Program admissions
Applicants from other institutions
is the writing program’s foundation course and we urge all students to take it, including those who have taken writing classes at other institutions.
If you are a transfer student with a minimum of 12 transferable units, you may be given permission to apply for courses at the appropriate level, provided they satisfy the department’s standard with the submission of a portfolio of written work, a list of relevant courses completed, and a letter outlining their suitability. The letter should also indicate the specific genre(s) you hope to pursue. Only portfolios received between January 15 and April 15 will be considered.
The portfolio will be assessed in accordance with standards; that is, it must demonstrate work at a minimum B (70-74) level and must be in all four genres (see our ).
Advanced standing does not guarantee placement in workshops. No student will be permitted to take more than 1.5 units of workshops in a single genre per term, or more than 3.0 units of workshops in any given term.
Applicants for a second degree
You are permitted to enter the program to work towards a second degree: BFA or BA. A minimum of 30.0 units, approximately two years of further study, is required. Applicants who cannot produce a portfolio of sufficient quality to allow them entry into a third-year workshop may require three or four years to complete their program (see in the UVic calendar). Under exceptional circumstances, publications may allow second-degree candidates to apply for advanced standing in one or two genres; your letter should indicate preferred genre(s). Only portfolios received between January 15 and April 15 each year will be considered. No student will be permitted to take more than 1.5 units of workshops in a single genre per term, or more than 3.0 units of workshops in any given term.
Admission to specific courses
Although the programs offered by the Department of Writing are mainly intended for students who have shown some ability as writers, a number of lecture courses are also included which may be of interest and value to all students.
Since the number of candidates who meet the minimum requirements for eligibility exceeds the places available, you should understand that eligibility does not guarantee admission into specific courses or programs in writing. To gain entry into courses, you must be prepared to meet departmental attendance regulations and pay any fees or fines that may affect university standing. You must not be over-enrolled. You are responsible for dropping courses you no longer wish to attend.
Second, third and fourth-year workshops
The professional writing minor program requires a grade of B or higher in the appropriate prerequisite to for you advance. These are minimal standards and do not guarantee admission.
You may take a maximum of 6 units of workshops (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting) in any given year and a maximum of 3 units in any given term. Special and directed studies courses are designed for those teaching situations which cannot be covered in regular workshops. No writing projects which might be covered in a regular workshop will be permitted within such special courses.
Work toward a double major
You are advised to work toward a double major, since failure to maintain high grades in a workshop will normally lead to their being unable to complete a degree in writing. Without a concentration of courses in a separate discipline, this may lead to a delay in graduating.
If at least 9 units of electives are chosen from courses offered by other departments within the Faculty of Fine Arts, the degree awarded may be either the BFA or the BA of the Faculty of Fine Arts. If fewer than 9 units of electives from the Faculty of Fine Arts are chosen, the degree awarded will be the BA of the Faculty of Fine Arts.
Interfaculty double major
A fine arts student majoring in writing may concurrently satisfy the requirements for the major program of a department in the Faculties of Humanities, Science or Social Sciences. Conversely, a student pursuing a major program for the BA degree within the Faculties of Humanities, Science or Social Sciences may concurrently satisfy the requirements for the major program of the Department of Writing as approved for the Faculty of Fine Arts. Only one BA degree with a double major will be awarded on the recommendation of the faculty in which the student is registered.