English—Creative Writing Major B.A.
- Apprenticeship and internship opportunities
- Workshops with renowned authors
- Preparation for M.A. or M.F.A. programs in Creative Writing or Law School
- Preparation for careers in publishing, digital publishing, business, marketing, newspaper and magazines, government, and more
- Sphere, a literary journal run by and for undergraduates
Faculty contact: Dr. Carey Snyder
Major code: BA5232
The Creative Writing program offers students a range of beginning, intermediate, and advanced workshops in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Undergraduate Creative Writing majors will take three writing workshops of their choice, in addition to a Form & Theory course. Creative Writing majors, working closely with a distinguished core faculty of professional writers, can enrich their background in literature provided by the English major curriculum with a rigorous apprenticeship to their craft.
In addition, the program regularly invites writers to campus for residency, workshops, and readings. Each year, five eminent authors are invited to participate in the three-day Spring Literary Festival. These visits provide a unique complement to the student's workshop experience.
Many undergraduates publish their writing in Sphere (the undergraduate literary magazine), while others gain valuable editing experience. Undergraduate writers regularly organize formal and informal readings of their own work.
Undergraduate Creative Writing students have gone on to further study in M.F.A. and/or Ph.D. programs in Creative Writing. Many have gone on to publish their work.
Program Overview
In the English – Creative Writing major, students engage with genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from the inside out, by generating and revising their own work as well as exploring closely how published work uses the techniques of craft.
All creative writing students participate in workshops led by nationally recognized writers which focus on understanding and constructing different literary forms; to achieve these goals, workshops emphasize the study of texts by established writers as well as students’ experimentation with their own creative process. The major is also flexible enough to match your own interests and goals: students can fulfill up to 12 of the required hours in the major with courses focusing on literature, rhetoric, or literary theory, or by combining these with apprenticeship or internship experiences.
To ensure a solid foundation in the skills and knowledge that employers and graduate schools expect from any English graduate, the English – Creative Writing major includes the English Core in analysis, research, and literary history.
Careers and Graduate School
After a curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking and analytical reading as well as multiple genres of writing, English – Creative Writing students enjoy the same wide variety of opportunity upon graduation that other English majors have.
Many of our graduates go on to graduate programs, not only M.A. or M.F.A. programs in Creative Writing but also programs in information science, education or law. Others work in publishing, web content development, grant-writing and community organizing, advertising, or other creative industries. Having invested in developing their own creativity as well as in the well-rounded education that this degree requires, English – Creative Writing students can face the unexpected challenges of the 21st-century job market with confidence.
Potential employers for those who hold a degree in Creative Writing include, but are certainly not limited to, newspaper and magazine organizations, the entertainment industry, government agencies, institutions of higher education, public and private K-12 schools, publishing companies, marketing agencies, non-profit organizations, businesses, etc.
Browse through dozens of internship opportunities and full-time job postings for Ohio University students and alumni on Handshake, OHIO's key resource for researching jobs, employers, workshops, and professional development events.
Admission Information
Freshman/First-Year Admission: Enrollment in an English major entails no requirements beyond University admission requirements.
Change of Program Policy: For students currently enrolled at Ohio University, transferring into an English major requires a 2.0 GPA. Students choosing to transfer into the English – Creative Writing major should contact the director of undergraduate studies in the English department for assistance. Students who wish to add an English major in addition to another major program should seek assistance from the director of undergraduate studies; students with a second major outside the College of Arts and Sciences will be responsible for meeting the degree requirements of both the English – Creative Writing major and the College of Arts and Sciences.
External Transfer Admission: For students currently enrolled at institutions other than Ohio University, transferring into an English major entails no requirements beyond University admission requirements. Students should contact the director of undergraduate studies in the English Department for assistance.
Degree Requirements
- Major code BA5232
University-wide Graduation Requirements
To complete this program, students must meet all University-wide graduation requirements.
Liberal Arts and Sciences Distribution Requirement
View the College-Level Requirements for the College of Arts & Sciences.
English Hours Requirement
For a B.A. degree with a major in English - Creative Writing , a student must complete a total of 42 semester credit hours in ENG coursework.
Intercultural Foundations
Complete the following course:
- ENG 1100 - Crossing Cultures with Text Credit Hours: 3
Literary Reading
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENG 2010 - Introduction to Prose Fiction and Nonfiction Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 2020 - Introduction to Poetry and Drama Credit Hours: 3
British or American Literature I
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENG 2510 - British Literature I Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 2530 - American Literature I Credit Hours: 3
British or American Literature II
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENG 2520 - British Literature II Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 2540 - American Literature II Credit Hours: 3
Intercultural Breadth
Complete one course from the following:
- ENG 3240 - Jewish American Literature Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3250 - Women’s Literature Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3260 - Queer Literature Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3270 - Queer Rhetorics and Writing Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3370 - Black Literature to 1930 Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3380 - Ethnic American Literature Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3390 - Black Literature from 1930 to the Present Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3450 - Intercultural Adaptations Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3550 - Global Literature Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3850 - Writing About Culture and Society Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 4660 - International Authors Credit Hours: 3
Writing and Research
Complete the following course:
- ENG 3070J - Writing and Research in English Studies Credit Hours: 3
Senior Seminar
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENG 4600 - Topics in English Studies Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 4640 - British Authors Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 4650 - American Authors Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 4660 - International Authors Credit Hours: 3
Creative Writing Workshops
Complete three of the following workshops with at least one intermediate or advanced workshop:
- ENG 3610 - Creative Writing: Fiction Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3620 - Creative Writing: Poetry Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3630 - Creative Writing: Nonfiction Credit Hours: 3
Intermediate:
- ENG 3950 - Creative Writing Workshop: Nonfiction Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3960 - Creative Writing Workshop: Short Story Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 3970 - Intermediate Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry Credit Hours: 3
Advanced:
- ENG 4860 - Advanced Workshop in Fiction Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 4870 - Advanced Workshop in Poetry Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 4880 - Advanced Workshop in Nonfiction Credit Hours: 3
Creative Writing Form and Theory
Complete one of the following courses:
- ENG 4810 - Form and Theory of Literary Genres: Fiction Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 4820 - Form and Theory of Literary Genres: Poetry Credit Hours: 3
- ENG 4830 - Form and Theory of Literary Genres: Nonfiction Credit Hours: 3
Major Electives
Complete three additional ENG courses for at least nine hours excluding ENG 2800, ENG 3***J, ENG 4510, ENG 4520, ENG 4911, and ENG 4912. Six hours may be at the 2000-level or higher; three hours must be at the 3000-level or higher.