Program Overview

Creative Writing Academic Certificate

Overview

The certificate program in Creative Writing is a 33-credit program designed to help students grow as writers and readers. Guided by our accomplished faculty, students will take a sequence of literature and creative writing courses, have opportunities to interact with visiting writers, and attend readings, workshops, festivals and other special events. The program culminates in a capstone course, Portfolio Development, designed to help students prepare to apply to four-year writing programs and develop manuscripts for publication.

Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program graduates will be able to:

• Examine literature as a model for their original work.
• Understand and use techniques necessary for the mastery of the craft of creative writing.
• Improve their creative writing skills through feedback and continued revision.
• Gain insight into local and national resources for writers and the publication process.
• Complete a portfolio of original work for publication or submission to other creative writing programs.

Course Sequence

Semester 1

• ENGL 101 - English Composition or ENGL 101H - English Composition I (Honors)
• CIS 103 - Introduction to Information Technology
• Social Science Elective
• ENGL 205 - Creative Writing

Semester 2

• Literature course
• ENGL 102 - The Research Paper or ENGL 102H - The Research Paper (Honors)
• FNMT 101 - Quantitative Reasoning or FNMT 118 - Intermediate Algebra or higher
• Directed Elective - Select one of the following:
  • Literature course
  • ENGL 137 - Introduction to Theater (ENGL 137 recommended for students taking ENGL 282)
• Select one of the following:
  • ENGL 280 - Poetry Writing
  • ENGL 281 - Fiction Writing
  • ENGL 282 - Scriptwriting
  • ENGL 283 - Nonfiction Writing: Memoir and Literary Journalism

Semester 3

• Select one of the following:
  • ENGL 280 - Poetry Writing
  • ENGL 281 - Fiction Writing
  • ENGL 282 - Scriptwriting
  • ENGL 283 - Nonfiction Writing: Memoir and Literary Journalism
• ENGL 285 - Portfolio Development

Career Outlook

• Median Salary of a English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary: $89,248
• Number of Jobs in the Region: 1,392
• 10-year Job Outlook in the Region for First-Line Supervisor of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers: +4%

Featured Career

• English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
  • Teach courses in English language and literature, including linguistics and comparative literature.
  • Starting Pay: $46,727
  • Typical Tasks:
    • Prepare, rewrite, and edit copy to improve readability, or supervise others who do this work.
    • Verify facts, dates, and statistics, using standard reference sources.
    • Read copy or proof to detect and correct errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.
    • Develop story or content ideas, considering reader or audience appeal.
    • Review and approve proofs submitted by the composing room prior to publication production.

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