BA · 2025-2026
Writing & Literature
College of Creative Studies — Writing & Literature
Official sources · CCS
College of Creative Studies requirements
CCS uses its own General Education system (not LASAR or GEAR). IGETC completion fulfills CCS GE requirements. Courses must be approved by faculty advisor or pre-approved program list.
180 quarter units · 8 CCS GE courses · Ethnicity required · 6-quarter CCS residency
Application requirements
CCS admission is separate from the UC application. Apply via the CCS online application in addition to UCSB.
- Letter of intentRequired — separate from UC application essay
- Letters of recommendation2 required (PDF upload)
- TranscriptsUnofficial scans from all institutions
- Supplemental materialsEncouraged — research, projects, or work samples
- • Letter of intent to CCS Writing & Literature faculty — separate from UC application.
- • Two recommenders familiar with your writing and literary interests.
- • Writing samples strongly encouraged as supplemental materials.
Official major sheet — 2025-2026
Parsed from department major sheet. Verify on GOLD progress check.
Core requirements
26 units- W&L CS 1 — Writing & Literature Colloquium · 3 unitsTaken twice — Fall of 1st and 2nd year
- W&L CS 2 — First-Year Colloquium Seminar · 1 units
- W&L CS 3 — Sophomore Colloquium Seminar · 1 unitsPrerequisite: W&L CS 2
- W&L CS 4 — Mid-Residency Review · 3 unitsPrerequisite: W&L CS 3
- W&L CS 10 — Introduction to Creative Writing · 3 units
- W&L CS 20 — Introduction to Writing Studies · 3 units
- W&L CS 30 — Introduction to Literary Study · 3 units
- W&L CS 190 — Junior Tutorial · 6 unitsUp to 24 units / 4 quarters
- W&L CS 197 — Senior Portfolio · 3 unitsPrerequisite: min 6 units W&L CS 190
Lower division (4 courses, 17 units)
17 units- WRIT 2 — Academic Writing · 5 units
- CLIT 30A · 4 units
- CLIT 30B · 4 units
- CLIT 30C · 4 unitsOr choose 3 from CLIT 30 + one from AS AM 5, BL ST 33, ENGL 34NA/39/40/50
Upper-division — Creative Writing (3 courses)
9 unitsTypically W&L CS 110-149 or advisor-approved equivalents.
Upper-division — Writing Studies (3 courses)
9 unitsTypically WRIT or W&L CS 160-169.
Upper-division — Literary Study (3 courses)
9 unitsTypically CLIT, ENGL, or W&L CS 150-159.
- • Core colloquium sequence and three UD tracks (Creative Writing, Writing Studies, Literary Study) from Fall 2025 major sheet.
Major regulations
Senior portfolio submitted last day of instruction quarter before graduation.
180 total units required.
8 CCS GE courses (STEM, Social Science, Arts/Humanities distribution) plus Ethnicity.
4-year plan — 180 units
180 quarter units · 8 CCS GE courses (unrelated to major) · Ethnicity required. From official major sheet — verify on GOLD.
Year 1
Fall
Winter
Spring
Year 2
Fall
Winter
Spring
Year 3
Fall
Winter
Spring
Year 4
Fall
Winter
Spring
Data sources
Course lists are snapshots from official UCSB pages—not a live scrape. Verify prerequisites in the UCSB General Catalog.
College-wide CCS rules (8 GE courses unrelated to major, Ethnicity, 180 units, quarterly faculty advising) apply in addition to major requirements. See Student Handbook and UCSB Catalog — CCS degrees.