Critical Writing seminars
Transfer credit
The University of Pennsylvania has a unique, discipline-based writing curriculum that emphasizes knowledge and practice of critical writing as a specific rhetorical mode shared across disciplines and certain professions. Fundamental to this mode is an acute understanding and engagement with audience and thus a substantial amount of collaborative work, including peer review. Students' work is assessed twice each semester by outside readers who evaluate the portfolio's content for demonstrated knowledge and quality of writing. Given the rigor of our assessment process, which is contingent upon accomplishing a series of increasingly demanding tasks, we infrequently grant transfer credits.
Understanding the scheduling needs of transfer students, however, we will provide priority placement in writing seminars. For advance placement, write critwrit@writing.upenn.edu and note that you are a transfer student seeking priority registration.
To be considered for transfer credit, students must:
- apply within their first academic year at Penn. No requests will be considered from students who have completed two or more semesters of Penn coursework
- have earned a "B" or better in a seminar comparable to those taught at Penn
- demonstrate proficiency on a timed diagnostic test
What are comparable courses?
Critical Writing seminars at Penn require at least 40-50 pages of discipline-based writing, emphasize rhetoric, domain knowledge, peer-review, audience, synthesis, research-writing, usage and mechanics. All seminars are discipline-based and include extensive research and writing about a full-length scholarly text as well as shorter readings and other texts on the course topic.
How do I apply for transfer credit?
Students must submit an application on XCat. The XCat submission should include a copy of the course syllabus and writing samples, including peer reviews and final graded papers, as well as evidence of the other criteria noted above. Be sure to include a campus email address.
Once the submission has been completed the student must notify the Critical Writing Program by email at critwrit@writing.upenn.edu. Students will then be required to complete an online diagnostic essay and will be provided with the instructions for doing so.
Students are advised to submit their work no later than September 18 for a decision prior to advance registration in the spring, or February 1 for a decision prior to advance registration in the fall.
