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A bachelor’s in creative writing exists as a standalone degree – usually a BA, sometimes a BFA – and it is also widely offered as a concentration inside an English major. Both routes are legitimate. The choice matters less than whether the upper-division coursework is actually workshop. A standalone major typically devotes more credits to original fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or screenwriting. A concentration inside English typically pairs fewer of those courses with literary study.
This page explains the degree titles you will encounter, what workshop requires, why the writing sample and manuscript deserve more attention than the major title, and how to compare programs honestly.
Yes. It is offered as a standalone BA or BFA in Creative Writing, and also as a concentration or track inside an English or writing studies major. Some schools use titles such as “Creative Writing and Literature” for overlapping coursework. Compare the workshop requirement, not the diploma text.
An English major centers on literature and literary analysis, with writing courses attached. A creative writing major centers on producing original work and revising it under critique, with literature courses in support. If you want both, an English major with a creative writing concentration is the common compromise – see the liberal arts program guide for how English fits into a broader humanities degree.
Creative writing is original literary work. Professional writing is writing done as work for an organization or client. They are different disciplines, and hiring managers for documentation, editing, and content roles look for the second.
Approximately 120 semester hours, typically four years full-time. The creative writing core is usually concentrated in the junior and senior years, after general education and introductory composition and literature sequences.
Often, yes, especially to enter the major or a BFA track, not only to enter the university. Graduate programs almost always require one. Treat the sample as the decision, and submit work in the genre you intend to study.
For most writing and editing work, a bachelor’s plus a strong manuscript is sufficient, and many working writers hold neither a creative writing major nor an MFA. An MFA is the terminal artistic degree and is the usual minimum credential for teaching creative writing at the college level. Tenure-track teaching jobs are scarce.
For a full map of this program area, start here: Creative Writing Program Guide
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Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
The most direct route. A BA or BFA in Creative Writing devotes the major credits to workshop, craft study, and a senior manuscript or portfolio, usually with a genre emphasis. The BFA typically puts more credits into studio workshop and fewer into literature or a second field; the BA typically keeps a broader arts-and-sciences frame. The thing to verify is whether workshop is required every term in the major, or whether the “creative writing” title is a handful of electives.
Common at schools that did not build a separate major. You take the English core – literature surveys, criticism – plus a block of workshops. This is a good fit if literary study genuinely interests you and you want the writing practice alongside it. The tradeoff is fewer workshop credits, which usually means a thinner manuscript at graduation unless you write beyond the assignments. See the liberal arts program guide for how English concentrations are structured.
If you want literary training and a path into paid workplace writing, combine this major with coursework in professional writing, journalism, or communications. That is a deliberate double skill set, not a substitute for workshop. The creative writing degree will not teach documentation, house style, or reporting.
| Course Topic | What You Learn |
|---|---|
| Introductory Workshop | Submitting original work, giving and taking critique, revising on a deadline |
| Fiction Craft | Scene, point of view, character, plot, and the short story as a form |
| Poetry Craft | Line, image, sound, form, and revision at the level of the line |
| Creative Nonfiction | Memoir, essay, research-based CNF, and the ethics of writing about real people |
| Screenwriting | Scene structure, dialogue, and the script as a blueprint rather than as prose |
| Form and Theory | Reading as a writer: how published work is built, not only what it means |
| Literature electives | Historical and contemporary reading in the genres you write |
| Senior manuscript or portfolio | A revised body of work presented at a standard you can keep submitting after graduation |
The creative writing core generally sits behind composition and an introductory workshop, and upper-division workshops often run on a rotation rather than every term. Before you enroll, confirm:
If you are moving faster than a standard four-year plan, compare accelerated creative writing programs. Compression is harder on workshop than on lecture courses, because critique and revision need time between drafts.
Transfer credit can shorten a bachelor’s substantially, particularly for general education and composition. Rules vary by institution, so confirm:
See Affordable Online Creative Writing Degrees for more on managing total program cost.
There is no programmatic accreditor for creative writing degrees or concentrations. Verify that the institution holds accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor through the U.S. Department of Education database.
Since the manuscript does most of the work in applications and in hiring, treat every substantial assignment as a potential piece. Practical habits that pay off:
A bachelor’s is craft training inside a four-year degree. It does not make you a novelist, and it is not required to write. An MFA in creative writing is the terminal artistic degree, built around a book-length thesis, and is the usual minimum for teaching creative writing at the college level. Tenure-track jobs remain scarce even with the MFA and publications.
Compare degree options:
Data verified: September 1, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
