Our online Certificate in Academic Writing* offers Distance students the opportunity to enhance and accredit their writing skills, enabling them to communicate effectively and prepare for future writing tasks in both academic and professional contexts.
* Available to students in the Undergraduate Online career only. Not available to on-campus Queen's students.
Program Plan
This certificate program consists of 12.0 units. 6.0 of these units are required courses, while the other 6.0 units can be selected from the option courses described below.
Core courses (6.0 units)
Choose one of the following two courses:
- WRIT 120 (3.0 units): Fundamentals of Effective Writing
- WRIT 125 (3.0 units): Fundamentals of Academic Essay Writing
Plus the following course:
- WRIT 225 (3.0 units): Writing for Research, Analysis, and Reflection
Option courses (6.0 units)
Choose two of the following three courses:
- WRIT 240 (3.0 units): Writing for Social Media and the Web
- WRIT 265 (3.0 units): Editing in Academic and Professional Contexts
- WRIT 290 (3.0 units): Writing Creative Non-Fiction
You may choose to substitute 3.0 units of WRIT option courses above with 3.0 units of the following courses:
- CWRI 295 (3.0 units): Creative Writing I
- DRAM 251 (3.0 units): Introduction to Playwriting
Note: If you are also in an online degree program, only 6.0 units from your degree program or the certificate can count towards both. In other words, to graduate with both an online degree and this certificate, you would need a total of 96.0 units (instead of 90.0 units).
No more than 3.0 units of core and option courses may be transfer credits from outside Queen’s University.
For the most up-to-date and accurate program plan information, please see the Arts and Science Academic Calendar.
How do I apply?
Admission Requirements
Queen's Arts and Science Online has several admission categories for students with diverse educational backgrounds. View them all here.
Submit an Application
To apply for a Queen's online program, simply submit an online application directly through our website here.
Current Queen's Students
Current Queen's students wishing to add a certificate to their degree, please see the "Current Queen's Students" section on the Admission Requirements page for more information. Note: The Certificate in Academic Writing is not available to on-campus Queen's students, only students in the "undergraduate online" career.
How Online Learning Works
Click here to learn more about when to access your course, time commitments, exams and more.