white box for spacing

We provide writing instruction to all incoming frosh, which means more than 5,000 students take our required writing courses each year. We are deeply devoted to students and to writing, and we believe that writing is an integral part of the student experience at UCSC.

We offer some of the smallest classes on campus, and we’re committed teachers who are attentive to student work, innovative in the classroom, and devoted to preparing students for writing at the university and in daily life. We also support a culture of writing by working with graduate students, providing opportunities for students and opportunities for faculty, and offering tutoring.

Writing Program Highlights

Required Writing Courses

All incoming frosh at UCSC are required to take writing courses. We love to teach these courses!

This is a walking bridge on the UCSC campus. It is sturdy and wooden and passes through redwoods, into the light.

Facts & Fiction

Learn about the myths many believe about teaching writing and learning to write.

UCSC McHenry library, lit up at dusk. It's a four-story structure and all the lights are on in the nearly floor-to-ceiling windows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are you an undergraduate who has a question about writing requirements? Start here!

This is a photo of a small woodpecker perched on a pine branch. It is brown with a bright red neck, and it is staring to the left.

People

More than 50 people teach for the Writing Program. Get to know us!

A walking path through the redwood forest at UCSC. The trail is paved and the ground is covered in redwood duff.

Graduate Faculty

The Writing Program has writing experts researching and publishing in Writing Studies, Rhetoric, TESOL, and related fields.

This is a photo of the patio outside Stevenson Cafe on the UCSC campus. There are several metal patio tables with chairs, and several large potted ferns. Redwoods are in the center of the patio, and the photo is shot from beneath a white overhang.

Rothman Award

The Don Rothman Endowed Award in First-Year writing is our long-standing writing award for first-year students.

Last modified: Sep 17, 2024