Writing in the Major: the M-Course
Course Requirements and Submission
For details about the course requirements for Writing in the Major [M] status, please email Dr. Angela Mitchell, Writing Program Director at: angela.m.mitchell@wsu.edu.
Process to Request M Designation
Requests to add a Writing in the Major [M] attribute to a new or existing course start with a major curricular change submission. The Registrar’s Office forwards the request to the Writing Program. Once approved by the Writing Program, the syllabus receives a full review by the Catalog Subcommittee, before being forwarded to Academic Affairs Committee and Faculty Senate.
M-Course Resources for Faculty
Peruse the Writing Program’s resources for faculty teaching with writing, designing assignments, and evaluating writing. Send us your assignment drafts and receive feedback and revision ideas. Consider joining a Writing Program Brown Bag Series or the WORD Fellowship held each spring.
In order to graduate, students must complete a minimum of two writing-intensive courses in the major. M-Courses must be at the 300-level or above and are identified in the University catalog and in the schedule of classes each semester. M-Courses are designed to focus on writing in the major, and major-specific writing begins at the 300-level. M-Courses will be designated by an M on the student’s transcript.
An M-Course can be two or three credits. Two-credit courses must have at least 60% of the course grade based on writing assignments, and three-credit courses must have at least 30% of the course grade based on writing assignments.
No, you do not lose your M credits. However, those credits may not transfer automatically, which means you or your advisor would need to request that the course be considered as M. To do that, you would need to provide evidence that the course at your previous institution meets the criteria stated for an M-Course at WSU. For it to be considered, the course must be:
1) 300-level or above
2) Designated as a writing-intensive course in a Writing Across the Curriculum program at the university or college where it was taken
3) Two-credit courses must have at least 60% of the course grade based on writing assignments
4) Three-credit courses must have at least 30% of the course grade based on writing assignments.
If you did not earn writing-intensive credit for the course at the previous institution, it will not transfer as credit for M designation. One of the confusing things about writing-intensive courses is that the M designation is not determined by content. The M designation is determined by the pedagogy, or teaching, specifically the amount of discipline-specific writing and writing instruction that occurred in the course. It is important for students to work on their writing and fulfill the M requirements through two upper-level writing-intensive courses so they succeed in writing in their discipline and beyond.
If the course was part of a Writing Across the Curriculum or similar program (sometimes called Writing in the Disciplines, Writing Enhanced, Writing Intensive, or Communication Across the Curriculum), then the course should be identified as such in the university’s course catalog. Providing both a syllabus with the percentage of writing assignments indicated and a link or print-out of the course description in the catalog should be sufficient evidence for most evaluations.
If a course meets the above qualifications but did not transfer automatically as M, you should have your advisor request that the course be reviewed for M Transfer using the transfer tools on the WSU Transfer Center website. All courses considered for M designation will be reviewed by the University Writing Program M-Course Review Committee.
For details about the course requirements for Writing in the Major [M] status, please email Dr. Angela Mitchell, Writing Program Director at: angela.m.mitchell@wsu.edu.
The university’s curriculum change website offers forms to complete and submit proposals for new or revised courses.
An M-Course can be two or three credits. Two-credit courses must have at least 60% of the course grade based on writing assignments, and three-credit courses must have at least 30% of the course grade based on writing assignments.
Yes; because M-Courses are designed around writing in the major, and major-specific writing begins at the 300-level, M-Courses must be 300-level or above.
Yes! The Writing Program offers resources, individualized support, one-time and ongoing workshops, and even a semester-long professional development fellowship for faculty. Browse our page for faculty support or contact us.
In many cases, yes. If the course in question was part of a Writing Across the Curriculum or similar program (sometimes called Writing in the Disciplines, Writing Enhanced, Writing Intensive, or Communication Across the Curriculum), then the course should be identified as such in the university’s course catalog. Providing both a syllabus with the percentage of writing assignments indicated and a link or print-out of the course description in the catalog should be sufficient evidence for most evaluations.
If a course meets the above qualifications but did not transfer automatically as M, students or their advisor should request that the course be reviewed for M Transfer using the transfer tools on the WSU Transfer Center website. All courses considered for M designation will be reviewed by the University Writing Program M-Course Review Committee.