David Sheppard returned to college in the fall of 1978. He attended the University of Colorado, Denver Center, located in downtown Denver. His intent was to get a second undergraduate degree in English. He took classes in creative writing and American literature. But the next spring, he and his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona, so his goal to get a degree in English never came to fruition. However, he did returned to the area in 1086, and then he took two creative writing classes at the University of Colorado in Boulder. This is a summary of his work toward a second undergraduate degree in English:

• 9 Units American Literature 

• 6 Units Creative Writing 

• 3 Units Critical Writing