Undergraduate
The Program
The Department of Creative Writing offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing - the only major of its kind in the University of California - with fields of specialization in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. Our faculty is comprised of poets, fiction writers and playwrights who develop and present writing courses as workshops to provide students with new and unique subject material. With intimate class sizes for focused student attention, the Creative Writing major is a demanding and rewarding program for all aspiring writers. For students who are interested in minoring in Creative Writing, the Department also offers a Creative Writing minor.
University Requirements
Students must complete the general University requirements for admission to the Undergraduate Division. Applicants should access the Undergraduate Studies section for a complete listing, and www.futurestudents.ucr.edu for more information.
College Requirements
Students must complete the breadth requirements of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. For a detailed list of requirements, see Breadth Requirements.
Major Requirements
The major requirements for the B.A. degree in Creative Writing are as follows:
Prerequisite courses: CRWT 056 or equivalent, and ENGL 001A or equivalent.
- Lower-division requirements (20 units; five courses)
Two Creative Writing survey courses from CRWT 046A, CRWT 046B, or CRWT 046C
and
Two Creative Writing introductory courses from CRWT 057A, CRWT 057B, or CRWT 057C
and
One literature survey course from CRWT 012/CPLT 012, CRWT 040/FVC 039, CRWT 041, CRWT 042, CRWT 043, CRWT 044, CRWT 045, ENGL 014, ENGL 015, ENGL 017
- Upper-division requirements (36 units)
a) Three workshop courses in primary genre:
Creative Nonfiction
CRWT 130, CRWT 132, CRWT 134
or
Poetry
CRWT 150, CRWT 160, CRWT 170
or
Fiction
CRWT 152, CRWT 162, CRWT 172
b) One workshop in second genre: CRWT 130, CRWT 132, CRWT 134, CRWT 150, CRWT 152, CRWT 160, CRWT 162*, CRWT 164A/THEA 164A, CRWT 164B/THEA 164B, the CRWT 166A/FVC 166A/THEA 166A, CRWT 166B/FVC 166B/THEA 166B, CRWT 166C/FVC 166C/THEA 166C series, CRWT 170*, CRWT 172*
*These workshops may be repeated; however, only 4 units total can be applied to the major.
c) One workshop in third genre: CRWT 130, CRWT 132, CRWT 134, CRWT 150, CRWT 152, CRWT 160, CRWT 162*, CRWT 164A/THEA 164A, CRWT 164B/THEA 164B, the CRWT 166A/FVC 166A/THEA 166A, CRWT 166B/FVC 166B/THEA 166B, CRWT 166C/FVC 166C/THEA 166C series, CRWT 170*, CRWT 172*
*These workshops may be repeated; however, only 4 units total can be applied to the major.
d) Three upper-division courses in Creative Writing: CRWT 143, CRWT 146 (E-Z), CRWT 155, CRWT 165, CRWT 171, CRWT 173, CRWT 174, CRWT 175, CRWT 176 (E-Z), CRWT 185 (E-Z), CRWT 187/CPLT 187, CRWT 191 (may be taken twice but used only once for major credit), CRWT 198I (may be taken only once, for 4 units)
e) Four (4) units of CRWT 195 or CRWT 195H (Senior Honors Thesis) or approved course from the list available in the department
Minor Requirements
Lower-division requirements (12 Units)
- CRWT 56 Introduction to Creative Writing (4.00)
- One introductory reading course: (4.00)
CRWT 040 Fiction and Film
CRWT 043 Creative Writing and Ancestry
CRWT 046A Craft of Writing: Survey in Contemporary Fiction
CRWT 046B Craft of Writing: Survey in Contemporary Poetry
CRWT 046C Craft of Writing: Survey in Contemporary Nonfiction - One introductory workshop course: (4.00)
CRWT 57A Introduction to Fiction
CRWT 57B Introduction to Poetry
CRWT 57C Introduction to Nonfiction
Upper Division Requirements (20 Units)
- One 4-unit course from: CRWT 176 (E-Z) (or)
Any upper division course in English, Literatures, Language or Theatre EXCEPT the ones listed below* - Sixteen (16) units in ONE of the following emphases:
Poetry emphasis:
CRWT 150 –Beginning Poetry Workshop
CRWT 160 –Intermediate Poetry Workshop
CRWT 170 –Advanced Poetry Workshop
& One 4-unit course from: CRWT 130, 152, 164A, 165, 166A, 171, or 187
Fiction emphasis:
CRWT 152 – Beginning Fiction Workshop
CRWT 162 – Intermediate Fiction Workshop
CRWT 172 – Advanced Fiction Workshop
& One 4-unit course from: CRWT 130, 150, 164A, 165, 166A, or 187
Nonfiction emphasis:
CRWT 130 –Beginning Nonfiction Workshop
CRWT 132 –Intermediate Nonfiction Workshop
CRWT 134 – Advanced Nonfiction Workshop
& One 4-unit course from: CRWT 150, 152, 164A, 165, 166A, 171, or 187
Drama emphasis:
CRWT 164A – Beginning Playwriting
CRWT 164B –Intermediate Playwriting
CRWT 164C – Advanced Playwriting
& One 4-unit course from: CRWT 130, 150, 152, 165, 166A, 166B, 166C, 187,
Or THEA 121 (E–Z)
*English 101 and 103; French 100, 101A, B, C, 104; German 101, 103A, B; Russian 103; Spanish 101A, B, C, 105, 106A, B
Financial Aid
The Financial Aid Office assists students with meeting educational expenses that cannot be met from personal resources. To obtain financial aid students must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with the Financial Aid Office yearly. FAFSAs are available beginning December 1 for the upcoming academic year at the Financial Aid Office or at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Students applying for other grants, loans, and work-study should apply as early as possible. Applications are accepted year-round, with awards to late applicants based on fund availability.
For more information, contact:
Elaine Chacon
Office Location: INTN 3033A
Email: elaine.chacon@ucr.edu
Advisor for students with names: A – Hi
Anthony Gonzalez
Office Location: INTN 3033B
Email: anthony.gonzalez@ucr.edu
Advisor for students with names: Ho – M
Jennifer Paramo
Email: jennifer.paramo@ucr.edu
Advisor for students with names: N – Z
Advising Hours
9—11:00 A.M. AND 1—3:30 P.M.
Monday through Friday
First two weeks of any given quarter—walk-ins ONLY
Third week and on—appointments in the mornings and walk-ins in the afternoons
