berkeley creative writing minor

• UC Berkeley
• Letters & Science

Creative Writing Minor

Forms and downloads.

Creative Writing Minor Student Handout

Announcements

• Fall 2024 Course List
• Summer 2024 Course List
• Spring 2024 Course List
• Berkeley Holloway Poetry Series – Spring 2024
• UC Berkeley Lunch Poems 2023-24
• Minor Declaration Form – Must declare no later than term before EGT.

• UC Berkeley
• Letters & Science

Creative Writing Minor

Admission to cal, new students:.

The Office of Undergraduate Admissions https://admissions.berkeley.edu/

Transfer students wondering which courses will count at Berkeley:

ASSIST http://www.assist.org/

Community college courses will not count toward the Creative Writing Minor. They are lower-division courses. Only upper-division courses may satisfy Creative Writing Minor course requirements.

Announcements

• Fall 2024 Course List
• Summer 2024 Course List
• Spring 2024 Course List
• Berkeley Holloway Poetry Series – Spring 2024
• UC Berkeley Lunch Poems 2023-24
• Minor Declaration Form – Must declare no later than term before EGT.

Fall 2024 admitted students are not eligible to make appointments with L&S advisers until after July 19, 2024. New students will be advised during Golden Bear Advising .

Minors are concentrations of study, similar to majors, but require fewer courses and therefore represent less depth than a full major. Not all majors have a corresponding minor (e.g. we have an Economics major, but no Economics minor) and minors exist that do not have a corresponding major (e.g. we have a Creative Writing minor, but no Creative Writing major). It is therefore useful to explore the Academic Guide’s Degree Programs page thoroughly to review all of your options. 

All minors must be declared prior to the first day of classes in the term in which you intend to graduate. For Summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A. 

If you need a Minor Completion Form, see our Forms and Petitions page. 

Plan for or declare a minor

Program planning for a minor and declaring a minor is overseen by the minor department. You can find contact information for minor departments and their advisers in the Academic Guide or by visiting the website for the minor in which you are interested. 

Once you have an idea for what your minor program plan will look like, if you need additional support examining how it will fit into your academic plan as a whole, check out the Create a Long Term Program Plan page.

Drop a minor

You can drop a minor through your minor department. The minor will remain on the official transcript during the terms in which you were declared.

Minor in a different College

It is okay to declare a minor in a different college as long as the minor department will permit you to declare. You will be responsible for the College requirements and general policies for the College that hosts your major, but not for the College that hosts your minor. 

For general policies around add/drop deadlines, late changes to class schedule, etc., you will follow the policies and procedures of the College that hosts your major

Meet with the Minor Adviser to understand requirements and policies for that minor.  If you are an L&S student pursuing a minor in another school or college with overlap policies that differ than L&S, the stricter of the two minor policies applies to the minor program. 

How many minors are allowed?

You are allowed to declare as many minors as will fit into your semester or unit limits. 

It is valuable to note that students sometimes overestimate the value minors will have on future opportunities. A minor that helps you explore an interest or a potential career direction, or which helps you build a skill set, can be very valuable. But if you are finding that taking on multiple minors means you have to sacrifice hands-on opportunities like research or internships, or doing so keeps you from doing programs like study abroad, you may wish to meet a counselor at Berkeley Career Engagement  to determine which opportunities would best fit your long term goals.

Minors and semester/unit limits

You will need to complete minors within your semester limit and unit ceiling to complete a minor. Your semester limit and unit ceiling do not change as a result of adding on a minor. If you are unable to finish your minor within your limits, you will need to drop your minor. 

If you are unsure whether or not your minor plan will fit within your time limits for your degree, bring your major and minor program plan to an L&S College Adviser for help understanding your options.

Course overlap rules

L&S allows you to overlap one upper division course (courses numbered 100-199) between a major and a minor. By “overlap” we mean that one upper division course can be used to satisfy requirements for both your major and your minor.

If you have multiple majors or multiple minors, you are still only allowed to overlap one course total between minors and majors. Ex: If you are majoring in Comparative Literature and minoring in both German and Russian Literature, you could overlap an upper division course between  either Comparative Literature and German  or Comparative Literature and Russian Literature.

Overlap of upper division courses is not allowed between L&S minors. 

If you are an L&S student pursuing a minor in another school or college with overlap policies that differ than L&S, the stricter of the two minor policies applies to the minor program. 

Minors on transcripts or diplomas

Minors are posted on the transcript alongside your major. Effective with students graduating Fall 2023 or later, minors are noted on diplomas .

Should I take on a minor?

There are many great reasons to take on a minor. A minor that helps you explore an interest or a potential career direction, or that helps you build a skill set, can be very valuable, especially if your major is in a different area. 

It is valuable to note that students sometimes overestimate the value minors will have on future opportunities. If you are finding that taking on a minor means you have to sacrifice hands-on opportunities like research or internships or keeps you from participating in programs like Berkeley Study Abroad, you may wish to meet a Berkeley Career Engagement Counselor  to understand which opportunities will best support your long term goals.

Still Have Questions?

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Related Pages

Explore Majors & Minors

Create a Long-Term Program Plan

Preparing for Graduation

Summer Creative Writing Workshops

Our unique three-week programs offer aspiring, practicing, and experienced creative writers a community in which to create and connect., all interested students are welcome you do not need to be a berkeley student to enroll., program overview.

Our program offers daily creative writing classes in short fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama. You will also have the opportunity to participate in a workshop that teaches you to present your work and listen and critique the creative writing of others. And, most of all, you will meet and socialize with like-minded creative writers and faculty.

Berkeley Students : Two 3-week creative writing courses count as one course for the  Creative Writing Minor . ( Visit other creative writing courses  for Summer 2024) .

Summer Creative Writing Courses

In the Academic Guide

The following four classes meet Monday through Friday and are worth 2 units.

Classes meet either face to face or online. When registering, be sure you enroll for the format you prefer. Enroll at summer.berkeley.edu

COLWRIT N131, The Craft of Creative Nonfiction

This course in creative writing focuses on the craft of reading and writing creative nonfiction. The course emphasizes an introduction to craft—how creative nonfiction is generated, what its elements are, and how finished pieces work—which students will explore through careful study of models by published writers, and through writing and revising their own short pieces.

COLWRIT N132, The Craft of Short Fiction

This two-unit creative writing course on the short story emphasizes an introduction to craft—how short stories are created, what their elements are, and how the finished pieces work—which you will explore through careful study of models by published writers and through writing and revising your own original pieces generated for this class.

COLWRIT N133, The Craft of Dramatic Writing

College Writing N133 is a creative writing course offering an introduction to the craft of dramatic writing through the study of works by professional playwrights and through composition and revision of your own playscripts. You will come to understand dramatic writing as an art and as a set of skills; you will receive an introduction to some of the elements involved in the creation of written scripts. Particular emphasis will be given to the work of generating and revising writing and, to a lesser degree, for the screen.

COLWRIT 134, The Craft of Poetry

This two-unit creative writing course on poetry & poetics emphasizes an introduction to craft—how poems are created, what their elements are, and how the finished pieces work—which you will explore through careful study of models by published writers, and through writing and revising your own original pieces generated for this class.

COLWRIT 135 The Craft of Creative Writing: Workshopping & Performance*

This is a practical and personalized class that will help writers workshop and perform their creative work. Open to multiple genres--fiction, nonfiction, drama, poetry--we will discuss how to ask good questions to and integrate feedback from peers in workshop. We will help you revisit your work and produce a sustainable revision process for yourself. We will discuss how to select your work for public reading and presentation, and we will practice effective performance strategies. Above all, the class will be tailored to support your goals through individual consultation with the instructor.

*Note: COLWRIT 135 is worth 1 unit and meets twice a week.

Summer Creative Writing Workshops Instructors

Tory adkisson, miriam bird greenberg, joseph horton, judy juanita, belinda kremer, michael larkin, john levine, eric longfellow, matthew j. parker, brice particelli, bridgette dutta portman.

Tag: Academics

Art of Writing

Art of Writing at UC Berkeley celebrates writing as a teachable art that requires critical thinking and reading and that demands patience and careful revision. Intimate undergraduate seminars of 15 students, led by Berkeley faculty member and graduate student teams, are at the heart of the program. These seminars prepare students to communicate lucidly in a variety of styles in collaborative communities across the humanities, social sciences, sciences, and professional schools. Topics include food writing, popular cultural criticism, and the built environment.

Art Practice

Art Practice provides critical, conceptual, and skill-based learning across diverse disciplines, including digital media, ceramics, drawing, installation, painting, performance, photography, printmaking, sculpture, social practice, and video.

Berkeley Language Center

Founded in 1994, the Berkeley Language Center (BLC) is a department in the Division of Arts and Humanities of the College of Letters and Science. The BLC’s mission is to support the learning and teaching of heritage and foreign languages on the Berkeley campus and, where appropriate, in the University of California system.

Berkeley Master of Design (MDes)

The Master of Design (MDes) is a professional graduate program in design for emerging technologies that emphasizes critical design and social practice to address the new realities of emerging technologies in the 21st century. 

Berkeley Writing | College Writing Program

We teach writing as a craft, and work with students at all levels of expertise, from those wishing to satisfy the University's composition requirements, through intermediate writers looking to expand their horizons, to seasoned scribes who want to hone their skills in our upper-division courses.

The literature of Greco-Roman antiquity never gets old.  In the Department of Classics, a world-renowned center of innovative research and inspiring teaching, students explore the masterpieces of classical literature, discovering how these texts continue to shape the ways we write, read, and think. Courses, in translation and in the original languages, incorporate mythology, epic, lyric, tragedy, the novel, the poetry of desire, sexualities, and much more.

College of Environmental Design

CED stands among the nation’s top environmental design schools. It is one of the world’s most distinguished laboratories for experimentation, research, and intellectual synergy. The first school to combine the disciplines of architecture, planning, and landscape architecture into a single college, CED led the way toward an integrated approach to analyzing, understanding, and designing our built environment.

Comparative Literature

A vibrant home for the study of literatures and cultures from a transnational and cross-cultural perspective. We offer innovative, interdisciplinary programs in literature, art, and global cultures, with courses in creative writing, literary translation, and a new artist residency.

Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Minor Program at the University of California, Berkeley is offered by the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Studies in the Undergraduate Division of the College of Letters and Science. The approved courses students take to satisfy the minor course requirements are offered by over thirty departments on campus. Interested undergraduate students in any major may earn an interdepartmental minor in Creative Writing by completing three approved upper-division creative writing courses and two approved upper-division literature courses from any department that offers them, satisfying the minor requirements, and declaring the minor.

Design Innovation

The Berkeley Certificate in Design Innovation assumes that innovation will not come from any one discipline, but rather from the meaningful integration of methods, technologies, knowledge, and thought from a wide range of different disciplines. As such, the certificate connects the design approaches and disciplines from four schools (College of Engineering, College of Environmental Design, College of Letters and Science – Arts and Humanities Division, and the Haas School of Business) to ensure that students know how to innovate. The program trains students to take responsibility for the entire life cycle of innovation, from idea to execution and beyond.

Arts+Design Initiative Fund

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Exploring Creative Writing

ENGLISH X438

Get an overview of common forms and genres of written self-expression, including personal essay/memoir, poetry, short fiction and novel. You experiment and discover in a safe environment. The course curriculum helps you learn and practice a variety of genres, forms and styles toward further developing your skills as a creative writer.

In class assignments, you focus on the shorter forms to maximize the number of genres in which you can experiment.

Course Outline

Course Objectives

• Share a structural overview of several different forms of written self-expression, and write in each of those forms
• Develop the discipline of regular writing in order to understand the importance of revision and develop your ability to revise
• Apply feedback on your work and assess your own strengths and areas of interest
• Offer constructive advice on the work of others

What You Learn

• Personal essay 
• Voice and humor
• Poetry craft
• Short story craft
• Novel synopsis
• Beginning a Long Form (novel, memoir, poetry collection) 
• On being a writer

How You Learn

• Discussion assignments
• Written assignments, including essays, poems, short stories, novel synopsis and long form opening
• Reading assignments

Fall 2024 enrollment opens on June 17!

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Choosing a Major & Minor

Photo Courtesy of Dept. of Psychology

If you are still deciding what to study, here are some considerations and tips that were really helpful for me. (My most important and insightful tip is at the bottom.) While it may be uncomfortable to be uncertain in this aspect, it is not uncommon; remember, you are trying your best and the pieces will fall into place with time.

Major Considerations

For me, picking what to study came down to how I saw myself and where I wanted to be. 

I genuinely and honestly reflected on my interests, values, and strengths. This process is backed by a lot of psychology and advice from my elders. 

My curiosity inherently makes me a good student: I have the eagerness and motivation to learn, and I retain and perform a lot better when I demonstrate interest. If I naturally shine in one area, I want to maximize my potential; research on successful business people found that they focused on capitalizing on their strengths rather than improving their weaknesses. I also had to think about my identity in terms of what is important to me and what I want to bring to the world. Lastly, research has shown that exercising your strengths makes you happy!

Next, I asked, “Where do I see myself after I graduate and how will my coursework propel me in that direction?” The average person spends around 30% of their lives working , so we should be selective about where we spend that time and energy. This question led to my switch out of environmental sciences. I realized that while I was passionate about the subject, the careers the degree entailed were not where I personally wanted to be in life. 

By approaching how I chose my majors (and minors) with these considerations, I’ve been able to have a really positive college and classes experience. I am also able to feel good about my future because I have been anchored in what matters to me.

Find degrees, majors, and minors: guide.berkeley.edu

Wait, Why Minors?

You may be wondering why someone would want to add minors. There are actually many benefits they bring for your academic curiosity and professional experience. 

Maybe you really enjoy a topic but cannot practically major in it; consider a minor! My creative writing minor was something I wanted to do for my own passion and interests. The classes I took for this minor were mandated trips to an oasis in the desert if my other classes were ever dry or arduous. In other words, classes for your minors can diversify your coursework (say no to four technical classes a semester) and satiate your pure interests to keep you happy and engaged as a student. 

Professionally, minors are a great way to stand out and indicate your emphasis and specialty in your major and skill set: What unique perspective can you bring into synergy with your major? Although my creative writing minor was something I started off doing for fun, I soon found that my concentration in poetry was relevant in content design, which I hope to get into career-wise. My data science minor helps me navigate the research side of my job prospects in user experience. When people hear about what I study, a lot of them comment on how I have a unique and applicable academic foundation. It all started with the considerations above.

How I Explored What to Study

Now, for how I went about choosing the specific majors and minors: I first brainstormed all the majors and minors offered that I would potentially be interested in and then I decided on ones that fit me and my considerations the best.

To see what was out there, I looked through the list of majors and minors UC Berkeley offers. I talked to my friends and family and searched on the Internet and YouTube. I inquired into things like a major’s projected salary, what careers it can lead to, what it’s like to do that kind of work, and what knowledge and skills I can gain. The Berkeley Career Center also offers major-to-career resources .

During the summer before freshman year started, I also took the class L&S W1 (Exploring the Liberal Arts) . It provided a weekly survey of material from many different majors and helped me determine what appealed to me. There, I discovered that my brain turned off when learning about molecular cell biology, so I eliminated that from my potential majors list. (The summer I took the class, it was advertised as free if students passed [in p/np grading], and passing was straightforward.)

My Most Important Tip

For each major you are interested in, look at the classes it requires (you can Google a major’s course requirements).

A major in practical terms is the set of classes you have to take under that topic. You may be interested in the idea of a major by its title, but looking at the classes you’d have to take may actually leave you disinterested. For example, I initially considered majoring in media studies but, after looking at the course requirements, I realized there were too many history classes that lie outside my interests. 

You can even go as far as to search up syllabi for classes you’re curious about to see if the content is what you imagined. In any case, you would be more informed about what exactly you’ll learn in a major in the process of narrowing down potential majors this way. 

Best Wishes & Have Fun!

While planning your academic journey, remember that you are the expert on yourself and what you love. The adages exist for a reason: Do what you love and love what you do, and if you choose work you enjoy, you’ll never have to work a day in your life. On a logistical note, you are able to change/add majors, add minors, and switch colleges as needed in most cases. You can learn more about this process on your college’s website or with a major advisor.

Be patient with and kind to yourself, and have fun exploring who you are and what gets you smiling while talking. You never know where you’ll serendipitously end up. 

Hosea Chen is a rising fourth-year at UC Berkeley majoring in cognitive science and minoring in creative writing and data science.

• As mentioned, classes really influence your college experience so here are some resources I use when picking them.
• If you’re a new student, here is a collection of Berkeley Life blogs to get you started.
• If you’re a transfer student, check out this article on finding success as a transfer.

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Creative Writing (CRWRIT)

Crwrit 120 reading and writing poetry 3 units.

Terms offered: Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session What practical skills does one need in order to speak in poetry’s enchanted chants? What historical background must one understand in order to engage in the subversive conversations of poetry now? This course attends to such fundamental prerequisites by combining an intense training in meter and rhythm, schemes and tropes, stanzaic forms and free verse, with a broad survey of poetry written in English. We will share and discuss our own writing in workshops—all the while, exploring the ways in which politics imbues our words and works. We will immerse ourselves in the rich Bay Area poetry scene by attending poetry readings, and by hosting our own end-of-the-semester poetry festival. Students will write and revise a chapbook. Reading and Writing Poetry: Read More [+]

Rules & Requirements

Prerequisites: This course requires advanced English language skills. Applicants should send a writing sample (applicants for the poetry writing course should send up to 5 poems; prose writers should send up to 5 pages of prose)

Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit under special circumstances: Course may be repeated once for credit with different instructor.Course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 units.

Hours & Format

Summer: 6 weeks - 6-6 hours of seminar per week

Additional Format: Six hours of seminar per week for 6 weeks.

Additional Details

Subject/Course Level: Creative Writing/Undergraduate

Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.

Reading and Writing Poetry: Read Less [-]

CRWRIT 130 Creative Prose 3 Units

Terms offered: Summer 2017 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session This course is a tour of, and workshop in, creative prose forms. Students will read and discuss a wide variety of published work, grouped both by type (e.g., fiction, non-fiction) and by emphasis (e.g., character, time). The greater part of each meeting will be devoted to student writing. Students will build a portfolio of new work and contribute to an archive of resources. They will also develop strategies for revision, and learn how to form and participate in independent writing communities. Creative Prose: Read More [+]

Creative Prose: Read Less [-]

Print Options

When you print this page, you are actually printing everything within the tabs on the page you are on: this may include all the Related Courses and Faculty, in addition to the Requirements or Overview. If you just want to print information on specific tabs, you're better off downloading a PDF of the page, opening it, and then selecting the pages you really want to print.

The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

What is an elective for the English major?

A majority of 4 unit classes in the English department count for the elective requirement. The only 4 unit classes that do not count as electives would be 45 series courses, or any R1A/R1B courses. Courses that fulfill other requirements (Pre-1800 Requirement, Shakespeare, Research Seminar) can be taken as electives once the original requirement has been completed. Make sure to keep in mind that 7 out of 12 of your courses must be upper-division when choosing your electives.

Can I take any classes pass/not pass?

45A, 45B, 45C, Shakespeare, the Pre-1800’s course, the Literatures in English course, and the research seminar are required of all majors and must be taken for a letter grade. Students may take up to two electives for the major pass/not pass.

How do I find out what classes are being offered each semester?

Course descriptions can be found each semester in the Berkeley Academic Guide . It is available on-line one week before enrollment begins for the upcoming semester.

How do I apply for Creative Writing classes? When are the applications posted?

Creative Writing (fall and spring) applications are available once the Schedule of Classes is posted; a link for the application can be found within the description for each creative writing course.

How do I apply for the Honors Course? When are applications posted?

Honors Course (in spring only) applications become available in April; a link for the application can be found within the description for H195A course. Please review the Honors page for more details.

Is there a limit to how many summer courses I can take toward my requirements?

Yes. Two 4-unit Summer Session courses taken at UCB may be counted toward the major, one of which must be taken through the English Department. One of these courses may be taken at another institution with approval. This includes courses taken through an education abroad program. Courses taken through the English Department at UCB during summer session do not require Major Adviser approval. For courses taken elsewhere (or outside the department – see below), students must petition for approval by providing documentation, including a course syllabus and a transcript showing the completion of the course. A course taken elsewhere during the summer may only satisfy an elective for the major.

Can I take any of the requirements online? Can I take any of the requirements through UC Extension?

The English Department does not offer online courses. Only one UC Berkeley Extension or on-line course may be petitioned to count toward the major. No UC Berkeley Extension or on-line course may be used to satisfy a core requirement for the major: 45A/45B/45C (or their upper-division equivalents), Shakespeare, the Pre-1800 course, or the seminar requirement. To count toward the major, UC Berkeley Extension or on-line courses must be comparable in coverage, rigor, and substance to department courses. Students seeking to count a UC Extension or on-line course toward the major should submit course materials and other relevant documentation to an English Department Major Adviser or to the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

Are there any course equivalents for the 45 series?

Yes. With approval and in consultation with a Major Adviser, the 45A-B-C requirements may be satisfied by substituting for each course two appropriate upper-division courses. To meet the 45B and 45C requirements, one course equivalent must be in American literature and one must be in British literature in the appropriate historical periods. Any and all courses used to satisfy the 45A, B, & C requirements must be taken for a letter grade.

When is the English Department Commencement?

The English Department has one Commencement Ceremony a year in the spring semester. Students who complete their major and university requirements are eligible to participate in this ceremony. There is an additional University-wide Commencement Ceremony in the fall and spring should students wish to attend.

Can I petition UC Berkeley classes outside of the English department to count for my major?

Yes, students may petition to count up to two upper division courses taken outside of the English Department. To submit a petition, please use the online petition form here: Petition for Courses Outside the UC Berkeley English Department . Please keep in mind that students majoring in English are expected to complete the majority of their coursework within the UC Berkeley English Department. Transfer courses and extra-departmental coursework combined should constitute no more than 5 courses total. Transfer students who have completed major requirements via transfer coursework will need to be mindful of the 5-course limit if they are interested in petitioning for extra-departmental course credit UC Berkeley.

Do I need to fill out any forms to graduate?

No. You will be on the degree list for your Expected Graduation Term, as indicated in CalCentral. For more information on this, please visit the Office of the Registrar's Transcripts and Diplomas page.