CREATIVE WRITING CERTIFICATE

CONTINUING EDUCATION
CREATIVE
WRITING
CERTIFICATE
200 HOURS
ONLINE
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CREATIVE
WRITING
Are you motivated to put pen to paper and begin or continue your creative writing endeavours? If so, this focused
Creative Writing Certificate program may be perfect for you. The program covers many aspects of the creative
writer’s world from writing and copy editing, to exploring and writing in various genres, to publishing and promoting
written work. The evaluative and interactive model will ensure you receive rich instructor feedback and supportive
peer review throughout the process. End the program by having a portion of your work evaluated in the final project
course by a published author who will mentor and encourage you in your writing.
This online, flexible and interactive program will allow you to learn the theory behind your writing as well as allow
time to write and receive feedback on what you’ve written. Some courses are also offered in a classroom setting.
REQUIRED
COURSES
CORE COURSES | 110 hours WRI 500 Creative Writing Final Project | 40 hours
The Core Courses make up 110 hours of the 200 hours of
instruction required for this certificate.
This course allows emerging writers to hone their writing and
editing skills through writing, discussion with peers, and 10
hours of mentorship with a published author. You will provide
a pre-course submission within your chosen genre. The work
in progress will be a minimum of 10-15 pages and will also
include a learning agreement describing the project and
the direction of the work. The submission must be received
at least one month prior to the course start date. You will
enhance your skills and understanding of the writer’s craft
specific to genre, and produce a small manuscript of approximately 40-50 pages maximum length.
BMC 352 Learning Online | 10 hours
Discover more about yourself as an online learner in a supportive environment and ultimately determine if online
learning is for you. Compare your current skills, habits and
technical knowledge against what’s typically required for
success in Continuing Education online courses. Whatever
your starting point, you will develop and improve your abilities to connect, communicate and collaborate with others
online. If you have previously taken an online course, you may
apply for Advanced Standing credit.
Prerequisites: Completion of all 160 hours of core, optional
and elective courses. This is to be taken as the final course in
the Creative Writing Certificate.
WRI 120 Copy Editing and Proofreading | 30 hours
In this practical, hands-on course, develop solid copy editing skills (clarity, correctness, conciseness, consistency) by
learning to identify and correct content errors, problems
in technical quality, style guide conformity and issues in
language and thought. Then focus on proofreading skills
including proofreader’s marks, grammar and spelling errors
and basic formatting. Topics may also include working with
style sheets, proofing on screen versus proofing hard copy,
and proofing electronically generated or scanned material
for a variety of English-language texts.
WRI 140 Creative Writing Exploration | 30 hours
Give voice to your inner creativity. Explore various creative
writing genres such as fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry,
and drama through discussion, writing exercises, close reading of published work, and instructor and peer feedback
consistent with your level of experience and comfort. The
focus will be on generating ideas, and learning the basics of
the writer’s craft.
OPTIONAL GENRE COURSES | 30 – 90 hours
WRI 440 Dramatic Storytelling | 30 hours
Be introduced to the craft of dramatic writing for theatre
and film, with an emphasis on dramatic storytelling. Focus
on gaining an understanding of the uses of story structure
such as setting, character, plot and dialogue, and how these
elements work together to create compelling drama.
Prerequisites: BMC 352 Learning Online and WRI 140 Creative
Writing Exploration.
WRI 460 Writing a Novel: First Draft | 30 hours
Writing a novel is a challenging and exciting journey. Through
practical experience, learn to write uncritically for quantity,
write to a deadline, meet daily word-count goals and sketch
an entire story arc. Topics covered include character and
scene development, dialogue, narration, and plot creation.
Your goal is to have a 50,000-word first draft of a novel by
the end of the course. This course is suitable for all genres.
Prerequisites: BMC 352 Learning Online and WRI 140 Creative
Writing Exploration.
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WRI 430 Writing Creative Non-Fiction | 30 hours
DELIVERY
Creative non-fiction is a genre that is committed to the close
observation and recording of a world. The story is important,
as it contains the poetry, the drama of everyday life, and its
substance. Examine models of writing in memoir, travel and
nature writing, and the personal essay.
All courses are offered online. Some courses may also be
offered in classroom format at the University of Calgary main
or downtown campus.
Prerequisites: BMC 352 Learning Online and WRI 140 Creative
Writing Exploration.
WRI 420 Writing Poetry | 30 hours
Poetry has the capacity to remake and translate the things
of the world into new ways of thinking about them. In this
course, explore a toolbox of poetic techniques and how to
locate, write and edit your own work. Examine closely how
simile and metaphor, classical forms, rhythm and rhyme
operate in the design of poetry, as well as contemporary
Spoken Word.
Prerequisites: BMC 352 Learning Online and WRI 140 Creative
Writing Exploration.
WRI 450 Writing Short Fiction | 30 hours
Discuss different types of short fiction from micro to flash
to regular short story. Delve into fundamentals including
characterization, setting, and narrative arc. You will write and
edit at least two drafts of your own work of short fiction. Collaborating with your instructor and fellow classmates, learn
about your genre, its market, and publishing opportunities,
and gain skill through practice.
In this online program, you will work within scheduled startand end-dates, and assignment timelines. In most cases,
the times you choose to work will be entirely up to you. It
is strongly recommended that you log into the University’s
online learning software three to four times per week to keep
pace with the class. Readings, assignments and contributions will be required on a weekly basis. Graded assignments,
participation marks, and sometimes exams, are also given for
a final letter grade mark. You should plan on studying and
working a minimum of six hours per week per course.
Online Learning Prerequisite Course
In this certificate, BMC 352 Learning Online is a required
course that must be taken before any other courses. If you
have recently completed a fully interactive online course,
you may be eligible for advanced standing. You must apply
by completing the online application form and pay a nonrefundable fee for the prior learning assessment.
TIMELINE
This is a self-paced program, which many students complete
in 12 to 18 months. To learn if fast tracking this program is
an option, please call 403.220.2952 to speak to a student
advisor.
Prerequisites: BMC 352 Learning Online and WRI 140 Creative
Writing Exploration.
ADMISSION
ELECTIVE COURSES | 0 – 60 hours
If English is not your first language, please review the English
language proficiency requirements at conted.ucalgary.ca/
english
To fulfil the 200-hour requirement, students may choose
0 – 60 hours from the following list
ADL 310 Social Media and More | 30 hours
WRI 110 Writing Well | 30 hours
WRI 320 Writing Tools | 30 hours
WRI 330 Publishing and Promoting Your Work | 30 hours
WRI 340 Writing for Children and Youth | 30 hours
Important: Students are expected to have university-level
English writing skills including grammar, vocabulary and
basic writing experience. For those needing these skills, WRI
110 Writing Well can be taken at the beginning of the program
and credited as one of the elective courses.
You can take courses first and enrol in the certificate later;
however, as programs are subject to change, we recommend
you apply for admission to the certificate program as early
as possible. Once you are admitted, you can be confident
that you have locked in the requirements leading to your
graduation.
You must be a minimum of 18 years of age to be admitted to
the program. Successful completion of a Grade 12 diploma
and relevant work experience are recommended.
A degree or diploma is not required to enrol in this program.
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PRIOR LEARNING ASSESSMENT
TRANSFERABILITY
Prior learning from other post-secondary institutions
Advanced Standing* may be granted for equivalent, graded
courses completed at other post-secondary institutions.
Credit may be granted for up to a maximum of 60 hours
towards this certificate. To apply for standing visit https://
www.ucalgary.ca/cted/forms/caltsl_advcredit.html
Transferring credit from other Continuing Education
certificates
If you have completed requirements for another University of
Calgary Continuing Education certificate, you may be able to
transfer* some credits between programs. For details, please
review the Transferability information in the certificate programs that you have completed. To transfer credits, please
contact a student advisor.
On completion of this certificate, some courses may be used
for credit toward the Professional Writing Certificate specializing in Business and Technical Writing, or the Professional
Writing Certificate specializing in Marketing and Public
Relations.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Awards are given to deserving students not only for their
academic achievement, but also for community involvement.
Award sponsors include both corporate and private donors.
Students in this program may be eligible for:
•The Continuing Education Endowment Award
•Mary Cone Barrie Scholarship
* Note: The combined total of Transfer and Advanced Standing credits cannot exceed 100 hours for this certificate.
OTHER CONTINUING EDUCATION WRITING CERTIFICATES INCLUDE:
• Professional Writing specializing in Business and Technical Writing
• Professional Writing specializing in Marketing and Public Relations
COURSE REGISTRATION
CERTIFICATE ADMISSION
CONTACT INFORMATION
To view courses and enrol online, visit
conted.ucalgary.ca and go to Interest Areas.
Choose Writing, then click on Courses. You
may enrol online for most courses using a
Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
You do not need to be enrolled in the
certificate to take a course. If you wish to
enrol in the Creative Writing Certificate,
please go to conted.ucalgary.ca/apply
Creative Writing Certificate
University of Calgary Continuing Education
Education Tower 1120
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
To enrol by phone, please call 403.220.2952
or 1.866.220.4992 (toll free) between 8:30
am and 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. You will
need a Visa, MasterCard, American Express
or a purchase order number from your
employer.
Important: Students are expected to
have university-level English writing skills
including grammar, vocabulary and basic
writing experience. For those needing these
skills, WRI 110 Writing Well can be taken at
the beginning of the program and credited
as one of the elective courses.
403.220.2952
1.866.220.4992 (toll-free)
conted.ucalgary.ca/writing
writing@ucalgary.ca
PUBLISHED MARCH 2015
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CONTED.UCALGARY.CA/WRITING | 403.220.2952