In 1976 the Trustees of the California State University passed a resolution directing that, as a requirement for graduation, "all students entering the CSU system be required to demonstrate their competency with regard to writing skills." The resolution also specified that this Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) could not be met by a lower-division writing course or by students who had not yet gained upper-division status. The GWAR program at CSU Dominguez Hills is in full compliance with this resolution and with later modifications to it described in the "Revised CSU Policy Memorandum on Student Competency in Writing," August 1, 1994, and the "Determination of Competence in English and Mathematics" (Executive Order 665), February 28, 1997.

Undergraduate: Undergraduate students must first complete their lower division English composition courses in Area A, General Education, before attempting to complete this upper division requirement. Fulfillment of GWAR should be undertaken at the beginning of the junior year (or 60 units), and satisfied by the time 72 units are completed.

Graduate: Students working toward a master's degree should meet the GWAR requirement within the first nine units of graduate work. This requirement must be met before students can begin their culminating activity (thesis/project or comprehensive exam).

Option 1: The Graduation Writing Examination

• The Graduation Writing Examination is a one-hour examination in which students write an impromptu essay responding to a specified topic given to them when the test is administered.
• • On Campus: The GWE is offered five times per academic year in September, November, February, April, and July. The exam is $35 per exam. Students may only take the examination twice within their academic career. The exam must be paid for every time a student tests. After two examination attempts, students must then take a certifying course. 
  • Distance Learning: Students who are part of a distance learning program or live greater than 25 miles from campus may elect to complete the GWE via proctor. The distance learning GWE is offered three times a year in the fall, spring, and summer. 
  • Undergraduates can satisfy the GWAR by scoring an 8 or higher on the GWE.
  • Graduates can satisfy the GWAR by scoring an 8 or higher on the GWE.
  • • Note: According to Executive Order 1100, CSUDH graduate students with a catalog year later than Spring 2018 will not need to satisfy GWAR as long as they received a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in the United States.

Option 2: Certifying Courses

• English 350: Advanced Composition Course(offered by the English Department). The English Department regularly offers an advanced composition course (ENG 350, 3 units, A-C/NC). A Composition Cooperative exam is administered at the end of the course and counts for 25% of the grade.
• IDS 397 & 398: Upper Division Writing Adjunct(offered by the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies). The Writing Adjunct (IDS 397, 2 units, and IDS 398, 2 units, CR/NC), provides individualized instruction in composition that is adjunctive to writing for other courses. Students must complete both IDS 397 and IDS 398. A Composition Cooperative exam is administered at the end of IDS 398 and counts for 50% of the grade.
• Undergraduates can satisfy the GWAR by completing English 350 with a C or better or by receiving credit for both IDS 397 and 398.
• • Note: CSUDH students who complete English 350 with a C+/C in their undergrad and return to CSUDH for a graduate program will have to meet the GWAR at the graduate level.
• Graduates can satisfy the GWAR by completing English 350 and IDS 397/398 with a B or better.
• • Note: According to Executive Order 1100, CSUDH graduate students with a catalog year later than Spring 2018 will not need to satisfy GWAR as long as they received a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in the United States.

Option 3: Transfer Certification Petition for Fulfillment of GWAR

• Students who have satisfied the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) at another CSU campus in 1984 or later but prior to matriculation at CSU Dominguez Hills may petition for exemption from repeating the requirement at CSUDH. Students must complete the Petition for Fulfillment of GWAR and submit official supporting documentation to the Testing Office.
• Students may also petition for Fulfillment of GWAR if they have:
• • Completed an upper division composition course (equivalent to English 350 at CSUDH) at another university prior to admission to CSUDH with a grade of B or higher. Lower division writing courses (e.g. Freshman English,) upper division literature or discipline-specific courses, and specialized courses in business, technical, report, or creative writing, among other courses, are NOT acceptable. Students must submit an official set of transcripts with the applicable course highlighted and a copy of the university catalog description of the course.
  • A score of 4.0 or higher on the Analytical Writing Analysis of the GMAT.
  • A score of 4.0 or higher on the Analytical Writing section of the GRE.

No, the GWE administration and scoring is funded from the exam fees collected at registration. If you sat the exam and received a score the fee you paid covered these services.

Any student graduating in a semester in which the GWE is not offered because of the COVID-19 pandemic is exempt from the GWAR. This means that as of now, any student that is graduating Spring 2020, Summer 2020, or Fall 2020 will not be required to satisfy the GWAR in order to graduate.

The University is in the process of reviewing graduation candidates’ records in light of the temporary limited suspension of the CSU Graduate Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).  Your record will be updated accordingly before the end of the Spring 2020 semester, prior to the awarding of degrees.

There is nothing further you need to do at this time.