creative writing and literature courses

Creative Writing and Literature

Students enrolled in the Master of Liberal Arts program in Creative Writing & Literature will develop skills in creative writing and literary analysis through literature courses and writing workshops in fiction, screenwriting, poetry, and nonfiction. Through online group courses and one-on-one tutorials, as well as a week on campus, students hone their craft and find their voice.

Creative writing courses

Short and part-time courses with Oxford University

Need an extra push to finish your novel, poem or play? Want to explore new genres? Whether you're a beginner wondering where to start, or an experienced writer looking to extend your craft, we have a course for you.

Short courses

Our  short courses in creative writing  include in person and online live-time weekly classes, day and weekend schools and flexible online courses.

Courses cover all genres: fiction, poetry, memoir, creative nonfiction, drama, writing for young adults and critical reading. There are courses for beginners and options for those with experience. Class sizes are kept small to maximise interaction between you, your classmates and your tutor.

Credit earned from some of our short courses is transferable towards our  Certificate of Higher Education  – a part-time undergraduate course in which you study a main subject discipline, but also undertake study in other academic subjects.

• View all short courses in creative writing
• Ways to study: how our short courses work

Summer schools

Join us for one of our Oxford  creative writing summer courses , and spend a week or longer immersed in your craft. Accredited and non-accredited options are available; courses take place at Rewley House and at Oxford's historic colleges.

• Creative writing summer courses

Part-time Oxford University qualifications

From undergraduate level to advanced postgraduate study.

• The  Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing  is a two-year part-time course that helps you to strengthen your ability in four major areas of literary activity — prose, poetry, drama and analytical reading — while letting you specialise in the genre of your choice. Choose from two study options: regular in-person meetings in Oxford or mostly online, with a summer school in Oxford.
• The  Certificate of Higher Education  is a flexible, part-time programme which lets you study a main subject discipline (such as creative writing) while also undertaking study in other academic subjects. Ideal for lifelong learners, you can study what you want, when you want, how you want. The credits you obtain from taking short online courses, weekly classes and attendance at the Oxford University Summer School for Adults all count towards your final award.
• Delve deeper into creative writing with our MSt in Creative Writing – a two-year, part-time master's programme offering a unique combination of high contact hours, genre specialization, and critical and creative breadth, delivered in a clustered learning format of five residences, two guided retreats and one placement over two years.

Student spotlights

Charles bush.

Charles Bush published his debut young-adult novel thanks to the skills and experience gained from completing the Undergraduate Certificate of Higher Education.

Tahmina Maula

Tahmina worked as a senior manager in education before taking a career break to undertake the Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing.

Daisy Johnson

While studying the MSt in Creative Writing Daisy worked on a collection of short stories which would later become her debut book.

Upcoming courses

Fantasy literature.

• Sat 08 Jun 2024
• 9:45am – 5:15pm

William Shakespeare and Mid-Century Art and Design

• Sat 22 Jun 2024
• 9:45am – 5:00pm

English Literature Summer School

• Sun 30 Jun 2024 – 20 Jul 2024

Lights, Camera, Action! - British Cinema in the 21st Century

• Sun 30 Jun 2024 – 06 Jul 2024

The Making of Middle-earth: Tolkien and the First Age

Part-time award programmes.

Part-time creative writing award-bearing courses for those looking to gain an Oxford qualification.

Undergraduate Diploma in Creative Writing

Mst in creative writing, undergraduate certificate of higher education.

Creative Writing and Literature Degree Requirements

The Master of Liberal Arts, Creative Writing and Literature degree field is offered online with one 3-week course required on campus at Harvard University.

Getting Started

Explore Degree Requirements

• Review the course curriculum .
• Learn about the on-campus experience .
• Determine your initial admissions eligibility .
• Learn about the 2 degree courses required for admission .

Upcoming Term: Summer 2024

Course registration is open March 4 – June 20. Learn how to register →

Fall 2024 courses and registration details will be live in June.

Required Course Curriculum

Online core and elective courses

On-campus summer writers’ residency

Capstone or thesis

12 Graduate Courses (48 credits)

The program is designed for creative writers interested in fiction, nonfiction, and dramatic writing.

The degree is highly customizable. As part of the program curriculum, you choose either a capstone or thesis track as well as the creative writing and literature courses that meet your learning goals.

The synchronous online format and small class size ensure you’ll receive personal feedback on your writing and experience full engagement with instructors and peers.

Required Core & Elective Courses View More

• HUMA 101 Proseminar: Elements of the Writer’s Craft
• 1 advanced fiction writing course
• 3 creative writing courses
• 1 creative writing and literature elective or creative writing independent study
• EXPO 42a Writing in the Humanities is a literature option
• On-campus summer writers’ residency

Browse Courses →

Thesis Track View More

The thesis is a 9-month independent research project where you work one-on-one in a tutorial setting with a thesis director.

The track includes:

• Thesis proposal tutorial course
• Master’s Thesis (8 credits)

Capstone Track View More

The capstone track includes the following additional courses:

• 1 literature course
• Precapstone: Building the World of the Book (fiction and nonfiction options)
• Capstone: Developing a Manuscript (fiction and nonfiction options)

In the precapstone , with support from your instructor and peers, you’ll engage in a series of structured writing exercises that make it possible to delve deeply into your characters—what they look like, what they want and need, and how they interact with the world in which they live—as you structure the world of your fiction or nonfiction.

In the capstone , with ongoing community support, you continue your work of in the precapstone and write two additional chapters or stories, or approximately 30 pages of new work. The capstone project in total should be about 50-60 pages — the equivalent of a thesis.

You enroll in the precapstone and capstone courses in back-to-back semesters (fall/spring) and in your final academic year. The capstone must be taken alone as your sole remaining degree requirement.

On-Campus Experience: One-Week Writers’ Residency

Participate in an weeklong writers’ workshop on campus.

Learn and network in person with your classmates, agents, and editors.

Nearly all courses can be taken online, but the degree requires an in-person experience at Harvard University where you enroll in a summer residency.

After completing 7 or more courses, you come to Harvard Summer School for a weeklong master class taught by a notable instructor. An agents-and-editors weekend follows. HSS offers, for an additional fee, housing, meal plans, and a prolonged on-campus experience here at Harvard University.

Choose between two on-campus experience options:

• One-week Writers’ Residency with extended online sessions: During the two weeks that follow the intensive week of on-campus instruction, you attend additional writing classes online and submit a final piece of writing.
• One-week Writers’ Residency with extended on-campus sessions: During the two weeks that follow the intensive week of on-campus instruction, you attend additional writing classes on campus and submit a final piece of writing. Three-week housing is available for this extended on-campus option. Learn more about campus life at Harvard .

International Students Who Need a Visa View More

To meet the on-campus requirement, you choose the One-Week Writers’ Residency with extended on-campus sessions and study with us in the summer. You can easily request an I-20 for the F-1 student visa through Harvard Summer School. For more details, see International Student Study Options for important visa information.

In-Person Co-Curricular Events View More

Come to Cambridge for Convocation (fall) to celebrate your hard-earned admission, Harvard career fairs offered throughout the year, HES alumni networking events (here at Harvard and around the world), and, of course, Harvard University Commencement (May).

Confirm your initial eligibility with a 4-year bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent.

Take two courses in our unique “earn your way in” admissions process that count toward your degree.

In the semester of your second course, submit the official application for admission to the program.

Below are our initial eligibility requirements and an overview of our unique admissions process to help get you started. Be sure to visit Degree Program Admissions for full details.

Initial Eligibility View More

• Prior to enrolling in any degree-applicable courses, you must possess a 4-year regionally accredited US bachelor’s degree or its foreign equivalent. Foreign bachelor’s degrees must be evaluated for equivalency.
• You cannot already have or be in the process of earning a master’s degree in creative writing or a related field. Check your eligibility .
• If English is your second language, you’ll need to prove English proficiency before registering for a course. We have multiple proficiency options .

Earn Your Way In — Courses Required for Admission View More

To begin the admission process, you simply register — no application required — for the following two, four-credit, graduate-level degree courses (available online).

These prerequisite courses count toward your degree once you’re admitted ; they are not additional courses. They are investments in your studies and help ensure success in the program.

• Before registering, you’ll need to pass our online test of critical reading and writing skills or earn a B or higher in EXPO 42a Writing in the Humanities.
• You have two attempts to earn the minimum grade of B in the proseminar (a withdrawal grade counts as an attempt). The proseminar cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.
• Advanced Fiction Writing

While the two courses don’t need to be taken in a particular order or in the same semester, we recommend that you start with the proseminar. The 2 courses must be completed with a grade of B or higher, without letting your overall Harvard cumulative GPA dip below 3.0.

Applying to the Degree Program View More

During the semester of your second degree course, submit the official application to the program.

Don’t delay! You must prioritize the two degree courses for admission and apply before completing subsequent courses. By doing so, you’ll:

• Avoid the loss of credit due to expired course work or changes to admission and degree requirements.
• Ensure your enrollment in critical and timely degree-candidate-only courses.
• Avoid the delayed application fee.
• Gain access to exclusive benefits.

Eligible students who submit a complete and timely application will have 10 more courses after admission to earn the degree. Applicants can register for courses in the upcoming semester before they receive their grades and while they await their admission decision.

The Office of Predegree Advising & Admissions makes all final determinations about program eligibility.

Search and Register for Courses

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) offers degree courses all year round to accelerate degree completion.

• You can study in fall, January, and spring terms through Harvard Extension School (HES) and during the summer through Harvard Summer School (HSS).
• You can enroll full or part time. After qualifying for admission, many of our degree candidates study part time, taking 2 courses per semester (fall/spring) and 1 in the January and summer sessions.
• Most fall and spring courses meet once a week for two hours, while January and summer courses meet more frequently in a condensed format.

To Complete Your Degree

Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Complete your courses in five years.

Earn your Harvard degree and enjoy Harvard Alumni Association benefits upon graduation.

Required GPA, Withdrawal Grades, and Repeat Courses View More

GPA. You need to earn a B or higher in each of the two degree courses required for admission and a B– or higher in each of the subsequent courses. In addition, your cumulative GPA cannot dip below 3.0.

Withdrawal Grades. You are allowed to receive 2 withdrawal (WD) grades without them affecting your GPA. Any additional WD grades count as zero in your cumulative GPA. Please note that a WD grade from a two-credit course will count as 1 of your 2 allowed WD grades. See Academic Standing .

Repeat Courses. We advise you to review the ALM program’s strict policies about repeating courses . Generally speaking, you may not repeat a course to improve your GPA or to fulfill a degree requirement (if the minimum grade was not initially achieved). Nor can you repeat a course for graduate credit that you’ve previously completed at Harvard Extension School or Harvard Summer School at the undergraduate level.

Courses Expire: Finish Your Coursework in Under Five Years View More

Courses over five years old at the point of admission will not count toward the degree. As stated above, the proseminar cannot be more than two years old at the time of application.

Further, you have five years to complete your degree requirements. The five-year timeline begins at the end of the term in which you complete any two degree-applicable courses, regardless of whether or not you have been admitted to a degree program.

Potential degree candidates must plan accordingly and submit their applications to comply with the five-year course expiration policy or they risk losing degree credit for completed course work. Additionally, admission eligibility will be jeopardized if, at the point of application to the program, the five-year degree completion policy cannot be satisfied (i.e., too many courses to complete in the time remaining).

Graduate with Your Harvard Degree View More

When you have fulfilled all degree requirements, you will earn your Harvard University degree: Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, Field: Creative Writing and Literature. Degrees are awarded in November, March, and May, with the annual Harvard Commencement ceremony in May.

Degree Candidate Exclusive Benefits View More

When you become an officially admitted degree candidate, you have access to a rich variety of exclusive benefits to support your academic journey. To learn more, visit degree candidate academic opportunities and privileges .

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

The Division of Continuing Education (DCE) at Harvard University is dedicated to bringing rigorous academics and innovative teaching capabilities to those seeking to improve their lives through education. We make Harvard education accessible to lifelong learners from high school to retirement.

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Creative Writing & Literature Major

• LSA Degrees
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Effective Winter 2025

Not open to those electing the minor in Writing or the minor in Creative Writing.

1813 East Quadrangle

(734) 763-0032

https://myadvising.lsa.umich.edu/appointments/offices/RC

Students meet with the creative writing major advisor when declaring, making course substitutions, discussing transfer/study abroad credit evaluations, preparing for internships, completing major release forms, and discussing information on graduate school study and career paths.

Although students may pursue study in multiple genres, most specialize in one of the following genres:

• Fiction / Creative Nonfiction
• Digital Storytelling

Advising appointments can be made here ; or by calling RC Academic Services at 763-0032.

Grade Policies

Creative writing majors must earn a grade of at least C- in all courses taken to satisfy the requirements of the major.

Prerequisites

Students intending to declare the major should have completed or be enrolled in a Residential College introductory creative writing course (RCCWLIT 220, RCCWLIT 221, RCCWLIT 325, or an approved equivalent). The prerequisite taken should align with the student's chosen track, although this is not required. 

Requirements

The major is structured into three genre tracks. Students may elect a multi-genre track in consultation with their principal writing instructors and the major advisor. Information regarding each track is detailed below. 

1) Fiction / Creative Nonfiction Track

Students complete a minimum of four creative writing courses, at least three of which must be at the 300-level or above and at least three of which must be taken in the Residential College (RC). A usual track is an introductory course (Narration) and three upper-level courses. Students may count one non-RC creative writing course towards the four course writing requirement.

Creative Writing Course Requirement

Students may elect any combination of the seminars and tutorials from the following list:

• RCCWLIT 220: Narration (Intro to Fiction Writing)
• RCCWLIT 325, 326, 425, 426: Creative Writing Tutorial ( permission of instructor is required )
• RCCWLIT 320: Advanced Narration (Advanced Fiction Writing)
• Other departmental offerings listed under RCCWLIT 334

Literature Requirement

Students complete five literature courses at the 300-level or above. One literature course must focus on literature written prior to 1600. The pre-1600 requirement may focus on non-Western or Western literature; if a Western literature course is elected, the content must pre-date the Shakespearean era. 

Students are encouraged to take literature courses in the RC Arts and Ideas Program, the Department of English, or the Department of Comparative Literature. Students majoring in a second language may count one upper-level literature course in that language, either taken at UM-Ann Arbor or through study abroad (with advisor approval). All literature courses counted toward the Creative Writing and Literature Major must be at least three (3) credits.

 Courses that have been used to meet the literature requirement include:

• RCHUMS courses listed in the Arts and Ideas in the Humanities major
• ENGLISH 328: Writing and the Environment
• ENGLISH 379: Literature in Afro-American Culture
• Other English Department courses with a literature focus
• ENGLISH 350: Literature in English to 1660 (for pre-1600 requirement)
• CLCIV 385: Greek Mythology (for pre-1600 requirement)  
• MEMS 386: Medieval Literature, History and Culture (for pre-1600 requirement)

2) Poetry Track

Students complete a minimum of four creative writing courses, at least three of which must be at the 300-level or above and at least three of which must be taken in the Residential College (RC). A usual track is an introductory course (Writing Poetry) and three upper-level courses. Students may count one non-RC creative writing course towards the writing requirement.

Students may elect any combination of seminars and tutorials from the following:

• RCCWLIT 221: Writing Poetry
• RCCWLIT 321: Advanced Poetry Writing

Students complete five literature courses at the 300-level or above. One literature course must focus on literature written prior to 1600. The pre-1600 requirement may focus on non-Western or Western literature; if a Western literature course is elected, the content must pre-date the Shakespearean era. 

Students are encouraged to take literature courses in the RC Arts and Ideas Program, the Department of English or the Department of Comparative Literature. Students majoring in a second language may count one upper-level literature course in that language, either taken at UM-Ann Arbor or through study abroad (with advisor approval). All literature courses counted toward the Creative Writing and Literature Major must be at least three (3) credits.

Courses that have been used to meet the literature requirement include:

• ENGLISH 340: Studies in Poetry
• ENGLISH 440: Modern Poetry
• ENGLISH 442: Studies in Poetry
• Literature courses listed above within the Fiction/Creative Nonfiction track

3) Digital Storytelling Track

The digital storytelling track studies the way stories interact with technology and the effect of digital media on writing and the creative process. Students electing this track pair writing practice with the study of the theory, ethics, and history of digital media.

Creative Writing Course Requirement 

Students completing this requirement must elect two courses in Creative Writing Practice and two courses in Digital Writing Skills. The two Creative Writing Practice courses can only include one 200-level course. Students must elect a minimum of two Residential College (RC) creative writing courses that focus on writing fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. 

Introductory Courses (may elect one to count towards major):

Upper-level Courses:

• RCCWLIT 320: Advanced Narration
• RCCWLIT 334: Special Topics in Creative Writing

Digital Writing / Skills Course Requirement

Students must choose a minimum of two digital storytelling / writing courses at the 300-level or above that focus on digital media and/or electronic literature writing and practice.

Courses that have been used to meet the requirement in the past include:

• ENGLISH 420: Tech and the Humanities/Electronic Literature
• RCCWLIT 334: Digital Storytelling
• RCCWLIT 325, 326, 425, 426: Creative Writing Tutorial with a focus on writing for, and/or creating electronic literature or digital media content ( permission of instructor is required )

Digital Studies Theory Requirement

Students must elect a minimum of two digital studies theory courses at the 300-level or above that focus on the theory of digital culture and/or the digital humanities.

• AMCULT 358: Topics in Digital Studies
• AMCULT 360: Radical Digital Media
• FTVM 368: Topics in Digital Media Studies
• ENGLISH 405: Theories of Writing

Students must elect three literature courses at the 300-level or above. Literature courses should not focus on digital studies but should offer complementary skills and additional context in the art and craft of literature. One literature course must focus on literature written prior to 1600. The pre-1600 requirement may focus on non-Western or Western literature; if a Western literature course is elected, the content must pre-date the Shakespearean era. 

Constraints

Coursework noted as independent study (IND) may not be used to meet requirements, including RCCORE 209, RCCORE 309, and RCCORE 409. Although students are encouraged to complete internships in a publishing or writing related field, any credit earned may not be used to meet requirements of the major.

Distribution Policy

No course used to fulfill a major requirement may be used toward the LSA Distribution Requirement. In addition, courses in the RC Creative Writing (RCCWLIT) subject area may not be used toward the Distribution Requirement.

A student whose overall academic record meets the eligibility criteria for honors and whose creative work models originality and the promise of mastery in their chosen genre may apply to complete an honors thesis. Honors theses are typically 75-100 pages of polished fiction or creative nonfiction, or a collection of 25 or more poems. The student and their faculty advisor will determine the exact length and content of the final thesis. The successful honors student will be committed to a comprehensive composition and revision process to produce a polished final manuscript.

To be eligible to apply for honors, a student must demonstrate exceptional skill in the art and craft of prose, poetry, or creative nonfiction. The student must have completed a minimum of two Residential College creative writing classes, although honors students typically complete three or more by the start of their thesis sequence. The student also must hold a GPA of at least 3.4 overall.

Students who meet the above criteria are eligible to apply for the honors thesis project in the Winter term of their junior year, typically by late March. To apply, students should submit:

• A writing sample (10 pages of prose or 5 poems) that represents the student’s best, most polished work. This sample does not have to be from the proposed project.
• A brief statement (1-2 pages) describing the honors project. This statement should answer the following questions:

            -  What is your project? For example, will your final manuscript be a short story collection, a collection of poetry, or another form?             -  Which courses have you completed in the Creative Writing and Literature major? How many tutorials have you taken?             -  Have you worked on this proposed honors project in previous tutorials or courses?             -  Can you describe for the committee a specific instance when you made substantial changes based on your instructor's feedback?             -  What authors and/or creative works have you read that inform or inspire this project?

• Students should also name a faculty member they wish to request as their thesis advisor. Students may also name more than one faculty member, listed in order of preference.

The Honors Committee, consisting of faculty in the Creative Writing program, will judge the student’s work on its quality, originality, and promise of mastery in their chosen genre. The Committee reviews all honors applications after the submission deadline. Students are notified of the Committee’s decision by early April. If the planned project is accepted for honors, the Committee will assign a faculty thesis advisor to the student.

Honors theses require a two-semester commitment. Students enroll in RCCORE 490 for the Fall term and RCCWLIT 426 for the Winter term. Satisfactory progress in RCCORE 490 earns a Y grade, indicating that the thesis work will continue into the next semester. At the end of the second term, the Y grade converts to the grade earned in RCCWLIT 426. Exceptions to the two-semester requirement are rare but may be discussed with the thesis advisor.

When the honors thesis project is complete (typically the last week of March or the first week of April of the senior year), the student’s honors thesis advisor and one other member of the Residential College’s Creative Writing faculty will determine if the project qualifies for honors and (if so) what level of honors the student receives. Honors thesis students also participate in a public reading with fellow honors students at the end of the Winter term.

Creative Writing and Literature (Major) (Fall 2023 - Fall 2024)

Effective Fall 2023

Students meet with the creative writing major advisor when declaring, making course substitutions, discussing transfer/study abroad credit evaluations, preparing for internships, completing major release forms, and discussing information on graduate school study and career paths.  

Students intending to declare the major should have completed or be enrolled in a Residential College introductory creative writing course (RCHUMS 220, RCHUMS 221, RCHUMS 325, or an approved equivalent). The prerequisite taken should align with the student's chosen track, although this is not required. 

The major is structured into three genre tracks. Students may elect a multi-genre track in consultation with their principal writing instructors and the major advisor. Information regarding each track is detailed below.         

• RCHUMS 220: Narration (Intro to Fiction Writing)
• RCHUMS 325, 326, 425, 426: Creative Writing Tutorial ( permission of instructor is required )
• RCHUMS 320: Advanced Narration (Advanced Fiction Writing)
• Other departmental offerings listed under RCHUMS 334 or RCCORE 334
• ENGLISH 350: Literature in English to 1660
• MEMS 386: Medieval Literature, History and Culture 
• RCHUMS 221: Writing Poetry
• RCHUMS 321: Advanced Poetry Writing
• RCHUMS 334: Special Topics in the Humanities (Workshop with Incarcerated Poets and Artists)

Students completing this requirement must elect two courses in Creative Writing Practice and two courses in Digital Writing Skills. The two Creative Writing Practice courses can only include one 200-level course. Students must elect a minimum of two Residential College (RC) creative writing courses that focus on writing fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry.   

• RCHUMS 320: Advanced Narration
• RCHUMS 334: Special Topics in the Humanities (Memoir: Writing from Within)
• RCCORE 334: Digital Storytelling
• RCHUMS 325, 326, 425, 426: Creative Writing Tutorial with a focus on writing for, and/or creating electronic literature or digital media content ( permission of instructor is required )

Coursework noted as independent study (IND) may not be used to meet requirements, including RCCORE 209, RCCORE 309, and RCCORE 409. Although students are encouraged to complete internships in a publishing or writing related field, any credit earned may not be used to meet requirements of the major. 

No course used to fulfill a major requirement may be used toward the LSA Distribution Requirement. In addition, courses in the RC Creative Writing subject area may not be used toward the Distribution Requirement.

A student whose overall academic record meets the eligibility criteria for honors and whose creative work models originality and the promise of mastery in their chosen genre may apply to complete an honors thesis. Honors theses are typically 75-100 pages of polished fiction or creative nonfiction, or a collection of 25 or more poems. The student and their faculty advisor will determine the exact length and content of the final thesis.

•  A writing sample (10 pages of prose or 5 poems) that represents the student’s best, most polished work;
•  A brief statement (1-2 pages) describing the honors project;
• The name of a faculty member they wish to request as their thesis advisor.

Honors theses require a two-semester commitment. Students enroll in RCCORE 490 for the Fall term and RCHUMS 426 for the Winter term. Satisfactory progress in RCCORE 490 earns a Y grade, indicating that the thesis work will continue into the next semester. At the end of the second term, the Y grade converts to the grade earned in RCHUMS 426. Exceptions to the two-semester requirement are rare but may be discussed with the thesis advisor.

Creative Writing and Literature (Major) (Winter 2020 - Summer 2023)

Effective Winter 2020

(734) 647-2745

www.lsa.umich.edu/rc

The Residential College (RC) is a four-year undergraduate liberal arts program with about 900 students and 60 faculty, situated within LSA. All RC advisors are RC faculty members and are available to meet with students to discuss RC and LSA requirements, possible majors, graduation requirements, etc. The RC Board on Academic Standing considers petitions submitted by RC students relating to requirements, deadlines, and academic circumstances. Appointments with academic advisors can be scheduled by calling the RC Academic Services Office at (734) 647-2745 or by stopping by the offices at 1813 East Quadrangle.

Students wishing to pursue a sustained practice in creative writing take a combination of writing courses in a selected genre and literature courses, distributed as follows:

• A minimum of four creative writing classes, three at the upper level (300 and above), mixing seminars (RCHUMS 220, 221, 222, 242, 320, 321, 322) and tutorials (RCHUMS 325, 326, 425, 426)
• A minimum of five upper level (300 and above) literature courses at least one of which must be ancient (RCHUMS 309, CLCIV 390, ENGLISH 401) or medieval (RCHUMS 310, ENGLISH 370) literature.

No course used to fulfill a major requirement may be used toward the LSA Distribution Requirement.

Creative Writing and Literature (Major) (Winter 2013 - Fall 2019)

Effective Winter 2013

134 Tyler (East Quadrangle)

The Residential College (RC) is a four-year undergraduate liberal arts program with about 900 students and 60 faculty, situated within LSA. All RC advisors are RC faculty members and are available to meet with students to discuss RC and LSA requirements, possible majors, graduation requirements, etc. The RC Board on Academic Standing considers petitions submitted by RC students relating to requirements, deadlines, and academic circumstances. Appointments with academic advisors can be scheduled by calling the RC Academic Services Office at (734) 763-0032, or by stopping by the offices at 134 Tyler.

Creative Writing and Literature Major (through Fall 2012)

May be elected as a departmental major 

effective through Fall 2012

Not open to those electing the minor in Writing or the minor in Creative Writing (effective Fall 2011)

The Residential College's Creative Writing and Literature Major combines the sustained, disciplined practice of writing with the serious study of literature. The main goal of the program is to help students develop their creative abilities through a continuous, interrelated cycle of writing, rewriting, and literary analysis. Creative writing courses are taught as workshops and tutorials in which students work individually with faculty members. Students are required to take courses in literature in order to understand better the art of writing.

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Level: 2 Intermediate

Reading Shakespeare's As You Like It

Do you enjoy watching Shakespeare's plays and like the idea of finding out more about them? This free course, Reading Shakespeare's As You Like It, will guide you through some of the most important speeches and scenes from one of Shakespeare's best-loved comedies.

Icarus: entering the world of myth

This free course, Icarus: entering the world of myth, will introduce you to one of the best-known myths from classical antiquity and its various re-tellings in later periods. You will begin by examining how the Icarus story connects with a number of other ancient myths, such as that of Theseus and the Minotaur. You will then be guided through an...

Sam Selvon, The Lonely Londoners

This free course concentrates on Sam Selvon's twentieth-century novel, The Lonely Londoners. It considers the depiction of migration in the text as well as Selvon's treatment of memory as a vital part of the migrant's experience.

Introducing Virgil’s Aeneid

This free course offers an introduction to the Aeneid. Virgil’s Latin epic, written in the 1st century BCE, tells the story of the Trojan hero Aeneas and his journey to Italy, where he would become the ancestor of the Romans. Here, you will focus on the characterisation of this legendary hero, and learn why he was so important to the Romans of ...

Exploring Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd

This free course, Exploring Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd, is designed to tell you something about Hardy's background, and to introduce you to the pleasures of reading a nineteenth-century novel. Why do we believe in fictional characters and care about what happens to them? You will discover some of the techniques that Hardy ...

John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi

This free course, John Webster, The Duchess of Malfi, concentrates on Acts 1 and 2 of John Webster's Renaissance tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi. It focuses on the representation of marriage for love and the social conflicts to which it gives rise. The course is designed to hone your skills of textual analysis.

Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus

What does Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus tell us about the author and the time at which the play was written? This free course, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus, will help you to discover the intricacies of the play and recognise how a knowledge of the historical and political background of the time can lead to a very different ...

Approaching poetry

Do you want to get more out of your reading of poetry? This free course, Approaching poetry, is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary texts. You will learn about rhythm, alliteration, rhyme, poetic inversion, voice and line lengths and endings. You will examine poems that do not rhyme and learn ...

Approaching prose fiction

Do you want to get more out of your reading? This free course, Approaching prose fiction, is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary texts. You will learn about narrative events and perspectives, the setting of novels, types of characterisation and genre.

Approaching plays

Do you want to get more out of drama? This free course, Approaching plays, is designed to develop the analytical skills you need for a more in-depth study of literary plays. You will learn about dialogue, stage directions, blank verse, dramatic structure and conventions and aspects of performance.

Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations

This free course, Approaching literature: reading Great Expectations, considers some of the different ways of reading Great Expectations, based on the type of genre the book belongs to. This is one of the most familiar and fundamental ways of approaching literary texts. The novel broadens the scope of study of a realist novel, in both literary ...

The poetry of Sorley MacLean

Sorley MacLean (1911-1996) is regarded as one of the greatest Scottish poets of the twentieth century. This free course, The poetry of Sorley MacLean, will introduce you to his poetry and give you an insight into the cultural, historical and political contexts that inform his work. MacLean wrote in Gaelic and the importance of the language to ...

Exploring Virginia Woolf’s Between the Acts

This free course introduces Virginia Woolf’s last novel, Between the Acts (1941), with the aim of understanding how she writes about time, memory, and ideas about identity. It also considers why Woolf’s fiction is often considered difficult. Selected extracts from her essays on writing help to clarify some of these perceived difficulties, ...

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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing The Write Stuff for Writers

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100% online, 8-week courses

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Grow Your Writing Passion into a Career with Liberty’s Online MFA in Creative Writing

Many people write creatively, but few hone their skills to develop their writing craft to its highest form. Even fewer learn the other skills it takes to become a successful writer, such as the steps needed to get a book published and into the hands of readers. Liberty’s 100% online Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing can help you develop your writing passion into a career so you can set your works free to impact culture and the world.

Employers in every industry need professionals who have strong writing skills, so you can be confident that your ability to write effectively can also help set you apart in your current career. With in-demand writing expertise and the ability to customize your degree with electives in literature or writing practice, Liberty’s online MFA in Creative Writing can help you achieve your professional writing goals.

Our online MFA in Creative Writing is designed to help you build on your writing skills with specific workshops dedicated to the craft of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or screenwriting. With a work-in-progress approach to writing practice and mentorship from our faculty of experienced writers and scholars, you can learn the specific skills you need to make your writing stand out.

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• Transfer in up to 50% of a Grad/Doctoral Degree

Why Choose Liberty’s MFA in Creative Writing?

Our online MFA in Creative Writing is mainly offered in an 8-week course format, and our tuition rate for graduate programs hasn’t increased in 9 years. Through our program, you can study the writing process and develop your creative skills through workshops with experienced writing professionals. With our flexible format, you can grow in your creative writing while continuing to do what is important to you.

As a terminal degree, the online MFA in Creative Writing can also help you pursue opportunities to teach writing at the K-12 or college level. You will gain comprehensive and in-depth exposure to writing, literature, publishing, and many other professional writing skills that you can pass on to students. Partner with the Liberty family and learn under faculty who have spent years in the field you love. Your career in professional writing starts here.

What Will You Study in Our MFA in Creative Writing?

The MFA in Creative Writing program is designed to help you become an excellent creative writer across the genres of creative fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, and poetry. You can learn how to produce aesthetically and culturally engaged creative works while gaining professional knowledge and practice. You will also study foundational contemporary literature so that you have a background in studying important works to draw on for your writing.

To help you in your professional writing, you will also study many essential skills in editing, layout, and the business of publishing so that you can best position yourself for success in the market. Through your creative writing courses and workshops, you can develop your craft so that you will be ready for your thesis project.

Here are a few examples of the skills Liberty’s MFA in Creative Writing can help you master:

• Marketing your projects and pursuing new writing opportunities
• Organizing writing and adapting it to different types of writing
• Tailoring writing to specific audiences and markets
• Understanding what makes art effective, compelling, and impactful
• Writing compelling stories that engage readers

Potential Career Opportunities

• Book and magazine writer
• Business communications specialist
• Creative writing instructor
• Publications editor
• Screenwriter
• Website copy editor and writer
• Writing manager

Featured Courses

• ENGL 600 – Editing, Layout, and Publishing
• ENGL 601 – Writing as Cultural Engagement
• ENGL 603 – Literary Theory and Practice
• WRIT 610 – Writing Fiction

Degree Information

• This program falls under the College of Arts and Sciences .
• View the Graduate Arts and Sciences Course Guides (login required).
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Admission Information for the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Admission requirements.

• A non-refundable, non-transferable $50 application fee will be posted on the current application upon enrollment (waived for qualifying service members, veterans, and military spouses – documentation verifying military status is required) .
• Unofficial transcripts can be used for acceptance purposes with the submission of a Transcript Request Form .
• Creative Writing Sample – A creative writing sample of one creative writing work of at least 2,500 words or a culmination of creative writing samples totaling 2,500 words.*
• Applicants whose native language is other than English must submit official scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an approved alternative assessment. For information on alternative assessments or TOEFL waivers, please call Admissions or view the official International Admissions policy .

*A sample of one or more poems totaling a minimum of 750 words may also be submitted. Song lyrics are not accepted at this time as writing samples.

Preliminary Acceptance

If you are sending in a preliminary transcript for acceptance, you must:

• Be in your final term and planning to start your master’s degree after the last day of class for your bachelor’s degree.
• Complete a Bachelor’s Self-Certification Form confirming your completion date. You may download the form from the Forms and Downloads page or contact an admissions counselor to submit the form on your behalf.
• Submit an official/unofficial transcript to confirm that you are in your final term. The preliminary transcript must show a minimum of 105 completed credit hours.
• If you are a current Liberty University student completing your undergraduate degree, you will need to submit a Degree/Certificate Completion Application .
• Send in an additional, final official transcript with a conferral date on it by the end of your first semester of enrollment in the new master’s degree.

Dual Enrollment

Please see the Online Dual Enrollment page for information about starting graduate courses while finishing your bachelor’s degree.

Transcript Policies

Unofficial college transcript policy.

Unofficial transcripts combined with a Transcript Request Form can be used for admission. Official transcripts are required within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first, and will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Before sending unofficial college transcripts, please make sure they include the following:

• Your previous school’s name or logo printed on the document
• Cumulative GPA
• A list of completed courses and earned credit broken down by semester
• Degree and date conferred (if applicable)

Official College Transcript Policy

An acceptable official college transcript is one that has been issued directly from the institution and is in a sealed envelope. If you have one in your possession, it must meet the same requirements. If your previous institution offers electronic official transcript processing, they can send the document directly to [email protected] .

If the student uses unofficial transcripts with a Transcript Request Form to gain acceptance, all official transcripts must be received within 60 days of the admissions decision or before non-attendance drops for the first set of matriculated classes, whichever comes first. Failure to send all official transcripts within the 60-day period will prevent enrollment into future terms until all official transcripts have been received.

Admissions Office Contact Information

(800) 424-9596

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Available Benefits:

• Tuition discounts – $275 per credit hour for graduate courses
• Additional discount for veterans who service in a civilian capacity as a First Responder (less than $625 per course) *
• 8-week courses, 8 different start dates each year, and no set login times (may exclude certain courses such as practicums, internships, or field experiences)

*Not applicable to certificates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an mfa in creative writing.

A Master of Fine Arts degree, or MFA, is a terminal degree in an artistic craft that demonstrates that you have achieved the highest level of training and skill in your discipline. Like a doctorate, an MFA often allows you to teach courses at the graduate level while also providing many opportunities for scholarship and leadership in education. If you want to grow your creative writing skills to become the best writer you can be, then the Master of Fine Arts can help you get there.

How will students work towards developing their writing skills?

With creative writing workshops and a thesis project, you will receive support and guidance to help you become the best writer you can be.

How long will it take to complete the MFA in Creative Writing?

You can complete the MFA in Creative Writing in just 48 credit hours!

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• UC Berkeley
• Letters & Science

Creative Writing Minor

Courses in literature, literature (a-d), african american studies.

C143B. Research-to-Performance Laboratory C143C. Black Theatre Workshop 150B. African American Literature 1920 to Present N150B. Survey of African American Literary Forms and Styles 1920 to 1980 152F. Neo-Slave Narratives 153C. Novels of Toni Morrison 155. Literature of the Caribbean: Significant Themes 159. Special Topics in African American Literature (3 or 4 units only) 165. African American Poetry: Eyes on the Prize

Ancient Greek & Roman Studies

124. Classical Poetics 130M. Slavery and Literature in the Greco-Roman World

American Studies

C152. Native American Literature

Anthropology

160AC. Forms of Folklore 162. Topics in Folklore

104A. Modern Arabic Prose 104B. Classical Arabic Prose 105A. Modern Arabic Poetry 105B. Classic Arabic Poetry 111A-B. Survey of Arabic Literature (in Arabic)

Armenian Studies

Asian american studies.

172. Asian American Literature 175. Contemporary Narratives on the Philippines and the United States 176. Genre in Asian American Literature 178. Gender and Sexuality in Asian American Literature and Culture 181. Chinese American Literature 183. Korean American Literature

Buddhist Studies

C140. Readings in Chinese Buddhist Texts C141. Introductory Readings in Japanese Buddhist Texts

Celtic Studies

119A. Welsh and Arthurian Literature of the Middle Ages 119B. Welsh and Arthurian Literature of the Middle Ages 125. Irish Literature in Translation 138. Irish Literature 139. Irish Literature 146A-B. Medieval Welsh Language and Literature 168. Celtic Mythology and the Oral Tradition

Chicano Studies

141. Chicana Feminist Writers and Discourse 142. Major Chicano Writers 143. Chicano and Latin American Literature

120. Ancient Chinese Prose 122. Ancient Chinese Poetry 134. Readings in Classical Chinese Poetry 136. Readings in Medieval Prose C140. Readings in Chinese Buddhist Texts 155. Readings in Vernacular Chinese Literature 156. Modern Chinese Literature 157. Contemporary Chinese Literature 179. Exploring Premodern Chinese Novels 180. The Story of the Stone

College Writing Programs

140A. Readings on Creative Writing

Comparative Literature

100. Introduction to Comparative Literature 100A: Introduction to Comparative Literature: Literature and Philosophy 100B: Introduction to Comparative Literature: Society and Culture 100C: Introduction to Comparative Literature: Literary and Cultural History 100D: Introduction to Comparative Literature  120. The Biblical Tradition in Western Literature 151. The Ancient Mediterranean World 152. The Middle Ages 153. The Renaissance 154. 18th- and 19th- Century Literature 155. The Modern Period 156. Fiction and Culture of the Americas 156AC. Online: Fiction and Culture of the Americas 165. Myth and Literature 171. Topics in Modern Greek Literature 190. Senior Seminar in Comparative Literature

140. Topics in Dutch Literature C164. The Indonesian Connection: Dutch (Post)colonial History and Culture in Southeast Asia

Literature (E-G)

East asian languages and cultures.

105. Dynamics of Romantic Core Values in East Asian Premodern Literature and Contemporary Film 106. Expressing the Ineffable in China and Beyond: The Making of Meaning in Poetic Writing 108. Revisiting the Classics: Chinese and Greek Poetry in Translation 111. Reading Global Politics in Contemporary East Asian Literature 116. Modern East Asian Fiction 117. Lu Xun and His Worlds 160. Neurodiversity in Literature 162. Science Fiction in East Asia

100. The Seminar on Criticism 107. The English Bible as Literature 110. Medieval Literature 111. Chaucer 112. Middle English Literature 114A-B. English Drama 115A-B. The English Renaissance 117A-T. Shakespeare 118. Milton 119. Literature of the Restoration and Early Eighteenth Century 120. Literature of the Later 18th Century 121. Romantic Period 122. Victorian Period 125A-E. The English Novel 126. British Literature: 1900-1945 127. Modern Poetry 128. Modern Drama 130A-D. American Literature 131. American Poetry 132. American Novel 133A. African American Literature and Culture Before 1917 133B. African American Literature and Culture Since 1917 133T. Topics in African American Literature and Culture 134. Contemporary Literature 135AC. Literature of American Cultures C136. Topics in American Studies 137A. Chicana/o Literature and Culture to 1910 137B. Chicana/o Literature and Culture to 1910 137T. Topics in Chicana/o Literature and Culture 138. Studies in World Literature in English 139. The Cultures of English 152. Women Writers 153T. Topics in Asian American Literatures and Cultures 165. Special Topics 165AC. Special Topics in American Cultures 166. Special Topics 166AC: Special Topics in American Cultures 170. Literature and the Arts 171. Literature and Sexual Identity 172. Literature and Psychology 174. Literature and History 175. Literature and Disability 176. Literature and Popular Culture 177. Literature and Philosophy 178. British and American Folklore 178A. Literature and Law 179. Literature and Linguistics 180A-Z. Genres of Literature 190. Research Seminar 

Ethnic Studies

100. Comparative Ethnic Literature in America N100. Comparative Ethnic Literature in America 174. Existential Panic in American Ethnic Literature 175. Literature from Ethnic Movements

112A-B. Medieval Literature 114A. Late Medieval Literature 116A. 16th-Century Literature: Margot to Montaigne 117A-B. 17th-Century Literature 118A-B. 18th-Century Literature 119A-B. 19th-Century Literature 120A-B. 20th-Century Literature 121A-B. Literary Themes, Genres, and Structures 122A-B. Literary Criticism 123. Prose Fiction 124A. Modern Theatre 126. Senior Seminar 140B-D. French Literature in English Translation 150A-B. Women in French Literature 151A-B. Francophone Literature 172A. Psychoanalytic Theory and Literature 174. Music and Literature 175A. Literature and the Visual Arts 176. Philosophy and Literature 185. Literature and Colonialism  

Gender and Women’s Studies

C146A. Cultural Representations of Sexualities: Queer Literary Culture

108. Literary Translation 110. The Literature of the Middle Ages 112. Early Modern Literature 123. From 1800 to the Present 131. Goethe 140. Romanticism 147. German Drama and Opera 148. Topics in Narrative 151. 18th- to 21st Century German Poetry 152. Modern Literature 155. Kafka 156. Literature in the Digital Age 160E. Holocaust: Media Memory, and Representation

100. Plato and Attic Prose 101. Homer 102. Drama and Society 105. The Greek New Testament 115. Archaic Poetry 116. Greek Drama 117. Hellenistic Poets 120. Herodotus 121. Thucydides 122. Attic Oratory 123. Plato and Aristotle 125. Greek Literature of the Hellenistic and Imperial Periods

Literature (H-P)

104A-B. Modern Hebrew Literature and Culture

Italian Studies

104. Reading Italian Literature 109. Dante’s Commedia (in Italian) 110. Literature and Culture of the 13th- and 14th-Centuries 112. 16th-Century Literature and Culture 115. 19th-Century Literature and Culture 117. 20th- and 21st-Century Literature 120. Topics in Italian Studies 130A. Dante’s Inferno (in English) 130B. Dante’s Purgatorio and Paradiso (in English) 163. Special Topics in Italian Literature

130. Classical Japanese Poetry 132. Pre-Modern Japanese Diary (Nikki) Literature 140. Heian Prose 144. Edo Literature 155. Modern Japanese Literature 159. Contemporary Japanese Literature 170. Classical Japanese Literature in Translation 173. Modern Japanese Literature in Translation 177. Urami: Rancor and Revenge in Japanese Literature 180. Ghosts and the Modern Literary Imagination 181. Reframing Disasters: Fukushima, Before and After

101. Fourth-Year Readings – Literature 130. Genre and Occasion in Traditional Poetry 140. Narrating Persons and Objects in Traditional Korean Prose 150. Modern Korean Poetry 153. Readings in Modern Korean Literature 155. Modern Korean Fiction 157. Contemporary Korean Literature 170. Intercultural Encounters in Korean Literature 172. Gender and Korean Literature 174. Modern Korean Fiction in Translation 180. Critical Approaches to Modern Korean Literature 188. Cold War Culture in Korea: Literature and Film

100. Republican Prose 101. Vergil 102. Lyric and Society 115. Roman Drama 116. Lucretius, Vergil’s Georgics 119. Latin Epic 120. Latin Prose to AD 14 121. Tacitus 122. Post-Augustan Prose 140. Medieval Latin 155A. Readings in Medieval Latin

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Studies (LGBT)

146. Cultural Representations of Sexuality C146A. Cultural Representations of Sexualities: Queer Literary Culture

Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures (MELC)

105. Ancient Mesopotamian Literature 113. Gilgamesh: King, Hero, and God 132. Biblical Poetry 139. Modern Jewish Literatures 150A. Arabic Literature in Translation 150B. Arabic Literature in Translation 152. Cultural Encounters in Modern Arabic Literature 154. Narratives of Identity in Israeli and Palestinian Fiction 155. The Thousand and One Nights in World Literary Imagination

Native American Studies

Near eastern studies.

105A. Ancient Mesopotamian Documents and Literature 113. Gilgamesh: King, Hero and God 132. Biblical Poetry 139. Modern Jewish Literatures 150A-B. Arabic Literature in Translation 152. Cultural Encounters in Modern Arabic Literature 154. Narratives of Identity in Israeli and Palestinian Fiction 155. Wonder and the Fantastic: The Thousand and One Nights in World Literary Imagination 162A-B. History of Persian Literature 165. Film and Fiction of Iran 170A-B. Turkish Literature in Translation

101A-B. Readings in Persian Literature 102A-B. Readings in Classical Persian Prose 103A-B. Classical Persian Poetry 104B. Contemporary Persian Literature 105. Modern Analytical Prose in Persian

107. Introduction to Portuguese Literature and Culture 128. 20th-Century Brazilian Literature 135. Studies in Luso-Brazilian Literature

Literature (R-Z)

112. Rhetoric of Narrative Genres in Nonliterate Societies 121. Rhetoric of Fiction 122. Rhetoric of Drama 124. Rhetoric of Poetry 125. Poetics and Poetry 127. Novel, Society and Politics 129. Rhetoric of Autobiography 129AC. Autobiography and American Individualism 130. Novel into Film 131T. Genre in Film and Literature 156. Rhetoric of the Political Novel

101C. Intermediate Sanskrit: Sahitya (Literary Sanskrit)

Scandinavian

106. The Works of Hans Christian Andersen C107. Plays of Ibsen C108. Strindberg 116. Studies in Prose 120. The Novel in Scandinavian 125. Old Norse Literature 150. Studies in Scandinavian Literature 160. Scandinavian Myth and Religion C160. Scandinavian Myth and Religion 165. Scandinavian Folklore 170. Arctic Folklore and Mythology in Nordic Lands

Slavic Languages and Literatures

131. Literature, Art, and Society in 20th Century Russia 132. Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and the English Novel 133. The Novel in Russia and the West 134A-G. Major Russian Authors 134N. Studies in Russian Literature C134N. Russian and Asia 139. Post-Soviet Cultures 147A. East Slavic Folklore 147B. Balkan Folklore 150. Polish Literature and Intellectual Trends 151. Readings in Polish Literature 170. Survey of Yugoslav Literatures 171. Readings in Yugoslav Literatures 181. Readings in Russian Literature 182. Pushkin 188. Russian Prose

Southeast Asian Studies

128. Introduction to Modern Indonesian and Malaysian Literature in Translation 129. Mainland Southeast Asian Literature 130. Articulations of the Female in Indonesia 148. Philippines: History, Literature, Performance 152. Filipino Mythology 170: Narratives of Vietnam and Vietnamese Diaspora

104A-B. Survey of Spanish American Literature 107A-B. Survey of Spanish Literature 111A-B. Cervantes 115. Spanish Poetry 135. Studies in Hispanic Literature 135W. Studies in Hispanic Literature–Writing Intensive 142. Spanish-American Fiction in English Translation

101A-B. Readings in Tamil

Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies

C107. Plays of Ibsen C108. Strindberg 126 Performance Literatures C183C. Black Theatre Workshop

101A-B. Readings in Modern Turkish

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
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• The Writer's Desk
• Creative Writing MFA
• Creative Writing BFA
• Current Students

Academic Requirements

The MFA in Writing and Literature degree requires 46 credit hours, 40 of course work and a six-credit thesis. Here is how credits are distributed:

Required Introduction to the MFA Program (4 Credits)

CWL 500 - Introduction to Graduate Writing, 4 credits A seminar that introduces students to one another, to the faculty, to the program in Creative Writing and Literature, and to issues in contemporary writing. Offered in conjunction with the "Writers Speak" lecture series. Students will attend the regular series of readings sponsored by the Creative Writing program and meet at weekly intervals under the direction of a faculty advisor to discuss and write about topics raised in the lecture series, as well as issues generated from seminar discussions and assigned readings.

Six or more of the following writing workshops (24 Credits) : Students select a minimum of six writing workshops from the following for a total of 24 credits. Individual courses under each category will be labeled according to the content of the course. Although courses may be repeated for credit, students are strongly encouraged to experiment among the disciplines.

CWL 510 - Forms of Fiction, 4 credits Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more areas of fiction. Students will examine relevant works that illustrate point of view, character development, dialogue, plot, setting, theme, motif, and other aspects of fiction. Topics have included Short Story, Novel, Novella, Beginning the Novel, Advancing the Novel, Writing Everything, Fiction Writing, Children’s Literature, The Popular Novel, and The Comic Novel.

CWL 520 - Forms of Poetry, 4 credits Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more areas of Poetry. Topics have included Powers of Poetry, Metaphor: The Poem As Object, Verse & Meter, Poetry and Poetics, Refined Challenges: Writing New Poems by Imitation, Poetry for Non-Poets, and Contemporary Forms of Poetry. First Book, a thesis workshop for poets, is offered under CWL 570.

CWL 530 - Forms of Scriptwriting, 4 credits  Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more contemporary areas of scriptwriting, with special emphasis on writing for film and theater. Topics have included Advanced Playwriting, Screenwriting, Fiction into Film, Musical Book, and Adaptation.

CWL 535 - Writing in Multiple Genres, 4 credits Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in two or more genres of creative writing. Topics include Three Characters in Search of an Author; Imagining What You Know; What We Write About When We Write About Love; Fiction, Fact and the Heart of the Story; Writing about Place; Writing Everything; and Writing on Location . CWL 540 - Forms of Creative Nonfiction, 4 credits Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more contemporary fields of nonfiction writing. Topics have included Advanced Creative Nonfiction, Autobiography, Biography, Blogs and Alternate Forms, Expository Writing, The Journal, Historical Inquiry, Memoir, The Personal Essay, and Social Commentary.

CWL 550 - Forms of Professional and Scientific Writing, 4 credits Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more contemporary modes of professional writing. Topics have included Advanced Professional Writing, Speechwriting in the Digital World, and Writing in the Public Sector.

CWL 570 - Advanced Writing Workshop, 4 credits The focus is on work in progress and the development of an existing manuscript. The workshop is open to students who are pursuing a book-length project and who want to be exposed to the work of others in varying genres. Strongly recommended for students preparing for the thesis. CWL 575 - Writers Conferences, 1-6 credits The summer sessions at Southampton are intensive programs of creative writing workshops in all genres, including children’s literature, together with lectures, readings, seminars, and panels featuring nationally distinguished authors. These conferences encourage participation by visiting students, new writers, established writers, teachers of writing, and editors who will be admitted by application and may receive academic credit upon request. Graduate students may take any Writers Conference sponsored by the MFA program for academic credit.

TAF 650/CWL 530 - Forms of Scriptwriting, 4 credits Regular submission, discussion, and analysis of students’ work in one or more contemporary areas of scriptwriting, with special emphasis on writing for film and theater. Topics have included Advanced Playwriting Workshop, Independent Film Screenwriting, Feature Film Screenwriting, Fiction into Film, and Advanced Scriptwriting Workshop. This course is offered in conjunction with the MFA in Theatre and Film. Admission is by permission of the director.

Two or more of the following special topic writing and literature seminars (8 Credits)*

CWL 560 - Topics in Literature for Writers, 4 credits A seminar for writers concentrating on one area of literary study, to be announced in the course schedule. The course may examine a contemporary or historical trend in literature, the rise of a specific genre, a social issue expressed in literature, an issue in literary theory, or any other topic of relevance and concern to students of writing. The emphasis will be on scholarly analysis. Topics have included Contemporary Fiction for Writers, Contemporary Poetry for Writers, the Russian Novel and Contemporary Fiction, Literature by Women, Southern Renaissance, French Literature, Children’s Literature, Theory and Criticism for Writers, Classic Plots, and Topics in American Humor.

CWL 565 - Special Topics in Writing, 4 credits A seminar concentrating on a specific topic or concern in writing. The particular theme of the course will be announced in the course schedule. Topics may include, among others, studies of character development, the uses of humor, writing about place, finding one’s voice, and narrative style. Written work will be supported by the reading of related texts. Topics have included Publishing and Editing for Writers, Humor and Truth, Character Development, Writing for Children and Young Adults, Plot Development, Reading and Writing Comedy, Building Real Characters, The Evolution of Prose Poetry, Finding One’s Voice, Seriously Funny, and Writing about Place.

CWL 588 - Independent Study, 1-4 credits Independent studies in topics chosen by the student are arranged through an individual instructor. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and program director.

*With the approval of the Writing Program director: EGL 501 Studies in Chaucer, EGL 502 Studies in Shakespeare, EGL 503 Studies in Milton, EGL 503 Studies in Genre, EGL 520 Studies in Renaissance, EGL 525 17th-Century Literature, EGL 530 Studies in Restoration Literature, EGL 535 Studies in Neoclassicism, EGL 540 Studies in Romanticism, EGL 545 Studies in Victorian Literature, EGL 547 Late 19th-Century British Literature, EGL 550 20th-Century British Literature, EGL 555 Studies in Irish Literature, EGL 560 Studies in Early American Literature, EGL 565 19th-Century American Literature, EGL 570 20th-Century American Literature, EGL 575 British and American Literature, EGL 584 Topics in Genre Studies. If students select to take English literature courses to fulfill this requirement the credit load may increase from eight credits to nine or ten (depending upon course selection).

One or more of the following practicums (4 credits) * With the permission of the director, a course in writing or literature may be substituted in place of the practicum requirement.

CWL 580- Practicum in Arts Administration, 1-4 credits Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, students will learn the essentials of arts administration. This may include assisting in the coordination of reading and lecture series, planning and administering conferences, or other writing and arts administration activities.

CWL 581- Practicum in Teaching Writing, 3 credits Students take the seminar in preparation for teaching undergraduate or secondary school classes. This course provides hands-on experience and instruction in the basics of writing pedagogy, including designing writing assignments, sequencing assignments, motivating writing, writing skill development and evaluating writing. Students will also be given a preliminary overview of the major theories driving composition pedagogy.

CWL 582 - Practicum in Publishing and Editing, 1-4 credits Under the guidance of the faculty advisor, students will be exposed to the hands-on process of editing and publishing through the MFA’s literary magazine, TSR: The Southampton Review, and through the Program’s newsletter.

MFA Thesis (6 credits)

CWL 599 Thesis Every student in the MFA program in Creative Writing and Literature must complete a thesis that is a publishable, book-length work. It may be fiction, nonfiction, poetry, a series of related short pieces, or some other creative writing project approved by the student’s advisor.

Academic Regulations

Advising Incoming students will meet with the program director or faculty advisor before the start of classes to discuss her or his first semester’s coursework.  At the end of the first semester, each student must select a faculty advisor and confirm the choice with the program office. The role of the academic advisor (whom a student may or may not ask to become a student’s thesis advisor) is to monitor the progress of the student, to review issues of course selection and course load, and to serve as an advocate for the student in administrative matters.

Southampton Campus/SBU Main Campus Requirement

In order to graduate, each student must receive at least 4 credits on either the Southampton campus or Stony Brook’s main campus.

Time Limits The time limit for the MFA is three years for full-time study and five years for part-time study. A student’s full- or part-time status is based on registration, and the time-limit may be modified if enrollment switches between part- and full-time. The student may petition for an extension of time limit for the degree. Such requests must be filed before the limit is exceeded and must contain a significant justification.

Transfer Credits The program permits the transfer of up to 12 hours of credit in suitable graduate work done elsewhere that resulted in a grade of B or better. To obtain transfer credit, the student must make special application to the program, submit official transcripts and provide course descriptions or syllabi. Transfer credits are only approved at the discretion of the academic department and the Graduate School.  Courses older than five years will be accepted only in rare circumstances. No courses that have been credited toward another degree, such as an MA or an MFA in a different field, can be transferred.

About That Thesis...

What .   Every student in the MFA program in Creative Writing and Literature must complete a thesis that is a publishable, book-length work. The genre may be fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or a script for the visual media. Some students choose to collect a series of related short pieces. The thesis is judged solely on the quality of its intelligence and its writing.

When .   After taking 24 graduate credits and while completing remaining coursework, MFA students can consider registering for thesis. Most students spend two to three semesters preparing and completing the thesis. The program will also schedule workshops on thesis preparation as necessary during the academic year. These FAQ sheets might help you decide if you are ready to begin:

POETS   |   PROSE   |   SCRIPT

This   degree audit form   will help you figure out whether you’ve taken all of the other courses you need to earn the degree.

Download the degree audit form

This   graduation checkout form , will help you organize the process of completing the SUNY Stony Brook and program requirements for graduation. This form must be completed in order for the program to certify to the Graduate School that the degree requirements have been met.

Download the graduation checkout form

This   thesis planning form , which you’ll need to get signed in order to register for thesis, will help you organize your thoughts about what you are writing, and who your advisor and readers will be. Fill it out to the best of your ability before you approach a faculty member to be your advisor.

Thesis credits are flexible and can be stretched out over as many semesters as you think you’ll need to complete your creative work. Students must allot several weeks during their final thesis semester to meet the administrative requirements of the degree. You need to be registered for at least 1 credit of thesis during the semester in which you graduate, unless you are graduating in a summer term, when you can enroll in CWL 599 for 0 credits. Thesis requires a minimum of 6 credits. If you need an extra semester but you have taken all 6 credits of thesis already, you will have to keep buying additional credits beyond the requirement to stay enrolled.

Who.   Students petition a faculty member to serve as thesis advisor. The advisor is a member of the faculty of the MFA in Creative Writing and Literature program who has expertise in your thesis genre. It is generally someone with whom you have taken at least one course or workshop. Generally speaking, the thesis advisor provides guidance and criticism in the completion of the project, although the advisory role varies somewhat by genre as well as by individual faculty and student preferences. The thesis represents a chance for you to establish your own professional habits as you complete a major work under the guidance of a faculty advisor. You will no longer be receiving the line-by-line edits often enjoyed in workshops. Rather, you will be focusing on the challenge of completing a novel, memoir, essay collection, poetry collection, short story collection, script or other written work. Your advisor helps you with this aspect of the process -- conceptualizing the thesis and carrying out the project.

After a faculty member agrees to serve as a thesis advisor, he or she will guide you in the selection of a thesis committee, which will consist of your advisor, one other member of the faculty in Creative Writing and Literature, and one outside reader knowledgeable in the student’s field of interest. These second and third readers offer fresh eyes and new insights on the manuscript. Readers expect to see the final draft of the thesis, and their role is secondary to that of your thesis advisor. Readers generally will either approve or disapprove your thesis and provide brief commentary. The commentary varies by reader and can be as short as a paragraph or as long as a page. The reader review is generally succinct and may touch upon such aspects of the work as craft, language, originality, artistic relevance, intellectual depth, etc. Sometimes, readers may want to discuss a thesis draft with the advisor or MFA director, and may ask the advisor or director to incorporate the reader’s observations into his or her own comments to the student in order to simplify the process of giving and getting feedback. You should provide each of your readers with a hard copy of your manuscript.

Where .   After the manuscript is written to the satisfaction of both MFA student and advisor and the thesis has been given to the second and third readers, the student must submit the thesis to the Creative Writing Program.

For the Creative Writing Program, students submit a bound copy of the manuscript with these specifications:

• black buckram cover
• hardcover binding
• gold lettering on the spine in lower case with capitalization of first letters of words only (Last Name       Title of Work       Year)
• 8 ½ x 11” interior page size
• Opening pages reflect the   thesis template  

Generate your signature page by filling out the   Thesis Completion Form . Please make sure you have your thesis advisor's and readers' official titles before beginning. 

There are many online binderies that can do this job. Here are two:

Thesis on Demand

http://thesisondemand.com/

http://www.book1one.com/AcademicBooks/ThesesDissertations.aspx

One local bindery is C & H Bookbinding    www.chbook.com .  An additional company is Bridgeport National Bindery, Inc.,   www.bnbindery.com .

Whether you use an online or bricks-and-mortar bindery, direct it to send the pre-paid bound copy to:

MFA Program in Creative Writing and Literature Chancellors Hall Room 238 Stony Brook Southampton 239 Montauk Highway Southampton, NY 11968 Phone: 631-632-5030

Thesis Formatting

• Your pages can be single or double-sided
• Standard fonts such as Times New Roman and Arial are recommended. Fonts should not be smaller than 15 characters per inch. Size 12 font is recommended. o
• Exceptions for font size will be made in the case of format style, when larger type is used for chapter or division headings, or if it is necessary to change type for equations, symbols or figure captions.
• If you are unsure whether your font is acceptable, please have it checked by the Program.
• The font must be consistent throughout the text. Fonts can differ for tables/figures/graphs, etc., but all main text (in the preliminary pages, main body, and reference material) should be in the same font.
• Font color must be black for all main text. Colored font can be used for charts, graphs, maps, etc.
• All margins must measure 1 inch. 1½ inches for all margins is also acceptable. The pages are trimmed if the document is bound, so it is important to adhere to these specifications.
• The right-hand margin of the text may be justified or ragged.
• Page numbers should be contained in the above margin requirements. However, page numbers may be placed at the 1” margin, but should not be placed lower than ½”.
• Spacing and Indentations
• The text of your manuscript may be single or double-spaced, although single-spacing is preferred. One and a half inch spacing is also acceptable.
• The first line of each paragraph should be indented using a standard tab indent.
• The first line of the text of each chapter or major division should be about 1” (approximately 6 single spaces) below the last line of the chapter title or section heading, or may be begun on a new page.
• Please use page numbers.
• Preliminary pages are numbered in lower-case Roman numerals at the bottom center. All preliminary pages are numbered except for the Title Page and Copyright Page (which is optional).
• Numbering for main body of text:
• Arabic numerals begin with 1 on the first page of the first chapter.
• Every page in the main body must be consecutively numbered in Arabic numerals centered at the top or bottom of the page.
• The placement of page numbers in the main body must remain consistent throughout the thesis.
• Page numbers should be contained in the margin requirements. However, page numbers may be placed at the 1” margin, but should not be placed lower than ½”.

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• Course Descriptions

View all courses in the Undergraduate Bulletin

View course descriptions by semester

What is a workshop?

CWL 300-325 are creative writing workshops, usually focused on a single genre like fiction or poetry. Workshops generally involve submission and discussion of students' original work. A "submission" is when you circulate your writing assignment to the other students and your professor ahead of time. Everyone reads your work and writes comments on it to prepare for class, so that, together, they can critique your work. Don't worry! Critiques are constructive, structured discussions, not open season on tearing the work down. Some workshops might be generative, with lots of writing prompts. Others might focus more on revision, with take-home writing assignments. It all depends on the professor and the topic (see below). Students must take the prerequisite, CWL 202, prior to enrolling in 300-level writing workshops. 

What is a Topic?

All of our course numbers, from CWL 202 to the 300-level writing workshops to the "read like a writer" courses (CWL 330-340) are broadly defined. To figure out what's really going on in a particular section during a particular semester, you need to look at its topic. Then you can decide whether that course will further your aims as an artist. The creative writing program circulates and posts the list of upcoming topics prior to the registration period. 

Since topics and professors change each semester, our courses are repeatable for credit. That means a student devoted to poetry, for example, can take CWL 310, Forms of Poetry, multiple times, each semester of it will be unique, and all of those credits will count toward the major or minor. Minors may choose to specialize or to sample a variety of genres. Majors, who are required to take some courses outside their genre, will tend to specialize as they approach their senior project. But with this freedom to take any combination of workshops within the CWL 300-325 range, you can build your own BFA. 

Scroll up and click on the link for our most recent topic descriptions.

Here are the broadly defined descriptions of our courses:

CWL 190: Introduction to Contemporary Literature

Cwl 202: introduction to creative writing, cwl 250: join the conversation, cwl 300: forms of creative nonfiction, cwl 305: forms of fiction, cwl 310: forms of poetry, cwl 315: forms of scriptwriting, cwl 320: forms of interdisciplinary arts, cwl 325: forms of science writing, cwl 330: topics in european literature for writers, cwl 335: topics in american literature for writers, cwl 340: topics in world literature for writers, cwl 390: the ethics of the creative imagination, cwl 450: senior project, cwl 487: mind the gap: independent reading, cwl 499: thesis.

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Gain skills such as reading, writing, critical thinking, and complex reasoning lead to greater professional and personal success.

Home » Program » English, Creative Writing Concentration, B.S.

English, Creative Writing Concentration, B.S.

While pursuing the Creative Writing concentration will be directly beneficial to students wishing to pursue careers as writers or teachers of writing, the study of creative writing provides skills that apply to any field, such as the mastery of language and the ability to craft a story. Students of creative writing learn to take criticism and to craft critical responses that benefit others. They learn to present bold ideas in palatable and persuasive ways. They learn the importance of originality, experimentation, and risk-taking.

Requirements

News Briefs

Rethinking traditional writing in the 21st century

Students who think that writing a traditional essay will be the only thing that happens in Dr. Eric Detweiler's rhetoric and composition classes are likely in for a surprise. Detweiler includes a variety of technology — especially sound related — to broaden perceptions of what writing is and what can be done with it. "I want them to become sensitive to these differences and realize that they can reach a broader audience as well as have fun." Full disclosure: Detweiler emphasizes that traditional writing is very much a part of his classes — it's just not the only part!

Children's and Young Adult Literature Around the World

Dr. Poushali Bhadury engages her students in a lively discussion of race, nation, and sexuality in her new Topics in Children's Literature course, Children's and Young Adult Literature Around the World. The class challenges the lack of diversity in children's and young adult literature by exploring writers and writing from perspectives that address gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, and other facets of identity and culture. Says one student, "This is the most eye-opening course I've ever taken, and Dr. Bhadury is amazing!"

Our students have gone on to become creative writing faculty, oversea educators, editors of creative publications, and published authors:

Victoria Deckard is attending the M.F.A. program at the University of Memphis.

M. Hardwick (Kaitlynn Means) is attending the M.F.A. program at the University of Memphis.

Margaret Hoffman received her Master’s in Dramatic Writing from NYU and has worked as a writer and/or script coordinator on various shows at Netflix, Sesame Street, Nickelodeon, Hellosaurus, and Sutoscience.

Constantine Jones (Pete Jones) is the director of the Visual AIDS oral history project, The Body Is an Archive. They lead courses in poetry & hybrid writing as adjunct faculty at City College of New York (CUNY).

Sophia Mass is teaching in the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program.

Alexa Norsby received her M.F.A. from McNeese State and is now an editorial intern at The Oxford American .

Cassie Sistoso has been accepted into Sewanee School of Letters MFA in Creative Writing Program.

Quentin Steadman received his M.F.A. from Old Dominion University and is pursuing a Ph.D. in Creative Writing at the University of Nebraska.

Lukas Tallent’s story, “Thrust,” was recently included in Heresy Press’s debut anthology, Nothing Sacred: Outspoken Voices in Contemporary Fiction , and his debut novel will be published in the Fall. He edits a literary magazine on Substack called Wrong Turn Lit .

Coby Taylor  has been accepted into the Japanese Exchange and Teaching Program.

Alex Terrell (Tiara Terrell) won the PEN/Robert J. Dau Short Story Prize for Emerging Writers in 2018. Her stories have been published in Black Warrior Review , Puerto del Sol , and The Kenyon Review , and in the anthology Best American Experimental. She teaches creative writing at UMass Amherst and GrubStreet.

Joshua Tilton received his M.F.A. from the University of Memphis.

Chet Weise is Editor in Chief of Third Man Books, an imprint of Jack White’s Third Man Records in Nashville.

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This degree is approved for distance education by the WSCUC.

Bachelor of Arts in English

Program planners for each option are available on the Department website or in the Department office. Students should consult with Department faculty advisors when choosing a program in English and regularly as they progress towards their degrees.

The Department of English can refer students to one of the coordinating faculty advisors. Regular office hours for all English faculty are posted near the Department office, and information sheets are available detailing which faculty members regularly advise for specific options.

ENGL 100B   , a general education foundation course, is not part of any English option. Some options permit or require courses from other departments; if approved by a faculty advisor, options may also include other courses outside English. Because some courses meet requirements in several options, students can often change options with no significant loss of credit towards the required total; students also regularly double major in two options in English.

In addition to the degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in English, English majors must meet the following requirements for University graduation:

• Each lower division course counted towards the English major must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. A course in which a grade lower than a “C” is received must be retaken and successfully completed prior to enrolling in any course for which it is a prerequisite.
• ENGL 380   , required of all English majors, must be completed with a grade of “C” or better. If a grade lower than a “C” is received, ENGL 380    must be retaken and successfully completed with a grade of “C” or better prior to enrolling in any course for which it is a prerequisite.

Option in Creative Writing

(120 units)

The Creative Writing option is designed for students who wish to write as well as study fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction. Exposure to traditional and recent literature is essential for anyone seeking to master the forms and conventions of writing creatively for the literary marketplace.

This option consists of 45 units, 31 of which must be taken in the upper division, including the following:

Lower Division:

Take all of the following (11 units total):.

• ENGL 180 - Appreciation of Literature (3 units)
• ENGL 250A - Survey of English Literature (4 units)
• ENGL 250B - Survey of English Literature (4 units)
• ENGL 270A - Survey of American Literature (4 units)
• ENGL 270B - Survey of American Literature (4 units)

Take one of the following:

• ENGL 204 - Introduction to Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction (3 units)
• ENGL 205 - Introduction to Creative Writing: Fiction (3 units)
• ENGL 206 - Introduction to Creative Writing: Poetry (3 units)

Upper Division:

Take one of the following courses (3 units):.

• ENGL 304 - Intermediate Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction (3 units)
• ENGL 305 - Intermediate Creative Writing: Fiction (3 units)
• ENGL 306 - Intermediate Creative Writing: Poetry (3 units)
• ENGL 307 - Intermediate Creative Writing: The Novel (3 units)

Take the following:

• ENGL 380 - Approaches to English Studies (4 units)

Take nine units from the following:

• ENGL 404 - Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction (3 units)
• ENGL 405 - Creative Writing: Short Story (3 units)
• ENGL 406 - Creative Writing: Poetry (3 units)
• ENGL 407 - Creative Writing: Novel (3 units)
• ENGL 499 - Directed Studies (1-3 units)

Take three of the following classes in recent literature, literary genres, major writers, and literary criticism:

• ENGL 340 - American Indian Literature (3 units)
• ENGL 370 - Chicana/o and Latina/o Literature (3 units)
• ENGL 385 - The Short Story (3 units)
• ENGL 386 - Poetry (3 units)
• ENGL 459 - English Literature of the Twentieth Century (1900‑Present) (3 units)
• ENGL 460 - Anglophone Postcolonial Literature (3 units)
• ENGL 466 - Irish Literature in English (3 units)
• ENGL 467A - The English Novel (3 units)
• ENGL 467B - The English Novel (3 units)
• ENGL 469 - Selected Topics - Major English Writers (4 units)
• ENGL 470 - American Ethnic Literatures (3 units)
• ENGL 474 - Twentieth-Century American Literature (3 units)
• ENGL 475 - The American Short Story (3 units)
• ENGL 476A - American Poetry (3 units)
• ENGL 476B - American Poetry (3 units)
• ENGL 477A - The American Novel (3 units)
• ENGL 477B - The American Novel (3 units)
• ENGL 478 - American Drama (3 units)
• ENGL 479 - Selected Topics - Major American Writers (4 units)

Take electives to make up a total of 45 units chosen from the classes listed above and/or any upper-division English courses.

Creative Writing Courses

Arts Core courses and Beginning Workshops are open to all College students via the standard pre-registration process. Other courses are listed open-bid during pre-registration and prioritize students enrolled in Creative Writing degree programs. 

Arts Core Courses

These multi-genre courses are introductions to topics in creative writing and satisfy the College's general arts education requirement. Arts Core courses are generally taught under two headings—"Reading as a Writer" and "Intro to Genres"—and feature class critiques of students’ creative work. Open to all undergraduate students during pre-registration, these courses do not count towards the Creative Writing major.  

Beginning Workshops

These courses are intended for students who may or may not have previous writing experience, but are interested in gaining experience in a particular genre. Beginning Workshops focus on foundational elements of craft (such as scene-building, different forms of the essay, etc.) and feature workshops of student writing. They are open to all undergraduate students during pre-registration and are cross-listed with a graduate number. 

Fundamentals in Creative Writing

The Fundamentals in Creative Writing course is an introductory multi-genre seminar to be taken by all students in the major and minor. Each section of the course focuses on a theme that is relevant to all forms of literary practice and introduces students to a group of core texts from the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

Courses may center around a range of topics—such as truth, literary empathy, or creative research—meant to draw attention to relationships across genres and to establish a deeper understanding of fundamental issues and questions in contemporary writing. Further aims of the course are to develop cohort solidarity, promote a culture of articulate exchange, and to foster a reflection on practice that will serve students’ artistic and professional development.

Fundamentals in Creative Writing is restricted to undergraduate students who have declared the major or minor. The course is taught in a seminar format and requires a final paper that analyzes one or more contemporary works in the context of a question or problem discussed in the class. Students should plan to take the course as early as possible after declaring the major or minor, ideally during their first or second quarter in the Program.  

Technical Seminars

Technical Seminars are designed to give students a deep grounding in core technical elements of their primary genre. In these courses, students examine works of contemporary literature to deepen their understanding of a particular literary technique central to the genre. A Technical Seminar in Fiction might concentrate on point of view in several novels and short stories; a Technical Seminar in Poetry might look closely at the line in a range of poems.

Technical Seminars act as a “bridge” between the literature courses included in the major and the creative writing workshops. While literature courses offered through other departments may take a distinctly scholarly approach to literature from a range of time periods, Technical Seminars ask students to approach contemporary literature as critics and, crucially, as practitioners.

These courses prepare students for the writing and critiquing they will do in workshops, but with a focus on published work and critical texts rather than original student material. Instructors may include creative exercises in the syllabus, but core writing assignments focus on analysis of assigned readings with a specific technical element in mind.

These courses give priority to students in the major and are cross-listed with a graduate number. Students in the minor may take Technical Seminars as electives (meaning they can count towards the minor but not towards the workshop requirement).

Advanced Workshops

These courses are intended for students with substantive writing experience in a particular genre. Students are required to complete a fundamentals in creative writing course and a beginning workshop prior to enrolling in an advanced workshop. Advanced Workshops focus on class critiques of student writing with accompanying readings from exemplary literary texts. Priority is given to students in the major, minor, or the MAPH Creative Writing Option. These courses are cross-listed with a graduate number. 

Thesis/Major Projects Workshops

The Thesis/Major Projects Workshop is only offered during Winter Quarter and centers on workshops of Creative Writing major, minor, and MAPH Creative Writing Option student work. Priority is given to students in the major, minor, or the MAPH Creative Writing Option. These courses are cross-listed with a graduate number. 

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• BA (Hons) Creative Writing

Creative Writing

If you want to get serious about creative writing, the Manchester Writing School – with a proven reputation for developing gifted students into award-winning professional writers – is the ideal place to start.

Course overview

Embark on our creative writing degree and from the very start you’ll study and practise the art and craft of writing in a wide range of established and new forms, from prose fiction, screenwriting and poetry, to digital art, spoken word and writing for computer games. You'll also focus on how writers read texts, how we can learn from them and how to add your own voice into the ongoing conversation of literature.

You’ll learn from award-winning, leading poets, novelists and scriptwriters at the renowned Manchester Writing School – writers who know what it takes to turn a flash of inspiration into brilliant words on the page. The course also has a strong emphasis on professional development, and in our practical 'Beyond the Page' unit you’ll look at professional prac...

What you need to know

• When does the course start? September 2024 September 2025

3 years full-time

4 years with placement year or study abroad

4-9 years part-time

• How many UCAS points do I need? 104-112
• Where will I study this course? Manchester

Features and benefits

"One of the greatest pleasures of my working life continues to be the Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University - a department with a real sense of family, achievement and celebration, and an ethos of nurturing and innovation." Professor Carol Ann Duffy DBE (Poet Laureate 2009-19) Creative Director of the Manchester Writing School

Course Information

In creative writing, students study and practise the art and craft of writing in a wide range of established and new forms, from prose fiction and poetry to screenwriting and writing for computer games. A range of award-winning and internationally celebrated writers teach on the BA programme, including Helen Mort, Andrew McMillan, Andrew Hurley, Kim Moore, Susan Barker, Lara Williams, Rachel Genn, Rachel Lichtenstein, Anjum Malik, Nikolai Duffy, Catherine Fox, Livi Michael, Gregory Norminton, Adam O’Riordan, Joe Stretch, Malika Booker, Antony Rowland and Jean Sprackland.

Accreditations, Awards and Endorsements

National Student Survey 2023 (NSS) 93.8% student satisfaction - In response to: How good are teaching staff at explaining things?

Teaching Excellence Framework 2023-2027 We have received an overall gold status in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), meaning we're rated as an outstanding university for our student experience.

You will explore genres and understand these in terms of formal and thematic properties. You will explore the relationships between poetry, prose and drama by familiarising yourself with some of the major works that define each genre. You will also consider the reasons why writers make generic and formal choices, and in your own creative writing, you will be encouraged to experiment in genres and forms, engaging critically with issues raised by each.

You’ll also work on how to read texts as a writer, thinking about what we can learn from existing texts and how we can take those lessons forward in our own work and into professional practice. You’ll be asked to write critically about these texts too, in order to bring greater understanding and depth to your own writing.

Language and Technique

An introduction to writing techniques focussing primarily on the crafting processes of poetry and prose. 

This unit introduces key skills for university study, progressing to research, writing and project development. You will learn skills of close reading and textual analysis, practice on a range of cultural forms and focussed on representations of Manchester as a diverse, international city. You will then develop your own independent project and put into practice the analytical skills developed. 

Story and Structure

An introduction to the conventions of storytelling focussing on forms such as flash fiction, short stories, screenwriting and writing for theatre.

The Writing Life

This unit will introduce students to professional opportunities in Creative Writing and the skills needed to access them. 

Study and assessment breakdown

• Year 1 30% lectures, seminars or similar; 70% independent study
• Year 2 30% lectures, seminars or similar; 70% independent study
• Year 3 100% placement (optional)
• Year 4 10% lectures, seminars or similar; 90% independent study
• Year 1 100% coursework
• Year 2 100% coursework
• Year 4 100% coursework

Placement options

Placement opportunities may be available both in the UK and abroad, in a wide variety of roles and sectors.

Our dedicated placement team have developed excellent links with various industries. You will be offered support through a preparation programme of activities that includes guidance on selection procedures, working overseas, CV preparation, interview and selection techniques.

In your second year, you will begin to specialise by selecting writing workshop modules in poetry, prose, scriptwriting and digital taught by practising writers. You’ll experiment and engage with issues raised by formal choices, such as point of view and diction, and develop your workshop and editorial skills. Distinguished writers from our Manchester Writing School will provide masterclasses on specialist forms of writing to help you shape your own creative practice, alongside studio sessions on intellectual and technical aspects central to your craft.

You will also learn about the history of the literary transmission of texts, focussing specifically on texts and their relation to technologies of the age, and the nature and resources of the literary artist.

Additionally, you will choose option units from the wider English programme so you can learn from the work of a wide range of writers and filmmakers, and develop your critical skills too. The listed option units are indicative of the type of units that will be available.

Creative Workshop 1

Students focus on two literary forms chosen from a list (for example prose, poetry, scriptwriting) and follow an intensive workshop for one semester. 

Creative Workshop 2

Remake/remodel.

Students explore literary adaptation, analysing how texts survive and evolve - how the meanings of stories, characters, poems, songs and ideas change across time and across forms. Students will be supported to make adaptations of material encountered on the unit. Students then explore the artistic process underpinning literary adaptation, examining a range of strategies by which a text or existing cultural artefact might be re-made. Students will make their own literary adaptation of an existing story, character, painting, videogame, piece of music or film, whilst reflecting critically on the process.  

The Writer's Studio

Students focus on one creative writing form chosen from a list (for example creative non-fiction, life writing) and follow an intensive workshop for one semester. 

Option units

Cultures of resistance.

This unit investigates cultures of resistance and their historical conditions. To do so, it places a range of resistant cultural texts in dialogue with relevant theoretical and critical material. 

Engaging the Humanities 2

An innovative unit that applies interdisciplinary methods, approaches and perspectives of humanities and social science disciplines to contemporary socio-economic challenges, complementing Engaging the Humanities 1. Each year the unit will address a different contemporary issue or theme. The unit will give you the opportunity to develop and apply your academic skills in an applied, practical setting by undertaking an individual engagement project. This can include a work placement, volunteering, social/community enterprise, RAH! Project, awareness-raising campaign, multimedia piece, blog, creative writing, poetry or artwork performance/exhibition. Each project will be supervised and mentored by one of the unit tutors. Finding external partners to work with will be supported by the Engagement and Outreach team.

Fit for the Future

The unit will take students through the various stages of recruitment from identifying strengths and skills, to job searching and CVs, using platforms such as LinkedIn, and interview practice. Students will build up a portfolio of tasks related to employability, for instance, CV, video interview, assessment centre and reflect on their learning across the unit.

Global Challenges: Green Literature, Film and Media

This unit will analyse the current climate crisis applying the methodologies of creative writing, English literature, or film and media studies.

Manchester City of Literature

This unit will explore the organisations and activities that make up Manchester’s UNESCO City of Literature network, and assess ways in which literary activity can help cities address contemporary global challenges.

Writing After The British Empire: Race, Nation And Theory

How can literary and cultural texts write back to the former colonial centre, enact the decolonisation of the mind, and unpick the stereotypes and ideologies central to the establishment of the British empire? How do literary and cultural works represent the lingering effects of imperialism in the present day? What does contemporary inequality, nationalism, Islamophobia and racism have to do with Britain’s colonial past? This unit supports students to address the formal, ideological and ethical questions negotiated in postcolonial literature and cinema. The unit offers an introduction to postcolonial theory as it relates to the texts and contexts we discuss. Areas of investigation might include climate change, migration, war, gender and sexuality, race and religion.

If you choose one of our four-year routes, Year 3 will be spent on placement or studying abroad.

In your final year, you will undertake a creative project and also take your work beyond the page into professional contexts; and alongside this you will be able to choose from a range of option units to suit your interests. Please note that the following list of units is indicative and may be subject to change.

Beyond the Page

This unit explores professional practice and the application of creative skills in the wider world. You will encounter practitioners from a diverse range of writing and creative professions and gain perspective on accessing and working within the cultural industry. You will take a literary text of your own - an original piece or something written within another unit - and conceive a strategy for its dissemination, reinvention, publication or performance, whilst reflecting critically on this process.

Creative Project (30 credits)

On this unit, you will be asked to devise, scope, plan, conduct, report and reflect on a creative project of your own choosing. The project should involve a significant stretch from your core work on the programme and explore a new practice. This can be either working in a writing discipline different to your main route through the course, or by adapting or applying your work in a new context.

Study Abroad Semester

The Study Abroad unit will involve study for one semester at an approved partner University overseas.

Escapade: Writing Creative Non-Fiction

This unit teaches you how to tell true stories in a post-truth world, how to narrate real-life events (escapades) through innovations in essay writing, observational fieldnotes, literary journalism, life writing and narrative scholarship in a range of media and to understand the ethical consequences of doing so. 

Introduction to Book Publishing

This unit will introduce students to all parts of the book publishing process and industry. Through practical exercises and interactive lectures, students will learn how the industry developed, specialist genres such as children's publishing and how publishers commission, edit, design and produce books in all formats. 

Introduction to Teaching

The unit will aim to introduce English as a core curriculum subject in secondary schools and as an A-level subject. It will provide students with insight into the application of their subject specialism to teaching in school and colleges in England, covering aspects of both curriculum content and subject pedagogy.

Popular Fiction: Reading and Writing Genre

This unit explores novels and novellas for adults that can be categorised as belonging to recognisable commercial and popular genres. You will be expected to engage both critically and creatively a range of genres.

Reading Children’s Literature

This unit provides an analytical study of a range of classic and modern texts written for children. It also uses these texts as models for the production of new texts. The unit also covers appropriate techniques for writing for children. It provides you with the skills to analyse a range of children's literature, and to use the resulting knowledge to produce original texts suitable for teenagers and children. 

Reading and Writing Games

This unit provides an analytical study of a range of twenty and twenty-first century games, both analogue and digital. Students will be introduced to the critical and historical field of game studies, and given guidance on the appropriate techniques for writing for gaming and the experience of working with pre-determined project briefs.

Reading and Writing Poetry

This unit focuses on reading and analysing a representative range of work by contemporary poets, and introduces students to relevant critical work. It equips students with critical, analytical and writing skills to read and write poetry effectively. Assessment will give students the opportunity to produce written work in critical and creative modes, and to reflect analytically on their own work. The unit will provide students with the opportunity to attend a major poetry event (e.g. the Forward Prize or the T. S. Eliot prize awards) and to visit poetry readings. 

Renegade: Writing Literary Fiction

Students will read and research a range of texts and map the terrain of contemporary literary fiction. Students will engage in current debates around the meaning and vitality of literary fiction and the way it intersects with various political movements. Students will engage and experiment with the formal innovation that defines contemporary literary fiction. Students will ultimately offer their own creative responses to the formal and political concerns of the moment through their own creative writing. 

Writing Series Drama

A creative advanced Scriptwriting course which develops skills in team storylining and individual scriptwriting skills in the context of the study of contemporary professional practice.

Whether you’ve already made your decision about what you want to study, or you’re just considering your options, there are lots of ways you can meet us and find out more about student life at Manchester Met.

• a virtual experience campus tour
• chats with current students

Taught by Experts

Your studies are supported by a department of committed and enthusiastic teachers and researchers, experts in their chosen field.

We often link up with external professionals too, helping to enhance your learning and build valuable connections to the working world.

Entry Requirements

These typical entry requirements may be subject to change for the 2025/26 academic year. Please check back for further details.

UCAS Tariff points

GCE A levels - grades BCC or equivalent

Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM

Access to HE Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff points

UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall

OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM

T level - We welcome applications from students undertaking T level qualifications. Eligible applicants will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of Merit as a condition of offer

IB Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum overall score of 26 or minimum 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects

Other Level 3 qualifications equivalent to GCE A level are also considered. 

A maximum of three A level-equivalent qualifications will be accepted towards meeting the UCAS tariff requirement. 

AS levels, or qualifications equivalent to AS level, are not accepted. The Extended Project qualification (EPQ) may be accepted towards entry, in conjunction with two A-level equivalent qualifications.

Please contact the University directly if you are unsure whether you meet the minimum entry requirements for the course.

Specific GCSE Requirements

GCSE grade C/4 in English Language or equivalent, e.g. Pass in Level 2 Functional Skills English

International Baccalaureate points

Ielts score required for international students.

There’s further information for international students on our international website if you’re applying with non-UK qualifications.

Fees and Funding

Tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year are still being finalised for all courses. You can find information on 2024/25 standard undergraduate fees for UK/Channel Islands and EU/Non-EU international students. All fees stated may be subject to change for the 2025/26 academic year.

Additional Costs

Specialist costs.

Compulsory estimate : £300

Optional estimate : £300

On our creative writing course, students must have access to a copy of all set texts. Primary texts are held in the University library but students often prefer to have their own copy. Prices vary but many are cheaply available and set texts are often available online for no cost. Students often buy texts second hand, and there is a book exchange in the atrium of the Geoffrey Manton building. Students often choose to buy their own laptops but computers are available on campus, and laptops and iPads are available for students to borrow (estimated costs are £300 for a laptop). Students may also need to print their assignments and other documents - campus printing costs start from 5p per page.

Some option units include trips to relevant events or venues, theatres, exhibitions and libraries, which are all optional activities.

Find out more about financing your studies and whether you may qualify for one of our bursaries and scholarships

First Generation

Dedicated funding and support for first generation students

Career Prospects

Graduates enter a wide range of careers, especially media work and teaching, where their transferable skills are particularly relevant. Recent graduates have become school and college teachers, and some have gained employment in fields as diverse as banking, finance, manufacturing and theatre.

There is also the opportunity to engage in further study and professional training, for example some of our graduates go on to study MA/MFA Creative Writing at postgraduate level at our Manchester Writing School under the creative direction of Professor Carol Ann Duffy DBE (Poet Laureate 2009-2019). More than 100 former students of the Manchester Writing School have embarked upon careers as published writers.

Want to know more

Got a question.

You can apply for this course for 2025/26 entry once UCAS applications open in autumn.

Visit UCAS for further details, including deadlines.

Apply for other study options:

Please contact our course enquiries team.

Get advice and support on making a successful application.

You can review our current Terms and Conditions before you make your application. If you are successful with your application, we will send you up to date information alongside your offer letter.

Manchester is your city, be part of it

Your new home, your new city, why university, related courses, film and media studies, english and multimedia journalism, english and creative writing.

Programme Review Our programmes undergo an annual review and major review (normally at 6 year intervals) to ensure an up-to-date curriculum supported by the latest online learning technology. For further information on when we may make changes to our programmes, please see the changes section of our Terms and Conditions .

Important Notice This online prospectus provides an overview of our programmes of study and the University. We regularly update our online prospectus so that our published course information is accurate. Please check back to the online prospectus before making an application to us to access the most up to date information for your chosen course of study.

Confirmation of Regulator The Manchester Metropolitan University is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS is the independent regulator of higher education in England. More information on the role of the OfS and its regulatory framework can be found at officeforstudents.org.uk .

All higher education providers registered with the OfS must have a student protection plan in place. The student protection plan sets out what students can expect to happen should a course, campus, or institution close. Access our current Student Protection Plan .

OUR MINISTER

Dr. Joseph Lozovyy was born into a Christian family in Elektrostal, Moscow Region, and was raised in a pastor’s home. From the age of fifteen, he began actively participating in the music ministry of the Baptist Church in Mytishchi, where his father served as a pastor, and also played in the orchestra of the Central Moscow Baptist Church. From 1989, he participated in various evangelistic events in different cities of Moscow Region and beyond. From 1989 to 1992, as a member of the choir and orchestra “LOGOS,” he participated in evangelistic and charitable concerts, repeatedly performing on the stages of the Moscow State Conservatory, the Bolshoi Theatre, and other concert halls in Russia and abroad. In 1992, his family moved to the United States. In 2007, after completing a full course of spiritual and academic preparation, Joseph moved to Dallas, Texas, to engage in church ministry. In 2008, he founded the Russian Bible Church to preach to the Russian-speaking population living in Dallas, Texas.

– Bachelor of Arts in Music (viola) from the Third Moscow Music School named after Scriabin, Russia (1987-1991)

– Master of Theology (Th.M); Dallas Theological Seminary, Texas (1999-2003);

– Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D) Hebrew Bible (Books of Samuel): University of Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (2007).

– Doctoral research (2004-2005) Tübingen, Germany.

– Author of a theological work published in English: Saul, Doeg, Nabal and the “Son of Jesse: Readings in 1 Samuel 16-25, LHBOTS 497 [T&T Clark/Continuum: Bloomsbury Publishing]).

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/saul-doeg-nabal-and-the-son-of-jesse-9780567027535/

Joseph and his wife Violetta and their son Nathanael live in the northern part of Dallas.

Saul, Doeg, Nabal, and the “Son of Jesse”: Readings in 1 Samuel 16-25: The Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies Joseph Lozovyy T&T Clark (bloomsbury.com)

Joseph, his wife Violetta and their son Nathaniel live in North Dallas, Texas where he continues ministering to Russian-speaking Christians and his independent accademic research.

Published Work

1. bloomsbury:, 2. buy at christian book distributors:, 3. buy on amazon:.

IELTS Exam Preparation: Free IELTS Tips, 2024

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Take IELTS test in or nearby Elektrostal'

There is no IELTS test center listed for Elektrostal' but you may be able to take your test in an alternative test center nearby. Please choose an appropriate test center that is closer to you or is most suitable for your test depending upon location or availability of test.

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Make sure to prepare for the IELTS exam using our Free IELTS practice tests .

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An Overview of the IELTS

The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is designed to measure English proficiency for educational, vocational and immigration purposes. The IELTS measures an individual's ability to communicate in English across four areas of language: listening , reading , writing and speaking . The IELTS is administered jointly by the British Council, IDP: IELTS Australia and Cambridge English Language Assessment at over 1,100 test centres and 140 countries. These test centres supervise the local administration of the test and recruit, train and monitor IELTS examiners.

IELTS tests are available on 48 fixed dates each year, usually Saturdays and sometimes Thursdays, and may be offered up to four times a month at any test centre, including Elektrostal' depending on local needs. Go to IELTS test locations to find a test centre in or nearby Elektrostal' and to check for upcoming test dates at your test centre.

Test results are available online 13 days after your test date. You can either receive your Test Report Form by post or collect it from the Test Centre. You will normally only receive one copy of the Test Report Form, though you may ask for a second copy if you are applying to the UK or Canada for immigration purposes - be sure to specify this when you register for IELTS. You may ask for up to 5 copies of your Test Report Form to be sent directly to other organisations, such as universities.

There are no restrictions on re-sitting the IELTS. However, you would need to allow sufficient time to complete the registration procedures again and find a suitable test date.

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The reading, writing and listening practice tests on this website have been designed to resemble the format of the IELTS test as closely as possible. They are not, however, real IELTS tests; they are designed to practise exam technique to help students to face the IELTS test with confidence and to perform to the best of their ability.

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