Program Overview

Program Overview

The Professional Certificate in Creative Writing is designed to provide students with the skills necessary to write in a variety of creative writing genres. Students will learn core creative writing skills and choose from a selection of electives in the areas of Fiction, Creative Non-Fiction, Children’s Writing, Poetry, and/or The Business of Writing.

Program Details

• The program is offered online, with most classes being asynchronous and a few being live-online.
• The program duration is 15-30 months, varying by student and courses taken per quarter.
• The estimated cost of the program is $5,585, including textbooks, but the total varies depending on which electives are chosen.

What You Will Learn

• A strong foundation in grammar
• Tips and tricks for developing unforgettable characters
• How to discover your voice and uncover your most inspirational story
• Elements of style, voice, and dramatic structure to help you hone your writing skills
• The art and science of rewriting, editing, and submitting work for publication
• The necessary skills for a mindful approach towards writing and reading critically in your everyday practice
• The connection between reading and writing, and how literature can help shape your own writing

Program Structure

The program is designed to fit the needs of hobbyists as well as those who have professional aspirations of becoming a published author.

Admission Criteria

Students may enroll in individual courses without applying to the certificate program. There is a $0.00 application fee. For students pursuing the certificate, there will be a one-time $125.00 certificate fee.

Required Courses

Students must complete all 5 required courses:

1. Grammar Lab (WCWP-40234) - 3 units, $705.00
2. The Art and Craft of Creative Writing (WCWP-40107) - 3 units, $605.00
3. Developing Unforgettable Characters (WCWP-40245) - 2 units, $365.00
4. Finding Our Voices, Telling Our Stories (WCWP-40142) - 3 units, $605.00
5. Writers' Workshop: Read and Critique (WCWP-40252) - 3 units, $605.00

Electives

Students must choose a minimum of 2 units of Literature from the following courses:

• Women and Madness (LIT-40069) - 2 units, TBD
• Gender Identity and Literature: Him, Her, Us (LIT-40071) - 2 units, $365.00
• Ernest Hemingway: Titan of American Literature (LIT-40064) - 2 units, TBD
• American Literature: Stories of Immigration (LIT-40022) - 2 units, TBD
• Glittering Wit: Three Works by Oscar Wilde (LIT-40099) - 2 units, TBD
• History of Children's Literature (LIT-40093) - 3 units, $450.00

Fiction

• Writing Speculative Fiction: Exploring Fantasy, Fear, and the Future (WCWP-40344) - 3 units, $450.00

Creative Non-Fiction

• Memoir Writing (WCWP-40200) - 3 units, TBD
• Self-Editing and Publishing for the Web (WCWP-40313) - 3 units, TBD
• News and Feature Writing (WCWP-40276) - 3 units, $605.00
• The Writer's Art of Interviewing (WCWP-40123) - 2 units, TBD

Children's Writing

• Writing for Children I: Introduction (WCWP-40186) - 3 units, TBD
• Writing Children's Picture Books (WCWP-40261) - 3 units, TBD
• Writing for Children II: Intermediate (WCWP-40315) - 3 units, $450.00
• Writing for the Middle Grade/YA Reader (WCWP-40274) - 3 units, $450.00
• Writing Non-Fiction and Informational Books for Children (WCWP-40327) - 3 units, TBD

General Electives

• Forms of Poetry (WCWP-40308) - 2 units, $365.00
• Nature Writing: The True Muse (WCWP-40342) - 2 units, TBD
• Building a Business around Writing (WCWP-40321) - 1 unit, TBD

Advisory Board

• Benjamin Doller, Professor and Author, UC San Diego
• Fanny Howe, Author and Professor Emerita of Writing and Literature, University of CA, San Diego
• Judy Reeves, Author
• Amy Wallen, Author

Related Programs

• Children’s Book Illustration: Learn how to translate text into imagery that children can process and enjoy while also sharing accurate information.
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