Program Overview

Program Overview

The Creative Writing Certificate is offered by the School of Continuing & Professional Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. This 16-unit certificate program is designed for those who want to explore in-depth and achieve significant mastery in the art of writing fiction or creative nonfiction.

Program Requirements

To complete the certificate, students must take the 3-unit foundational course "Writing Across the Genres" (CAPS-ECOMP 1300) in their first term. In successive terms, they must take four 3-credit, advanced-level (3000 or higher) courses, including:

• Two courses devoted to mastering the craft of writing in the chosen specialty genre
• One course primarily in reading and analysis of the literature in that genre
• One course in a second genre

The student's final course in the program will be taken for 4 credits rather than the usual 3 and will include a 1-credit meta-commentary assignment. This assignment requires students to describe what they have learned about the differences between and similarities among the genres investigated and how these have affected their choice of genre.

Sample Courses

Some sample courses include:

• CAPS-ECOMP 3110: Poetry Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 3130: Fiction Writing: The Moral of the Story: Writing Fiction About Ethics, Philosophy, and Morality
• CAPS-ECOMP 3200: The Art of the Personal Essay
• CAPS-ECOMP 3271: Nonfiction: Reading and Writing the Memoir
• CAPS-ECOMP 3280: Creative Nonfiction: Writing Ourselves, Writing the World
• CAPS-ECOMP 3997: Fiction Seminar

Additional Courses

Other courses available in the program include:

• CAPS-ECOMP 3000: Exposition
• CAPS-ECOMP 3010: Writing for Public Speaking
• CAPS-ECOMP 3020: Argumentation
• CAPS-ECOMP 3030: Technical Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 3040: Exposition
• CAPS-ECOMP 3100: Genre Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 3150: Fiction Writing: Young Adult Fiction
• CAPS-ECOMP 3160: Fiction Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 3170: Creative Nonfiction
• CAPS-ECOMP 3180: Advanced Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 3190: Writing Historical Fiction
• CAPS-ECOMP 3210: Persuasive Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 3213: Writing Horror Across the Globe
• CAPS-ECOMP 3220: Writing the Short-Short Story and Ten-Minute Play
• CAPS-ECOMP 3223: The Art of Nature and Travel Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 3230: Topics in Composition: Writing and the Law
• CAPS-ECOMP 3250: Introduction to Screenwriting
• CAPS-ECOMP 3290: Writing Adventure and Creating Action
• CAPS-ECOMP 3300: Masters of Fantasy Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 3310: The Magazine Feature: Idea to Finished Product
• CAPS-ECOMP 3325: Writing for Children: Picture Books & Chapter Books
• CAPS-ECOMP 3360: Writing Creatively for Magazine and Online Publication
• CAPS-ECOMP 3999: Independent Study: English Composition
• CAPS-ECOMP 4010: Humor Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 4020: Summer Writers Institute: Screenplay Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 4050: Summer Writers Institute: Fiction: Rise of the Genre Benders
• CAPS-ECOMP 4060: Summer Writers Institute: Creative Nonfiction: Personal Narrative
• CAPS-ECOMP 4070: Summer Writers Institute: Advanced Fiction: The Craft of Time
• CAPS-ECOMP 4080: Summer Writers Institute: Creative Writing for Educators
• CAPS-ECOMP 4090: Summer Writers Institute: Nonfiction: The Self as Story
• CAPS-ECOMP 4119: Summer Writers Institute: Creative Nonfiction: Personal Narrative
• CAPS-ECOMP 4120: Summer Writers Institute: Humor Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 4121: Summer Writers Institute: The Filmmaker On the Page: A Documentary Poetry Workshop
• CAPS-ECOMP 4130: Summer Writers Institute: Creative Nonfiction: Literary Journalism
• CAPS-ECOMP 4140: Summer Writers Institute: Advanced Personal Narrative
• CAPS-ECOMP 4150: Summer Writers Institute: Microfiction: Get Into Shape! Narrative Forms That Energize Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 4155: Summer Writer's Institute: Playwriting
• CAPS-ECOMP 4160: Summer Writers Institute: Culture Writing: Travel, Food, and Media
• CAPS-ECOMP 4161: Summer Writers Institute: Autobiography & Poetry: Revenge On Circumstance
• CAPS-ECOMP 4162: Summer Writers Institute 2020: Art, Poetry, and the Imagination
• CAPS-ECOMP 4163: Summer Writers Institute: Writing St. Louis: Provenance, Place, & Perspective
• CAPS-ECOMP 4500: Fundamentals of Novel Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 4515: Summer Writers Institute: Nonfiction: The Self as Story - MATL
• CAPS-ECOMP 4519: Summer Writers Institute 2021: Advanced Personal Narrative - MATL
• CAPS-ECOMP 4523: Summer Writers Institute 2021: Autobiography & Poetry: Revenge On Circumstance - MATL
• CAPS-ECOMP 4600: Advanced Novel Writing
• CAPS-ECOMP 4999: Independent Study

Program Details

The program is offered either mostly or fully online. Students entering the U.S. on an F-1 or J-1 Visa must enroll in a program full-time. F-1 students are only permitted to enroll in one online course per semester, and J-1 students may only enroll in non-credit online courses that do not count toward their degree program. The School of Continuing & Professional Studies (CAPS) cannot guarantee face-to-face enrollment options each semester of full-time enrollment, therefore cannot issue an I-20 or DS 2019 to F-1 and J-1 students for this program. If you are an F-1 or J-1 student and wish to enroll in a CAPS program while here on a Visa, please contact our recruitment team to discuss your options for face-to-face program enrollment. F-1 and J-1 students should not enroll in online courses or programs without first consulting the university’s Office for International Students and Scholars (OISS).