University Courses: Frequently Asked Questions
- What courses do you offer?
- Who teaches the courses?
- Who are these courses for?
- Are there any prerequisites for the courses?
- Can I take one of these courses even if I’m not currently enrolled at a university?
- How large are the classes?
- How much does a Playwrights' Center University Course cost?
- When are the courses offered?
- When do the classes meet? Are they synchronous or asynchronous?
- How do I apply?
- How does course scheduling work?
- How do I enroll?
- What is the Playwrights’ Center’s relationship to Augsburg University?
- I'd like my university to have a more formal partnership with the Playwrights' Center so students here can have greater access to these PWC courses. How does that happen?
- I’m a professor or administrator, and I’m concerned about sending tuition and financial aid off-campus.
- Our university already offers playwriting courses. What do you provide that’s different?
- My school is on the trimester system and/or our courses are 3 credits (or 1). How will that work if these undergrad PWC courses are 4 credits on a semester system?
- If I have questions, where should I direct them?
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Playwriting (PWC 300) – a general playwriting workshop for students at any stage of their development
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Topics in Playwriting (PWC 310) – a playwriting course more specifically focused on topics of interest to students and instructors; topics so far have included Expanding Theatrical Possibilities Through Genre Writing, Queering the Page, Human Rights and Social Justice, and Excavating Your "Stuff."
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Writing for Television (PWC 320) – a hands-on television-writing course taught by playwrights working actively in TV writers' rooms
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Writing for Digital Media (PWC 330) – a practice-based course that explores the intersection of digital media and theatrical storytelling; areas of focus may include games, apps, audio/radio performance, installation, immersive performance, and live participatory online experiences
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Topics in Writing for Screen and Stage (PWC 510) – a graduate-level course focused on rotating topics in writing for theater, television, film, or digital media; may be taken as a more advanced version of our 300-level courses, or as a stand-alone grad course
These courses have all been approved by Augsburg University. Each academic year, we make careful decisions about which of our courses to offer and how many sections of each. Right now, we are offering six classes per year, but that number shift and change in years to come.
Playwrights’ Center Fellows and Core Writers and Affiliated Writers teach and mentor the next generation of playwrights in these courses. The program provides an opportunity for students to connect deeply with these leading writers in the field who are rarely able to teach at students’ own universities. The instructors themselves go through a selection process and receive ongoing teaching support from Playwrights' Center staff throughout the year.
These courses are for writers who are interested in an in-depth, semester-long, college-style experience. They’re designed to match the rigor and intensity of an upper-division undergraduate or first/second year graduate course, and serve students with a passion for writing, an eagerness to learn from professional writers all around the country, an interest in building community with peers, and a desire to tell stories on stage and in other related fields.
Are there any prerequisites for the courses?
The only official academic prerequisite is a basic effective writing/composition course or equivalent experience, usually completed by the first semester of a student’s first year in college or senior year in high school.
Can I take one of these courses even if I’m not currently enrolled at a university?
Yes! Please do! We also have a wealth of other non-accredited short- and long-term classes offered at the Playwrights’ Center that may be a better fit for you if you’re not able to commit to a fifteen-week course. Please reach out to Dr. Zoë Rodine, Director of University Programs and Partnerships, at zoer@pwcenter.org or 612-547-5743 if you have questions about which of our education opportunities is best for you.
Classes are capped at 15 so that all writers get the individualized attention they need and can create meaningful community with each other.
How much does a Playwrights' Center University Course cost?
The full tuition for a student paying out-of-pocket is $2,200 per course. However, you will not pay this amount if it is beyond your financial means. We charge students on a sliding scale based on financial circumstances, and we work closely with you to determine a tuition amount and/or payment plan that is equitable. If you are an independent writer or you attend a school without a tuition agreement, after you have been accepted to a PWC course, you will be provided with an Equitable Tuition Form in the application that helps staff determine your individual tuition amount.
If you are currently enrolled in a college or university, the Playwrights’ Center’s first step will always be to work with faculty and administrators at your home school to explore avenues for funding or pathways for tuition transfer that do not require you to pay out of pocket or that significantly reduce the cost of tuition. These tuition agreements are customized for each school, and we are committed to creating as many partnerships with colleges and universities as we can. When a tuition agreement is developed between a student's home institution Playwrights' Center, tuition will be determined based on Augsburg's undergraduate and/or graduate tuition, as well as that university's tuition rates and other pertinent information.
Courses are offered every fall, spring, and summer semester. Start and end dates follow Augsburg University’s academic calendar for fall (late August through mid-December) and spring (mid-January through early May), though the summer session is offered as a full-credit intensive (early June - mid August).
When do the classes meet? Are they synchronous or asynchronous?
Right now, almost all of our courses meet synchronously for 15 weeks for a total of three hours per week, usually for one 3-hour block on a weekend day or weekday evening. We use Zoom for synchronous class meetings and Google Classroom for other asynchronous activities. In rare cases, courses might meet synchronously for fewer than three hours a week, and the rest of the hours are spent in asynchronous instruction through Google Classroom and smaller group meetings. Read on for more information about how the synchronous workshops are scheduled.
Students apply with this simple form which asks for contact information and a brief questionnaire about your writing experience and reasons for applying. You will also sign off that you've read our values statement and other course policies. If you’re taking the course for credit, you'll be asked to provide a copy of your unofficial transcript (for college-level courses you've completed). Once you submit your application, you'll have a short Zoom meeting/interview with the Director of University Programs and Partnerships to discuss your interest in the class, the course content, scheduling process, credit transfer, and next steps in the application. This will also be an opportunity to ask any questions you may have.
Acceptance into the course comes after this meeting. Once you've been accepted, you'll be given access to the course scheduling survey (see below), the Financial Aid Form as applicable, as well as basic questions about credit transfer and billing. You are always welcome to ask questions about tuition earlier in the process, but we want to make sure you know your acceptance to a course is not dependent on your ability to pay.
How does course scheduling work?
Once your application is reviewed and accepted, you will get access to a Google survey in which you will indicate your availability and schedule constraints for the semester. Playwrights' Center staff then work to create synchronous workshop times that accommodate as many students’ schedules as possible, and we may be in touch with you personally at this point. Our goal is to create a cohort of students first and then use their availability to set meeting times. This is a complex process, so it requires collaboration and communication from everyone involved.
Once you are accepted into the course, you will officially ‘commit’ to the class once we’ve completed all aspects of the application (Financial Aid, scheduling form, etc). If you’re seeking credit, Augsburg staff will enroll you in the course, and Playwrights' Center staff will continue to be in touch both with you and, when applicable, with your home institution. Because these courses are intimate and our approach is very hands-on, we are always here to help you through this whole process and answer any questions you may have. After the course is over at the end of the semester, Augsburg will send the transcripted academic credit to your home university based on the information you filled out in your initial application.
What is the Playwrights’ Center’s relationship to Augsburg University?
Augsburg is the accrediting academic institution for the Playwrights' Center. Because the Playwrights' Center can't issue college credit on its own without a university partner, Augsburg will process transcripts and other academic paperwork. But the Playwrights’ Center hires and pays instructors and holds primary responsibility for the curriculum.
I'd like my university to have a more formal partnership with the Playwrights' Center so students here can have greater access to these PWC courses. How does that happen?
The Playwrights’ Center works directly with each interested university to create a formal affiliation agreement whenever possible. This affiliation agreement (customized for each school) simply ensures there is a standard pathway for students to register and for tuition to be transferred. The agreement is generally negotiated in conversations with a dean’s office, an off-campus study office, the registrar’s office, and/or the financial aid office at any given school. Additionally, academic departments can decide whether PWC courses may support their program of study and count towards a major or minor. All parts of a partnership can be reflected in an affiliation agreement based on each school's needs. We consider faculty in theater and creative writing departments key partners in this program and will be in ongoing contact with them to ensure our courses are meeting curricular needs and supplementing, never replacing, what they offer. If you'd like to discuss any of this further, please reach out to Zoë Rodine, Director of University Programs and Partnerships, at zoer@pwcenter.org or 612-547-5743.
I’m a professor or administrator, and I’m concerned about sending tuition off campus.
That’s totally understandable in our current academic climate. But because we are building a cohort of student writers from all over the country, this program can only accommodate one or two students from any given school at a time—and, even then, only for one course per student; at most that’s eight credits of tuition from an entire university for a semester. View this program as a mini-study away experience or an independent study with an off-site instructor. We’ve deliberately designed our courses to complement, rather than compete with offerings at your school—and to give your students an opportunity they would not be able to get elsewhere.
Our university already offers playwriting courses. What do you provide that’s different?
The Playwrights’ Center will regularly hire leading writers in theater, TV, and other media to teach these courses—artists working actively in their fields who would rarely be able to teach at one university for an entire semester. We also offer specifically-themed playwriting courses on topics you may not have in your standard curriculum. And beyond playwriting courses, your students could study writing for television or digital media. You might even have a student who has already taken every creative writing course you offer and still wants more, but you can’t accommodate that request for just one student. We can. Not every course we offer will be right for your school, but we’re here to support you and your specific needs with an array of options.
My school is on the trimester system and/or our courses are 3 credits (or 1). How will that work if these undergrad PWC courses are 4 credits on a semester system?
We will figure out an arrangement that works for you and your university. Our partners at Augsburg have lots of experience navigating situations like these, and we have always figured out how to represent credit appropriately.
If I have questions, where should I direct them?
Please get in touch with Director of University Programs and Partnerships, Dr. Zoë Rodine, at zoer@pwcenter.org or 612-547-5743. She’s a former associate professor herself, so she can help you navigate many parts of this process.