The University of Iowa has an international reputation as a writing university. Home to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the International Writing Program, the University offers a literary environment where writers can grow and thrive. Every year, many undergraduates come to Iowa because of the writing life that’s available here.

• Why Study Writing at Iowa?
• Rhetoric
• English
• Journalism and Mass Communication
• Communication Studies
• Cinema and Comparative Literature
• Other Resources

Why Study Writing at Iowa?
Iowa City's literary scene features countless players. The most famous may be the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, which offers a graduate-level creative writing program that is widely regarded as the nation's best. Established in 1936, the workshop has been a model for many other writing programs in the United States and abroad.

The workshop also contributes to year-round activities for all who love writing. Almost every day you can find famous—and soon-to-be-famous—writers reading on campus, in local bookstores, and at “open mike” nights in coffee shops and local restaurants.

Students and visitors from around the world and in many disciplines come to Iowa, giving the campus a global feeling. For example, a recent International Writing Program group included writers from Argentina, Cameroon, Greece, Iran, Myanmar, and New Zealand.

The small press is alive on campus. The Iowa Review and Walt Whitman Quarterly Review are published here, and undergraduate students have created literary magazines in programs offered by the residence halls and the University of Iowa Honors Program. The Daily Iowan, a daily campus newspaper and training ground for hundreds of creative students, has been recognized as one of the top six college newspapers in the country.

If you enjoy writing, you'll find many opportunities here. No matter what your major, your communication skills—especially your writing skills—will be nurtured. Even technically oriented colleges, such as the Tippie College of Business and the College of Engineering, have programs to help students become better writers. And in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, development of student communication skills is a fundamental goal of the General Education Program.

There also is an Iowa Writers Living-Learning Community in the residence halls for first-year students.

Rhetoric
Almost every undergraduate begins by taking courses in the Department of Rhetoric. Students in General Education Program rhetoric courses learn reading, writing, and speaking strategies that prepare them for future college and professional work.

The department also is home to the University of Iowa Writing Center, the oldest writing center in the United States. Students interested in developing their academic or personal writing styles can either enroll for a semester at a time or make one-time appointments to get help with researching, organizing, drafting, editing, and revising.

English
Many students interested in writing gravitate to the Department of English. With nearly 1,000 students, English is one of the most popular undergraduate majors at Iowa. Even so, most classes are small enough to encourage discussion and offer numerous writing opportunities. 

Students majoring in English may apply to the creative writing track or take writing courses as electives. Poets and fiction writers earning a Master of Fine Arts degree through the Iowa Writers’ Workshop share their skills by offering courses in creative writing. Advanced undergraduates may apply for admission to special undergraduate workshop courses in poetry and fiction by submitting a portfolio of their work.

The department also offers nonfiction writing courses, such as Prose Style, Writing for Business and Industry, and Multimedia Writing.

Journalism and Mass Communication
Another option for students interested in writing is the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Although admission to this major is selective, pre-journalism is one of the most popular areas of study for first-year students. This nationally accredited program is firmly grounded in Iowa’s liberal arts tradition while emphasizing professional development.

Journalistic writing is the core of the school’s professional program, which prepares students for writing positions with newspapers, magazines, radio, television, the web, and in public relations. The school has outstanding facilities, including special laboratories for photography, typography, audio, video, electronic newswriting, and desktop publishing.

Communication Studies
The Department of Communication Studies also is a possibility for students who want to focus on writing. This department has a long-standing reputation as one of the top-ranked departments of its kind in the nation. Its students study the theory and the practice of communication. Admission to the major is selective.

The department boasts outstanding facilities and is home to the A. Craig Baird Center for Public Advocacy and Debate.

Cinema and Comparative Literature
The Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature offers a course in screenwriting and courses on writing about film. It also is home to the University's translation program. Faculty members offer expertise in the languages and cultural study of the Americas, China, England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, North Africa, Spain, and sub-Saharan Africa as well as in translation.

Other Resources
The University's Certificate in Writing is open to all undergraduates. Certificate students take courses in basic writing skills plus their choice of courses in specialized writing areas. When they graduate, the certificate is noted on their transcripts.

Undergraduates may take courses in playwriting from the Department of Theatre Arts and may even see their plays produced.

All language departments stress that students learn writing skills in other languages, and the Department of Classics offers several courses on specialized vocabularies (medical and technical terminology) and increasing one’s English vocabulary. The Department of History's writing center provides a resource for students who want to improve their skills in writing about history.

Undergraduates can attend readings, workshops, and panel discussions sponsored by the International Writing Program and can take advantage of the many opportunities for informal contact with these writers, who come to Iowa from across the world. Some students also take advantage of the Iowa Summer Writing Festival, which offers weeklong and weekend noncredit courses led by working writers in many genres, from mystery to autobiography.

The Center for the Book offers courses in book-related topics, hosts lecturers, sponsors conferences, publishes a journal, and encourages the exchange of ideas among individuals with interests in the book. The center also has close ties with the School of Art and Art History. Students interested in the art and technology of the book will enjoy the center’s programs and courses.

Learn more about writing at Iowa, including news and upcoming events, by visiting the Writing University web site.