nor does it give you a right to accuse someone of poorly expressing their beliefs just because you don't like what they are saying. Learn to recognize good writing when you read it, even if it means overcoming your pride and opening your mind beyond what is comfortable.

— Ashly Lorenzana

Faculty Senate Resolution 20.108 (FS.20.108), approved March 17, 2003, by the Faculty Senate and signed April 1, 2003, by President Robert Gates, establishes the procedure for implementation and provides guidelines for W courses. All TAMU students must pass two courses in their major that fulfill the graduation requirement for writing and oral communication. The amount of course credit can vary; however, zero-credit courses cannot be used to fulfill the requirement. Since the TAMU 2007-08 Undergraduate Catalog #130, the university has required two W (writing) courses in the major. Since 2008, students have been able to take either one W and one C (communication) course or two W courses in the major.

The W/C graduation requirement may not be met by any course listed as a University Core Curriculum communication requirement.

W/C courses are designed and administered within departments and approved for a period of four years by the W&C Course Advisory Committee and the Faculty Senate. The W&C Course Advisory Committee ensures the integrity of Texas A&M’s communication-in-the-disciplines program.

Students must take two different courses to satisfy the W and/or C requirement. If departments need to use the same course twice for their students to satisfy this requirement, consultation with their college representative on the W&C Course Advisory Committee and approval from the committee is needed. Departments should be able to demonstrate a substantial difference between the two versions of the course so that students are not simply completing identical courses.

A department may request that a course outside the major count in a specific degree plan if that course is relevant to the student's discipline. Both the department offering the course and the department offering the major should agree that the course can be added. To make the request, submit the Request for Approval of W&C Courses Outside the Major Form to the Vice Provost for Student Success.

For more information about the requirements for W&C courses, see the Checklist of W Course Requirements and the Checklist of C Course Requirements.​

As of June 2023, the chair of the W&C Course Advisory Committee and interim director of the Writing-in-the-Disciplines program is Dr. Matt McKinney
 

W&C Course Goals


W&C Course FAQs


For more information about W&C courses, contact the member of the W&C Course Advisory Committee for your college. Or, contact the committee chair, Dr. Matt McKinney.

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