Composition I

All students in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences must complete at least one course in English composition. Rhetoric, speech communication, and English as a second language courses are designed to ensure your ability to write English clearly and to interpret accurately what others have said; these skills comprise the core of a liberal education.

Unless exempt, you must complete the Composition I requirement during your freshman year by enrolling in one of the following courses or course combinations:

  • Rhetoric 100, 101, and 102
  • Rhetoric 103 and 104
  • Rhetoric 105
  • Communication 111 and 112
  • English as a Second Language 111 and 112
  • English as a Second Language 115

Students may register for Rhetoric 101-102, Rhetoric 103-104, ESL 111-112, or ESL 115 only by placement into the sequence. Students should see their advisor if they have questions about the appropriate placement in a Comp I class.

If you are a transfer student with fewer than 4 hours of credit in rhetoric or composition, see your admissions/records officer concerning completion of the requirement.

Students with special needs must enroll in other courses before they can take one of the required composition courses. You may count no more than a total of nine hours toward the minimum hours for graduation, which includes both the preparatory course and the course(s) satisfying the Composition I requirement.

International students should see the Academic Catalog for more information about the written communication requirement for non-English speakers.