Frequently Asked Questions

About the Professional Writing Minor

When can I begin the coursework for the minor?

How do I find out which classes are offered?

Do I get priority enrollment in UWP classes if I am pursuing the minor?

Can I take courses for the minor Pass/No Pass?

Do UWP courses for the minor count toward the English Composition requirement (Upper Division Writing Requirement)?

May I have more than one minor?

How do I declare or petition for the minor?

Who can I contact to learn more about the minor?

 

About Writing Internships

What is a writing internship?

What are the requirements for internship credit (general)?

What are the requirements for internship credit as a writing minor?

What is the difference between UWP 92 and 192?

What counts as writing-related work?

How do I find an internship?

When is the deadline to add an internship?

How do I enroll in internship units?

How does the internship appear on my transcript?

Does Tutoring in Writing (UWP 197T) fulfill the minor internship requirement?

Does the Writing Ambassadors internship (UWP 197TC) fulfill the minor internship requirement?

What if I want to intern at a student-run newspaper at UC Davis?

 


 

When can I begin the coursework for the minor?

All of the classes that count towards the writing minor are upper division classes, which means you should have upper division standing to take them. Some UWP courses have additional requirements (see Requirements, then click on specific courses). Some courses for the minor permit lower division students to enroll, after they have satisfied the prerequisites. Check with the department offering the class you want to take to determine whether you will be admitted.

UWP 101, 102s and 104s will fulfill your upper division writing requirement automatically, but only if you have upper division status when you take the course (i.e., have completed at least 90 units, depending on the college). For most minors, this isn’t a problem, because you are likely to take another course that fulfills the requirement later. However, if you plan to take only one course that fulfills the requirement and you want to take it before you are junior standing, you may petition your college to have it fulfill the requirement. Use the “General College Petition” found in "Forms & Petitions" in your OASIS.

How do I find out which classes are offered?

Not all courses that satisfy the minor, especially in Groups A and C (see Requirements), are offered every quarter or even every year, so plan ahead to make sure you can take the courses you want.

For classes in the UWP, all courses offered can be found under Course Descriptions.  

Check the UWP course schedules at https://writing.ucdavis.edu/academics/courses-schedules/schedules/. For classes in other departments, check with those departments. For the quarter that is currently open for registration, you may also use the Class Search Tool under the Office of the University Registrar to check on class availability.

You are welcome to consult with the Associate Director of Professional Writing, Rebekka Andersen, during office hours to receive assistance with your course selection. Rebekka will gladly help you choose classes that will best suit your needs. Email her at uwpadvisor@ucdavis.edu.

Do I get priority enrollment in UWP classes if I am pursuing the minor?

The UWP cannot give priority to professional writing minors. As a senior, though, you will have a better first pass time when registering for classes.

Because all UWP courses have strict enrollment limits and are in high demand, we recommend that you use your first pass to enroll in writing classes. If you are waitlisted, attend class the first day and attend through the waitlist deadline.

Can I take courses for the minor Pass/No Pass?

You may take some courses for the minor Pass/No Pass (P/NP). However, at least one course for the minor must be completed for a letter grade because a GPA of 2.0 in all courses is required for the minor. If an upper division writing course will satisfy a college writing requirement, you must earn at least a C- in the class to receive a Pass grade in P/NP grading. All the writing internship units (UWP 192) are graded on a P/NP basis. P/NP courses do not affect your GPA.

Do UWP courses for the minor count toward the English Composition requirement (Upper Division Writing Requirement)?

It depends on your college and the course, so check with your college. Classes in Groups A and B typically—though not always—satisfy the requirement, but courses in Groups C and D do not.

May I have more than one minor?

Students may complete as many minors as they wish. There can be no course overlap between minors. There can only be one course overlap between a major and a minor. Check your college’s rules and/or speak to a college advisor about maximum units for graduation, maximum internship units, using the same courses to satisfy both major and minor requirements, and electing more than one minor.

How do I declare or petition for the minor?

To receive certification of a minor, by university policy, you must have a GPA of 2.0 in all courses required for the minor. To declare a minor, you must submit a petition form on OASIS by the 10th day of instruction in the quarter you graduate. Once logged in, go to Forms & Petitions > Submit a New Form > Minor Declaration. In the form, choose "Professional Writing (LPWR)" as the minor.

To be approved for the petition, you must have either completed and/or be currently enrolled in all the classes required for the minor. A petition will not be approved, for example, if it is spring quarter and you will not complete the last class(es) until summer session. If that were the case, you would petition for the minor during summer session after you have enrolled in the remaining classes.

Who can I contact to learn more about the minor?

Associate Director of Professional Writing
Rebekka Andersen (uwpadvisor@ucdavis.edu), Voorhies 365
Fall 2023 Office Hours: by appointment via Zoom (contact via email to schedule a time to meet)

Coordinator for Professional Writing Internships
Katie Rodger (uwpadvisor@ucdavis.edu)
Fall 2023 Office Hours: schedule an appointment via Zoom zoom at this link

Peer Advisor
We will be recruiting a peer advisor for 2023-2024 - look for an announcement on the listserv for students completing the minor (writingminors@ucdavis.edu) and our Professional Writing Minor Discord.

Undergraduate Advisors
Brandy Fleming (bafleming@ucdavis.edu), Voorhies 177

Discord
Chat with fellow minors, receive announcements, and get your quick questions answered at our Professional Writing Minor discord.

See the Writing Minor Leadership Team webpage for more information.

 


 

What is a writing internship?

For students who wish to earn academic credit while exploring potential career paths, gaining practical skills, and/or making professional contacts, an internship in writing is an opportunity to get real-world work experience in a professional environment. Site supervisors are required for an internship and provide interns with a mentor who can help them improve their writing skills while developing professional relationships. Interns can also compile writing samples from the internship as a way to showcase their experience and skills to future employers. Interns may work on or off campus, with appropriate publications, campus units or departments, schools, public agencies, nonprofit organizations, or private corporations. Grading is on a P/NP basis. 

What are the requirements for internship credit (general)?

To receive credit for an internship, you must first locate and secure a position at an internship site. Make sure there is someone who can be your designated site supervisor while interning. Then submit a Request for Approval of Internship for Academic Credit. After a couple days, you will receive an email regarding whether your request was accepted or denied. If it was accepted, you will receive a CRN number that you use to register for either UWP 92 or UWP 192. If the request is denied, email the Internship Coordinator (uwpadvisor@ucdavis.edu). 

Once you are registered for either UWP 92 or UWP 192, you may begin logging hours for your work. See Internship Forms.

During the internship, there will be a mid-quarter check-in with the Internship Coordinator. At the end of the quarter, you will submit your log of hours and a writing portfolio. Your site supervisor will submit a site supervisor evaluation. All of this information and more details will be available on the Canvas pages for UWP 92 or UWP 192.

What are the requirements for internship credit as a writing minor?

The Professional Writing Minor requires 4 units of internship credit, which means you must work a total of 120 hours on writing and writing-related work. You can split your units between various quarters, whatever works best for you and your internship sites [e.g., Winter quarter = 1 unit, Spring quarter = 3 units; or Fall quarter = 2 units (same internship), Winter quarter = 2 units (two internships, one unit each)]. For each unit of credit, you must complete 30 hours of writing and writing-related work. See internship requirements for general requirements.

What is the difference between UWP 92 and 192?

UWP 92 is the lower division Internship in Writing course. UWP 192 is the upper division Internship in Writing course which fulfills the Group D minor requirement (see Requirements). To receive internship credit towards the minor, you must complete four units of UWP 192. You must have completed at least 84 units to receive credit for UWP 192.

What counts as writing-related work?

Because this is a writing internship, interns can log only hours spend on writing-related tasks, which are broadly defined. Example tasks include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Research (primary and secondary) that informs a writing project 
  • Writing (e.g., planning, drafting, revising)
  • Comprehensive editing, copyediting, style guide creation, template design 
  • Information design (e.g., document design, interface design, data visualization)
  • Production of podcasts, videos, or other media projects that require substantial writing, design, and editing work.

If you have questions about what could count as writing-related work, email the Internship Coordinator (uwpadvisor@ucdavis.edu) or Professional Writing Minor Peer Advisor (uwppeeradvisor@ucdavis.edu).

How do I find an internship?

There are three ways to find an appropriate writing internship:

  1. Ask the Professional Writing Minor Peer Advisor (uwppeeradvisor@ucdavis.edu) to share the link to the Writing Internship Guide (which contains internships that have been and/or are currently being offered for UWP192 credit) and add you to the writing minor listserv so that you can receive announcements about internships.
  2. Search the finding internships page on the Internship and Career Center (ICC) website.
  3. Find or create your own internship: writing for a client, the campus, or in the community. Many students find or develop their own internships: working for a local publication, such as The California Aggie or The Davis Enterprise, writing for a university department or club, writing for a government agency or nonprofit organization—any organization that could use writing skills for specific projects. Other possibilities for internships include writing or editing technical manuals, grant proposals, curricula, or for a website. The possibilities are endless. When exploring this option, keep in mind internship requirements.

 

Your internship need not be originally listed specifically as a "writing internship," as long as you do a significant amount of writing. This writing could even be above and beyond what you are doing for another internship: say, for instance, you are volunteering in a clinic and want to write educational materials on STDs and AIDS for their clients. (Check with your department’s undergraduate advisor about limits on internship units.) Also, if you are getting other credit for the internship, make sure the writing is extra: you can't get course credit twice for the same work (e.g., if enrolled in UWP 197T: Tutoring in Writing and applying for an internship for a project in the same program, any work completed for UWP 197T may not be logged as work completed for UWP 92/192).

When is the deadline to add an internship?

The deadline to add internship units is the same as for other courses: the 12th day of instruction. If you have difficulty meeting this deadline, email the Internship Coordinator (uwpadvisor@ucdavis.edu)

How do I enroll in internship units?

Submit a Request for Approval of Internship for Academic Credit.

How does the internship appear on my transcript?

UWP 92/192 will appear on your transcript as Internship in Writing (graded P/NP).

If you want a more specific notation of your internship on your transcript (say, "Public Relations Writing" or "Journalism"), follow the instructions on ICC’s Transcript Notation For Students page. At the end of the quarter, give ICC copies of the final portfolio, log of hours, and site supervisor's evaluation.

Otherwise, you do not need an ICC coordinator or Transcript Notation (TN), which is provided by the Internship and Career Center (ICC) to document internships that do not earn academic credit and thus would not otherwise appear on your transcript. You need to have a minimum of 40 hours of work for transcript notation.

Does Tutoring in Writing (UWP 197T) fulfill the minor internship requirement?

Tutoring in Writing (UWP 197T) does not fulfill the minor internship requirement. The internship for the writing minor must involve writing or editing, not tutoring. 

It is possible to create a writing internship connected with your tutoring in UWP 197T, but it would require extra work in the form of creating and completing a professional writing project and the approval of a site supervisor (most likely the UWP 197T coordinator). You will also have to concurrently enroll in UWP 192 for internship credit. Please note work completed for UWP 197T cannot be logged as work completed for UWP 192.

Does the Writing Ambassadors internship (UWP 197TC) fulfill the minor internship requirement?

The internship for the writing minor must involve writing or editing, not teaching writing, which is the focus of the Writing Ambassadors internship (UWP 197TC). This is a great opportunity for you if you are considering becoming a K-12 teacher, as you will learn writing to learn strategies useful across the curriculum and get hands-on teaching experience, which helps with getting into certificate programs.

It is possible to create a writing internship connected with your teaching in the Writing Ambassadors Program, but it would require extra work: writing for your school site that is not required by the Writing Ambassadors Program. Kendon Kurzer (kckurzer@ucdavis.edu), the Coordinator of the Writing Ambassadors Program, will help you if you want to develop an appropriate writing project for your site. You will also have to concurrently enroll in UWP 192 for internship credit. Please note work completed for UWP 197T cannot be logged as work completed for UWP 192.

What if I want to intern at a student-run newspaper at UC Davis?

Complete the Request for Approval of Internship for Academic Credit form just as you would for any other internship. Be sure to specify that you will be interning for a student-run publication. If you have a professional or faculty member willing to serve as your site supervisor, provide their name. If you do not have a site supervisor, state so in the form. You will need to work with Katie Rodger (karodger@ucdavis.edu or uwpadvisor@ucdavis.edu) to arrange for a site supervisor.