Creative Writing
A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in creative writing offers a way for students to write compellingly about the issues at the “deep heart’s core” of their – and our – experience. Through workshops in the practice of craft, majors develop their capacity for expression and persuasion, seeking the voice and form of expression that best connects what they have to say with their audience. In literature courses, they learn to read like a writer and to contextualize their own work. The capstone project, a book-length manuscript, teaches self-reliance: students learn to apply their skills and carry a creative vision through to completion. The major’s interdisciplinary aspects and project-driven structure promote creative thinking about students’ own interests and burgeoning competencies, about the nature of truth, and about the time and place in which their imaginations live. See www.stonybrook.edu/bfa for more information
A minor in creative writing offers a way for students to engage with their major area of studies from a writer’s perspective. At Stony Brook, the minor finds its home in the student’s own interests and burgeoning competences, and provides a coherent, themed pathway through many of the SBC requirements in the humanities.
Notes regarding the Major in Creative Writing:
Admission to the Major
Students who would like to major in Creative Writing apply to the program with a portfolio that includes a statement of purpose and ten to 15 pages of creative writing in any genre or genres. Those applying to Stony Brook may apply for admission to Creative Writing at the same time and will be prompted to submit their portfolios. Those who are already Stony Brook students, or have been admitted as transfer students to Stony Brook from another institution, should apply with the supplemental materials to the Program Director. Current students are advised to apply to the major after they have successfully completed CWL 190 and CWL 202 or the equivalent. See department website for a more detailed description of the application process and portfolio.
Requirements for the Major in Creative Writing
The major in Creative Writing leads to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Students must earn a C or better in all courses toward the major, and a B or better in CWL 250, a course for majors only. At the end of their second year, majors choose a genre in which to specialize: fiction, poetry, scriptwriting, or creative nonfiction. In either spring of their 3rd year or fall of their 4th, majors take their capstone cluster of courses.
Completion of the major requires at least 60 credits.
Study within the Area
A. Introductory courses required of all majors (9 credits)
B. Ten writing workshops (30-31 credits)
Students may repeat courses for credit. Majors must take at least 3 workshops outside their declared genre.
C. Two literature courses for writers (6 credits)
Students may repeat these courses for credit as the topics change.
Students may count credits earned in AFH 205, 329, 330, 368 and 382, AAS 321 and 322, EGL 224, HUF 318, HUS 271, UST 382 toward this requirement. Students may also petition to substitute any other relevant courses from other departments.
D. Four “Capstone Cluster” courses (15 credits)
These courses should be taken during the fall of Y4.
E. Upper-Division Writing Requirement
The upper-division writing requirement is satisfied by satisfactory completion of CWL 300, 305, 310, 315, 320, or 325 with a grade of C or better. These courses satisfy Requirement B for the major, ten required writing workshops.
Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the "Write Effectively within One's Discipline" (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD.
Students must earn a grade of C or better in all courses toward the minor. Completion of the minor in creative writing and literature requires 21 credits. Students should declare the Creative Writing and Literature minor no later than the middle of their sophomore year, at which time they should consult with the directors of both their major and minor to plan their course of study. The objective is to fulfill both sets of requirements in a coherent and complementary way.
When it is offered, students may take up to five creative writing courses in a single semester through a Semester by the Sea residency at the Southampton campus.
A. Introductory Courses required of all minors (6 credits)
B. Three writing workshops chosen from the following (9 credits)
Students may repeat a workshop as the topic changes.
C. One literature course for writers chosen from the following (3 credits)
D. Senior Project or one Additional Writing Workshop at the 300 or graduate level (3 credits)*
*Note: Workshop courses taken to satisfy requirement B may not be used to also satisfy requirement D.
| FRESHMAN |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 101 | 1 |
| WRT 101 | 3 |
| CWL 202 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| First Year Seminar 102 | 1 |
| WRT 102 | 3 |
| CWL 190 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 16 |
| SOPHOMORE |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| CWL 300-325 | 3 |
| CWL 300-325 | 3 |
| CWL 300-325 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| CWL 300-325 | 3 |
| CWL 300-325 | 3 |
| CWL 330-340 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| JUNIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| CWL 250 | 3 |
| CWL 300-325 | 3 |
| CWL 330-340 | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| CWL 300-325 | 3 |
| 300-level Elective (outside of specialization) | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| SBC | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SENIOR |
|---|
| FALL | Credits |
|---|---|
| CWL 390 | 4 |
| CWL 450 | 3 |
| CWL 487 | 4 |
| CWL 499 | 1 |
| 300-level Elective (outside of specialization) | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
| SPRING | Credits |
|---|---|
| 300 - level Elective (outside of specialization) | 3 |
| CWL 499 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 |
Major (B.F.A.) and Minor in Creative Writing
Southampton Arts Programs
Undergraduate Program Director: Genevieve Crane
Email: genevieve.crane@stonybrook.edu
Undergraduate Program Coordinator: Liz McRae
Email:
Elizabeth.McRae@stonybrook.edu
Office: Melville Library, N3017, Zip 3371
Phone: (631) 632-7102
Websites: https://www.stonybrook.edu/bfa/ and https://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/southampton/mfa/minor/