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College of Humanities and Social Sciences 
Department of English

First-Year Writing Program

First-Year Writing Program

As part of the General Education Program (GEP) Introduction to Writing, most NC State students will take either one (ENG 101) or two (ENG 100 and ENG 101) writing courses in their first year.  Although only ENG 101 fulfills the university’s graduation requirement in first-year writing, ENG 100 is offered for students who feel they would benefit from additional preparation and experience with college-level writing before enrolling in ENG 101. Students who successfully complete ENG 100 earn 4 hours of elective credit for the course. These courses should be completed during the first year of enrollment at NC State.

Next Steps:

  1. All students should visit the first-year writing placement chart to determine if they are exempt from the first-year writing requirement based on standardized test scores submitted to NC State as part of their application process.
  2. Students not exempt based on standardized test scores should plan to enroll and complete ENG 101 during their first year.
  3. Students transferring composition credit from another institution should review our transfer credit guidelines. If transfer credit does not fully satisfy the first-year writing requirement, students may be eligible to enroll in ENG 202 to fulfill the requirement.

First-Year Writing Instruction for International Students

Students for whom English is a second language may choose to take WLEN 101 through the
Department of World Languages and Cultures. This course can be taken as a substitute for ENG 101 as it fulfills the same requirements. A grade of C- or better in FLE 101 is required to fulfill the first-year writing requirement.

Contact Jennifer Despain in the Department of World Languages and Cultures or visit the TESOL program website for more information.