Composition I

Winter 2019-2020

For more information on the Composition I requirement, please see the Academic Catalog.

Written Communication Requirement

Undergraduate Students:

  • • Satisfactory proficiency in written communication is a requirement for all undergraduate degrees awarded at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This proficiency can be certified by the satisfactory completion of the "Composition I" general education requirement via the one-semester, four-hour course Rhetoric 105 (Writing and Research); the two-semester, eight-hour sequence of Rhetoric 101 (Principles of Writing) and 102 (Principles of Research) with Rhetoric 100 tutorials in both semesters; or the two-semester, six-hour sequence Communication 111 and 112 (Oral & Written Communication I and II).
  • • A student who achieved, prior to enrolling in college-level coursework, a sufficiently high score on either the appropriate college-preparatory English exam (currently ACT, SAT, AP, or IB) will earn course credit that fulfills the general education "Composition I" requirement and thus will satisfy the Written Communication requirement for graduation. More information can be found under "Proficiency Testing" at go.illinois.edu/pnp.
  • • Non-native English-speaking students who are mandated to take the English Placement Test (EPT) and given an English as a Second Language (ESL) placement must fulfill their Written Communication requirement by taking the two-semester, six-hour sequence of ESL 111 and 112 or the one-semester, four-hour ESL 115 course. They might also be required to take ESL 110 (Pronunciation). Non-native English-speaking students who are not required to take the EPT due to sufficiently high TOFEL iBT or IELTS scores may elect to satisfy the Written Communication requirement by taking the ESL, or the Rhetoric, or the Communication sequences. Students in this category who wish to take ESL must take the EPT to determine correct placement.
  • • If the academic credentials of a transfer student do not indicate fulfillment of coursework equivalent to fulfill the Written Communication graduation requirement, the student will need to do additional coursework to satisfy this requirement. Non-native English-speaking transfer students may be required to take the English Placement Test (EPT).