In addition to the lower-division General Education requirements for writing, the 51吃瓜网 system requires that all undergraduate students must demonstrate competency in written communication as a requirement for graduation and to receive a baccalaureate degree. This requirement was implemented system-wide in 1977 and updated in 2020 and 2023. Students must satisfy the University Writing Requirement (UWR) in order to receive a degree from Cal State East Bay unless they are exempt by one of the following criteria:
- Previously satisfied the UWR at Cal State East Bay or at another CSU campus, Cal State East Bay will accept official certification of completion if the entire requirement, as specified by that CSU campus, was satisfied and the student was a matriculated student at that campus at the time. On some CSU campuses, the requirement is called the “Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).”
- Graduated from any regionally accredited institution of higher education with a baccalaureate degree or equivalent.
Undergraduate students are required to satisfy the University Writing Requirement in a timely manner, either in their junior or senior year, as defined by the roadmap for their major. Students who do not enroll in an appropriate course in a timely manner will be placed on administrative academic alert until the requirement is completed. Note: Undergraduate students cannot satisfy this requirement before completing 60 units. Completion of GE Area A2 and ENGL 200 or another approved second composition course, which are graduation degree requirements, is also required before attempting to satisfy the UWR.
To satisfy the requirement at Cal State East Bay, students must complete one (1) writing intensive (WI) class of 3 or 4 units with a C- or better. Writing Intensive classes are designated with a “W” after the course number, see the list below.
Courses that satisfy the UWR have a “W” suffix in the course number (e.g., ENGL 300W). Courses approved to satisfy UWR in this Catalog are:
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- (GE-UD-C; Social Justice)
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- (GE-UD-C; Diversity)
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-
Other breadth requirements are indicated in parentheses above. Any course offered that is numbered “396W” will also satisfy the UWR. That number is for a one-time-only course offering that was created after Catalog deadlines.
UWR for Graduate and Second Baccalaureate Students
Students admitted to a second baccalaureate degree program at Cal State East Bay are not held to completion of the University Writing Requirement (UWR). Students admitted to an EDD or master’s degree program do not need to complete the University Writing Requirement (UWR) unless it is required by the specific major or program.
