bfa creative writing

Undergraduate Creative Writing (BFA)

Develop the talent and technique it takes to excel as a creative writer in our BFA program.

About the Undergraduate Creative Writing Major

Words have power. They can catapult people out of their mindsets, throw them out of time, motivate them to rethink beliefs, and move them to introspection and tears. At Emerson College, writers have the opportunity to examine the power of the written word and experiment with offbeat ideas, novel approaches, and timeless topics. 

Our undergraduate Creative Writing BFA program is designed for the imaginative, the curious, and the poetic. Housed in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing in the School of the Arts, the program’s faculty challenge you to sharpen your writing skills and find your own voice, ensuring that you leave Emerson as a formidable communicator—and also a unique one. Our writing courses give you a deep understanding of how writing as an art form has developed over time and across cultures, leaving you well-positioned to succeed in creative writing—a life of provoking and persuading, entertaining and educating, imagining and inspiring.

I enjoy the Creative Writing program because I am able to focus on specific genres….I am able to explore different forms of writing to solidify what I am interested in and what I am not interested in. I have learned a lot from my professors, who are all experienced writers—they are very helpful.

Real-World Experience as a Writer

Creative Writing majors have ample opportunity to gain real-world learning experience. Here are a few examples:

• Students can write or work for a number of student literary journals and magazines, including Redivider, em Magazine, The Emerson Review, Concrete Literary Magazine, and Your Magazine.
• Emerson hosts a Pitch Slam event during which students give a one-minute pitch to a board of local and national editors for the opportunity to have their writing published. 
• Beyond campus, students have access to coveted internships through our alumni network, which includes New York Times –bestselling authors, editors, and publishing professionals. Recent internship sites include: Boston magazine, Reader’s Digest , and Yale University Press.
• Through a partnership with Penguin Random House, students are mentored during a semester-long program.

Careers for Creative Writing Majors

Our Creative Writing graduates have gone on to become prominent authors, screenwriters, and critics. Examples of careers include:

• Acquisitions Editor
• Book Reviewer
• Social Media Specialist
• Writing Instructor

Notable Writing, Literature and Publishing Alumni

• Lara Egger, Author, H ow to Love Everyone and Almost Get Away with It
• Alex Garner, Assistant Editor, Museum of Modern Art
• Jaweed Kaleem, National Correspondent, Los Angeles Times
• Kira Salak, Travel Writer and Contributing Editor, National Geographic

Meet Our Faculty

Ready to pursue your daring ideas.

• Learn More about the Undergraduate Creative Writing (BFA) Program
• Apply to the Undergraduate Creative Writing (BFA) Program

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Creative Writing, BFA

Among Public National Universities, U.S. News & World Report

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Nationally, Best Online Bachelor's Programs, U.S. News & World Report

Our alumni work as:

BFA graduates can apply their training in positions that call for writing and editing. This includes options in digital/tech fields.

BFA students who earn the certificate in publishing are equipped to move into careers in the publishing industry.

BFA graduates are qualified to move into fields of professional communication, including those with government agencies and marketing firms.

With training in powerful communication, our students are uniquely equipped to attend law school.

Participate in a rigorous apprenticeship in the art and craft of creating literature

Develop critical faculties, understanding of literary forms, and aesthetic judgment

Build a strong foundation in the historical literary tradition and a grounding practice of the art of writing

Construct a thoughtful interdisciplinary foundation for understanding the relationship of creative writing to other arts and scholarly areas

“ I admire the energy, artistic nuance, and emotion with which a writer can carry a story. This is what I love about reading what other writers have created: discovering the heart of a story. ”

Liberal Arts Foundation

We encourage our graduate students to become people of letters, and our goals for undergraduates are no less ambitious.

We offer a broad liberal arts education that fosters creativity, exercises communication skills, sharpens analytical perception, and encourages informed, integrated cultural viewpoints.

Studio-Academic Experience

Our BFA program provides aspiring writers an apprenticeship in writing, informed by the close study of literature among a community of professional writers.

As a studio-academic experience in writing fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction, our BFA program unites passionate people who believe the creation of art is a pursuit valuable to self and culture.

Sample Courses

How do i major in creative writing.

Students may  declare a major  in pre-creative writing at any point upon completing at least 24 hours of college credits.

Admission to the full creative writing major comes through application only.

Application process

• Complete at least   24 hours of college credits
• CRW 207: Introduction to Fiction Writing
• CRW 208: Introduction to Poetry Writing
• CRW 209: Introduction to Creative Nonfiction Writing
• Submit BFA application for admission through Canvas  
• Submit creative work/portfolio for review by faculty members

Application deadlines

• September 15

Explore More Program Details

Learn more about the Department

Related Programs

English, b.a..

Provides an exceptional academic experience grounded in critical inquiry, creativity, and application through three robust curriculum tracks in literary studies, professional writing, and teacher licensure.

History, B.A.

Teach, research, and write about the history of just about everywhere.

Philosophy and Religion, B.A.

Foster philosophy and the study of religions and to encourage a critical appreciation of the deepest issues of human experience of the past and present, in our own culture and globally.

Certificate & Graduate Programs

Creative writing, mfa.

A terminal degree that focuses on the study and craft of creative writing.

Publishing Certificate

A pathway to careers in the publishing industry.

 Professional Writing Certificate

The certificate in professional writing advances writing skills by providing foundational education in rhetoric, design and editing.

Creative Writing, B.F.A.

School of humanities and social sciences, program overview.

As a creative writing major, you will join a community of students, faculty, and mentors who will help you develop as an imaginative writer and a bold thinker. You’ll pursue a course of study that combines training in the art and craft of writing alongside literary scholarship. Working closely with our active, publishing, and award-winning faculty, you’ll sharpen your expertise in reading and analyzing literature and develop your skills at creating meaningful, transformative narratives.

Where You'll Go

The skills you will learn as a creative writing major—how to read and think critically, how to write with precision and ingenuity, how to do research—will prepare you well to be a creative writer, grants writer, content strategist, editor, copywriter, social media manager, and more.

Major Details

The program information listed here reflects the approved curriculum for the 2023–24 academic year per the Brooklyn College Bulletin. Bulletins from past academic years can be found here .

Major Requirements (47–52 Credits)

I. english 2120 and 2121 (8 credits).

English 2120 and 2121 are required. Creative writing majors should complete either English 2120 or 2121 , or be enrolled in one or the other, before continuing in other electives. No ENGL course numbered lower than 2115 may count toward the major.

II. Creative writing courses (16 credits)

• English 2301 .
• English 3301 , 3302 .
• English 3304 , 3305 .
• English 3306 , 3307 .
• One additional creative writing courses in the English Department: ENGL 2302 , or any of the courses 3301–3307 that has not been used to satisfy requirement (ii)b.

III. Periods of Study (10-12 credits)

One course from from 900–1800 and two from 1800 to the present:

• 900–1500: English 3111 , 3112 , 3520 , 4101 ; Comparative Literature 3614 .
• 1500–1660: English 3120 , 3121 , 3122 , 3123 , 3124 , 3125 , 4102 ; Comparative Literature 3615 .
• 1660–1800: English 3131 , 3132 , 3133 , 3234 , 4103 ; Comparative Literature 3616 .
• 1800–1900: English 3140 , 3141 , 3142 , 3143 , 3145 , 3151 , 3156 , 3157 , 3158 , 3160 , 4104 , 4107 ; Comparative Literature 3606 , 3617 .
• 1900–1950: English 2402 , 3152 , 3153 , 3156 , 3159 , 3160 , 3161 , 3162 , 3163 , 3164 , 3165 , 3170 , 3171 , 3172 , 3173 , 3193 , 4110 , 4107 , 4108 ; Comparative Literature 3607 , 3608 , 3610 , 3618 , 3622 , 3623 , 3624 , 3625 .
• 1950–the Present: English 2402 , 3154 , 3161 , 3162 , 3166 , 3167 , 3174 , 3180 , 3187 , 3193 , 3194 , 3254 , 4109 , 4112 , 4113 , 4114 ; Comparative Literature 3609 , 3611 , 3619 , 3621 , 3622 , 3623 , 3625 , 4601 , 4602 .

IV. Electives (13-16 credits)

• A) A course that addresses race/ethnicity or empire/post-colonialism (e.g., English 3158 , 3160 , 3161 , 3162 , 3166 , 3169 , 3182 , 3194 , 3234 , 3240 , 3526 , Comparative Literature 3620 , 3623 , 3625 , 3632 , or another course with permission of the chair)
• B) A genre course, or a thematic studies course (addressing a theme such as memory, migration, environmental humanities, literature and psychology, gender and sexuality), or an interdisciplinary studies course (English 3156 , 3157 , 3158 , 3159 , 3163 , 3181 , 3182 , 3183 , 3184 , 3185 , 3186 , 3188 , 3189 , 3190 , 3191 , 3192 , 3265 , 3281 , 3282 , 3286 , 3287 , 3288 , 3292 , 4107 , 4110 , 4111 , Comparative Literature 3601 , 3602 , 3603 , 3604 , 3605 , 3608 , 3612 , 3613 , 3628 , 3629 )
• Capstone seminar: ENGL 4301
• Three to four additional credits in advanced English Department courses. Related courses offered by other departments may be substituted with permission of the English Department chair.

Student Learning Outcomes

Department goal 1: read and think critically..

Program Objective 1: Learn to read literature with a focus on the ways in which form serves content.

Program Objective 2: Use close reading effectively to identify literary techniques, styles, and themes.

Program Objective 3: Learn to read and comment constructively and critically on the creative writing of peers in the workshop context.

Department Goal 2: Understand how language operates.

Program Objective 1: Demonstrate knowledge of literary tropes and techniques (e.g., metaphor, simile, metonymy, synecdoche, word play, and sonic effects such as alliteration, assonance, consonance, and rhythm, etc.)

Department Goal 3: Express ideas—both orally and in writing—correctly, cogently, persuasively, and in conformity with the conventions of the discipline.

Program Objective 1: Create original examples of creative writing that demonstrate complexity through attention to rhetoric, syntax, and tone.

Program Objective 2: Comment and write cogently and persuasively about classmates’ writing in the workshop context.

Program Objective 3: Demonstrate the ability to respond to constructive criticism from instructor and peers by effectively revising writing assignments.

Program Objective 4: Demonstrate the ability to use the currently accepted conventions of standard English mechanics and grammar, with an eye toward how those standards can be stretched in order to achieve innovative modes of expression.

Department Goal 4: Conduct research

Program Objective 1: Learn how to research and seek out historical and contemporary literary voices relevant to their individual voice.

Program Objective 2: Make use of the opportunities that Brooklyn College and New York City afford by attending readings, plays, literary panel discussions, and submitting to literary magazines.

Outcomes for demonstrating achievement of objectives

Written work (including poems/stories/plays, in-class writing exercises, short written reflections on literary techniques used by published writers, workshop responses for peers, revised writing samples, etc.)

Contributions to class discussions and workshops

Attendance at readings, panels, performances or a related research project (such as researching literary magazines/submitting one’s work); documented via written summary of the activity handed into instructor

Degree Maps

View all past degree maps .

Contact the  English Department for information on academic advisers and office hours.

Or contact:

Office of Undergraduate Admissions

222 West Quad Center 2900 Bedford Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11210 E:  [email protected]

To make an appointment with an undergraduate admissions counselor, visit:

Virtual Admissions Counselor Appointments

The Support You’ll Find

Brooklyn College is an integral part of the cultural and artistic energy of New York City. Our faculty members in English offer incomparable expertise and tremendous talent, and each brings a unique perspective to their teaching and mentoring in and out of the classroom.

Helen Phillips

Helen Phillips is the author of six books, including the novel THE NEED (Simon & Schuster, 20...

Tanya L. Pollard

Tanya Pollard trained in Classics, English, and Comparative literature, at Oxford and Yale. She t...

Karl T. Steel

For Karl Steel’s CV, see

Dorell Thomas

Dorell Thomas earned master’s degrees in both English Adolescent Literature, Grade 7-12 and...

Monica De La Torre

Simanique Moody

Eric Alterman

Eric Alterman is a CUNY Distinguished Professor of English and Journalism. He was the “The ...

Sophia Bamert

Matthew Burgess

Matthew Burgess began teaching at Brooklyn College in 1999 while pursuing his M.F.A. in Poetry. H...

Joseph Entin

Joseph Entin teaches in the English Department and the American Studies program at Brooklyn Colle...

Nicola Masciandaro

The Whim (blog) Current Projects: Appalling Melodrama, ...

Roni Natov has lived her entire life (almost) at Brooklyn College, where she was a student and ha...

Jonathan Nissenbaum

Jon Nissenbaum earned his Ph.D. under the supervision of Noam Chomsky and David Pesetsky. Before ...

Ellen Tremper

Native New Yorker Ellen Tremper has taught at New York University and joined the Brooklyn College...

Internships and Employers

Through job fairs, the internship database, and internship panels, the Magner Career Center gives students in the creative writing B.F.A. program access to career opportunities at a wide variety of employers, including:

• CBS News and Stations
• Harlem Children’s Zone
• Planned Parenthood
• Rent the Runway
• Varsity Tutors

Student Resources

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Writing at Pratt

Pratt’s BFA in Writing prepares you to become a highly proficient and self-sustaining creative writer. Through our studio-based approach and our commitments to inquiry, creative research, and critical self-reflection, you’ll expand your creative range, investigate the cultural and historical forces that have sculpted literary traditions, become an expert practitioner, and explore other fields offered at Pratt. Your creative expression is our focus, balanced with professional preparation and community engagement to prepare you to navigate the changing literary landscape. Combining rigor with care, we actively shape your time at Pratt and connect you to campus resources, so that—despite the solitude that sometimes attends the writing life—you’ll feel supported and equipped to achieve your goals. 

The Experience

Interdisciplinary, socially engaged, and deeply personalized, our tight-knit writing community values a plurality of voices and approaches to writing, both on and off the page. You’ll gather with your peers twice a week for intensive studios, where feedback sessions, generative writing, and collaborative thinking take place. You can explore specialized writing electives in screenwriting, dystopian fiction, environmental writing, psychoanalysis, and feminist thought. First-year foundational courses include critical thinking and writing, world literature, writing elements, and community as classroom. A small student-to-faculty ratio on the Brooklyn campus fosters an intimate sense of community, as do on-campus readings and departmental social events.

The BFA Writing offers a suite of courses designed to prepare undergraduates for a life in writing, in all of its dimensions. Taken in the first year, the “Community as Classroom” course will immerse you in the vast literary series, institutions, venues, and activities across the city, as sources not only for what kinds of things are happening in writing right now but also the artistic lineages they are part of.

Professional Development 

We help our students build meaningful, creative, and sustainable writing lives, especially in the years following graduation. The third year course “Writer as Worker” provides concrete skills and guidance to discern, acquire, and plan for a professional development track in the spring semester. Weekly visits with guest authors, agents, editors, journalists, teachers, filmmakers, and theater artists helps you make informed choices about the work/life experiences you’d like to explore in the coming semesters, and beyond. Practical survival skills and support like internships, job search basics, grants, fellowships, and grad school are covered as ways to build a writing life that inspires you.

Internship & Fieldwork

A one-semester credit-bearing internship or independent fieldwork project is accompanied by a guided professional exploration course. Depending on your interests, you could intern at a publishing house, literary agency, film/TV studio, podcast network, news publication, arts organization or nonprofit. Fieldwork projects could include starting a literary journal, publishing a zine, planning a symposium, developing a podcast pilot, building an artist website, learning how to produce and fund theatrical and film productions, and many others. Past sites have also included The Poetry Project, Nightboat Books, Belladonna* Collaborative, Ugly Duckling Presse, The Brooklyn Rail , and Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. The accompanying course ensures your work becomes an educational opportunity through which you can effectively discern the material realities of the writing life and the labor that sustains it.

Berlin, Germany is an ideal city for you to broaden your cultural, intellectual, and creative horizons. For a writer, spending a semester abroad can be a powerful experience, offering you the chance to shift perspectives, learn new cultural narratives, and form more expansive world views, all of which deepen and complicate your imaginative potential. The chance to learn a new language is also a direct way to more fully understand and develop your own native language. The Pratt Berlin study abroad program offers sophomores and juniors a chance to spend a semester in one of Europe’s most vibrant artistic and literary cities. Housed in a newly renovated button factory in Kreuzberg, one of Berlin’s most central and exciting neighborhoods, the program offers writing majors and minors in creative writing, critical and visual studies, and humanities and media studies a full 16 credits of core classes and electives with BFA Writing faculty. Visit Pratt’s Study Abroad Program page .

Events and Visiting Writers

Our Writer at Large program, the annual Michael Mahoney Memorial Reading, the MFA’s Writing Activisms series, and other events bring renowned writers to campus for readings, workshops, and manuscript consultations. Beyond these events, department faculty regularly invite writers to spend time with their classes including Ottessa Moshfegh, Ross Gay, Simone White, Layli Long Soldier, Alexander Chee, Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Michelle Tea, Asiya Wadud, Chloë Bass, Sarah Thankam Mathews, and others.

Writer-at-Large 

The Leslie Scalapino Lecture in Innovative Poetics

Learning Resources

We develop disciplinary fluency in our program of study and we celebrate the interdisciplinary nature of design critical to address the plurality and complexity of the environments in which we operate.  Learning resources

Our Faculty

Pratt’s distinguished faculty of ou- tstanding creative professionals and scholars share a common desire to develop each student’s potential and creativity to the fullest. All are practicing writers who are engaged in New York City’s vibrant literary community. Bringing different views, methods, and perspectives they provide a rigorous educational model in which students make and learn. See all Writing faculty and administrators .

Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts

Assistant Professor

Laura Henriksen

Visiting Assistant Professor

Christian Hawkey

Laura Elrick

Associate Professor

Dianca Potts

Alysia slocum laferriere.

Acting Assistant Chairperson; Visiting Assistant Professor

Christopher Perez

Visiting Professor

Anna Moschovakis

Adjunct Associate Professor with CCE

Sarah Mathews

Pratt’s distinguished alumni are leading diverse and thriving careers, addressing critical challenges and creating innovative work that reimagines our world.

Where They Work

• Carly Tagen-Dye, Editorial Assistant, People Magazine
• Anika Jade Levy, Founding Editor, Forever Magazine 
• Alexa Trembly and Emory Harkins, Twenty Stories Bookstore
• Ryan Carson, Founder, NO OD NY
• Erin Perez, Poetry Teacher, Saint Ann’s School

MFA Programs Attended by BFA Writing Alumni

• Erica Ammann, Brown University MFA Literary Arts Program
• Leia Bradley and Anika Jade Levy, Columbia University MFA Writing Program
• Adrian Shirk, University of Wyoming MFA Creative Writing Program
• Cristina Merino, The New School MFA Creative Writing Program

Alumni Publications

• Adrian Shirk, Heaven Is a Place on Earth (Counterpoint, 2022)
• Laura Henriksen, Laura’s Desires (Nightboat Books, 2024)
• Phoebe Robinson, Please Don’t Sit on My Bed in Your Outside Clothes (Tiny Reparations Books, 2021) 
• Brandi Spering, This I Can Tell You (Perennial Press, 2021)
• Kate Gavino, A Career in Books (Plume, 2022)

Success Stories

Culture & community.

New Writing Studios Offer Space to Create and Collaborate

An Award-Winning Film Editor’s Childhood Creativity Flourished at Pratt

In a Shifting Design Industry, a Pratt Grad Supports Future Creative Leaders

Writing alumni stories, ready for more.

@prattwriting

From the Catalog

Sample courses.

• WR-101 Writer’s Studio I 4 credits
• WR-102 Writer’s Studio II 4 credits
• WR-110 Critical Thinking & Writing I 3 credits
• WR-120 Writing Elements I: The Sentence 3 credits
• WR-121 Writing Elements II: Forms 3 credits

Program Overview

The BFA in Writing at Pratt Institute prepares students to become highly proficient and self-sustaining creative writers. Through our studio-based approach and our commitments to inquiry, creative research, and critical self-reflection, we invite students to expand their creative range, to investigate the cultural and historical forces that have sculpted the literary traditions they seek to enter, to become expert practitioners, and to explore the other fields on offer at Pratt. Our focus is students’ creative expression, balanced with professional preparation and community engagement via hands-on courses, internships, and colloquia, so that students are prepared to navigate the changing literary landscape. Our pedagogy combines rigor with care, and the department administration and faculty work actively on behalf of students to shape their time at Pratt and to connect them to campus resources, so that—despite the solitude that sometimes attends the writing life—students feel supported and equipped to achieve their goals.

Learning Outcomes

Via completion of the program, BFA Writing students will:

• Expand their creative process through practices of creative making, experimentation, and play
• Learn to ask and investigate a question through the refinement of curiosity, attention, and research
• Acquire an eloquent critical language for discussions of their work and its place in diverse literary traditions
• Demonstration through informed reading and writing practices, an understanding of the social and historical forces that have shaped their imagination
• Develop expertise in a selected form or genre
• Learning to assemble a revised, cohesive, and polished body of work
• Acquiring professional skills and knowledge that will support a working life

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BFA in Creative Writing

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Pursue a program of intensive study in the making of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting.

The BFA in Creative Writing requires a minimum of 75 semester hours of major coursework designated by the candidate’s area of emphasis in consultation with the student’s program advisor.

Students must successfully complete all major courses with a grade of “C” (2.0) or better. The degree requires 120 total credit hours of coursework. Candidates for the degree must meet the requirements listed below.

Please consult the Undergraduate Catalog for the most current information.

General Education Requirements

All students enrolled in a degree program in the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media must meet the university general education requirements. Additional information on these requirements can be found on the University General Education website .

Please consult with an academic advisor for recommended choices for the major.

Writer’s Workshop Core Requirements

Foreign language.

6-10 hrs. Minimum of one academic year of the same college-level foreign language; high school equivalent of foreign language is not acceptable for this requirement.

Literature and Theory Core: 12 hrs.

• WRWS 1010 Contemporary Writers
• WRWS 4000 Form & Theory (6 hrs.) or WRWS 4000 Form & Theory (3 hrs.) and WRWS 3990 Internship (3 hrs.)

Students may enroll a third time for WRWS 4000 for literature credit. Topic must be different each time.

Lower Level Literature: 9 hrs.

• Select 3 2000-level literature courses from any language or discipline offering a course in primary sources of literature
• ENGL 2310, 2320, 2450, 2460, 2500, 2510, 2520, ENGL 2310, WRWS 2000, Literature courses in Black Studies, Women’s Studies, History, Religion, Philosophy

Upper Division Literature: 18 hrs.

• Select six 3000-4000 level literature courses
• English, foreign languages, Writer’s Workshop, or other appropriate departments (in consultation with faculty advisor).

Fiction & Poetry Track

Writing core: 18 hrs..

• WRWS 2050 Fundamentals of Fiction, 3 hrs.
• WRWS 2060 Fundamentals of Poetry, 3 hrs.
• WRWS 2100 Basic Fiction Studio, 4 hrs.
• WRWS 2200 Basic Poetry Studio, 4 hrs.
• WRWS 2300 Creative Nonfiction Studio, 4 hrs.

Concentration Area:

• Fiction Studio sequence WRWS 3100, 4100, 4110, 12 hrs. OR
• Poetry Studio sequence WRWS 3200, 4200, 4210, 12 hrs.

Creative Nonfiction Track

Writing core: 7 hrs..

Concentration Area: 12 hrs.

• Creative Nonfiction sequence WRWS 3300, 4300, 4310

Choose three (9 hrs.):

• ENGL 4860, Modern Familiar Essay
• ENGL 4820 Autobiography
• JOUR 3400 Magazine Article Writing
• JOUR 3500 Pub. Design & Graphics
• JOUR 4220 Literary Journalism
• JOUR 4250 Public Relations Writing
• JOUR 3210 Critical Writing for Mass Media

Screenwriting Track

Select one of the following course groups:

• WRWS 2600 Basic Screenwriting and Television Studio, 4 hrs.
• WRWS 2060 Fundamentals of Poetry Writing, 3 hrs.
• WRWS 2300 Basic Creative Nonfiction Studio, 4 hrs.
• WRWS 2600 Basic Screenwriting and Television Studio, 3 hrs.
• WRWS 3600 Intermediate Screenwriting Studio, 4 hrs.
• WRWS 4600 Advanced Screenwriting Studio I, 4 hrs.
• WRWS 4610 Advanced Screenwriting Studio II, 4 hrs.

Chose three (9 hrs.)

• WRWS 3000 Special Topics in Writing, 3 hrs.
• THEA 4020 Advanced Projects in Theatre, 3 hrs.
• JMC 3320 Video Field and Studio Production, 3 hrs.
• JMC 4380 Film Theory & Criticism, 3 hrs.
• JMC 4810 Digital Literacies for Technical Communicators, 3 hrs.
• JMC 4820 Politics & Film, 3 hrs.

Appropriate 3000 - 4000 level courses may be selected from other departments, with approval of WRWS advisor.

Minor in Creative Writing

A minor in creative writing requires a minimum of 27 credit hours of course work to be completed under one of four different emphasis areas: fiction, poetry, nonfiction, or combined genres.

Prerequisite Courses: English Composition 1150 & 1160

Fiction: 27 hrs.

• WRWS 2050 Fundamentals of Fiction
• WRWS 2060 Fundamentals of Poetry
• WRWS Studio Sequence 2100, 3100, 4100 or 4110

Six hours of upper division (3000+) literature courses

Poetry 27 hrs.

• WRWS Studio Sequence, 2200, 3200, 4200

Creative Nonfiction: 27 hrs.

• Creative Nonfiction Studio Sequence, 2300, 3300, 4300

Nine hours of upper division (3000+) courses, choose 3:

• Creative Writing

BA and BFA in Creative Writing

Why study with us?

Creativity used to be a term reserved for alternative professions and hobbies. Today, it is being embraced in offices around the world.  – Forbes

Our multi-disciplinary focus on creativity, storytelling, empathy, and poetics develops the professional skills valued in today’s workplace. Students can prepare for jobs in the private sector, hone their writing skills for publication, or develop a portfolio for applying to an MFA program.

BA in Creative Writing

A traditional creative writing degree of 120 credits with background in literature and literary studies. See the Degree Requirements for BA in Creative Writing.

BFA in Creative Writing

An intensive program of 120 credits that prepares students to be professional writers. There are currently 35 BFA degrees in creative writing in the U.S.. See the Degree Requirements for BFA in Creative Writing.

Creative Writing Minor

A program of 24 credits including fiction, poetry, and non-fiction. See the Degree Requirements in Creative Writing Minor.

For the current Catalog, please visit the Boise State Undergraduate Catalog . Creative Writing is listed in the Theatre, Film and Creative Writing portion of the catalog.

Department of Theatre Arts and Creative Writing

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BFA in Creative Writing

A BFA in Creative Writing educates students who have decided to develop and hone their creative writing skills. This intensive undergraduate program provides students with a strong foundation in the fundamentals of multiple genres of creative writing and in its interdisciplinary breadth. By working closely with the department’s nationally and internationally acclaimed and well-published authors—including novelists, poets, screenwriters, memoirists, game designers, and essayists—as well as with their fellow students, the program’s undergraduates actively participate in a creative and literary community that focuses on successfully learning the craft of writing in multiple genres.

Our curriculum is writing and workshop intensive, offering students many opportunities to develop their writing in community with other BFA students. Every year of the program features cohort classes in such subjects as introduction to creative writing; introduction to form, craft, and influence; and introduction to digital editing and publishing. Students also take creative writing courses in an array of genres. They learn about a variety of literatures so they can build a portfolio of literary influences and hone their style. They pursue electives in other theories, histories, and practices of artistic expression. The program concludes with a year-long, thesis style course sequence that includes developing a major creative writing project with a thesis director, workshopping with fellow senior BFA students, and learning about such aspects of being a professional writer as finding an agent, publishing, and giving public readings. Upon completion of the degree, the successful student will have completed a creative senior thesis.

For more details about the curriculum, see the Academic Program page.

For more information, contact the Department of English at 662-915-7439 or bfacreativewriting@olemiss.edu.

Freshman and transfer prospective students: priority deadline January 10th

** Fall 2024 spots still available! Applications reviewed on a rolling basis! 

Current students: priority deadline October 1st

Creative Writing

BFA in Creative Writing: Requirements

In addition to meeting the  general University degree requirements , the Creative Writing major will meet the following requirements for the BFA degree. Students admitted before Fall 2020 may use either these major requirements, or the Creative Writing major requirements of their catalogue year (2019 or earlier); the  former requirements are listed at the bottom of this page .

If you have questions about the BFA in Creative Writing, consult the BFA Handbook , email [email protected] , or  contact an Undergraduate Pathway Advisor .

Requirements for BFA in Creative Writing

In addition to meeting university B.A. degree requirements, the Creative Writing major must meet the following requirements for the BFA degree: Literature Courses, Writing Courses, Fine Art Electives, English Electives, Writing Electives, and a Graduation Requirement (Senior Portfolio).

• Required Writing Courses  (12 credits)
• Writing Electives  (32 credits)
• Historical Literacy  (8 credits)
• Culture, Difference, and Representation  (4 credits)
• English Electives  (12 credits)
• Fine Arts Electives  (8 credits)
• Graduation Requirement (Senior Portfolio)
• Additional Information

Total Credits:  76

Use the  BFA in Creative Writing Advising Worksheet (2020 Catalog Year)  to track your credits.

Required Writing Courses (12 credits)

• Wr 212 Introductory Fiction Writing (4)
• Wr 213 Introductory Poetry Writing (4)
• Wr 214 Introductory Nonfiction Writing (4)

Writing Electives (32 credits)

16 credits in the genre of portfolio (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry), at least 8 of which must be at the 400-level:

• Wr 312 Intermediate Fiction Writing (4)
• Wr 313 Intermediate Poetry Writing (4)
• Wr 328 Media Editing (4)
• Wr 399 Special Studies (1-5)
• Wr 407 Writing Seminar (1-6)
• Wr 412 Advanced Fiction Writing (4)
• Wr 413 Advanced Poetry Writing (4)
• Wr 428 Advanced Media Writing (4)
• Wr 456 Forms of Nonfiction (4)
• Wr 457 Personal Essay Writing (4)
• Wr 458 Magazine Writing (4)
• Wr 459 Memoir Writing (4)

16 credits of additional upper-division WR courses, 8 of which must be 400-level.

Note:  Wr 312, Wr 313, Wr 412, Wr 413 may be repeated once for credit.

Historical Literacy: (8 credits)

These courses provide students with the opportunity to explore different historical periods, regions, and genres, thus enabling them to find connections between multiple topics and cultural moments.

Take two courses from the following list:

• Eng 301U Topics in Shakespearean Genre (4)
• Eng 320U The English Novel I (4)
• Eng 340U Medieval Literature (4)
• Eng 341U Renaissance Literature (4)
• Eng 342U Eighteenth-Century Literature (4)
• Eng 343U Romanticism (4)
• Eng 351 African American Literature (4) 
• Eng 360U American Literature and Culture I (4) 
• Eng 411 English Drama (4)
• Eng 416 History of Rhetoric (4)
• Eng 426 Advanced Topics in Medieval Literature (4) 
• Eng 441 Advanced Topics in Renaissance Literature (4)
• Eng 450 Advanced Topics in Eighteenth-Century Literature (4)
• Eng 458 Advanced Topics in Romanticism (4)
• Eng 460 Advanced Topics in American Literature to 1800 (4)
• Eng 491 History of Literary Criticism and Theory I (4)

Culture, Difference, and Representation: (4 credits)

These courses explore the politics of representation in the contexts of identity and subject formation, cultural encounter and domination, and canon formation and contestation.

Take one course from the following list:

• Eng 326 Literature, Community, and Difference (4)
• Eng 327 Culture, Imperialism, and Globalization (4)
• Eng 428 Canons and Canonicity (4)

English Electives (12 credits)

12 upper division Eng credits (With adviser approval, one upper-division WLL literature course may be applied to this requirement.)

Fine Arts Electives (8 credits)

Two courses in arts appreciation, theory, or performance (8 credits). This requirement is fulfilled through courses in the College of the Arts prefixed Arch, ArH, Art, D, FILM, Mus, and TA.

Graduation Requirement: The Senior Portfolio

The Senior Portfolio is submitted for approval by the end of the third week of the term in which a student intends to graduate. For summer graduates, note that portfolios must be turned in by the end of the third week of spring term. Portfolios will not be accepted over the summer. The portfolio showcases the clean revised copy of the student's creative writing in a chosen genre (i.e., fiction, nonfiction, or poetry), and should contain: (a) An introductory statement of artistic intent (6-10 pages), which provides an overview and analysis of the development and revision of their portfolio work; and (b) Writing within a genre: 30-50 pages (fiction or nonfiction), or 20-30 pages (poetry). Email the portfolio and introductory statement to  [email protected] ; it will be forwarded to a departmental committee for review.

The portfolio consists of a Title Page, a Table of Contents, a Statement of Artistic Intent, and your Writing. All pages must be proofread and properly formatted with 1-inch margins, and double-spaced in a readable standard 12-point font. (There are no spacing instructions for poems.) All pages except the Title Page should be numbered.

• Title page must include name, date, student ID #, email address, BFA genre (fiction, nonfiction, poetry), and identify itself as the BFA in Creative Writing Portfolio. Students may additionally title or subtitle the collection if desired.  
• Table of Contents must include page numbers, and titles for each piece in your Writing section.  
• Articulate your goals and intentions as a writer and discuss the craft decisions and textual strategies at work in relation to your artistic goals. This might include discussion on narrative structure, point of view, chronology, diction, syntax, pacing, rhythm, sound, dialogue, and other decisions you made as a writer. How do your choices about form, craft, and structure relate to your current goals as an artist and to the content of your work? Speak to the broader context of your work by describing some of the texts that influenced the writing selection in your portfolio: how do you see your work in conversation with these writers, and in what ways are their influences felt within your writing? Finally, in what ways do you see your work as distinct from that of the writers you read, and how does your work engage with your own sense of identity, philosophy, language, and/or the world around you?
• Discuss the process by which you wrote the work in your portfolio: did your conception of the structure, content, or voice change significantly while you wrote it? How would you approach the research or writing process differently in the future?
• Describe your plans for the work that youʼve submitted: Are you considering eventually editing or expanding it into a different form? What additional material would you want to generate, or what might you excerpt or edit out?
• Writing section may consist of a single or multiple works within BFA genre; they may be thematically connected, but this is not required. Pieces written within courses may be used, and this is indeed encouraged, but they must be clean revised copies. Each piece within the Writing section should be numbered and titled.

Work will not be judged by its subgenre or subject matter per se, or on its experimental or conventional nature; however, students are expected to carefully analyze and contextualize their artistry in the Statement of Artistic Intent. The Statement and Writing will be expected to meet a high standard of aesthetic achievement and writing craft, and to observe University standards of academic honesty.

Additional Information on Requirements

• Creative Writing majors in upper-division English courses are expected to be able to write a library research paper when required. The department recommends that majors without prior training in research paper writing enroll in Wr 222.
• Only courses in which a student receives a C or above can count for the Creative Writing major.
• Only courses taken for a letter grade can count toward the Creative Writing major.
• No more than 12 credits taken for the Minor in English may be applied to the Creative Writing major.
• A minimum of 24 credits in English and/or Writing at PSU is required to graduate from PSU with a major in Creative Writing.

Former Requirements for BFA in Creative Writing

Students admitted before Fall 2020 may use either the new major requirements listed above or the Creative Writing major requirements of their catalogue year (2019 or earlier).

• Required Literature Courses
• Required Writing Courses
• Fine Arts Electives
• Writing Electives
• Literature Electives

Use the  BFA in Creative Writing Advising Worksheet (2016-2019 Catalog Year)  to track your credits.

Required Literature Courses (16 cr)

• ENG 204 Survey of British Literature I
• ENG 205 Survey of British Literature II
• ENG 253 Survey of American Literature I
• ENG 254 Survey of American Literature II

Required Writing Courses (12 cr)

• WR 212 Introductory Fiction Writing
• WR 213 Introductory Poetry Writing
• WR 214 Introductory Nonfiction Writing

Fine Arts Electives (8 cr)

Two courses in arts appreciation, theory, or performance (8 credits).  This requirement is fulfilled through courses in the College of the Arts (e.g. prefixed ARCH, ARH, ART, FLM, MUS, DANCE and TA.)

Writing Electives (28 cr)

16 credits in the genre of portfolio (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry), at least 8 of which must be 400 level:

• WR 312 Intermediate Fiction Writing*
• WR 313 Intermediate Poetry Writing*
• WR 328 Media Editing
• WR 399 Special Studies
• WR 407 Writing Seminar
• WR 412 Advanced Fiction Writing*
• WR 413 Advanced Poetry Writing*
• WR 428 Advanced Media Writing
• WR 456 Forms of Nonfiction
• WR 457 Personal Essay Writing
• WR 458 Magazine Writing
• WR 459 Memoir Writing

* Courses may be repeated once for credit.

12 credits of additional upper-division WR courses, 8 of which must be 400-level.

English Electives (12 cr)

12 upper division ENG credits. (With advisor approval, one upper division WLL literature course may be applied to this requirement.)

The Senior Portfolio is submitted for approval by the end of the third week of the term in which students intend to graduate. For summer graduates, note that portfolios must be turned in by the end of the third week of spring term. Portfolios will not be accepted over the summer. This portfolio showcases the clean revised copy of the student's creative writing in a chosen genre (i.e., fiction, nonfiction, or poetry), and should contain: (a) An introductory statement of artistic intent (6-10 pages). This statement should provide an overview and analysis of the development and revision of their portfolio work; and (b) Writing within a genre: 30-50 pages (fiction or nonfiction), or 20-30 pages (poetry). Email the portfolio and introductory statement to  [email protected] .

• No more than 12 credits taken for the Minor in English may be applied to the Creative Writing major.
• A minimum of 24 credits in English and/or Writing at PSU is required to graduate from PSU with a major in Creative Writing.

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• https://sou.edu/academics/creative-writing/programs/creative-writing-bfa/

Creative Writing, BFA

Anything is possible in the worlds that you create.

• Creative Writing

Creative Writing – Bachelor of Fine Arts

Offered as a Bachelor of Fine Arts Major

The BFA in Creative Writing at SOU is a structured sequence of workshops and seminars with fiction, poetry, and non-fiction at its core. Electives can be chosen from a wide range of relevant fields including songwriting, playwriting, digital composition, comics, and more, giving students the opportunity to interact with visual artists, musicians, digital innovators, and others within the larger arts complex at SOU. The Emergent Forms reading series brings in different writers each quarter (past guests include Lyn Hejinian, Douglas Kearney, Joshua Clover, Dodie Bellamy, Clark Coolidge, Sandra Simonds, Rodrigo Toscano, Chris Nealon, Catherine Wagner, and many other stars of the contemporary writing scene). Seniors collaborate to produce Main Squeeze, the student literary magazine. The BFA degree culminates in a capstone project that showcases students’ work and creates a powerful centerpiece for their portfolios as they move on to the next phases of their careers.

Program Preparation

The BFA in Creative Writing is designed for students who have a inner passion for writing and want to take their skills to the next level. If writing is your one true love, then this is the place for you to flourish.

Degree Roadmap

Through the course of the Creative Writing program, students learn to develop their own styles, to communicate original ideas clearly, and to present their understanding of themselves and the larger world through cogent, expressive writing in a variety of forms. They study established traditions as well as emerging content and methods. Students are encouraged to be curious, adaptive, and flexible to develop lifelong habits to generate good work and remain current in a changing market.

The capstone is the culmination of the BFA degree where students create a body of written work, drawing on readings, research, and experience with close faculty mentorship and critique with the class cohort. The result is a polished portfolio piece that serves as a springboard to the next step, be it the professional world or graduate school.

Guided Pathways

Contact: David Bithell –  541.552.7033 –  [email protected]

Associate Degree Paths

AAOT English Interest, RCC – AAT English, RCC – AAOT English Flightpath, UCC

Similar Majors

English, BA

Similar Minors & Certificates

Creative Writing, Minor – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Certificate

Similar Micro-Credentials

Foundations of Professional Writing

Sample Graduate Degrees

MFA in Creative Writing, UO – MFA in Creative Writing, OSU – MFA in Creative Writing, PNCA

Credit for Prior Learning – Learn More

Career Opportunities & Outlook

Section contents: creative writing programs.

• Creative Writing BFA
• Creative Writing Minor

Achieve Your Degree in Creative Writing at SOU

Contact creative writing.

SOU Creative Writing Program 1250 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 541.552.6101

– Questions About Creative Writing? –

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Information Session: MFA Programs in Creative Writing

• Post author By 46797344
• Post date April 5, 2024

2024 -“Juried Undergraduate Exhibition,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID -At Invitation, University of Idaho’s President’s House, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID -“In Medias Res,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID (Forthcoming)

2023 -At Invitation, “Painting Show,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID -“VAC is Back!”, Reflections Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID -“Pens, Pencils & Paint,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID -At Invitation, University of Idaho’s President’s House, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. 2023-2024 -“Palouse Plein Air,” Moscow City Council, Moscow, ID. (Winner: City Purchase Award) -“Mirage,” Reflections Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. -At Invitation, “Painting Show,” Moscow City Council, Moscow, ID. Fall 2023-Spring 24

2022 -“Figures”, Downtown Arts Center, Honolulu, HI -“Palouse Plein Air”, Moscow City Council, Moscow, ID. (Winner: Best Watercolor) -At Invitation, “Student Painters,” Moscow City Council, Moscow, ID. -At Invitation, “Student Printmakers,” Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. -“Clay?!”, Ridenbaugh Gallery, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID.

2021 -At Invitation, “Student Show”, Iolan’i Gallery, Windward Community College, Kaneohe, HI.

2020 -“Foundations Juried Exhibition”, The Looking Glass Gallery, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.

2019 -“Student Show”, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC.

2024 Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Painting and Ceramics, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID. (Forthcoming)

Extracurriculars and Honors

2022-2024 President of Visual Arts Community (VAC), University of Idaho President of Vandal Print Guild (VPG), University of Idaho Volunteer Artist, Vandaljacks, University of Idaho Dean’s List, University of Idaho Alumni Award for Excellence, University of Idaho

2019-2020 Resident Artist, Cannon Hall, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC.

Work Experience/Training

2021-2022 Gallery Attendant, Iolan’i Gallery, Windward Community College, Kaneohe, HI.

Studied Under: Kelly Oakes, Durham, NC. 2019-2020. William Zwick, Honolulu, HI. 2020. Mark Brown, Honolulu, HI, 2020-2022. Daunna Yanoviak, Kailua, HI. 2021- 2022. Mark Norseth, Honolulu, HI. 2021-.

Art: “Introduction to Figure Drawing,” Stacey Leanza, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2018. “Printmaking; Mono-prints,” Stacey Leanza, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2018. “Mixed Media,” Stacey Leanza, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2018. “Introduction to Portrait Drawing,” Kelly Oakes, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019. “Painting Portraits in Alla Prima,” Kelly Oakes, Workshop, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019. “Demystifying the Modern Portrait,” Marie Rossettie, Class, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019. “Intuitive Painting,” Heather Gerni, Workshop, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019. “Oil Painting Crash Course,” Vanessa Murray, Workshop, The Arts Center, Carrboro, NC. 2019. “Live Portrait Sessions,” Alla Parsons, Downtown Arts Center, Honolulu, HI. 2023. “Introduction to Watercolor,” Dwayne Adams, Class, Downtown Arts Center, Honolulu, HI. 2023.

Creative Writing: “Writing the Killer Mystery,” C1121, Central Carolina Community College, 2019. “Flash Fiction Made Easy,” C1058, Central Carolina Community College, 2019. “Charting Your Path To Publication,” C1060, Central Carolina Community College, 2019.

Newspapers and Articles

Long, Maryanne, “Windward Artists Turn Impression Into Expression,” Windward O’ahu Voice, February 9th, 2022

Write of Passage 2024: Creative Writing MFA Student Reading

Admin options.

This event is part of UCF Celebrates the Arts 2024. 

Write of Passage 2024 showcases the work and talent of the Spring 2024 graduating students of UCF’s creative writing MFA graduate program.

This reading will feature works by Justin Ahlquist, Camila Cal Mello, Fernanda Coutinho Teixeira, Kristi Dao, Colleen Dieckmann, Kianna Greene, Michelle Munoz, Spencer Reynolds, Jessa Santiago, Dani Sarta and Nicholas Stovel.

Arrive early to enjoy a showcase of other projects from the English department, including:

• The Florida Review , UCF’s international literary journal
• The Cypress Dome , UCF’s undergraduate student literary journal
• Writers in the Sun, UCF’s visiting writers’ series
• UCF Creative Writing Faculty Book Display
• Zeppelin Books and Burrow Press Display

One of Central Florida’s favorite new traditions celebrates ten years!   UCF Celebrates the Arts is an immersive and dynamic cultural extravaganza that fuses creativity, innovation and community engagement. This annual festival showcases the artistic prowess of UCF’s faculty and students and invites the broader community to enjoy performances, exhibitions, presentations and interactive experiences. With a focus on accessibility, partnership and diverse offerings, UCF Celebrates the Arts is a unique opportunity for the community to experience the creative side of UCF’s innovative spirit. Events will be held April 3-14 at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Learn more at   arts.cah.ucf.edu/celebrates .

Event Registration

Tickets: FREE