Graduation Writing Requirement
The Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR) is a CSU-mandated program designed to ensure that students can write proficiently before they enter the professional work force. All Cal Poly students who are seeking a degree, including Masters degrees and teaching credentials, must fulfill the GWR. Undergraduate students must complete 90 units before they can fulfill the requirement. This degree requirement must be fulfilled before your diploma can be awarded.
Fulfilling the GWR
There are two ways to fulfill the GWR:
- Pass the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE) OR
- Pass a GWR-approved upper-division course with a grade of C or better AND receive certification of proficiency in writing based on a 500-word in-class essay. Students must inform the instructor teaching the course that they are taking it to fulfill the GWR.
For additional questions about the GWR in general, please visit the GWR FAQ page. For additional questions about the WPE, please visit the WPE page.
GWR-approved Upper-division courses
To fulfill the GWR, you must pass these courses with a grade of C or better AND receive certification of proficiency in writing based on a 500-word in-class essay. You must inform the instructor teaching the course that you are taking it to fulfill the GWR, and you may attempt to write a proficient in-class essay more than once.
Non-GE Writing Courses
- English 301 Advanced Composition – ESL
- English 302 Writing: Advanced Composition
- English 310 Corporate Communication
- English 317 Technical Editing
- English 326 Literary Criticism
GE C4 Literature Courses
- English 330 British Literature in the Age of Belief: to 1485
- English 331 British Literature in the Age of the Renaissance: 1485-1660
- English 332 British Literature in the Age of Enlightenment: 1660-1798
- English 333 British Literature in the Age of Romanticism: 1798-1832
- English 334 British Literature in the Age of Industrialism: 1832-1914
- English 335 British Literature in the Age of Modernism: 1914- Present
- English 339 Introduction to Shakespeare
- English 340 The Literary Sources of the American Character: 1600-1865
- English 341 The Literary Sources of the American Character: 1865-1914
- English 342 The Literary Sources of the American Character: 1914-1956
- English 343 Multiple Voices of Contemporary American Literature: 1956-Present
- English 345 Women Writers of the Twentieth Century
- English 346 Ethnic American Literature
- English 347 African American Literature
- English 349 Gender in Twentieth Century Literature
- English 350 The Modern Novel
- English 351 Modern Poetry
- English 352 Modern Drama
- English 354 The bible as Literature and in Literature and the Arts
- English 370 World Cinema
- English 371 Film Styles and Genres
- English 372 Film Directors
- English 380 Literary Themes
- English 381 Diversity in Twentieth-Century American Literature
- English 382 LGBT Literature and Media
Check the Cal Poly catalog to see which courses also meet the USCP requirement.