Writing Program faculty teach the required 100 and 200-level writing courses in academic reading and writing, courses which are also part of the State of Colorado's Guaranteed Transfer (GT Pathways) policy.

The required 100-level course may be taken as a two-term sequence (Comp 125 and 126) or an accelerated one-term course (Comp 150). Successful completion with a C- or better of either Comp 125 and 126 or Comp 150 fulfills the student's 100-level composition requirement. Comp 126 and Comp 150 are both approved GT Pathways courses.

Students may place into one of our preparatory courses, TRS 90 and/or TRS 91, which must be completed successfully with a C- or better before the student can go on to Comp 125/126 or Comp 150.

Beginning with the 2007-2008 academic catalog, students are also required to complete a 200-level composition course for graduation. Students may choose to take any one of the following courses to complete this requirement:

  • Comp 250 (Academic Inquiry and Writing, 4 credits)
  • Comp 252 (Professional and Technical Writing, 3 credits)
  • Comp 253 (Action Research, 3 credits)
  • English 268 (Reading Texts/Writing Texts, 4 credits)
  • History 250 (Historical Composition, 4 credits)
  • Soc 210 (Ethnography and Writing, 4 credits)

    • Each of these courses is an approved GT Pathways course.

    The Writing Program plays an active role in the summer orientation and advising program to ensure that students are well-placed for academic success. Each student's placement is based on his or her ACT English and SAT Verbal scores, Academic Index, and Reading/Writing Profiles.

    Because the learning outcomes for the 100-level composition courses provide a foundation for achievement throughout a student's program at Fort Lewis College, very few students are exempted from taking 100-level composition. Students may be exempted if they meet one of the following requirements:

  • A score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement Test for English Composition/Literature
  • A score of 650 or higher on the SAT II Writing Test
  • A score of 4 or higher on the English Exam of the International Baccalaureate Program

    Transfer students who took freshman composition at another college but did not receive transfer credit for it may be considered for a waiver by the Writing Program Director based on a portfolio evaluation of the student's academic writing.

    • Beginning with the 2007-2008 academic catalog, Lib 150 is no longer a required course. Instead, research and information literacy skills are integrated into 100 and 200-level composition courses as well as into upper-division courses in the majors.

    However, some students may still need to take Lib 150. These students began their enrollment at Fort Lewis College in 1995 or later and are operating under a catalog earlier than the 2007-2008 catalog. These students are required to take Lib 150, Information Literacy and Research Methods, a free-standing one-credit course that students are advised to take in their first year of college. For more information about Lib 150, consult the John F. Reed Library home page.