Major and Minor

If you have already earned an associate’s degree, which is typically 60 credit hours, and want to complete a WRS major, which is 36 credit hours, that totals 96 credit hours. This means that you would need 26 more credit hours to complete the 122 semester hour graduation requirement for a bachelor’s degree. Remember, 40 of those 122 credits must be upper-division (3000-level or higher).

This flexibility makes WRS an ideal double major or a good major to combine with other minor(s), pre-professional concentrations, or participating in the honors program. WRS pairs well with disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and professional programs. All WRS majors graduate with an e-portfolio that showcases their writing experiences and abilities for employers and graduate admissions committees.

The Office of Admissions determines the acceptability of transfer credit toward the 122 semester hour graduation requirement as well as awarding credit general education requirements. Academic departments determine if courses are considered equivalent to courses offered at the University of Utah and their applicability towards a bachelor's degree.

Designed for 21st Century Learners The Department of Writing and Rhetoric has designed the major in writing and rhetoric to meet the needs of the University of Utah’s diverse student body, preparing students who are strong analytical thinkers and proficient writers. Because employers consistently rank strong writing skills as among the most important capabilities in their employees, a degree in writing will prepare students for many careers and a variety of graduate school options. Students who major in Writing and Rhetoric will learn the rhetorical skills and behaviors that make a strong writer, while learning the ways that literacy is a social practice saturated with the values of the culture in which it is developed. Students who major in writing and rhetoric thus become better writers while also learning that texts are rhetorical and powerful cultural products.

Strong Relationships with Faculty  The undergraduate degree in Writing and Rhetoric is developed to meet the changing needs of students in the 21st Century. The faculty have a broad and interesting range of research and pedagogical projects—ranging from first-year writing, English as a second-language, and writing in the sciences to analysis of the texts and discourses of institutions such as the university and the law. Most of our courses are taught by full-time faculty members, and they are small enough that students and professors develop strong working relationships

Powerful Double Major  The degree in Writing and Rhetoric is ideal for a double major, working well with courses of study in a range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Writing is a key component in nearly every career, after all.

Many Career Opportunities. The rhetorical and writing competencies, work behaviors, and analytical skills students learn with us are applicable in a variety of fields, from publishing and editing to advertising and public relations to politics and public service. The major in Writing and Rhetoric also sets up students for graduate school success in professional degrees such as law and graduate degrees in rhetoric and composition, political science and more.