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Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program in Writing

(EDP 022466)

Take a new path to becoming a serious writer

For aspiring writers serious about their craft, the UC Berkeley Extension post-baccalaureate certificate program is ideal. Formalize your training and prepare for graduate study in writing with this new certificate that’s the only one of its kind in the Bay Area. UC Berkeley Extension’s strong reputation for educating writers further ensures that this rigorous program will meet your needs.

Build your writing portfolio and gain a credential that shows your commitment. Join a community of writers who share your dedication and help you develop. Discover what it takes to be published. Be inspired as you read exemplary works of literature. And learn from respected instructors who can provide the recommendation that helps you stand out from the competition for a coveted place in an M.F.A. program in writing.

Whether your passion is poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, UC Berkeley Extension’s new writing certificate program prepares you to excel.

Program Requirements

Tailor the certificate program to your needs with courses you can take in any order and the opportunity to focus on one type of writing or multiple genres. The program consists of seven courses, including two required courses and five restricted electives selected from two categories: literature (two courses) and writing workshops (three courses). Many courses are offered online as well as in the classroom.

Required Courses
(2 courses, 4 semester units, 60 classroom hours)

The Craft of Writing X421 (2 units)

Writing Skills Workshop X13 (2 units)

Literature Restricted Electives
(2 courses, 4+ semester units, 60 classroom hours)
(sample courses; offerings vary by term)

• Classics of Children's Literature X75 (3 units) (offered future term)
• Mystery Fiction X103.9 (3 units)
• American Fiction X135A (3 units)
• Shakespeare XB17 (4 units)

Writing Workshop Restricted Electives
(3 courses, 6 semester units, 90 classroom hours)
(sample courses; offerings vary by term)

Fiction
• Introduction to Writing Fiction X464 (2 units)
• Developing the Novel I X125.1 (2 units)

Nonfiction
• Creative Nonfiction Workshop X140 (2 units)
• Introduction to Memoir Writing X6 (3 units)
• Writing the Feature Story X419 (2 units)

Admission

A bachelor’s degree from an accredited undergraduate institution is all you need to enroll. Submit a copy of your official transcript to the writing program director at UC Berkeley Extension, 1995 University Avenue, Suite 110, Berkeley, CA 94704-7000.

Completion Requirements

To receive the UC Berkeley Extension Certificate in Writing, you must earn a final GPA of at least 2.5 and complete each of your courses with a grade of C or better. All courses must be taken for a letter grade. You also must complete all of your requirements within five years after filing with the UC Berkeley Extension Registrar’s Office as a candidate for the certificate.

If you earn a GPA of 4.0, you will receive your certificate the additional notation of "with distinction."

Requirements may be updated based on new developments in the field of study; we recommend completing the program in a timely fashion. It is not necessary to undertake the entire certificate program to participate in individual courses.

Instructors and Advisers

To ensure that your certificate program is of the highest quality, UC Berkeley Extension turns to experienced writers, outstanding teachers, and published authors for advisers and instructors. They include advisory committee members:

Mimi Albert, M.F.A., is a novelist, writer of short fiction and nonfiction, book reviewer, and teacher of creative writing. She has published two novels, The Second Story Man and Skirts (Baskerville Press). She is a contributing editor to the Berkeley literary journal Poetry Flash, and is the chair of the fiction committee of Northern California Book Reviewers.

Melissa Hart, M.F.A., is a published memoirist, novelist, and professor in Eugene, Ore. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in literature from the College of Creative Studies at UC Santa Barbara. She earned her master's of fine art in creative writing at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vt.

Mary Ann Koory, Ph.D., named Honored Instructor in 2003, has a doctorate in literature from UC Berkeley. She credits diverse cultural influences such as the musical "Hamlet" episode of Gilligan‘s Island and Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Her Mystery Fiction and Shakespeare courses have won the Helen Williams Award for Excellence in Collegiate Independent Study.

Arlene Plevin, M.F.A., Ph.D., has extensive experience as a freelance writer, specializing in travel and environmental topics. She has taught English and writing since 1979.

Margaret Steen, M.J., a Bay Area freelance writer, editor, and writing instructor, has taught courses on copyediting, writing skills and business writing for UC Berkeley Extension. She received a master's degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.

Gary Tombleson, Ph.D., founded a master of arts program in humanities and leadership at New College of California. In his more than 35 years of teaching, he has taught courses on ships at sea, in federal prisons, in the night school for Chapman University, and at UC Berkeley.

For more information about the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing, contact (510) 642-7343 or online@unex.berkeley.edu.

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