About the Creative Writing Major

The creative writing BFA is highly selective, supportive, and committed to helping undergraduate writers cultivate a skill set that translates to multiple career fields. Graduating class sizes never exceed 25 students and creative writing workshops are capped at 16. In addition to workshops, majors are also expected to take literature courses that encourage them to "read like a writer" and think critically about their place in the literary landscape. In their third year of study, majors declare their specialization in creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or playwriting. Additionally, majors have opportunities to minor in television writing or screenwriting, enroll in a publishing practicum, engage in our national undergraduate publication Sandpiper Review, and take part in community readings and events. 

During their final year of study, majors write a creative thesis under the guidance of a faculty member and take courses on the ethics of the creative imagination, researching as a writer, and an independent reading course designed to fill in any literary gaps in their education. 

After graduation, our students have gone on to medical school, law school, MFA programs, MA programs, taught abroad, worked in publishing, joined the corporate workforce, and pursued careers in television and film. No matter what career they've chosen for themselves, graduates emerge with an enriched sense of artistic identity, a strong ethical foundation, and first-hand experience in committing to long-term projects.