Creative Writing Undergraduate Certificate
Program Requirements
Students earn the Certificate in Creative Writing by completing 18 hours in selected writing courses with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. The creative writing emphasis focuses the students' effort toward producing original fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction and can include other endeavors, such as publishing, feature writing, and copywriting. The specific requirements for the Creative Writing Emphasis are listed below.
Courses for the certificate should be chosen with the guidance of the program coordinator. If the student elects to complete English 4890 as one of the courses for the certificate, he or she should meet with the coordinator to make arrangements for the internship.
To receive this certificate, the student must take 18 hours chosen from the courses listed below, three of which should be creative writing courses. Creative writing courses have a CW designation after the course title in the list below.
| Course Number | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 2000-Level Courses | ||
| Students may take no more than two 2000-level courses | ||
| ENGL 2020 | Introduction to Creative Writing (CW) | 3 |
| ENGL 2030 | Poetry Writing Jumpstart (CW) | 3 |
| ENGL 2040 | Fiction Writing Jumpstart (CW) | 3 |
| Creative Writing and Literature Courses | ||
| ENGL 3030 | Improving on the Blank Page: Writing Poetry (CW) | 3 |
| ENGL 3040 | Lying to Tell a Truth: Writing Fiction (CW) | 3 |
| ENGL 3090 | Turning the Kaleidoscope: How We Look at Texts | 3 |
| ENGL 3100 | Junior-Level Writing | 3 |
| ENGL 4130 | A Machine Made of Words: Writing Your Best Poems (CW) | 3 |
| ENGL 4140 | Polishing Your Stories: Producing a Publishable Short Story (CW) | 3 |
| ENGL 4150 | Creative Non-Fiction (CW) | 3 |
| ENGL 4160 | Special Topics in Writing (with permission from the Writing Certificate Coordinator) | 3 |
| ENGL 4180 | Novel Beginnings (CW) | 3 |
| ENGL 4890 | Writing Internship | 3 |
| ENGL 4892 | Independent Writing Project (limited availability) | 3 |
| ENGL 4895 | Editing "Litmag" | 3 |
| Professional Writing Courses | ||
| Students are encouraged to take at least one professional writing course, but no more than two | ||
| ENGL/MEDIA ST 2080 | Advertising Copywriting | 3 |
| ENGL/MEDIA ST 3150 | Feature Writing for Digital Content | 3 |
| ENGL 4162 | Writers at Work | 3 |
| ENGL 4860 | 3 | |
Capstone Course
Students may use ENGL 4895, ENGL 4890, ENGL 4140, or ENGL 4130 as their capstone course. If ENGL 4890 is used, it will be an internship in literary publishing, feature writing, or advertising copywriting. To use ENGL 4130 or ENGL 4140, the student must obtain the teacher’s permission and do extra work in the course. The Editing Litmag course, ENGL 4895, may also be used as the final course for this certificate.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the program, certificate earners will be able to:
- Identify and execute particular techniques of the genre, such as characterization, plot, dialogue, metaphor, meter, and rhyme
- 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