Admission & Registration

Majors, non-majors, graduate students and special students are all eligible to apply for admission to all undergraduate workshops with the exception of English 203, which is open only to sophomores (who may register online) and English 695, which is open only to senior English majors who have completed three 300-level workshops.

The registration process for undergraduate creative writing workshops is designed to allow for a mix of those who are able to register online and those who compete for spots based on the submission of writing samples. The process can be confusing, so please read the information on this page carefully.

Be sure to read the contents of this entire page including the Other Important Information section.

English 203: Sophomores (only) may register for this class online. No writing samples are required. If a class appears closed online, it really is closed.
English 300: Students may apply for admission only by submission of writing samples. This class will always appear closed online. Just go ahead and apply anyway, following the directions below.
English 695: Students must have the permission of the Program Director to register for English 695.
English 301, 302, 303, 305 and 307: There are two ways to register for these classes:

Undergraduates who have the necessary prerequisites should first attempt to register for courses online. The prerequisites, which vary from course to course, are listed here as well as in the University timetable.
Students who do not have the necessary prerequisites, students who find these classes closed when trying to register online, and graduate and special students still have a chance to enroll by submitting a writing sample in accordance with the directions below. ( Graduate students and special students must first receive the permission of the workshop instructor before applying via writing sample to the class. University rules require that priority be given to undergraduate students.)

Applying by Writing Sample

You must submit a writing sample to gain admission to an undergraduate class under the following circumstances:

if you are applying for English 300
if you are a graduate or special student wishing to take an undergraduate workshop
if you are an undergraduate wishing to take a section of English 301, 302, 303,305 or 307 for which you don't meet the prerequisites or that appears to be closed online

There are no hard and fast rules for the writing sample, but most people submit either 3 to 5 poems or one short story or creative essay. If you don't have creative work, you may submit other written work. The point is to give the instructor of the class a sense of whether your writing is appropriate for the level of the class.

You must hand in your writing sample in person to Ron Kuka in 6195-B Helen C. White Hall no later than 4pm on the Monday of the last week of classes of the semester prior to the semester you are registering for (eg., if you want to take English 301 in the spring, then submit your writing sample on the last Monday of the fall semester). When you get to 6195-B Helen C. White Hall someone will be there to help you with the procedure and to tell you when we will post the names of those who were admitted to classes. Those names will be posted on the Students Added to Workshops page of this website.

If your name is posted on the Students Added to Workshops page, it only means you have been authorized to register for the class. Don't forget that you now have to go online and register.

If you have questions about this process, contact the program coordinator, Ron Kuka.

Other Important Information

Any creative writing course may be repeated for University credit any number of times; however, only English 301-307 may be repeated for credit toward the English Major with an Emphasis in Creative Writing.
We strongly recommend that students not repeat the same course with the same instructor.
Although we encourage creative writing majors to take both prose and poetry workshops, majors may take their three required workshops in a single genre.
It is not necessary to take an advanced level workshop to graduate with an Emphasis in Creative Writing.
Students should not register for more than one creative writing class in any given semester without prior approval of the Program Director.
English 695 may not be taken concurrently with another creative writing class without the prior approval of the Program Director.
Some instructors may give assignments prior to the first day of classes. Please check with your instructor to see if this applies to your course.