Certificate Requirements (Pre-Fall 2023)

Note: The information below represents requirements for the Writing Certificate prior to curricular changes implemented in Fall 2023. If you are a student who declared the Writing Certificate prior to Aug. 25, 2023, and opted NOT to switch to the new requirements, information on the pre-Fall 2023 plan of study is preserved below for your reference. Students who declare the Writing Certificate (online and on-campus) on or after Aug. 25, 2023, should reference the current requirements here.

Core Courses

Students must complete a total of 12 s.h. of core writing courses. To see which core classes are being offered in a given semester, please visit our Magid Center Course Database.

Focused Electives

Students earn a total of at least 9 s.h. in focused electives, which they select from courses in at least two of the following categories (maximum of 6 s.h. from any one category). To see which courses from each category are being offered in a given semester, please visit our Magid Center Course Database.

Writing for the Professions - including art, business, grantwriting, journalism, translation, publishing, science, and more.
Writing and the Literary Arts - including creative writing, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, and poetry.
Writing and the Media - including television/screenwriting and other media.
Writing in Context - including cross-discipline, cross-genre, and other specialized writing courses not listed above.
Student-Designated Writing-Intensive Course - Students may petition to count a course not listed in our course database toward the certificate by submitting a Course Petition Form.

Each focused elective course may be used to fulfill only one certificate requirement, even if the course is listed in more than one category. Some of these courses have prerequisites and other requirements for registration; students must complete a course's prerequisites and meet its registration requirements before they may register for the course.

Capstone Project

Each student must earn at least 1 s.h. in a capstone course that serves as a culmination of their Certificate in Writing.

Certificate in writing students must choose from the four options below to complete the capstone requirement.

Program Option A: Guided Capstone Portfolio
Program Option B: Independent Writing Project
Program Option C: Writing-Related Internship
Program Option D: Additional Writing Course

Students enrolled in the literary publishing track may fulfill their capstone requirement by enrolling in WRIT:3000 - Publishing Practicum, or by completing one of the options above in a way that is substantially related to publishing.

On-campus students must attend a MANDATORY information session about the capstone in the semester before they plan to enroll in the option of their choosing. Online students must make a phone appointment with the certificate advisor to discuss capstone options. Info session times and locations are communicated to declared certificate students via email each semester. If you are working towards the certificate but have not officially declared it, we won't know to contact you; please be sure to declare the certificate in MyUI under Student Records.

All capstone students are invited to share their work and celebrate their completion of the certificate at the Capstone Reading and Reception which takes place at Prairie Lights on the Friday of finals week each spring semester.

CAPSTONE PROJECT Options (Pre-Fall 2023)

Literary Publishing Track

Students considering a career in literary publishing can learn the ins and outs of the industry and gain a competitive edge by enrolling in the literary publishing track. This unique educational experience provides a substantial understanding of the editorial, design, and managerial work essential to this profession. Students who enroll in the track complete the certificate's standard core courses and a publishing-related capstone. They take a series of three publishing-specific courses to fulfill the focused electives requirement:

WRIT:2900/ARTS:2900/ENGL:2900/UICB:2900 - Book Design for Publishing
WRIT:2991/CNW:2991 - Publishing I: Introduction to Literary Publishing
WRIT:2992/CNW:2992 - Publishing II: Advanced Literary Publication

The literary publishing track, interdisciplinary in scope, is a collaboration between the Magid Center for Writing, the Nonfiction Writing Program in the Department of English, the School of Art and Art History, and the University of Iowa Center for the Book. As an interdisciplinary program, undergraduates pursuing any major are welcome, as are non-degree students. Note that the track is only available on campus. If you would like to learn more, send us an email at magid-writing@uiowa.edu.

Students may earn either the Certificate in Writing with the literary publishing track or the Bachelor of Arts in English (publishing track) or the Bachelor of Arts in English and creative writing (publishing track). Students may not earn the publishing track in both the major and in the writing certificate.

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