Eastern Oregon University > English/Writing Program > University Writing Requirement

University Writing Requirement

For a current list of UWR courses, see the Registrar’s homepage.

Students must complete the University Writing Requirement in order to graduate.

Eastern Oregon University is strongly committed to the view that writing aids in learning and that writing skills are key to professional success. The University Writing Requirement (UWR) requires that students receive attention to writing throughout their studies and that students demonstrate their mastery of discipline-specific writing. To this end, all students must complete the following:

  • First-year writing courses required by placement
  • One lower-division UWR writing-intensive course identified by each major
  • Two upper-division UWR writing-intensive courses as identified by each major

Outcomes for lower-division UWR Writing Intensive Courses:

  • Students will produce at least 3,000 words (including drafts, in-class writing, informal papers, and polished papers); 1,000 words of this total should be in polished papers which students have revised after receiving feedback and criticism.
  • Students will be introduced to the discourse forms appropriate to the discipline the course represents.
  • Students will write at least one paper integrating information from at least one source, employing the appropriate documentation style for the discipline represented by the course.
  • Students will draft, revise, and edit their formal written work.
  • Students will seek assistance from a Writing Tutor in the Writing Center when needed and when referred by the instructor.

Outcomes for Upper Division UWR Writing Intensive Courses:

  • Students will produce at least 5,000 words (including drafts, in-class writing, informal papers, and polished papers); 2,000 words of this total should be in polished papers which students have revised after receiving feedback and criticism.
  • Students will practice the forms of writing and reflect upon the nature of the writing used by graduates and professionals in the discipline the course represents.
  • Students will write at least one paper integrating information from more than one source, employing the appropriate documentation style for the discipline represented by the course.
  • Students will draft, revise, and edit their formal written work.
  • Students will seek assistance from a Writing Tutor in the Writing Center when needed and when referred by the instructor.

Students must complete all UWR writing intensive courses with a C- or better, and UWR writing intensive courses must allocate at least 30% of the overall grade to formal writing assignments, with at least 25% of the overall grade based on evaluation of individually written papers that have been revised after feedback.

UWR writing intensive courses will address punctuation, grammar, and disciplinary documentation style, but they are primarily intended to be discipline courses which use writing tasks to help students learn the material and learn how to write effectively in the discipline.