Offered by the Magid Center for Writing and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Certificate in Writing can be completed entirely online. 

 

The Certificate in writing provides an opportunity for our distance students to take advantage of the University of Iowa’s impressive culture of writing.

Online Curriculum

The ONLINE Certificate in Writing requires a student to successfully complete a minimum of 19 s.h. and maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA in all course work.

Click the course link to view the distance education offering in MyUI/Courses. If MyUI displays "no course is found" then a distance education section is not offered in the semester you searched. Use the “Session” drop-down list to change the semester you are viewing.

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Writing Certificate Requirements Prior to Fall 2023

Writing Certificate Changes Beginning Fall 2023 (side-by-side with previous requirements)

Courses:

course number

course name and credits

frequently offered online

offered on campus

Required Introductory Core Course (3 s.h.)
WRIT:1500Writing Commons: A Community of Writers (3 s.h.)X 
Additional Core Courses (6 s.h.)
WRIT:1003 / LING:1003 English Grammar (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:1600 

Fast Fixes: Improved Writing in 6 weeks

 *This is a 1 s.h. course. To count as a core course, must be taken three times for 1 s.h. each with different topics.

X 
WRIT:3080 / LING:3080History of the English Language (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:3632 / CNW:3632 / ENGL:3732Prose Style (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:4745 / CW:4745The Sentence: Strategies for Writing (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:4760 / CW:4760 The Art of Revision: Writing for Clarity (3 s.h.)  
Additional 6 s.h. may include one of these:
WRIT:1740 / CLSA:1740 Writing Strategies: Word Origins and Word Choice (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:3742 / CLSA:3742Word Power: Building English Vocabulary (3 s.h.)  
Focused Electives (9 s.h.) - must include courses from at least two of the categories below:
Writing for the Professions:
Art   
ARTH:1080 How to Write about Art (3 s.h.)  
Business   
BUS:3000 Business Communication and Protocol (3 s.h.)X 
BUS:3800Business Writing (3 s.h.)  
COMM:1816 Business and Professional Communication (3 s.h.)X 
CNW:3640 Writing for Business (3 s.h.)  
SRM:3300Writing for Sport and Recreation Managers (3 s.h.)  
Grant/Proposal Writing   
EALL:4130 / MUSM:4150Introduction to Grant Writing (3 s.h.)  
Journalism   
CINE:2600Writing Film Reviews and Criticism (3 s.h.)  
CNW:2780 The Art and Craft of Writing About Sports (3 s.h.)  
JMC:2010Reporting and Writing (3 s.h.)  
JMC:3410Magazine Reporting and Writing (3-4 s.h.)  
JMC:3412Strategic Communication Writing (4 s.h.)  
JMC:3415Writing Across Cultures (4 s.h.)  
JMC:3470 Narrative Journalism (4 s.h.)  
SPAN:3020 / JMC:3445 / LAS:3020 Journalistic Writing in Spanish (3 s.h.)  
Literature, Language, and Translation
ASIA:3208 / TRNS:3208 / WLLC:3208Classical Chinese Literature Through Translation (3 s.h.)  
JPNS:3201 / TRNS:3201Workshop in Japanese Literary Translation (3 s.h.)  
SPAN:2000Spanish Language Skills Writing (4 s.h.)  
SPAN:3000Cultural Narratives for Heritage Speakers (3 s.h.)  
SPAN:3010Advanced Spanish Speaking and Writing (3 s.h.)  
SPAN:3030Translation Workshop: English to Spanish (3 s.h.)  
SPAN:3050Translation Workshop: Spanish to English (3 s.h.)  
SPAN:3060Introductory Workshop on Creative Writing in Spanish (3 s.h.)  
SPAN:4950Advanced Workshop on Creative Writing in Spanish (3 s.h.)  
TRNS:3179 / CLSA:3979 / ENGL:3850 Undergraduate Translation Workshop (3 s.h.)  
TRNS:4480Literature and Translation (3 s.h.)  
Political Science   
POLI:3107 Writing in Political Science: Writing for "Science" and for "Politics" (3 s.h.)  
RHET:3560 / PBAF:3560 / POLI:3560 / SJUS:3560 Public Policy and Persuasion (3 s.h.)  
Publishing   
WRIT:2900 / ARTS:2900 / ENGL:2900 / UICB:2900 Book Design for Publishing (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:2991 / CNW:2991 / ENGL:2741 Publishing I: Introduction to Literary Publishing (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:2992 / CNW:2992 / ENGL:2742 Publishing II: Advance Literary Publication (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:3000Publishing Practicum: The Iowa Chapbook Prize (3 s.h.)  
HONR:2900

Honors Publications: From Pitch to Print (3 s.h.)

(taken two times, first time for 2 s.h. and second time for 1 s.h.) 

  
Sciences   
CNW:2730The Art and Craft of Science Writing (3 s.h.)  
HHP:3900Writing for Health and Human Physiology (3 s.h.)  
Undergraduate Research   
BUS:1999Introduction to Research in Business (1 s.h.)  
BUS:4999 Honors Thesis in Business (arr.)  
Writing and the Literary Arts:
Creative Writing   
CW:2100 OR CW:1800 Creative Writing (3 s.h.) OR CW:1800 Creative Writing Workshop (3 s.h.)X 
CW:3002Writing and Reading Young Adult Fiction (3 s.h.)  
CW:3003 Writing and Reading Science Fiction (3 s.h.)  
CW:3004 Writing and Reading Fantasy Fiction (3 s.h.)  
CW:4894Undergraduate Project in Creative Writing (arr.)  
WLLC:1510 / ASIA:1510

Ghost Stories and 

Tales of the Weird in Premodern Chinese Literature (3 s.h.)

  
Fiction   
CW:2870Fiction Writing (3 s.h.)X 
CW:3870Advanced Fiction Writing (3 s.h.)X 
CW:4870 Undergraduate Writers' Workshop: Fiction (arr.)  
CW4897 Novel Writing (3 s.h.)X 
Nonfiction   
CNW:1620 Introduction to Creative Nonfiction (3 s.h.)  
CNW:2680 / ENGL:2730The Art and Craft of Creative Nonfiction (3 s.h.)  
CNW:2700 The Art and Craft of Personal Writing (3 s.h.)  
CNW:2840 The Art and Craft of Travel Writing (3 s.h.)  
CNW:3630 / ENGL:3730Advanced Nonfiction Writing (3 s.h.)  
CNW:3633 / ENGL:3733 Personal Writing (3 s.h.)  
CNW:4631 / ENGL:4731 Advanced Essay Workshop (3 s.h.)  
CNW:4635 / ENGL:4735Advanced Creative Nonfiction Writing (3 s.h.)  
CNW:4690 Undergraduate Project in Nonfiction Writing (arr.)  
Playwriting   
THTR:2301 Playwriting I (3 s.h.)  
THTR:2320Playwriting in Global World (3 s.h.)  
THTR:3301 Playwriting II (3 s.h.)  
THTR:3310Undergraduate Playwriting Workshop (3 s.h.)  
THTR:3421 / GWSS:3421Performing Autobiography (3 s.h.)  
Poetry   
CW:2875 Poetry Writing (3 s.h.)X 
CW:3875Advance Poetry Writing (3 s.h.)  
CW:4875Undergraduate Writers' Workshop: Poetry (arr.)  
Writing and the Media
TV and Screenwriting   
CINE:1150Introduction to Screenwriting for Nonmajors (3 s.h.)X 
CINE:1300Foundations of Screenwriting (3 s.h.)  
CINE:2600Writing Film Reviews and Criticism (3 s.h.)  
CINE:3361Screenwriting: Short Form (3 s.h.)  
CINE:3367Screenwriting: Long Form (3 s.h.)  
CINE:4377Advanced Screenwriting I (4 s.h.)  
CINE:4378Advanced Screenwriting II (4 s.h.)  
CNW:3661 / ENGL:3761Film and Writing (3 s.h.)  
COMM:2077Writing and Producing Sitcoms (3 s.h.)  
THTR:3320 Writing for Film (3 s.h.)  
THTR:6310Special Topics in Playwriting (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:3325 / THTR:3325Iowa Writers' Room (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:4325Iowa Writers' Room: Advanced Pilot Writing (3 s.h.)  
Other Media   
CNW:2770The Art and Craft of Writing for New Media (3 s.h.)  
CNW:3660 / ENGL:3760Multimedia Writing (3 s.h.)  
CW:3218 / INTD:3200Creative Writing for New Media (3 s.h.)  
JMC:3600Topics in Designing/Producing (3-4 s.h.)  
RHET:2070 Persuasive Stories (3 s.h.)  
Writing in Context   
WRIT:2100Writing and Community Outreach (3 s.h.)  
WRIT:2300Writing Toward Empathy (3 s.h.)  
CNW:2710The Art and Craft of Food Writing (3 s.h.)  
CNW:2720 The Art and Craft of Writing About Culture (3 s.h.)  
CNW:2740 The Art and Craft of Writing About the Environment (3 s.h.)  
CNW:2760The Art and Craft of Writing for Social Change (3 s.h.)  
CW:3108 / INTD:3107 Creative Writing for the Health Professions (3 s.h.)  
CW:3215 / INTD:3300Creative Writing and Popular Culture (3 s.h.)  
CW:4751Creative Writing for the Musician (3 s.h.)  
EDTL:4355 / CNW:4355 Approaches to Teaching Writing (3 s.h.)  
GWSS:3138 / SJUS:3138Writing to Change the World (3 s.h.)X 

IWP:3191 / ENGL:3595

TRNS:3191 / WLLC:3191

International Literature Today (1,3 s.h.)  
RHET:2350Forensic Rhetoric (3 s.h.)  
RHET:3220Honors Writing Fellows: Writing Theory and Practice (3 s.h.)  
Required Capstone (1 s.h.):
 
WRIT:4001Guided Capstone Portfolio (1 s.h.)  

How to add the certificate to your program of study

Students may add a certificate program to their plan of study at any time.  Declaring a certificate will allow you to request a degree audit for the certificate requirements in MyUI.  There is no penalty to remove a certificate from a plan of study and one may be removed at any time.

Current BAS/BLS students can add a certificate program to their plan of study at any time by sending an email to their assigned academic advisor asking to formally declare the certificate. Once added, a separate degree audit will be produced.

How to remove the certificate from your program of study

Current BAS/BLS students can email their assigned academic advisor to ask to remove the certificate from their plan of study. There is no penalty to remove a certificate program from a plan of study and one may be removed at any time.