Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) and WPE

All students must satisfy the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) to receive a degree or certificate from CSULB.  Most students satisfy this requirement by passing the Writing Proficiency Exam (WPE).  If you have attempted the WPE but were not successful, you now have other ways of completing the GWAR.

Click <HERE> to download a PDF version of GWAR/ WPE information.

After attempting the WPE once, students may satisfy the GWAR by successfully completing portfolios connected with approved GWAR courses.  Currently, the following GWAR courses are available:

COTA 300
Writing in the Arts (COTA 300) is a multi-disciplinary elective for majors in the College of Arts with junior standing.  A permit is required for registration.  Seniors with WPE scores of 10 are given priority enrollment.  COTA students should contact their major advisors for more information about this course.

ENGL 301B
English Proficiency (ENGL 301B) is an intermediate course in English usage for upper-division students who have scores of 9 or 10 on the WPE.  Seniors and graduate students are given priority enrollment.  Students should contact Dr. Linda Sarbo, GWAR Coordinator, at lsarbo@csulb.edu for more information
about this course.

ENGR 310
Business Communications in Engineering Profession (ENGR 310) is a required course for engineering majors that focuses on basic concepts and practice of communication in the world of business.  Students should contact their major advisors for more information about this course.  This course is OPEN to any student with upper division standing and is NOT restricted to only engineering students.

FMD 450
Cultural Perspective of Dress (FMD 450) is an upper-division GE course that satisfies the Global Issues requirement. The course, which is offered by the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences, has prerequisites. Students should contact their advisors for more information about this course.

HIST 301
Methodology of History (HIST 301) is required of all History majors in their first semester of work in the major.  The course includes the creation of a student portfolio that is used in the remaining upper-division courses in the major and assessed in HIST 499.  Students should contact their major advisors for more information about this course.

IS 301L
Business Communications Laboratory (IS 301L) is a 2-unit writing-intensive elective for undergraduate business majors who need assistance with English writing skills.  IS 301L must be taken concurrently with IS 301 (or within two calendar years of completing IS 301 with a C or higher).  Enrollment is limited to undergraduate business majors with scores of 9 or 10 on the WPE.  Students should contact the CBA Advising Center at 562-985-4514 or Dr. Leon Kenman at lkenman@csulb.edu for more information about this course.

WPE Tutoring at CSULB
If you need to improve your English language proficiency, you should immediately get tutoring from the Learning Assistance Center (#104 Horn Center) or the Writers’ Resource Lab (#212 Learning Arts Building) or enroll in a WPE preparation course (WPE 10, WPE 20, or ENGL 301A).  For information about online WPE preparation, go to http://www.csulb.edu/student-info/.

Students No Longer Living in the Long Beach Area
If you are no longer enrolled at CSULB or if you don’t have access to on-campus resources, you can enroll in English Writing Proficiency, an online course offered through University College Extension Services.  This course is designed to help you develop the skills you need to pass the WPE or the analytic writing portion of the GRE or GMAT.  For more information on the class, contact Dr. Rebekha Abbuhl at rabbuhl@csulb.edu.

Earning a score of 4.0 or greater on the writing portion of the GRE or the GMAT will allow you to satisfy the GWAR.  The GRE and GMAT can readily be taken in most countries and provides an International Student who has returned home a convenient and economical option to complete the GWAR. 

Former CSULB international students who no longer have valid F-1 status and are seeking to return to the U.S. generally do not qualify for a new CSULB I-20 based on the GWAR alone.  Students who would like to return to the U.S. to complete their GWAR are recommended to apply to a language school to receive a new I-20.  Then, with the language school's permission concurrently enroll in one of the CSULB GWAR-certified courses through University College Extension Services (UCES) "open university," which does not require formal admission to CSULB.  CSULB enrollment is not required to take the WPE. 

For more information about GWAR options, contact Dr. Linda Sarbo, GWAR Coordinator at lsarbo@csulb.edu.