Major: Creative Writing

Which colleges offer a major in creative writing.

Creative Writing majors weave a rich tapestry of storytelling, exploring forms such as poetry, personal essays, memoirs, short stories, scriptwriting, novels, literary journalism, and even video games. It could be a favorite line in a movie, play, or book that lures an audience in and changes their world. 

Telling a story can shed light on societal issues that would otherwise receive little or no attention. By evoking emotion, the story and its characters captivate the reader. People become invested in the story, the impact of the problem on the characters’ lives, and the outcome. Creative writing humanizes experiences in a way that may foster compassion for others. A compelling creative writer draws readers in so that they become engaged in the story.

Your imagination, mindset, and self-expression will be challenged and sharpened as a creative writing major. You’ll explore multiple creative writing forms. Creative writing challenges you to dig deep and learn about yourself and others. 

What does a student majoring in Creative Writing study? 

To develop their skills, creative writing majors will take courses in historical and contemporary literature and participate in writing workshops. Such courses or workshops include, among others: 

  • American Literature
  • Introduction to Creative Writing
  • Reading and Writing Poetry
  • Playwriting
  • Screenwriting

What can I do with a Creative Writing degree?

You’ll develop a greater appreciation and understanding of various creative writing genres. Your research, writing, and creative thinking skills are desirable in  jobs such as the following:

  • Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers
  • Advertising and Promotions Managers
  • Art Directors
  • Fundraisers
  • Producers and Directors

Specializations for a Creative Writing major are:

  • Film and Television Writing
  • Photojournalism
  • Creative Nonfiction

What are the requirements for a Creative Writing degree? 

The degree requirements at your college or university will consist of specific credits needed for major and elective courses in creative writing. You’ll participate in many writing workshops and apply the critiques of your work from peers and faculty to hone your creative writing skills.   

Explore Creative Writing Careers

Arts and humanities majors and degrees, related ap courses, find colleges with a creative writing major.

what colleges have creative writing majors

Best Creative Writing colleges in the U.S. 2024

Creative writing is about artistically sharing emotions, thoughts, and opinions on a subject; not just relaying information. Courses include American literature, editing and proofing, fundamentals of writing, world literature, Shakespeare, screenwriting fundamentals, fiction fundamentals, writing nonfiction, and poetry writing. Creative writing covers both nonfiction and fiction, but the predominant types of creative writing are poetry and fiction, which includes novels, short stories, novellas, and flash fiction. Playwriting, screenwriting, journaling, and memoirs are other typical forms.

Students will learn how to use written language to communicate more clearly in their professional and personal lives and move beyond proficient mechanics to writing craftily in an attempt to evoke emotions and express points of view. Careers for creative writers?outside of being a creative writer?include blogger, journalist, composition teacher, copywriter, scriptwriter, and novelist. Creative writers must understand the importance of deadlines and have well-researched writing samples in order to move up the career ladder. The median annual wage of writers and authors was more than $50,000 in May 2010. Religious, professional, and civic industries employed the most writers followed by newspapers and book industries. Creative writers may also be freelance writers. Freelance writers are self-employed individuals who make a living selling their content to publishers. They may simultaneously work on multiple assignments for numerous companies depending on individual financial goals.

Best Creative Writing colleges in the U.S. for 2024

what colleges have creative writing majors

The University of Alabama offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a small city. In 2022, 14 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 14 Master's degrees.

what colleges have creative writing majors

University of Alaska Anchorage offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 4 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 4 Master's degrees.

what colleges have creative writing majors

University of Alaska Fairbanks offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a medium sized, public, four-year university in a small suburb. In 2022, 5 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 5 Master's degrees.

what colleges have creative writing majors

Alaska Pacific University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 2 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 2 Bachelor's degrees.

what colleges have creative writing majors

Arizona State University Campus Immersion offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 8 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 8 Master's degrees.

what colleges have creative writing majors

University of Arizona offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 73 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 60 Bachelor's degrees, and 13 Master's degrees.

what colleges have creative writing majors

Glendale Community College offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, public, two-year college in a large suburb. In 2022, 2 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 1 Associate's degree, and 1 Certificate.

what colleges have creative writing majors

GateWay Community College offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, public, two-year college in a large city.

what colleges have creative writing majors

Mesa Community College offers 3 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, public, two-year college in a large city. In 2022, 3 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 3 Certificates.

what colleges have creative writing majors

Northern Arizona University offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a small city. In 2022, 27 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 15 Master's degrees, and 12 Certificates.

Find local colleges with Creative Writing majors in the U.S.

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2023 Creative Writing Degree Guide

Rapid growth in creative writing degrees awarded.

Creative Writing was the 120th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 6,817 degrees in this year alone. This is a difference of 231 over the prior year, a growth of 3.4%.

This year's Best Creative Writing Schools ranking compares 214 of them to identify the best overall programs in the country. Explore this or one of our many other custom creative writing rankings further below.

2023 Best Colleges for Creative Writing

Best Creative Writing Schools by Degree

Requirements for getting a degree in creative writing.

A major in creative writing prepares you for careers in which understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents is crucial. Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience and giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times are all required skills for careers related to this major.

Creative Writing Degree Program Entry Requirements

New students will need to have completed high school or a GED program and each school will have their own minimum GPA and SAT/ACT test requirements. In addition to these basic creative writing program qualifications, to serve in some creative writing careers, special certification may be required outside of your degree.

Types of Creative Writing Degrees

There are various different levels of creative writing degrees. You can get anything from a in creative writing to the highest creative writing degree, a . Different creative writing degrees vary in how long they take.

A bachelor's degree is the most common level of education achieved by those in careers related to creative writing, with approximately 42.2% of workers getting one. Find out other typical degree levels for creative writing workers below.

82.7% of creative writing workers have at least a associate. The chart below shows what degree level those who work in creative writing have obtained.

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This of course varies depending on which creative writing career you choose.

Creative Writing Careers

Growth projected for creative writing careers.

Want a job when you graduate with your creative writing degree? Creative Writing careers are expected to grow 6.7% between 2016 and 2026.

The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to creative writing.

How Much Money Do People With a Creative Writing Degree Make?

As you might expect, salaries for creative writing graduates vary depending on the level of education that was acquired.

Highest Paid Creative Writing Careers

Salaries for creative writing graduates can vary widely by the occupation you choose as well. The following table shows the top highest paying careers creative writing grads often go into.

Getting Your Creative Writing Degree

With over 704 different creative writing degree programs to choose from, finding the best fit for you can be a challenge. Fortunately you have come to the right place. We have analyzed all of these schools to come up with hundreds of unbiased creative writing school rankings to help you with this.

Top Ranking Lists for Creative Writing

Best schools creative writing, best value colleges creative writing, creative writing related majors.

One of 4 majors within the Writing Studies area of study, Creative Writing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Creative Writing

View All Creative Writing Related Majors >

National Center for Education Statistics

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Popular Reports

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  1. 34 Top Online Colleges for Creative Writing Bachelor’s and Master’s

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  4. 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writing: Where to Study the Art of

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  1. Academic Writing Center: Mitigating Students' Writing Challenges

COMMENTS

  1. 2024 Best Creative Writing Schools

    In 2024, College Factual analyzed 215 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best ...

  2. Major: Creative Writing

    Which colleges offer a Major in Creative Writing? Find a College Creative Writing majors weave a rich tapestry of storytelling, exploring forms such as poetry, personal essays, memoirs, short stories, scriptwriting, novels, literary journalism, and even video games.

  3. Best Creative Writing Degree Colleges in the U.S.

    University of Alaska Anchorage offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 4 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 4 Master's degrees. Based on 2 Reviews Learn More Find Online Schools Sponsored Content University of Alaska Fairbanks Fairbanks, AK

  4. 2023 Creative Writing Degree Guide

    Unbiased Factual Guarantee 2023 Creative Writing Degree Guide Rapid Growth in Creative Writing Degrees Awarded #120 Most Popular Major 6.8k Degrees Awarded 3.4% Increase in Graduates Creative Writing was the 120th most popular major in the 2020-2021 school year. Colleges in the United States reported awarding 6,817 degrees in this year alone.

  5. 10 Best Colleges for Creative Writing: Where to Study the Art of

    Best Colleges for Creative Writing For the purposes of this article, we’ve selected universities based on their undergraduate programs. However, many also boast excellent MFA programs, which we’ve indicated for each below. 1. Northwestern University Northwestern’s undergraduate creative writing program is one of the most renowned in the country.