Program of Study (CAS Bulletin)

Expository Writing Program (2022 - 2024)

All College of Arts and Science students must satisfy the expository writing requirement by taking:

  • Writing the Essay (EXPOS-UA 1); or
  • International Writing Workshop I and II (EXPOS-UA 4 and 9), for qualifying English as a second language (ESL) students; or
  • Writing I and II (WRI-UF 1001 and 2002 in the Liberal Studies Program), for HEOP/C-STEP students.

Special sections of EXPOS-UA 1 are offered and vary by semester. One cohort for pre-professional health and science majors is focused on the theme of science, health, and technology. Two other streamed sections are available as part of the Residential College at Goddard and special floors at Rubin. These sections are linked to topical "streams" (e.g., "Writing New York") and are available by application only for students in those residence streams.

The Writing Tutorial (EXPOS-UA 13) provides additional work in writing for undergraduates, and is required for transfer students who do not successfully complete the University's writing proficiency exam requirement.

There are no exemptions from the College’s expository writing requirement. Students entering as external transfers must present a course equivalent to Writing the Essay (EXPOS-UA 1) or International Writing Workshop I (EXPOS-UA 4) to satisfy this requirement. Alternatively, they may petition the Expository Writing Program for a waiver from the requirement; please consult https://cas.nyu.edu/ewp/faq/waiving-the-ewp-writing-requirement.html for details.

International and English as a Second Language Students

In CAS, for most students, Writing the Essay (EXPOS-UA 1) fulfills the College Core Curriculum expository writing requirement. Writing the Essay requires frequent analytical and reflective writing, which is common in other courses throughout NYU. The writing and reading assignments are challenging even for native speakers of English, and require them to develop conceptual frameworks for their arguments and ideas by working with a wide range of sophisticated and complex sources at a pace comfortable for most native speakers.

NYU recognizes that international students come with varying levels of language competency and fluency and require more time to complete challenging reading and writing assignments. For international students, there are alternate pathways to satisfying the Core writing requirement.

1) International students who attended English-language high schools for four years may be uncertain about the default placement into Writing the Essay (EXPOS-UA 1). For those students, an option is placement within the International Writing sequence, beginning with International Writing Workshop I (EXPOS-UA 4), followed by International Writing Workshop II (EXPOS-UA 9). The expectations for International Writing Workshop I and II are the same as for Writing the Essay, but the classes are smaller and there is more time (two semesters) to complete the curriculum. For help determining whether Writing the Essay or International Writing Workshop I is the better choice for international students who attended English-language high schools, please visit the Expository Writing Program webpage: ewp.cas.nyu.edu.

2) International students who did not attend English-language high schools for four years are asked to take a survey designed to determine appropriate placement. Based on their survey responses, these students may be placed into International Writing Workshop: Introduction (EXPOS-UA 3), which is followed by International Writing Workshop I (EXPOS-UA 4) and then by International Writing Workshop II (EXPOS-UA 9). The preliminary course, International Writing Workshop: Introduction, is taught in an environment in which gaining fluency in reading, writing, and speaking in English is an expected part of the coursework, and which offers international students more time and support for reading, writing, and speaking. It is possible for students in International Writing Workshop: Introduction to be reevaluated at the end of the course for a possible waiver of International Writing Workshop I (EXPOS-UA 4) and direct placement into International Writing Workshop II (EXPOS-UA 9). For questions about survey results, please consult with your adviser and the survey team: ewp-writingsurvey@nyu.edu.

For more information about international student placement, please consult https://cas.nyu.edu/ewp/faq/international-writing-workshops.html.