university of illinois chicago phd creative writing

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College Of Liberal Arts And Sciences

Program for writers.

UIC offers a PhD in English with creative dissertation and also an MA in English with creative manuscript.

The MA is considered preparation to enter an PhD program, either in literature or creative writing; or a degree to prepare a writer to enter jobs in publishing, public relations, high school or community college teaching, grant writing, corporate writing, and other communications fields.

UIC’s PhD is suitably academic and scholarly, blending thorough studies in critical theory and literature with in-depth immersion in the writing of fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction. The program is usually completed in 5 or 6 years. In that time students prepare themselves to work as professors with 3 or 4 solid individually designed teaching areas. In the same time, students also become skilled and imaginative college composition instructors, and have opportunities to broaden expertise in this area if desired. PhD students in the Program for Writers also teach beginning creative writing courses in their genre, and may teach introductory literature courses as well. All PhD students are offered teaching assistantships.

The student who finishes a PhD with creative dissertation also graduates with a book-length MS of poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction. Some students are able to complete more than one book. Students in the program are encouraged to seek publication before they finish the program. There are opportunities for assistance in learning the literary market and how to present oneself to it. The Program for Writers Workshops welcome new drafts as well as revisions of drafts seen in earlier workshops. Workshops are offered in short fiction, the novel, creative nonfiction, and poetry. A student-run reading series presents public readings of works-in-progress by both PhD and MA students in the program.

The 2-year Program for Writers MA is designed to provide intensive work in a particular genre plus an advanced overview of literary and cultural studies. A 3-year option can include secondary teaching certification. The MA is designed as a stepping-stone to PhD work but it also prepares students for community college or high school teaching, careers in publishing or editing, and other professional areas. Students complete the MA with a partial MS, or portfolio, roughly 75-150 pages (prose), somewhat shorter for poetry (40-50 pgs). The project could consist of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Excerpts from novels or from a longer creative nonfiction piece are allowed, as are combinations of fiction and nonfiction. Some students do complete a book-length manuscript. MA and PhD students are in writing workshops together, so master’s students benefit from the combined years of experience and a wide range of aesthetics.

Be sure to review our admissions information, as well as MA degree requirements and PhD degree requirements.

Creative Writing Faculty

Creative Writing

Two programs within the umbrella of the Department of English focus on particular aspects or genres of literary endeavor.

The purpose of the Creative Writing program is to give students a rigorous background in the fundamentals of creative work by providing them with the opportunity to study with established poets and prose writers. The program is committed to interdisciplinary work while also teaching the elements of creative writing that underlie all genres. Creative Writing sponsors events , workshops , and lectures and also schedules many undergraduate and graduate classes in writing. Visiting writers each quarter provide a dynamic component to the curriculum, with authors ranging from George Saunders to Susan Howe. English faculty member John Wilkinson is currently the Director of the Program in Creative Writing and the Program in Poetry & Poetics, and several English faculty members, including Rachel Cohen, Edgar Garcia, Srikanth Reddy, Jennifer Scappettone, and Vu Tran, regularly teach both creative and critical classes.

• Creative Writing Website
• Upcoming Creative Writing Events

Minor in English and Creative Writing

Undergraduate students who are not majoring in English may enter a minor program in English and Creative Writing. These students should declare their intention to enter the minor program by the end of Spring Quarter of their third year. Students choose courses in consultation with the Program Manager in Creative Writing and must submit a minor program consent form to their College Adviser in order to declare the minor. Students completing this minor must follow all relevant admission procedures described in the  Creative Writing  website. Courses in the minor may not be double counted with the student's major(s) or with other minors and may not be counted toward general education requirements. Courses in the minor must be taken for quality letter grades, and all of the requirements for the minor must be met by registering for courses bearing University of Chicago course numbers.

Requirements for the minor program:

• 2 Creative Writing courses (at least one at the Special Topics or advanced level)
• 3 Creative Writing or English electives
• 1 portfolio/projects workshop (or advanced workshop depending on genre) to be taken in the Winter Quarter of the students' fourth year
• A portfolio of the student's work to be submitted to the Director of Undergraduate Studies by the end of the fifth week in the quarter in which the student plans to graduate. The portfolio might consist of a selection of poems, one or two short stories or chapters from a novel, a substantial part or the whole of a play, two or three non-fiction pieces, and so forth.

There is no minor solely in English. The Minor in English and Creative Writing for Non-English Majors is the only minor available through the Department of English.

Poetry and Poetics

This program aims to coordinate the University's various curricular approaches to the creative and critical practice of poetics. The Program supports the History and Forms of Lyric series, an ongoing series of lectures by prominent scholars, and a graduate workshop that focuses on work in progressfrom students, faculty, and visitors. The discussions enabled by the Program are intended to help students at all levels to pursue work that crosses disciplines and discourses. The Program also supports collaboration among faculty members in the form, forexample, of team-taught courses, conferences, and lectures. The Program is overseen by an ad-hoc committee of faculty from various departments, including the Department of English.

The Program in Poetry and Poetics

Affiliated Departments

The University of Chicago in general, and the Department of English in particular, are known for the interdisciplinary and theoretically driven work of their faculty and students. Many English faculty members have joint appointment in other programs at the University, including Comparative Literature, Cinema and Media Studies, Art History, Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS), and the Divinity School, among others. Interdisciplinary work is encouraged in the Department of English--both graduate and undergraduate students take classes in a variety of University departments and programs. Students in these programs, in turn, enliven English classes with their perspectives. Listed below are links to some of the departments with which the Department of English works closely.

• Cinema and Media Studies
• Department of Art History
• Department of Comparative Literature
• Department of Philosophy
• Divinity School
• Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS)

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University of Illinois, Chicago

Illinois, united states.

UIC offers a PhD in English with creative dissertation and also an MA in English with creative manuscript.

The Program for Writers at UIC is one of the oldest PhD-granting writing programs in the country. Program for Writers PhD alumni have been teaching at colleges and universities throughout the country, and their books regularly appear in book review pages and on college syllabi.

The small and selective PhD Program for Writers is designed to prepare students for blended careers in writing, critical scholarship and university teaching. UIC has placed emphasis on assembling a permanent writing faculty, stressing a long-term relationship between professor and student. Workshop courses are offered in short fiction, the novel, nonfiction and poetry. In addition to both traditional and alternative forms of fiction and creative nonfiction, the Program’s prose community has developed an interest in the blur between the genres, including other cross-pollinating genres such as flash-fiction, flash-nonfiction, flash-novella, prose poetry, novel in lyric poem. The poetry program places particular emphasis on the lyric poem, both in a 21st-century context and throughout literary history.

Financial assistance for UIC graduate students takes the form of teaching assistantships plus tuition and fee waivers. There are also numerous fellowships for individual application.

The 2-year Program for Writers MA is designed to provide intensive work in a particular genre plus an advanced overview of literary and cultural studies. A 3-year option can include secondary teaching certification. The MA is designed as a stepping-stone to PhD work but also prepares students for community college or high school teaching, careers in publishing or editing, and other professional areas. Students complete the MA with a partial MS, roughly 75-150 pages (for prose) somewhat shorter for poetry (40-50). MA and PhD students are in writing workshops together, so master’s students benefit from a combined years of experience and a wide range of aesthetics.

Contact Information

601 S. Morgan St. MC 162, Dept of English Chicago Illinois, United States 60607 Phone: (312) 413-2795 Email: [email protected] http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/index.html

Bachelor of Arts in English/Literature +

Minor / concentration in creative writing +, master of arts in creative writing +.

The 2-year Program for Writers MA is designed to provide intensive work in a particular genre plus an advanced overview of literary and cultural studies. A 3-year option can include secondary teaching certification. The MA is designed as a stepping-stone to PhD work but also prepares students for community college or high school teaching, careers in publishing or editing, and other professional areas. Students complete the MA with a partial MS, roughly 75-150 pages (for prose) somewhat shorter for poetry (40-50). Some students do complete a book-length manuscript. MA and PhD students are in writing workshops together, so master’s students benefit from a combined years of experience and a wide range of aesthetics.

PhD in Creative Writing +

UIC's small and selective PhD program is designed to prepare students for blended careers in writing, critical scholarship and university teaching. Because it is a commuter campus, UIC has placed emphasis on assembling a permanent writing faculty, stressing a long-term relationship between professor and student. The program offers a lively combination of individual supervision and group workshopping opportunities for students to develop literary writing to a professional standard and to produce significant critical scholarship. Workshop courses are offered in fiction (both short story and novel writing), poetry, and nonfiction writing. Financial assistance for UIC graduate students takes the form of tuition and fee waivers, teaching assistantships, and, the availability of university fellowships. The Program for Writers at UIC is one of the oldest PhD-granting writing programs in the country. UIC's PhD graduates with creative dissertations in poetry and fiction have been teaching at colleges and universities throughout the country, and their books regularly appear in book review pages and on college syllabi.

Charlatan: Selected Stories. Something Wrong With Her, Is It Sexual Harassment Yet?, Disability, Indigenous: Growing Up Californian, Waterbaby, Trickle-Down Timeline, Various Men Who Knew Us as Girls, others

http://www.cris-mazza.com

Christopher Grimes

Public Works, The Pornographors

http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/people/prof/cgrimes/bio.htm

Christina Pugh

Perception , Grains of the Voice, Rotary, Restoration

http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/people/prof/cpugh/bio.html

the Devil's Highway, Hummingbird's Daughter, Nobody's Son, others

http://www.uic.edu/depts/engl/people/prof/lurrea/bio.html

Daniel Borzutzky

Lake Michigan, 2018. The Performance of Becoming Human Brooklyn, 2016. In the Murmurs of the Rotten Carcass Economy, 2015. The Book of Interfering Bodies, 2011.The Ecstasy of Capitulation Buffalo, 2007.

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Creative Writing

The Program in Creative Writing takes a comprehensive approach to the study of contemporary literature, criticism, and theory from a writer’s perspective, and provides rigorous training in the fundamental practices of creative writing. In our courses, students work with established poets and prose writers towards these pursuits, and both the major and minor in Creative Writing provide ample opportunities for interdisciplinary work across University departments. The program’s commitment to interdisciplinary work and academic rigor, coupled with an emphasis on teaching the elements of creative writing that underlie all genres, accounts for the program's vitality and explains why Creative Writing at Chicago is currently the largest initiative in the humanities for the College. The Program in Creative Writing offers workshops and seminars in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as an increasing number of translation workshops.

Students who graduate with the bachelor of arts in Creative Writing will both be skilled in writing in a major literary genre and have a theoretically informed understanding of the aesthetic, historical, social, and political context of a range of contemporary writing. Students who are not English Language and Literature or Creative Writing majors may complete a minor in English and Creative Writing.

• Creative Writing in the College Catalog
• Minor in Creative Writing in the College Catalog
• Creative Writing Home Page

University and College Creative Writing Degree Programs

Chicago state university, mfa in creative writing.

Fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. 2016 faculty include Brenda Aghahowa, Forrest Hazard, and Christine Ohale.

Columbia College, Creative Writing BA

Faculty include Don De Grazia, Garnett Kilberg-Cohen, Aviya Kushner, Eric May, Patricia McNair, Joe Meno, and Alexis Pride, David Lazar, Shawn Shiflett, Tony Trigilio, David Trinidad, Sam Weller.

DePaul University, MA in Writing and Publishing

Fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. 2016 faculty include Kathleen Rooney and Miles Harvey. ( Our interview .)

Northwestern University, MFA in Prose and Poetry, and MA in Writing Programs

The graduate creative writing program housed in Northwestern University’s School of Professional Studies has been conferring MFA and MA degrees for more than a dozen years and currently its degree tracks are fiction, poetry, nonfiction, popular fiction, dual genre and publishing and professional development. Faculty Director is  Christine Sneed . 2022 faculty include: Paula Carter , Gioia Diliberto , Charles Finch , Gina Frangello , Rebecca Morgan Frank , Miles Harvey , Laurie Lawlor , Rebecca Makkai , Juan Martinez , Faisal Mohyuddin , Natalie Moore , Simone Muench , Naeem Murr , Lori Rader-Day , Ed Roberson , Donna Seaman , Megan Stielstra , Rachel Jamison Webster , and Michael Zapata .

NU also offers certificates in Advanced Graduate Study, with a faculty led by  Reginald Gibbons and Chris Abani . 

Many of its alumni have gone on to publish poetry and prose with distinction. Among them are fiction writers Ross Ritchell ( The Knife , 2015), Tara Stringfellow ( Memphis , forthcoming 2022), Charles “LC” Fiore ( Coyote Loop , 2021), Jennifer Companik ( Check Engine and Other Stories , 2021) Ignatius Aloysius ( Fishhead: Republic of Want , 2020), Allison Epstein ( A Tip for the Hangman , 2021) Cheryl Reed ( Poison Girls , 2017), nonfiction authors Kevin Davis ( The Brain Defense , 2017) and Sara Connell ( Bringing in Finn , 2011), and poet Virginia Rice Smith ( When I Wake It Will Be Forever , 2014).

Its students coedit TriQuarterly Online with creative writing students in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and have taken part in publishing and teaching internships with presses and organizations including Agate Publishing, Northwestern University Press, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, 826 CHI, 826 Valencia, with future internships also available at Tortoise Books and with New York literary agents based in Chicago. 

Roosevelt University, MFA in Creative Writing

Roosevelt University’s main facilities look out onto the spectacular, iconic Chicago of Michigan Avenue. Roosevelt’s MFA program started in 1999 and has since graduated a steady stream of accomplished authors. It offers specialties in fiction and creative non-fiction. MFA candidates, under the guidance of a faculty advisor, edit the university’s annual literary magazine, The Oyez Review . The magazine, in publication since 1965, has developed a reputation for high-quality literary work.

Program director Christian TeBordo currently leads a program that includes a faculty of Regina Buccola and Kyle Beachy. TeBordo took over for Scott Blackwood.

Notable writers with affiliations to Roosevelt University include:

• Leon Forrest (CLHOF Class of 2013) took classes at Roosevelt University before dropping out in 1960, shortly before he was drafted.
• Lorraine Hansberry (CLHOF Class of 2010) also was a student at Roosevelt. 
• Langston Hughes (CLHOF Class of 2012) gave a poetry performance at the Auditorium Theatre. 
• Carolyn Rodgers (CLHOF Class of 2012), earned her BA from Roosevelt in 1965.
• Shel Silverstein (CLHOF Class of 2014), a student at Roosevelt College from 1950 until he was drafted in 1953, contributed cartoons to the student newspaper The TORCH . He also wrote columns and briefly served as Art Editor.
• Sterling Plumpp (Fuller Award recipient, 2019) graduated from Roosevelt in 1968 with a degree in psychology, during which time he took an introduction to creative writing course as well as a class in Romantic Literature. He stayed at Roosevelt University another two-and-a-half years before accepting a teaching position at University of Illinois-Chicago.

More recent graduates include Lori Rader-Day, Jessica Anne, and Cassandra Morrison.

Roosevelt also offers undergraduate creative writing classes that are tended to by the entire English faculty as well as the creative writing faculty. Students with a creative writing concentration work toward a capstone project on par with graduate-level work.

Roosevelt University’s writing program, though mostly populated with Chicagoans, entices a good number of out-of-state applicants.

School of the Art Institute, MFA in Writing

“Crossing freely between the genres of poetry, fiction, playwriting/screenwriting, nonfiction, and across the school…writers design their own track of interests and learn to trust the authority of their own intuition.” 2016 faculty include Janet Desaulniers, Calvin Forbes, and James McManus.

University of Chicago, MAPH Writing Option

“An alternative to an MFA.”

University of Illinois-Chicago

UIC offers a PhD in English with creative dissertation and also an MA in English with creative manuscript. The MA is considered preparation to enter an PhD program, either in literature or creative writing; or a degree to prepare a writer to enter jobs in publishing, public relations, high school or community college teaching, grant writing, corporate writing, and other communications fields.

Sterling Plumpp’s. People. Jeffrey Renard Allen (committed for his doctorate), Reginald Young (was on his), chaired Duriel E. Harris’s thesis. Tyehimba Jess majoring in sociology. Came to U-IC specifically to take course on Black Aeshetic. Most important writer, Amira Baraka.

Faculty includes:  Cris Mazza

Christina Pugh

Christopher Grimes

Daniel Borzutzky

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College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Department of English

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Our combined MA/PhD program is divided into three stages for both Writing Studies and Literary Studies students: MA Coursework, PhD coursework and Special Fields Exam, and   Dissertation   and Defense. Prospective students interested in our programs can find an   Overview of Requirements   for each degree and program, and more information on applying on our Admissions page. For more specific details, including instructions for current graduate students regarding Stage II applications, Special Fields Exam documents, and Prospectus guidelines, visit our  Stages of the Program  page. While the English Department offers full financial support to students in good standing for up to 7 years (for those entering without a master ’ s degree) and up to 6 years (for those entering with a master ’ s degree) , many of our students have also been successful in securing competitive  fellowships  and other external funding opportunities.

Our graduates have earned many  awards  and   go on to tenure-track jobs across the nation and into a variety of  careers , including in publishing, nonprofits, library and information science, and high school teaching.

Requirements Overview

Stages of the Program

Fellowships

Writing Specialists

Writing Specialists are full-time instructors in the Writing Program who teach writing to first- and second-year undergraduates completing the Humanities Core.

Ted Alexander

[email protected] .

Ted Alexander has been working for the Writing Program since 2021. His academic background is in American poetry from modernism to the present. He received his PhD in English literature and critical theory from UC Berkeley and has taught at the City University of New York and NYU. His writing has appeared in Contemporary Literature, The Wallace Stevens Journal and Paideuma.

Will Ardery

[email protected] .

Will Ardery received a BA degree in History from Hamilton College in 2017, where he also worked as a peer writing tutor. He completed the University of Chicago’s Masters in the Social Sciences Program (MAPSS) in 2020, and joined the Writing Program the following year. He currently serves as a Writing Specialist for the Humanities Core, where he helps first year students become more confident and proficient writers. Beyond writing pedagogy, Will specializes in Antebellum American political, intellectual, and literary history.

Marshall Cunningham

[email protected] .

Marshall Cunningham received his PhD from the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2020. He studies the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Middle East, and his research focuses on the construction of Judean identity in the 6 th and 5 th centuries BCE. In his role as a Divinity School Teaching Fellow (2020–2022), Marshall served as an instructor in the Humanities Core sequence “Human Being and Citizen.” He began working as a Writing Professional for Human Being and Citizen during the 2022–2023 academic year.

Elizabeth Fiedler

[email protected] .

Elizabeth started teaching for the Writing Program while completing her PhD in Italian at the University of Chicago. Since then she has worked as a Writing Specialist in the Humanities Core and as a Lector in Little Red Schoolhouse.

Rebecca Himelstein

[email protected] .

Rebecca holds a Master of Arts in the Humanities from the University of Chicago. Their scholarly and artistic interests broadly focus on contemporary experimental music, sound, and participatory art. They have performed at venues such as  Constellation ,  Elastic Arts , and  Experimental Sound Studio,   and their scholarly work on noise recently appeared in  Liminalities . Rebecca has worked for the Writing Program since 2020 in the Media Aesthetics, Reading Cultures, Human Being and Citizen, and Philosophical Perspectives Cores. They especially enjoy working with college students new to writing about creative works.

Michelle Hoban

[email protected] .

Michelle Hoban first joined the Writing Program as a Writing Intern in 2019, after completing an MA at the University of Chicago with a focus on English literature. After leaving for a year to work in marketing for a nonprofit, Michelle returned to the Writing Program as a Writing Specialist in 2021. They now teach academic writing to both undergraduate and graduate students. They also have experience tutoring beginner French and Swedish and have been trained in teaching English as an additional language.

[email protected] 

Katie joined the Writing Program as a Writing Specialist in 2020 after completing her Ph.D. in Philosophy at the University of Chicago in 2019. She currently works in the Philosophical Perspectives Core sequence, teaching first-year students the ins and outs of effective argumentative writing.

John Y. Lawrence

[email protected] .

John Y. Lawrence began teaching writing at the University of Chicago in 2022. He completed his PhD in Music History and Theory at UChicago in 2020, and previously taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Notre Dame. His work has been published in the Journal of Music Theory and is forthcoming in Music Theory Spectrum in 2024.

[email protected] 

Scott began teaching as a Writing Intern after he completed his BA in Anthropology and Comparative Human Development and his MA in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) at the University of Chicago in 2017. Before returning as a Writing Specialist in 2022, Scott taught anthropology courses at a local community college and led pedagogy workshops at the University of California, Irvine where he completed an MA in Medicine, Science & Technology Studies as part of his doctoral studies. Scott’s research interests include disability, language, work, care, and psychoanalysis, all of which he enjoys integrating into his first love: teaching.

Rose Malloy

[email protected] .

Rose has taught writing at the University of Chicago since 2017. She has taught in both the Humanities and Social Sciences Cores, as well as worked with upper-level undergraduates on writing for research in the History Department and with Mellon Mays fellows. Rose also teaches writing courses for veterans transitioning to university. Rose received an MA in History from UChicago; her research focuses on borders, refugee movement, and nation-state development in central and southeastern Europe in the early twentieth century.

Clara Mitchell

[email protected] .

Clara holds an MFA in poetry and an MA in Religion and Literature. She is currently working on a scholarly project considering the poetics of absence and a collection of poetry utilizing two voices. As a Writing Specialist, she works with the College’s linguistics and poetry Cores to develop effective pedagogy for first year seminars. Clara also teaches advanced professional writing to graduate students with Little Red Schoolhouse. This is her fifth year teaching for the Writing Program.

[email protected] 

Nick started working with the Writing Program as a Writing Intern in 2020 following his graduation from the University of Chicago’s MAPH program in the same year. Nick’s academic work concentrated in contemporary fiction and philosophy, which informs his current work as a Writing Specialist in the Reading Cultures and Philosophical Perspectives Cores. He has also taught academic writing and literary analysis to language learners abroad as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Macau, an experience which still informs his enthusiasm for engaging pedagogy that addresses diverse student needs.

Sarah Osment

[email protected] .

Sarah joined the Writing Program as a Writing Specialist in 2021, after many years teaching academic writing, American literature, poetry and poetics, critical theory, film and environmental humanities in New England and Florida. She received her PhD from English at Brown University in 2016, and has been most driven since then by the collaborative and public-facing possibilities of academic writing. She is co-founder and editor of Hyped on Melancholy , an online magazine devoted to academic writing about music, and recently co-edited a Post45 Contemporaries cluster on the legacy of the late poet and musician David Berman.

Mike Ossman

[email protected] .

Mike  Ossman joined the Writing Program as a Writing Specialist in 2023. He earned a  M aster’s  in the   H umanities at the University of Chicago in 2013, and he  then  spent nine years teaching introductory philosophy courses at community colleges in Chicago land  and Orlando, Florida. His scholarship focus es on  ancient Greek philosophy and the history of philosophy , but he is most passionate about teaching and pedagogy .  He has also done marketing and grant writing in the nonprofit sector.  

Claire Palo

[email protected] .

Claire began working for the Writing Program in 2019, after receiving her MA from the Master of Arts Program in the Humanities at UChicago. Claire’s research interests focus on women writers and natural philosophy in Early Modern English Literature. Since joining the Writing Program, Claire has worked as a Writing Intern, writing tutor, Peer Writing Tutor Mentor, and L ector. After leaving to complete a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program in Romania, Claire returned to the Writing Program in 2022 as a Writing Specialist.

Cameron Powell

[email protected] .

Cameron holds a BA in Mathematics and Political Studies from Bard College at Simon’s Rock, plus an MA in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago. He joined the program in 2020 as a Writing Intern and Lector, and returned as a Writing Specialist in 2022. He has interests in University Studies and the politics of education and pedagogy, which inform his teaching. He has also worked as a Graduate Writing Consultant for UChicagoGRAD.

Thomas C. Sawyer

[email protected] .

Tom received his Ph.D. in English and Comparative Literature from Washington University in St. Louis in 2021. He joined the Writing Program in the same year. His scholarship operates at the intersections of book history and knowledge-formation in the literatures of medieval Europe. He has published in ELH, Studies in the Age of Chaucer, Philological Quarterly, and The Journal of Medieval Latin . He is hard at work on his first book, Recomposing Bodley 851 .

Jeremy Schmidt

[email protected] .

Jeremy Schmidt is a Writing Specialist and part-time Lecturer in the Humanities Core. Born and raised in Hyde Park, he completed his PhD in the UCLA Department of English in 2020 before returning to Chicago. Jeremy has over fifteen years of experience teaching university courses in composition, literature, and creative writing, and he is particularly dedicated to helping undergraduates write about the questions—and for the disciplines and audiences—that matter to them. His own poems, essays, and reviews have appeared in publications such as The Believer, Boston Review, Lana Turner , and the Los Angeles Review of Books.

Maya Shenoy

[email protected] .

Maya  first joined the writing program in 2021. She received her MA in history from the University of Chicago in 2023, where she studied American legal history. She has taught in the Humanities core sequence, as a Lector in Little Red Schoolhouse, and tutored at the Writing Program.

Anne Marie Smith

[email protected] .

Anne Marie Smith began teaching writing at the University of Chicago in fall of 2022. In addition, she has over ten years of experience as a writing specialist and writing instructor. She has taught Research Writing in the Sciences and Nature Writing to science majors, Scholarly Communication to nursing majors, and Argumentative Writing and Ecology to non-science majors.  She also has extensive experience in effectively helping students write personal statements for graduate and professional schools.

[email protected] 

Karen received her MA from the University of Chicago in 2019 and began teaching with the Writing Program in the same year. She has taught writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences Core sequences, and also has experience with translation, creative nonfiction, and grant writing.

35 Best Colleges for Creative Writing – 2024

April 12, 2024

Bookworms and aspiring writers can pursue an undergraduate degree in creative writing where they will tackle coursework covering the reading and writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry as well as the theory and history of the craft. While becoming the next J.K Rowling, Stephen King, or Margaret Atwood may be the goal, holders of creative writing degrees end up on a variety of career paths. This can include: publishing, editing, journalism, web content management, advertising, or for those who “make it” as writers—the next generation of literary superstars. Our list of Best Colleges for Creative Writing goes beyond the most famous writer factories like the University of Iowa and Columbia University, providing you with 35 institutions known for their stellar programs in this field.

Finally, note that although some of the colleges featured below do not offer a formal major in creative writing, their undergraduate offerings in this subject area are so strong that they warrant inclusion on our list.

Methodology 

Click here to read our methodology for the Best Colleges for creative writing.

Best Creative Writing Colleges

Here’s a quick preview of the first ten creative writing institutions that made our list. Detailed profiles and stats can be found when you scroll below.

1) Columbia University

2) Brown University

3) Johns Hopkins University

4) University of Chicago

5) Washington University in St Louis

6) Emory University

7) Stanford University

8) Northwestern University

9) Duke University

10) Yale University

All of the schools profiled below have stellar reputations in the field of creative writing and commit substantial resources to undergraduate education. For each of the best colleges for creative writing, College Transitions will provide you with—when available—each school’s:

• Cost of Attendance
• Acceptance Rate
• Median  SAT
• Median  ACT
• Retention Rate
• Graduation Rate

We will also include a longer write-up of each college’s:

• Academic Highlights – Includes facts like student-to-faculty ratio, average class size, number of majors offered, and most popular majors.
• Professional Outcomes – Includes info on the rate of positive outcomes, companies employing alumni, and graduate school acceptances.

Columbia University

• New York, NY

Academic Highlights: Columbia offers 100+ unique areas of undergraduate study as well as a number of pre-professional and accelerated graduate programs.  Class sizes at Columbia are reasonably small and the student-to-faculty ratio is favorable; however, in 2022, it was revealed that the university had been submitting faulty data in this area. It is presently believed that 58% of undergraduate courses enroll 19 or fewer students. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (22%), computer science (15%), engineering (14%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Examining the most recent graduates from Columbia College and the Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, 73% had found employment within six months, and 20% had entered graduate school. The median starting salary for graduates of Columbia College/Columbia Engineering is above $80,000. Many graduates get hired by the likes of Amazon, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Google, Citi, McKinsey, and Microsoft.

• Enrollment: 8,832
• Cost of Attendance: $89,587
• Median SAT: 1540
• Median ACT: 35
• Acceptance Rate: 4%
• Retention Rate: 98%
• Graduation Rate: 95%

Brown University

• Providence, RI

Academic Highlights: Students must choose one of 80+ “concentration programs,” but there are no required courses. Class sizes tend to be small—68% have fewer than twenty students—and 35% are comprised of nine or fewer students. Biology, economics, computer science, mathematics, and engineering are among the most popular areas of concentration at Brown; however, it is hard to distinguish any one program, because Brown possesses outstanding offerings across so many disciplines.

Professional Outcomes: Soon after receiving their Brown diplomas, 69% of graduates enter the world of employment. Companies employing the greatest number of Brown alums include Google, Microsoft, Goldman Sachs, Amazon, Morgan Stanley, Apple, McKinsey & Company, and Bain & Company. The Class of 2022 saw 27% of graduates go directly into graduate/professional school. Right out of undergrad, Brown students boasted an exceptional 81% admission rate to med school and an 81% admission rate to law school.

• Enrollment: 7,639
• Cost of Attendance: $84,828
• Median SAT: 1530
• Acceptance Rate: 5%
• Retention Rate: 99%
• Graduation Rate: 96%

Johns Hopkins University

• Baltimore, MD

Academic Highlights: With 53 majors as well as 51 minors, JHU excels in everything from its bread-and-butter medical-related majors to international relations and dance. Boasting an enviable 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and with 78% of course sections possessing an enrollment under 20, face time with professors is a reality. Many departments carry a high level of clout, including biomedical engineering, chemistry, English, and international studies. Biology, neuroscience, and computer science, which happen to be the three most popular majors, can also be found at the top of the national rankings.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 saw 94% of graduates successfully land at their next destination within six months of exiting the university; 66% of graduates entered the world of employment and a robust 19% went directly to graduate/professional school. The median starting salary across all majors was $80,000 for the Class of 2022. JHU itself is the most popular choice for graduate school. The next most frequently attended institutions included Columbia, Harvard, Yale, and MIT.

• Enrollment: 6,044
• Cost of Attendance: $86,065
• Acceptance Rate: 7%
• Retention Rate: 97%

University of Chicago

• Chicago, IL

Academic Highlights: There are 53 majors at UChicago, but close to half of all degrees conferred are in four majors: economics, biology, mathematics, and political science, all of which have particularly sterling reputations. Economics alone is the selection of roughly one-fifth of the undergraduate population. Over 75% of undergrad sections have an enrollment of nineteen or fewer students, and undergraduate research opportunities are ubiquitous as 80% of students end up working in a research capacity alongside a faculty member.

Professional Outcomes: On commencement day, 99% of the Class of 2023 were employed or continuing their education. Business and financial services (30%) and STEM (12%) were the two sectors that scooped up the most graduates, but public policy and consulting were also well-represented. The most popular employers of recent grads include Google, JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Bank of America, Citi, and Accenture. For those heading to grad school, the top seven destinations are Yale, Columbia, Penn, MIT, Stanford, UCLA, and Johns Hopkins.

• Enrollment: 7,653 (undergraduate); 10,870 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $89,040

Washington University in St. Louis

• St. Louis, MO

Academic Highlights : WashU admits students into five schools, many of which offer nationally recognized programs: Arts & Sciences, the Olin School of Business, the School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the Art of Architecture programs housed within the Sam Fox School of Design and Visual Arts. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (13%), social sciences (13%), business (13%), biology (11%), and psychology (10%). 66% of classes have fewer than 20 students, and over one-quarter have single-digit enrollments. 65% double major or pursue a minor.

Professional Outcomes: The Class of 2022 sent 52% of grads into the workforce and 28% into graduate and professional schools. Companies employing the highest number of WashU grads feature sought-after employers such as Amazon, Bain, Boeing, Deloitte, Google, IBM, Goldman Sachs, and Microsoft. Of the employed members of the Class of 2022 who reported their starting salaries, 79% made more than $60k. The universities welcoming the largest number of Bears included the prestigious institutions of Caltech, Columbia, Harvard, Penn, Princeton, and Stanford.

• Enrollment: 8,132 (undergraduate); 8,880 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $83,760
• Median ACT: 34
• Acceptance Rate: 11%
• Retention Rate: 96%
• Graduation Rate: 93%

Emory University

• Atlanta, GA

Academic Highlights: This midsize university offers a diverse array of majors (80+) and minors (60+), and 30% of Emory students pursue more than one area of study. Over half of Emory’s student body works directly with a faculty member on academic research and 58% of courses have class sizes of under twenty students. Ultimately, the greatest number of students go on to earn degrees in the social sciences (15%), biology (14%), business (14%), health professions (12%), and mathematics (9%).

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduation, 66% of 2022 grads were already employed, and 96% had arrived at their next destination. The top employers of recent Emory grads include Deloitte, Epic, ScribeAmerica, Meta, Morgan Stanley, and Cloudmed. Graduates of the Goizueta Business School found strong starting salaries with an average of $81k.  In the last few years, multiple Emory grads/alums received acceptance letters from the following top law schools like Columbia, Berkeley, and Georgetown. Med school acceptances included Duke, Johns Hopkins, and Vanderbilt.

• Enrollment: 7,101
• Cost of Attendance: $83,702
• Median SAT: 1500
• Median ACT: 33
• Retention Rate: 95%
• Graduation Rate: 90%

Stanford University

• Palo Alto, CA

Academic Highlights: Stanford has three undergraduate schools: the School of Humanities & Sciences, the School of Engineering, and the School of Earth, Energy, and Environmental Sciences. 69% of classes have fewer than twenty students, and 34% have a single-digit enrollment. Programs in engineering, computer science, physics, mathematics, international relations, and economics are arguably the best anywhere. In terms of sheer volume, the greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (17%), computer science (16%), engineering (15%), and interdisciplinary studies (13%).

Professional Outcomes: Stanford grads entering the working world flock to three major industries in equal distribution: business/finance/consulting/retail (19%); computer, IT (19%); and public policy and service, international affairs (19%). Among the companies employing the largest number of recent grads are Accenture, Apple, Bain, Cisco, Meta, Goldman Sachs, Google, McKinsey, Microsoft, and SpaceX. Other companies that employ hundreds of Cardinal alums include LinkedIn, Salesforce, and Airbnb. Starting salaries for Stanford grads are among the highest in the country.

• Enrollment: 8,049 (undergraduate); 10,236 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,833

Northwestern University

• Evanston, IL

Academic Highlights : Northwestern is home to six undergraduate schools, including Medill, which is widely regarded as one of the country’s best journalism schools. The McCormick School of Engineering also achieves top rankings, along with programs in economics, social policy, and theatre. The social sciences account for the greatest number of degrees conferred (19%), followed by communications/journalism (13%), and engineering (11%). 45% of classes have nine or fewer students enrolled; 78% have fewer than twenty enrollees. 57% of recent grads had the chance to conduct undergraduate research.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 69% of the Class of 2022 had found employment and 27% were in graduate school. The four most popular professional fields were consulting (18%), engineering (18%), business/finance (16%), and communications/marketing/media (13%). Employers included the BBC, NBC News, The Washington Post , NPR, Boeing, Google, IBM, Deloitte, PepsiCo, Northrop Grumman, and Goldman Sachs. Across all majors, the average starting salary was $73k. Of those headed straight to graduate school, engineering, medicine, and business were the three most popular areas of concentration.

• Enrollment: 8,659 (undergraduate); 14,073 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $91,290
• Graduation Rate: 97%

Duke University

Academic Highlights: The academic offerings at Duke include 53 majors, 52 minors, and 23 interdisciplinary certificates. Class sizes are on the small side—71% are nineteen or fewer, and almost one-quarter are less than ten. A stellar 5:1 student-to-faculty ratio helps keep classes so reasonable even while catering to five figures worth of graduate students. Computer Science is the most popular area of concentration (11%), followed by economics (10%), public policy (9%), biology (8%), and computer engineering (7%).

Professional Outcomes: At graduation, approximately 70% of Duke diploma-earners enter the world of work, 20% continue into graduate schools, and 2% start their own businesses. The industries that attract the largest percentage of Blue Devils are tech (21%), finance (15%), business (15%), healthcare (9%), and science/research (6%). Of the 20% headed into graduate school, a hefty 22% are attending medical school, 18% are in PhD programs, and 12% are entering law school. The med school acceptance rate is 85%, more than twice the national average.

• Enrollment: 6,640
• Cost of Attendance: $85,238
• SAT Range: 1490-1570
• ACT Range: 34-35
• Acceptance Rate: 6%

Yale University

• New Haven, CT

Academic Highlights: Yale offers 80 majors, most of which require a one- to two-semester senior capstone experience. Undergraduate research is a staple, and over 70% of classes—of which there are over 2,000 to choose from—have an enrollment of fewer than 20 students, making Yale a perfect environment for teaching and learning. Among the top departments are biology, economics, global affairs, engineering, history, and computer science. The social sciences (26%), biology (11%), mathematics (8%), and computer science (8%) are the most popular areas of concentration.

Professional Outcomes: Shortly after graduating, 73% of the Yale Class of 2022 had entered the world of employment and 18% matriculated into graduate programs. Hundreds of Yale alums can be found at each of the world’s top companies including Google, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, and Microsoft. The most common industries entered by the newly hired were finance (20%), research/education (16%), technology (14%), and consulting (12%). The mean starting salary for last year’s grads was $81,769 ($120k for CS majors). Nearly one-fifth of students immediately pursue graduate school.

• Enrollment: 6,590 (undergraduate); 5,344 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $87,705
• Graduation Rate: 98%

Hamilton College

• Clinton, NY

Academic Highlights: The student-to-faculty ratio is 9:1, and without any pesky graduate students to get in the way, face time with professors is a regular occurrence. In fact, 28% of all classes have nine or fewer students; 72% have nineteen or fewer. Economics, government, and biology are among the strongest and most popular majors; other standout programs include public policy, mathematics, and environmental studies. Thirty percent of students earn social science degrees, with biology (13%), visual and performing arts (9%), physical science (7%), and foreign languages (7%) next in line.

Professional Outcomes: Examining the 491 graduates in Hamilton’s Class of 2022, an enviable 97% wasted no time landing jobs, graduate school acceptances, or fellowships. The most commonly entered industries were finance (17%), education (13%), business (12%), and science/tech (11%). Only 17% of 2022 graduates went directly into an advanced degree program. In one recent year, 33% of Hamilton grads were studying a STEM field, 22% were in the social sciences, 17% pursued a health care degree, and 5% went to law school.

• Enrollment: 2,075
• Cost of Attendance: $82,430
• Median SAT: 1490
• Acceptance Rate: 12%
• Graduation Rate: 92%

Princeton University

• Princeton, NJ

Academic Highlights: 39 majors are available at Princeton. Just under three-quarters of class sections have an enrollment of 19 or fewer students, and 31% have fewer than ten students. Princeton is known for its commitment to undergraduate teaching, and students consistently rate professors as accessible and helpful. The Engineering Department is widely recognized as one of the country’s best, as is the School of Public and International Affairs.

Professional Highlights: Over 95% of a typical Tiger class finds their next destination within six months of graduating. Large numbers of recent grads flock to the fields of business and engineering, health/science, & tech. Companies presently employing hundreds of Tiger alumni include Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, McKinsey & Company, Morgan Stanley, IBM, and Meta. The average salary ranges from $40k (education, health care, or social services) to $100k (computer/mathematical positions). Between 15-20% of graduating Tigers head directly to graduate/professional school.

• Enrollment: 5,604 (undergraduate); 3,238 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $86,700

Carnegie Mellon University

• Pittsburgh, PA

Academic Highlights: There are a combined 80+ undergraduate majors and 90 minors available across the six schools. Impressively, particularly for a school with more graduate students than undergrads, CMU boasts a 6:1 student-to-faculty ratio and small class sizes, with 36% containing single digits. In a given school year, 800+ undergraduates conduct research through the University Research Office. The most commonly conferred degrees are in engineering (21%), computer science (16%), mathematics (12%), business (10%), and visual and performing arts (9%).

Professional Outcomes: By the end of the calendar year in which they received their diplomas, 66% of 2022 grads were employed, and 28% were continuing to graduate school. The companies that have routinely scooped up CMU grads include Google, Meta, Microsoft, Apple, Accenture, McKinsey, and Deloitte. With an average starting salary of $105,194, CMU grads outpace the average starting salary for a college grad nationally. Of those pursuing graduate education, around 20% typically enroll immediately in PhD programs.

• Enrollment: 7,509
• Cost of Attendance: $84,412

University of Iowa

• Iowa City, IA

Academic Highlights: 200+ undergraduate majors, minors, and certificate programs are available across eight colleges, including the Tippie College of Business, which has a very strong reputation. The most commonly conferred degree is business (24%), with parks and recreation (10%), social sciences (8%), health professions (8%), engineering (7%), and communication & journalism (5%) next in popularity. Over half of its undergraduate sections enroll 19 or fewer students, and 30% of undergrads conduct or assist research.

Professional Outcomes: 96% of Class of 2022 grads found their first job or advanced degree program within six months of receiving their diploma. The most commonly entered industries were healthcare (23%), entertainment/the arts (14%), finance and insurance (11%), and marketing/PR (10%). Companies that employ hundreds of alumni include Wells Fargo, Collins Aerospace, Principal Financial Group, Amazon, Accenture, and Microsoft. The median salary for 2022 grads was $50,000. 28% of recent graduates went directly into graduate school; 76% remained at the University of Iowa.

• Enrollment: 22,130 (undergraduate); 7,912 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $28,846-$32,259 (in-state); $50,809-$54,822 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1240
• Median ACT: 25
• Acceptance Rate: 85%
• Retention Rate: 89%
• Graduation Rate: 73%

Emerson College

Academic Highlights: All 26 majors offered by the school have some element of performance or artistry and include highly unique academic concentrations such as comedic arts, sports communication, and musical theater. Emerson has a 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio and 69% of courses seat fewer than 20 students. The Journalism and Communications Studies programs rank among the top in the country. By sheer popularity, the top majors are film/video production, journalism, marketing, theater arts, and creative writing.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of leaving Emerson, 61% of recent grads were employed, 4% were enrolled in graduate school, and 35% were still seeking their next landing spot. Top employers include the Walt Disney Company, Warner Media, Sinclair Broadcast Group, and CNN. The average full-time salary for employed grads is $40,255. Of those entering a master’s program, the bulk stay put, pursuing a master’s at Emerson in an area like writing for film and television, creative writing, or journalism.

• Enrollment: 4,149
• Cost of Attendance: $73,000
• Median SAT: 1360
• Median ACT: 31
• Acceptance Rate: 43%
• Retention Rate: 86%
• Graduation Rate: 77%

University of Southern California

• Los Angeles, CA

Academic Highlights : There are 140 undergraduate majors and minors within the Dornsife College of Arts & Sciences alone, the university’s oldest and largest school. The Marshall School of Business, Viterbi School of Engineering, and programs in communication, the cinematic arts, and the performing arts are highly acclaimed. Popular areas of study are business (22%), social sciences (11%), visual and performing arts (11%), communications/journalism (9%), and engineering (8%). Most courses enroll 10-19 students, and USC does an excellent job facilitating undergraduate research opportunities.

Professional Outcomes: 96% of undergrads experience positive postgraduation outcomes within six months of earning their degree. The top five industries entered were finance, consulting, advertising, software development, and engineering; the median salary across all majors is an astounding $79k. Presently, between 300 and 1,500 alumni are employed at each of Google, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, KPMG, Goldman Sachs, and Meta. Graduate/professional schools enrolling the greatest number of 2022 USC grads include NYU, Georgetown, Harvard, Stanford, Pepperdine, and UCLA.

• Enrollment: 20,699 (undergraduate); 28,246 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $90,921
• Median SAT: 1510

Cornell University

Academic Highlights: A diverse array of academic programs includes 80 majors and 120 minors spread across the university’s seven schools/colleges. Classes are a bit larger at Cornell than at many other elite institutions. Still, 55% of sections have fewer than 20 students. Most degrees conferred in 2022 were in computer science (17%), engineering (13%), business (13%), and biology (13%). The SC Johnson College of Business houses two undergraduate schools, both of which have phenomenal reputations.

Professional Outcomes: Breaking down the graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences, the largest school at Cornell, 68% entered the workforce, 28% entered graduate school, 1% pursued other endeavors such as travel or volunteer work, and the remaining 3% were still seeking employment six months after receiving their diplomas. The top sectors attracting campus-wide graduateswere financial services (18%), technology (17%), consulting (15%), and education (10%). Of the students from A&S going on to graduate school, 15% were pursuing JDs, 5% MDs, and 22% PhDs.

• Enrollment: 15,735
• Cost of Attendance: $88,150
• Median SAT: 1520

Oberlin College

• Oberlin, OH

Academic Highlights: Over 40 majors are available at Oberlin, which is an extremely strong provider of a liberal arts education. 79% of classes had 19 or fewer students enrolled. The greatest number of degrees conferred are typically in music, political science, biology, psychology, and history. The Conservatory of Music has a worldwide reputation, and programs in the natural sciences are similarly strong, leading to remarkable medical school acceptance rates and a high number of future PhD scientists and researchers.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months, 74% of recent grads found employment, 17% enrolled in graduate school, and just 5% were still seeking employment. Multiple recent grads were hired by Google, Netflix, and Sony Pictures. Over the last few years, multiple students have gone on to pursue advanced degrees at Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Brown, Columbia, Princeton, and the University of Michigan. Oberlin also has a reputation for churning out future PhDs and, is among the top 20 schools (per capita) across all disciplines in producing graduates who go on to earn their doctoral degrees.

• Enrollment: 2,986
• Cost of Attendance: $85,496
• Median SAT: 1400-1540
• Median ACT: 32-34
• Acceptance Rate: 33%
• Retention Rate: 87%
• Graduation Rate: 83%

University of Pittsburgh

Academic Highlights: Pitt admits freshmen to the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, the College of Business Administration, the Swanson School of Engineering, and the School of Nursing. Pitt’s engineering and business schools are top-rated and among the most commonly chosen fields of study. Premed offerings are also top-notch, with majors in the health professions (12%), biology (11%), psychology (9%), and computer science (9%) rounding out the list of most popular majors. Pitt has a strong 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio; 42% of sections have an enrollment of under twenty students.

Professional Outcomes: Within a few months of graduating, 94% of 2022 grads entered full-time employment or full-time graduate or professional school. Engineering, nursing, business, and information sciences majors had 73-86% employment rates while other majors tended to flock to graduate school in large numbers. Employers scooping up the highest number of grads in one recent year included the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (170), PNC (57), BNY Mellon (36), and Deloitte (19). Median starting salaries fluctuated between $37k-65k depending on major.

• Enrollment: 20,220 (undergraduate); 9,268 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $38,034-$43,254 (in-state); $56,400-$66,840 (out-of-state)
• Acceptance Rate: 50%
• Retention Rate: 92%
• Graduation Rate: 84%

Swarthmore College

• Swarthmore, PA

Academic Highlights: Swarthmore offers forty undergraduate programs and runs 600+ courses each academic year. Small, seminar-style courses are the norm—an outstanding 33% of sections enroll fewer than ten students, and 70% contain a maximum of nineteen students. Social science degrees are the most commonly conferred, accounting for 24% of all 2022 graduates. Future businessmen/women, engineers, and techies are also well-positioned, given Swat’s incredibly strong offerings in economics, engineering, and computer science.

Professional Outcomes: 68% of Class of 2022 grads entered the workforce shortly after graduation. Popular industries included education (17%), consulting (16%), and financial services (13%); the median starting salary was $60,000. Google is a leading employer of Swarthmore grads followed by Amazon, Goldman Sachs, IBM, and a number of the top universities.  18% of 2022 grads pursued advanced degrees, with 35% pursuing a PhD, 35% entering master’s programs, 10% heading to law school, and 7% matriculating into medical school.

• Enrollment: 1,625
• Cost of Attendance: $81,376
• Graduation Rate: 94%

Bryn Mawr College

• Bryn Mawr, PA

Academic Highlights: On the home campus, undergraduates can choose from 35 majors and 50 minors. Roughly 35% of the student body earns degrees in the natural sciences or mathematics, a figure four times the national average for women. By volume, the most popular majors are mathematics, psychology, biology, English, and computer science. An 8:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to small class sizes with 74% of sections having fewer than twenty students, and 24% of sections enrolling nine students or fewer.

Professional Outcomes: One year after receiving their diplomas, 57% of Bryn Mawr graduates had found employment and a robust 28% had already entered graduate school. Most of the organizations employing the greatest number of alumni are universities and hospital systems, although Google, Accenture, JPMorgan Chase, and Vanguard do employ a fair number of Bryn Mawr graduates. Among recent grads pursuing further education, 63% were in master’s programs, 13% were already working on their PhD, and 10% were in medical school.

• Enrollment: 1,409
• Cost of Attendance: $79,880
• Median SAT: 1400
• Acceptance Rate: 31%
• Retention Rate: 90%

Wellesley College

• Wellesley, MA

Academic Highlights: There are 50+ departmental and interdisciplinary majors. Thirty-six percent of course sections have single-digit enrollments while 77% have 19 or fewer students. In addition, opportunities for participation in research with faculty members abound. Most programs possess sterling reputations, including chemistry, computer science, neuroscience, and political science, but the Department of Economics shines most brightly, leading many into PhD programs and high-profile careers. Economics, biology, and computer science are the most frequently conferred degrees.

Professional Outcomes : Six months after graduating, 97% of the Class of 2022 had achieved positive outcomes. Of the 76% of grads who were employed, 24% were working in the finance/consulting/business fields, 17% in education, 17% in internet and technology & engineering, and 15% in healthcare/life sciences. Top employers included JPMorgan Chase, Google, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Goldman Sachs. The average starting salary for one recent cohort was a solid $63k. Of the 20% of 2022 grads who directly entered an advanced degree program, common schools attended included Harvard, Columbia, Brown, Stanford, MIT, and Emory.

• Enrollment: 2,447
• Cost of Attendance: $84,240
• Acceptance Rate: 14%

Colby College

• Waterville, ME

Academic Highlights: Offering 56 majors and 35 minors, Colby provides a classic liberal arts education with a high degree of flexibility and room for independent intellectual pursuits. A 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio is put to good instructional use as roughly two-thirds of courses have fewer than 19 students. Being a true liberal arts school, Colby has strengths across many disciplines, but biology, economics, and global studies draw especially high praise. These programs along with government and environmental science attract the highest number of students.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 93% of the Class of 2022 had either obtained jobs or were enrolled full-time in a graduate program. Eighteen percent of graduates enter the financial industry and large numbers also start careers in education, with government/nonprofit, STEM, and healthcare next in popularity. The Medical school acceptance rate over the past five years is 68%, nearly double the national average.

• Enrollment: 2,299
• Cost of Attendance: $86,720
• Average SAT: 1485
• Average ACT: 33
• Acceptance Rate: 8%
• Retention Rate: 93%
• Graduation Rate: 87%

University of Michigan

• Ann Arbor, MI

Academic Highlights: There are 280+ undergraduate degree programs across fourteen schools and colleges, and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) enrolls the majority of students. The Ross School of Business offers highly rated programs in entrepreneurship, management, accounting, and finance. The College of Engineering is also one of the best in the country. By degrees conferred, engineering (15%), computer science (14%), and the social sciences (11%) are most popular. A solid 56% of classes have fewer than 20 students.

Professional Outcomes: Within three months of graduating, 89% of LSA grads are employed full-time or in graduate school, with healthcare, education, law, banking, research, nonprofit work, and consulting being the most popular sectors. Within three months, 99% of Ross grads are employed with a median salary of $90k. Top employers include Goldman Sachs, Deutsche Bank, EY, Morgan Stanley, PwC, Deloitte, and Amazon.  Within six months, 96% of engineering grads are employed (average salary of $84k) or in grad school. General Motors, Ford, Google, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta employ the greatest number of alumni.

• Enrollment: 32,695 (undergraduate); 18,530 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $35,450 (in-state); $76,294 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1470
• Acceptance Rate: 18%

Bucknell University

• Lewisburg, PA

Academic Highlights: Over 60 majors and 70 minors are on tap across three undergraduate schools: the College of Arts & Sciences, Freeman College of Management, and the College of Engineering. Getting well-acquainted with your professors is easy with a 9:1 student-faculty ratio, and class sizes are reasonably small. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the areas of the social sciences (26%), engineering (14%), business (14%), biology (11%), and psychology (9%).

Professional Outcomes: Nine months after graduation, 94% of the Class of 2022 had launched their careers or entered graduate school. Financial services is the most common sector for Bucknell grads to enter, attracting 24% of alumni. Across all disciplines, the average salary for a Class of 2022 grad was $69,540. Bucknell saw 18% of 2022 grads go directly into an advanced degree program. Bison alumni heading to graduate school predominantly pursue degrees in the medical field, social sciences, business, or engineering.

• Enrollment: 3,747
• Cost of Attendance: $80,890
• Median SAT: 1380
• Median ACT: 32
• Retention Rate: 91%

Haverford College

• Haverford, PA

Academic Highlights: Haverford offers 31 majors, 32 minors, 12 concentrations, and eleven consortium programs—areas of study that can be pursued at partner campuses. The school’s 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and exclusive emphasis on undergraduate education lead to exceptionally intimate classes, 33% of which have fewer than 10 students, and 72% have fewer than 20. The most popular areas of study at Haverford include the social sciences (24%), biology (14%), psychology (11%), physical sciences (10%), computer science (9%), and mathematics (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Six months after leaving Haverford, 63% of the Class of 2022 had found employment, 19% had enrolled in graduate school, and 9% were still job hunting. Employers hiring multiple recent Haverford grads include Epic, JP Morgan Chase Bank, Boston Consulting Group, Goldman Sachs, the National Institutes of Health, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Of the 19% of 2022 grads who elected to continue their education, the most commonly entered fields of study were STEM (51%) and medicine/health (15%).

• Enrollment: 1,421
• Cost of Attendance: $87,180
• Graduation Rate: 91%

Colorado College

• Colorado Springs, CO

Academic Highlights: Rather than the typical semester schedule, Colorado College operates on the “block plan,” a series of eight three-and-half-week periods during which students take only one course. You won’t find a more intimate liberal arts college than CC. Classes have a cap of 25 students, and no more than a handful of courses exceed that figure. The average class consists of 16 students. In terms of sheer volume, most degrees are conferred in the social sciences (28%), biology (17%), natural resources and conservation (8%), and physical science (6%).

Professional Outcomes: Among the Class of 2022, an impressive 99% arrived successfully at their next destination within six months of earning their diploma. The largest number of graduates who pursue employment end up in the fields of education, technology, health care, the arts, and government.  The bachelor’s degree earned at Colorado College is unlikely to be the last degree a graduate will earn. Five years after graduation, the typical cohort sees 70-90% of its members having either completed or finishing an advanced degree.

• Enrollment: 2,180
• Cost of Attendance: $87,128
• Acceptance Rate: 16%
• Graduation Rate: 86%

Brandeis University

• Waltham, MA

Academic Highlights: Brandeis offers 43 majors, the most popular of which are in the social sciences (18%), biology (17%), business (10%), psychology (8%), public administration (8%), and computer science (7%). The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 60% of courses contain nineteen or fewer students. Departments with a particularly strong national reputation include economics, international studies, and sociology as well as all of the traditional premed pathways including biology, and chemistry.

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduation, 98% of the Class of 2022 had found their way to employment (59%), graduate school (35%), or another full-time activity like travel or volunteer work (4%). Members of the Class of 2022 were hired by Red Hat, Deloitte, Nasdaq, NPR, and McKinsey & Company. The average starting salary for recent grads is $61k. A large contingent of grads elects to continue at Brandeis for graduate school. Many others go to BU, Columbia, Duke, Harvard, and Yale.

• Enrollment: 3,687
• Cost of Attendance: $86,242
• Median SAT: 1440
• Acceptance Rate: 39%

Macalester College

• St. Paul, MN

Academic Highlights: Students can choose from roughly 40 majors and over 800 courses that are offered each academic year . Being an undergraduate-only institution, Macalester students enjoy the full benefits of the school’s 10:1 student-to-faculty ratio. The average class size is only 17 students, and 14% of class sections have single-digit enrollments. Macalester possesses strong offerings across many different disciplines. Programs in economics, international studies, and mathematics are among the best anywhere.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduating, 95% of the Macalester Class of 2022 had found employment, graduate school, or a fellowship. Employers of recent grads include ABC News, Google, Goldman Sachs, Dow Chemical Company, McKinsey & Company, the ACLU, the National Cancer Institute, and National Geographic . Across all sectors, the average starting salary for recent grads was above $62k. Sixty percent of Mac grads pursue an advanced degree within six years of earning their bachelor’s.

• Enrollment: 2,175
• Cost of Attendance: $79,890
• Median SAT: 1430
• Acceptance Rate: 28%
• Retention Rate: 88%

Barnard College

Academic Highlights: Barnard has a 10:1 student-faculty ratio, and a sensational 71% of courses are capped at nineteen or fewer students; 18% have fewer than ten. Many get the chance to engage in research alongside a professor as 240+ undergraduates are granted such an opportunity through the Summer Research Institute each year. Barnard’s most popular majors, by number of degrees conferred, include economics, English, political science, history, psychology, neuroscience, computer science, and art history.

Professional Outcomes: Six months after graduation, 91% of 2022 Barnard grads had found employment or were enrolled in a graduate program. JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Blackrock, Citibank, and Morgan Stanley all appear on the list of the top fifteen employers of Barnard alumni. Within ten years of graduation, over 80% of Barnard alums eventually enroll in graduate school. Those entering graduate school flock in large numbers to Columbia, with 112 heading there over the last three years.

• Enrollment: 3,442
• Cost of Attendance: $90,928
• Acceptance Rate: 9%

Georgetown University

• Washington, D.C.

Academic Highlights: The student-faculty ratio is 11:1, and 60% of classes enroll fewer than 20 students. While some classes are a bit larger, only 7% cross the 50-student threshold. Those desiring to join the world of politics or diplomacy are in the right place. The Government and International Affairs programs are among the best in the country. The greatest number of degrees are conferred in the social sciences (38%) followed by business (20%), interdisciplinary studies (8%), and biology (7%).

Professional Outcomes: Within six months of graduating, 75% of members of the Class of 2022 entered the workforce, 19% went directly into a graduate or professional program of study, and 3% were still seeking employment. The Class of 2022 sent massive numbers of graduates to a number of major corporations including JPMorgan Chase (22), Citi (21), BOA (18), Morgan Stanley (16), and EY (10). Those attending grad school stay at Georgetown or flock to other elite schools like Columbia and Harvard.

• Enrollment: 7,900
• Cost of Attendance: $85,000

Elon University

Academic Highlights: Students choose from 70 majors and can add a number of interesting minors like adventure-based learning, coaching, and multimedia authoring. Elon’s 11:1 student-to-faculty ratio leads to an average class size of 20 students; 51% of sections contain fewer than 20 students. The areas in which the greatest number of degrees are conferred are business (29%), journalism/communication (20%), social sciences (8%), the visual and performing arts (6%), and psychology (6%).

Professional Outcomes: Results of a survey administered nine months after graduation found that 96% of the Class of 2022 had found employment, a graduate school, or an internship. Top employers of recent Elon graduates include Bloomberg, Deloitte, EY, Google, Goldman Sachs, Red Ventures, and Wells Fargo. Recent business grads enjoyed a median salary of $61k while communications majors earned $47k. Just under one-quarter of recent grads gained acceptance into graduate/professional school and many remain at Elon.

• Enrollment: 6,337
• Cost of Attendance: $66,657
• Median SAT: 1260
• Median ACT: 28
• Acceptance Rate: 78%

DePauw University

• Greencastle, IN

Academic Highlights: No matter which of the 40+ majors you pursue at DePauw, you will enjoy the benefits of small class sizes and face time with faculty. A 9:1 student-to-faculty ratio and the fact that only four class sections in the whole university enroll more than 29 students assures that. The greatest number of DePauw undergrads earn degrees in the social sciences (17%), biology (10%), the visual/performing arts (9%), communication/journalism (8%), and computer science (6%).

Professional Outcomes: The university’s “Gold Commitment” guarantees that all grads will land at their next destination within six months, or they will be provided with an entry-level professional opportunity or an additional tuition-free semester. Top employers of DePauw grads include Eli Lilly and Company, IBM, Northern Trust Corporation, AT&T, and Procter & Gamble. Tigers applying to graduate and professional schools experience high levels of success. Of medical school applicants who earned a 3.6 GPA and scored in the 80th percentile on the MCAT, 90% are accepted to at least one institution.

• Enrollment: 1,752
• Cost of Attendance: $74,400
• Acceptance Rate: 66%
• Graduation Rate: 79%

University of Washington – Seattle

• Seattle, WA

Academic Highlights: 180+ undergraduate majors are offered across thirteen colleges/schools. Personal connections with professors abound as 55% of grads complete a faculty-mentored research project. The College of Engineering, which includes the College of Computer Science & Engineering, is one of the best in the nation; UW also boasts strong programs in everything from business to social work to environmental science. The most popular degrees are the social sciences (13%), biology (12%), computer science (11%), and business (8%).

Professional Outcomes: Within months of graduation, 73% of Class of 2022 grads were employed and 17% were continuing their education. The most popular employers of the Class of 2022 included Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Boeing, and KPMG. Across all living alumni, 6,000+ work for Microsoft, and 4000+ work for each of Boeing and Amazon. Of those headed to graduate/professional school, just over half remain in state, mostly at UW itself. Large numbers of 2022 grads also headed to Columbia, Johns Hopkins, and USC.

• Enrollment: 36,872 (undergraduate); 16,211 (graduate)
• Cost of Attendance: $34,554 (in-state); $63,906 (out-of-state)
• Median SAT: 1420
• Acceptance Rate: 48%
• Retention Rate: 94%

We hope you have found our list of the Best Colleges for Creative Writing to be useful and informative as you continue your college search process. We also invite you to check out some of our other resources and tools including:

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Andrew Belasco

A licensed counselor and published researcher, Andrew's experience in the field of college admissions and transition spans two decades. He has previously served as a high school counselor, consultant and author for Kaplan Test Prep, and advisor to U.S. Congress, reporting on issues related to college admissions and financial aid.

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Undergraduate Admissions

Majors : find your calling..

Need help? Start here.

Creative Writing

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

What is Creative Writing?

As a Creative Writing major, you’ll learn how to develop your own individual voice. You'll also learn to produce original works in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Coursework consists of creative writing classes, and classes in English, history, and culture. Small writing workshops that focus on giving and receiving feedback will teach you to communicate your ideas to others. You’ll also develop your skills in these areas:

• Communication
• Problem-solving 

Career Options

• Arts administration
• Communications
• Creative writing
• Entertainment
• Library & information science

Post-Graduation Success 1

80% employed or continuing education

60% employed after graduation

18% attending graduate school

2% volunteering

$39,000 average starting annual income

Sample employer destinations: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, School of Labor and Employment Relations, University of Illinois at Chicago, College Of Dentistry, XciteSteps View All

Sample grad school destinations: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of California, Irvine, University of San Francisco View All

Program Resources

Review criteria, first-year major-specific criteria.

• Demonstrated understanding of and interest in the major

View All Review Criteria

Transfer Criteria

Graduation & retention 2.

4.0 years to degree

93% first-year retention rate

72% four-year graduation rate

85% six-year graduation rate

Annual Program Costs 3

Illinois resident.

• Tuition: $12,712
• Fees: $4,928
• Expenses: $18,222
• Total: $35,862

Non-Resident

• Tuition: $31,832
• Expenses: $18,562
• Total: $55,322

International

• Tuition: $34,280
• Total: $57,770

Related Majors

1 Post-graduate data was collected through the Illini Success initiative , which primarily relies on self-reported survey data sources. Statistics are aggregated from the past three years. Please note that total compensation may be greater than annual salary as other forms of compensation (e.g., signing bonus, commission, benefits) are not included. For more information on Illini Success data and methods, please visit the Illini Success website . For average wage or salary information five years after entry into an occupation, visit the My Next Move website .

2 Graduation and retention data comes from several majors within a similar interest area. Graduation and retention data comes from several majors within a similar interest area. Data may not yet be available for newly created programs. Years-to-degree data is only available for programs from which you can earn a degree. Retention and graduation rates are only available for programs that you can apply directly into. Retention rates reflect retention to the university, not necessarily retention within the major.

3 "Expenses" are estimated and include books, supplies, housing, and other living expenses. The exact amount you’ll pay depends on where you decide to live, the meal plan you choose, and your overall lifestyle. To learn more about costs, please visit the Office of Student Financial Aid website . To learn the average monthly student loan payment over a period of 20 years based on estimated cost, visit the Illinois College2Career website .

Employer List

Grad school list, want more info.

Faculty, Lecturers, and Writing & Research Advisors

Robyn Schiff

Ryan Van Meter

Rachel Galvin

William Ayers

Kathleen Blackburn

Suzanne Buffam

Jennifer Chukwu

Rachel Cohen

Garin Cycholl

Lina Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas

Victoria Flanagan

Edgar Garcia

Rachel Ann Girty

Jason Grunebaum

Baird Harper

Ben Hoffman

Nathan Hoks

Julie Iromuanya

Annie Janusch

Meghan Lamb

Benjamin Lytal

Sharon Pomerantz

Daniel Raeburn

Srikanth (Chicu) Reddy

Augustus Rose

Margaret Ross

Jennifer Scappettone

Stephanie Soileau

Avi Steinberg

Nicholas Twemlow

Sophia Veltfort