Program Overview

Creative Writing Undergraduate Certificate

The Creative Writing Undergraduate Certificate is designed to help students develop their creative writing skills in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The program requires 18 hours of coursework with a grade point average of 3.0 or better.

Program Requirements

To receive the certificate, students must take 18 hours of coursework chosen from the following categories:

• Creative Writing Courses (at least 3):
  • ENGL 2020: Introduction to Creative Writing (CW)
  • ENGL 2030: Poetry Writing Jumpstart (CW)
  • ENGL 2040: Fiction Writing Jumpstart (CW)
  • ENGL 3030: Improving on the Blank Page: Writing Poetry (CW)
  • ENGL 3040: Lying to Tell a Truth: Writing Fiction (CW)
  • ENGL 4130: A Machine Made of Words: Writing Your Best Poems (CW)
  • ENGL 4140: Polishing Your Stories: Producing a Publishable Short Story (CW)
  • ENGL 4150: Creative Non-Fiction (CW)
  • ENGL 4180: Novel Beginnings (CW)
• Professional Writing Courses (no more than 2):
  • ENGL/MEDIA ST 2080: Advertising Copywriting
  • ENGL/MEDIA ST 3150: Feature Writing
  • ENGL 4162: Writers at Work
  • ENGL 4860: Editing and the Production Process
• Other Courses:
  • ENGL 3090: Turning the Kaleidoscope: How We Look at Texts
  • ENGL 3100: Junior-Level Writing
  • ENGL 4160: Special Topics in Writing (with permission from the Writing Certificate Coordinator)
  • ENGL 4890: Writing Internship
  • ENGL 4892: Independent Writing Project (limited availability)
  • ENGL 4895: Editing "Litmag"

Capstone Course

Students may use one of the following courses as their capstone course:

• ENGL 4895: Editing "Litmag"
• ENGL 4890: Writing Internship (in literary publishing, feature writing, or advertising copywriting)
• ENGL 4140: Polishing Your Stories: Producing a Publishable Short Story (with teacher's permission and extra work)
• ENGL 4130: A Machine Made of Words: Writing Your Best Poems (with teacher's permission and extra work)

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, certificate earners will be able to:

• Identify and execute particular techniques of the genre
• Improve, sharpen, and extend these techniques in their own writing through revision
• Demonstrate practice in multiple creative writing genres
• Reflect on their own work in the context of literary traditions and aesthetic points of view
• Possess the ability to critically read and analyze the work of others
• Incorporate constructive criticism into the revising process
• Provide critical feedback to other writers during their creative process
• Experiment with literary traditions to break tradition
• Explain how different genres inform and intersect with one another
• Pursue ideas, techniques, and forms that are outside their comfort zone
• Demonstrate how professional publishing and editing functions, including how and where to send their work for publication
• Market their skills set as creative writers for employment