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First-Year Writing refers to a set of courses that most students take to fulfill the MSU General Studies Written Communication Requirement. These courses include ENG 1010 and ENG 1020. Some students who have test scores that place them directly into ENG 1020 and fulfill their Written Communication Requirement by then taking an upper division CO3 course.
Which First-Year Writing class should you register for?
Students may fulfill pre-requisite requirements to enroll in a First Year Writing course (English 1010) in several ways. The following flow chart is designed to help guide students in identifying and enrolling in their first-year writing classes.
Referenced Links
English Self-Directed Placement Survey
English Self-Directed Placement Survey
Email the English Department
Email the English Department
Transfer Credit Evaluation
Transfer Credit Evaluation
MSU Denver's "Send It" Page
MSU Denver's Send It Page
Alternative Credit Options/Prior Learning Assess
Alternative Credit Options & Prior Learning Assessment
College Board
College Board
International Baccalaureate (IB)
International Baccalaureate
First-Year Writing Courses
- ENG 1010 focuses on the writing process. You will typically complete 4-5 essays per semester, writing more pages weekly than in ENG 1008/1009. To complete the written communication requirement, you need to take ENG 1010 (CO1) and ENG 1020 (CO2) over two semesters.
- You must pass ENG 1010 with a C- or better to be eligible to take ENG 1020.
- With the English 1010 (CO1) and English 1020 (CO2) course sequence, it will take two semesters to complete your general studies written communication requirement.
- ENG 1001 is a 1-credit support course taken alongside ENG 1010. It provides extra reading and writing assistance. This sequence is good if you want the faster ENG 1010 pace but need more support.
- You must pass ENG 1001 with a D- or better and ENG 1010 with a C- or better to take ENG 1020. This sequence requires ENG 1010 (CO1), ENG 1001, and ENG 1020 (CO2) over two semesters.
- With the ENG 1010 and ENG 1001 Studio (CO1) and ENG 1020 (CO2) course sequence, it will take two semesters to complete your general studies written communication requirement.
- This two-semester sequence “stretches” ENG 1010 over more time. You will write 2-3 essays per semester with fewer reading assignments. You must pass both classes (D- or better in ENG 1008; C- or better in ENG 1009) to earn ENG 1010 credit and take ENG 1020. This sequence requires ENG 1008, ENG 1009 (CO1) and ENG 1020 (CO2) over three semesters.
- With the ENG 1008 + ENG 1009 Stretch (CO1) and ENG 1020 (CO2) course sequence, it will take three semesters to complete you general studies written communication requirement.
- ENG 1020 focuses on writing research-supported essays. You need a C- or better to pass.
- All first-year writing sequences require students to take ENG 1020, a research and argument writing course.
- If eligible by test scores, you can take ENG 1020 (CO2) first, followed by one of the following CO3 courses when you are a junior:
- ENG 3525 Scholarly Writing
- ENG 3526 Writing in the Sciences
- ENG 3527 Professional Writing
- ARTH 2600 Reading and Writing Visual Culture
- For Art History Majors Only
- Prerequisite(s): ENG 1020 or ENG 1021 and ARTH 1500, ARTH 1600, or ARTH 1700 with “C-” or better; or permission of department
- HIS 3000 Historical Writing and Thinking
- For History Majors Only
- Prerequisite(s): ENG 1020 or equivalent and fulfillment of the General Studies Historical Requirement.
- After passing ENG 1020 and one of those CO3 courses, the written communication requirement is complete.
- With ENG 1020 (CO2) and a (CO3) course, it will take two semesters to complete your written communication requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
Follow the chart below to see how many semesters and courses it will take to complete this requirement:
| Placement | Semester 1 | Semester 2 | Semester 3 | |
| ENG 1008 & ENG 1009 |  |
ENG 1008 | ENG 1009 | ENG 1020 |
| ENG 1010 with ENG 1001 | |
ENG 1010 with ENG 1001 | ENG 1020 | |
| ENG 1010 | |
ENG 1010 | ENG 1020 | |
| ENG 1020 | |
ENG 1020 | ENG 3525 OR ENG 3526 OR ENG 3527 OR HIS 3000 (History Majors) OR ARTH 2600 (Art History Majors) (Must be taken as a standing junior or later) |
No, you must wait until junior year to take a CO3 course. CO3 courses focus on writing in your major field of study. To get the full benefit, you need some previous experience in upper division courses related to your major before taking a CO3.
No, professors cannot enroll students above the course limit. Waitlists for writing classes are handled by the English Office, not individual professors.
The enrollment cap of 22 students for first-year writing classes is firm. For teaching effectiveness and to facilitate student success, no exceptions can be made to enroll the course above 22 students.
If seats in a First-Year Writing course become available, students on the waitlist for that section receive an email offering them the opportunity to enroll in the order they joined the waitlist. Students then have 24 hours to enroll in the section before the seat is offered to the next student on the waitlist. Students can only waitlist for one section per course.
Tip: before adding yourself to a waitlist, be sure to double-check to see if there are available seats in other sections of the course you want to take (particularly if you are planning to take an online section). Also, students are encouraged to add themselves to waitlists with a low number of waitlisted students (0-3) to increase their chance of securing a seat.
If new sections of FYW courses are added to the course schedule, all waitlisted students for all sections of that course are notified by email with enrollment information for the new sections. Open seats in these new sections are first-come, first-served.
There are several reasons why prereq errors happen. If you get a prereq error, please contact the English Department with your student ID number. We can help troubleshoot the issue so you can register successfully.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 303-615-1800
Please visit our placement flowchart for more information.
If you have taken a writing course at another college that you want evaluated for course equivalency, follow these steps:
Email an unofficial transcript to [email protected]. The transcript must include:
Your name
The writing course name
The semester it was taken
If possible, also include the course catalog description from that college.
This information allows the English Department to complete the evaluation.
If you need SAT or ACT test scores evaluated, email [email protected].
Please attach a PDF copy of your unofficial score report from College Board’s website (https://www.collegeboard.org/) showing:
Your name
Test date
Test scores
This allows us to evaluate your scores and provide the proper prereq override. However, you will still need to submit official scores (https://www.msudenver.edu/admissions/sendit) to get credit on your student account.
The writing placement provides the recommended first-year writing course. While that recommended course is strongly encouraged, it is possible to enroll in a different course.
If you want to select an alternative, email [email protected] for instructions on updating your recommended writing course before registering.
If you do not earn the necessary grade to pass a required writing class, you must repeat the course to meet the requirement. After a third attempt without passing, you can contact the English Department to get permission to register again and provide your success plan. Specific strategies can make a difference in being successful when re-taking the class.
Additionally, we highly recommend taking advantage of the university Writing Center (https://www.msudenver.edu/writing-center/) for assistance. The Writing Center staff offer valuable support with all stages of writing, and they offer both in-person and virtual assistance.
Writing Center
The English Department encourages students to utilize MSU Denver’s Writing Center. The Writing Center can help with any writing assignment, at any stage of the writing process, and they offer both in-person and virtual appointment options. Check out their website for additional resources.