Graduate Level Writing Proficiency Requirement

Recommended By
Academic Senate
Approved
David W. Benson, President
Issue Date
Monday, December 1, 1986
Current Issue Date
Monday, August 17, 1998
Effective Date
Sunday, February 1, 1987
Contact Office
Dean of Academic Programs and Graduate Studies
Policy number
1986-4

In order to assure that graduate students possess the ability to communicate effectively in written English and the skills to write a thesis or comprehensive examination in a particular discipline, advancement to classified standing will be contingent upon fulfillment of the Written English Proficiency Test (WEPT) requiremerit, or fulfillment of departmentally-administered review procedures which have been approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.

WEPT Procedures:

  1. SSU graduates who have passed the WEPT during the past seven years will be considered to have completed the requirement.
  2. Students who present evidence of passing an equivalent examination at another institution within the past seven years (certifying writing proficiency at the upper division level) will be considered to have met the requirement.
  3. All other students entering graduate programs will be required to take the test in their first semester at the University.
  4. Students who pass the test at a score of 7 or above are qualified to move to classified standing, providing other University and departmental requirements have been met.
  5. Students who fail the WEPT with a score of 5-6 will be required to take English 275, or to pursue some other appropriate means of remediation, and to retake the test.
  6. Students who fail the test with a score of 4 or below will be denied admission to the graduate program but may, upon recommendation of the department, be directed into an appropriate writing course.
  7. Prospective graduate students will take the WEPT on the regular, campus-wide administration dates.

This policy supersedes previous policy statement (1985)

Updated August 17, 1998 by SSU.policies@sonoma.edu