emerson college creative writing major

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Creative Writing

Emerson’s creative writing mfa is home to two award-winning literary journals and boasts some of the nation’s best writing and publishing faculty. with specialized tracks for literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, this program allows you to focus on your craft and gain the skills needed to become a professional writer. check out the blogs below to hear more about the creative writing program at emerson..

Poetry MFA Student Celebrates Upcoming Chapbook

If you’re interested in going to graduate school for poetry, Emerson’s Creative Writing MFA may be the program for you. Today we’re interviewing Creative Writing grad student Katie Mihalek ‘24. She’ll share what led her to graduate school, her experience … Continued

Answers to Your Questions About Emerson’s Writing and Publishing Graduate Programs

If you’ve been looking for the perfect graduate program in writing or publishing, Emerson could be the place for you. Today we’re interviewing Muzhgan Mia Bekdas, an admissions counselor for our three writing and publishing graduate programs. We’ll hear about … Continued

Award-Winning Creative Writing MFA Student Reflects on His Success

Tochukwu Okafor, current Creative Writing MFA candidate. Photo by Beowulf Sheehan Thinking about going to graduate school for creative writing? Wondering if a Creative Writing MFA is worth the investment? Today we’re featuring Tochukwu Okafor, a current student in Emerson … Continued

Creative Writing Thesis Spotlight: MFA Candidate Explores Monsters and Deep Sea with Their Novel

Daven McQueen, current MFA candidate in Emerson’s Creative Writing program If you’re looking into Creative Writing MFAs, you’re probably researching the thesis requirements of different programs. Today we’re interviewing Daven McQueen, a current student in Emerson’s Creative Writing MFA program, … Continued

Day in the Life of a Creative Writing MFA Student

If you’re considering grad school, you’ve likely asked yourself a dozen questions before even deciding whether or not to apply. And yet, even after narrowing down where you want to go and study, applying, and being accepted (congrats!), you probably … Continued

Q&A With Creative Writing Alum Gina Tomaine

What does life look like post-graduation? We did a Q&A with Creative Writing Alum, Gina Tomaine about her career, life post-graduation, and what to expect as an Emerson Creative Writing Graduate Student. What’s a typical day like for you at … Continued

Poetry Student Project Spotlight: Duende and the Choreopoem

Porsha Olayiwola is the 2014 Individual World Poetry Slam Champion and 2015 National Poetry Slam Champion. Black, poet, queer-dyke, hip-hop feminist, womanist: Porsha is a native of Chicago who now resides in Boston where she organizes, writes, and teaches. Porsha … Continued

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Emerson College Creative Writing MFA

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MFA Program

Poetry: Christine Casson, Mary Kovaleski-Byrnes, Daniel Tobin Fiction: Julia Glass, Lise Haines, Kim McLarin, William Orem, Jon Papernick, Frederick Reiken, Novuyo Tshuma, Katie Williams, Mako Yoshikawa Nonfiction: Jabari Asim, Megan Marshall, Jerald Walker

The program offers partial funding. Some students receive fellowships, and all applications are automatically reviewed for funding. The program offers teaching assistantships, research assistantships, the Presidential Fellowship and Merit-Based Scholarships , and internships.

Students can apply to the program’s  Transformational Leaders Fellowship  which includes a stipend, scholarship, leadership training and a mentorship program.

Ploughshares

The program hosts a reading series, an alumni and faculty reading series, a publishing series, and a scholar research series. Students also have the opportunity to take publishing courses and work with local high school students through the emersonWRITES program.

The priority deadline is February 1. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until April 1.

Tina Egnoski, Matthew Goodman, Stacy McKee, Matt Rasmussen, Kate Racculia, Kathleen Rooney, Asako Serizawa, Laura van den Berg, Urban Waite, Eric Wasserman

Emerson College Academics

The student-faculty ratio at Emerson College is 15:1, and the school has 69.1% of its classes with fewer than 20 students. The most popular majors at Emerson College include: Cinematography and Film/Video Production; Creative Writing; Journalism; Marketing/Marketing Management, General; Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General; Business/Commerce, General; Speech Communication and Rhetoric; Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other; Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other; and Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology. The average freshman retention rate, an indicator of student satisfaction, is 86%.

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Emerson College Majors

Ten Most Popular Majors for 2022 Graduates

Cinematography and Film/Video Production

Creative Writing

Marketing/Marketing Management, General

Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

Business/Commerce, General

Speech Communication and Rhetoric

Dramatic/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft, Other

Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other

Technical Theatre/Theatre Design and Technology

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Emerson College Academic Programs & Offerings

Degrees offered

Bachelor's, Post-bachelor's certificate, Master's

Combined-degree programs

• Franklin Univ Switzerland- Global BA in Business of Creative Enterprises
• Franklin Univ Switzerland- Global BA in International and Political Communication
• Paris College of Art-Emerson College Global BFA in Film Art
• Public Relations 4+1 Program
• Publishing and Writing 4+1 Program

Student participation in special academic programs

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Service learning

Senior capstone or culminating academic experience

Undergraduate research/creative projects

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Faculty & Classes at Emerson College

Student-Faculty Ratio (3%)

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 12 best creative writing colleges and programs.

College Info

Finding a dedicated creative writing program at a school you're excited about can be a real challenge, and that's even before you start worrying about getting in. Nonetheless, there are some great options. In order to help you find the best school for you, this list rounds up some of the best colleges for creative writing in the United States .

The Best Creative Writing Programs: Ranking Criteria

You should never take college rankings as absolute truth —not even the very official-seeming US News ones. Instead, use these kinds of lists as a jumping-off place for your own exploration of colleges. Pay attention not just to what the rankings are but to how the rankings are determined.

To help with that, I'll explain how I came up with this highly unscientific list of great creative writing colleges. I started by narrowing my search down to schools that offered a specific creative writing major. (If you don't see a school you were expecting, it's likely because they only have a minor.)

In ranking the schools, I considered five major criteria:

• #1: MFA Ranking —If a school has a great graduate creative writing program, it means you'll be taught by those same professors and the excellent graduate students they attract. Schools with strong MFA programs are also more likely to have solid alumni networks and internship opportunities. However, many schools with great undergrad programs do not offer MFAs, in which case I simply focused on the other four options.
• #2: General School Reputation —The vast majority of your classes won't be in creative writing, so it's important that other parts of the school, especially the English department, are great as well.
• #3: Extracurricular Opportunities —One of the key advantages of majoring in creative writing is that it can provide access to writing opportunities outside the classroom, so I took what kind of internship programs, author readings, and literary magazines the school offers into consideration.
• #4: Diversity of Class Options —I gave extra points to schools with a variety of genre options and specific, interesting classes.
• #5: Alumni/Prestige —This last criterion is a bit more subjective: is the school known for turning out good writers? Certainly it's less important than what kind of education you'll actually get, but having a brand-name degree (so to speak) can be helpful.

The Best Creative Writing Schools

Now, let's get to the good stuff: the list of schools! The exact numbering is always arguable, so look at it as a general trend from absolutely amazing to still super great, rather than fixating on why one school is ranked #3 and another is ranked #4.

#1: Northwestern University

Northwestern's undergrad creative writing program boasts acclaimed professors and an unparalleled track record of turning out successful writers (including Divergent author Veronica Roth and short-story writer Karen Russell).

Outside the classroom, you can work on the student-run literary journal, intern at a publication in nearby Chicago, or submit to the Department of English's yearly writing competition . The university is also home to a top journalism program , so if you want to try your hand at nonfiction as well, you'll have plenty of opportunities to do so.

#2: Columbia University

Like Northwestern, Columbia is home to both a world-class creative writing program and a top journalism school (plus one of the best English departments in the country), so you have a wide range of writing-related course options. Columbia also benefits from its location in New York City, which is bursting at the seams with publishing houses, literary journals, and talented authors.

#3: University of Iowa

The University of Iowa's big draw is the infrastructure of its graduate Writers' Workshop, which is often considered the best MFA program in the country.

As an English and Creative Writing major here, you'll take classes from great young writers and established professors alike, and get to choose from a wide range of topics. This major provides transferable skills important for a liberal arts major with a creative focus. You'll also have access to the university's impressive literary community, including frequent readings, writing prizes and scholarships, and the acclaimed literary journal The Iowa Review .

#4: Emory University

Emory is renowned for its dedicated undergrad creative writing program , which draws the very best visiting scholars and writers. Students here have the chance to attend intimate question-and-answer sessions with award-winning authors, study a range of genres, compete for writing awards and scholarships, and work closely with an adviser to complete an honors project.

#5: Oberlin College

A small liberal arts school in Ohio, Oberlin offers very different advantages than the schools above do. You'll have fewer opportunities to pursue writing in the surrounding city, but the quality of the teachers and the range of courses might make up for that. Moreover, it boasts just as impressive alumni, including actress and writer Lena Dunham.

#6: Hamilton College

Hamilton is another small college, located in upstate New York. It's known for giving students the freedom to pursue their interests and the support to help them explore topics in real depth, both inside and outside the classroom. Hamilton's creative writing program takes full advantage with small classes and lots of opportunities to intern and publish; it also has one of the best writing centers in the country.

#7: Brown University

Brown's Literary Arts program offers one of the top MFAs in the US as well as an undergraduate major . For the major, you must take four creative writing workshops and six reading-intensive courses, which span an array of departments and topics, from music and literature to Middle East studies and Egyptology.

#8: Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University has an excellent creative writing MFA program, lots of super specific class options, and a number of scholarships specifically earmarked for creative writing students. This school’s undergraduate English program also offers a concentration in creative writing that allows students to specialize in a specific genre: poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. If you’re interested in exploring your potential in a specific writing genre, Washington University could be a great pick for you.

#9: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MIT might not be a school you generally associate with writing, but it actually has an excellent program that offers courses in digital media and science writing, as well as creative writing, and provides plenty of guidance on how graduates can navigate the tricky job market.

Not to mention the school is located in Cambridge, a haven for book lovers and writers of all kinds. Though it probably isn’t a good fit for students who hate science, MIT is a great place for aspiring writers who want to build writing skills that are marketable in a wide range of industries.

#10: University of Michigan

University of Michigan is one of the best state universities in the country and has a top-notch MFA program. This school’s undergrad creative writing sub-concentration requires students to submit applications for admittance to advanced creative writing courses. These applications give students crucial practice in both building a writing portfolio and articulating their interest in creative writing to an audience who will evaluate their work. If you're looking to attend a big school with a great creative writing major, this is a fantastic choice.

#11: Johns Hopkins University

Johns Hopkins is another school that's known more for engineering than it is for writing, but, like MIT, it has a dedicated writing program. As a major here, you must take not only courses in prose, poetry, and literature, but also classes on topics such as philosophy and history.

#12: Colorado College

Colorado College is a small liberal arts school known for its block plan , which allows students to focus on one class per three-and-a-half-week block. The creative writing track of the English major includes a sequence of four writing workshops and also requires students to attend every reading of the Visiting Writers Series.

Bonus School: New York University

I didn't include NYU in the main list because it doesn't have a dedicated creative writing major, but it's a great school for aspiring writers nonetheless, offering one of the most impressive creative writing faculties in the country and all the benefits of a Manhattan location.

How To Pick the Best Creative Writing School for You

Just because Northwestern is a great school for creative writing doesn't mean you should set your heart on going there. (The football fans are completely terrifying, for one thing.) So where should you go then?

Here are some questions to ask yourself when looking at creative writing programs to help you determine the best school for you:

Does It Have Courses You're Interested In?

Look at the course offerings and see whether they interest you. While you can't predict exactly what classes you'll love, you want to avoid a mismatch where what you want to study and what the program offers are completely different. For example, if you want to write sonnets but the school focuses more on teaching fiction, it probably won't be a great fit for you.

Also, don't forget to look at the English courses and creative writing workshops! In most programs, you'll be taking a lot of these, too.

What Opportunities Are There To Pursue Writing Outside of Class?

I touched on this idea in the criteria section, but it's important enough that I want to reiterate it here. Some of the best writing experience you can get is found outside the classroom, so see what kind of writing-related extracurriculars a school has before committing to it.

Great options include getting involved with the campus newspaper, working on the school's literary journal, or interning at the university press.

Who Will Be Teaching You?

Who are the professors? What kind of work have they published? Check teacher ratings on Rate My Professors (but make sure to read the actual reviews—and always take them with a grain of salt).

If you're looking at a big school, there's a good chance that a lot of your teachers will be graduate students. But that's not necessarily a bad thing: a lot of the best teachers I had in college were graduate students. Just take into consideration what kind of graduate program the school has. If there's a great creative writing MFA program, then the graduate students are likely to be better writers and more engaged teachers.

What Are the Alumni Doing Now?

If you have a sense of what you want to do after you graduate, see if any alumni of the program are pursuing that type of career. The stronger the alumni network is, the more connections you'll have when it comes time to get a job.

What About the Rest of the School?

Don't pick a school for which you like the creative writing program but dread everything else about it. Most of your time will be spent doing other things, whether hanging out in the dorms, exploring off campus, or fulfilling general education requirements.

Many schools require you to apply to the creative writing major, so make doubly sure you'll be happy with your choice even if you aren't accepted to the program.

What's Next?

Are you sure a creative writing major is the right fit for you? Read our post on the pros and cons of the major to help you decide what path to take in college.

For more general advice about choosing a college, check out our complete guide to finding the right school for you. Some major factors to consider include deciding whether you're interested in a small college or a big university , an in-state or out-of-state institution , and a public or private school .

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Emerson College BA in Creative Writing

Creative Writing is a concentration offered under the writing studies major at Emerson College. Here, you’ll find out more about the major bachelor’s degree program in creative writing, including such details as the number of graduates, ethnicity of students, related majors and concentrations, and more.

If there’s something special you’re looking for, you can use one of the links below to find it:

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BA in Creative Writing & English

Develop your creativity and gain practical skills with a creative writing degree program –featuring 100% online classes – through a bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

How Much Does a Bachelor’s in Creative Writing from Emerson Cost?

Emerson undergraduate tuition and fees.

Part-time undergraduates at Emerson paid an average of $1,548 per credit hour in 2019-2020. This tuition was the same for both in-state and out-of-state students. The average full-time tuition and fees for undergraduates are shown in the table below.

Learn more about Emerson tuition and fees.

Does Emerson Offer an Online BA in Creative Writing?

Emerson does not offer an online option for its creative writing bachelor’s degree program at this time. To see if the school offers distance learning options in other areas, visit the Emerson Online Learning page.

Emerson Bachelor’s Student Diversity for Creative Writing

Male-to-female ratio.

Of the students who received their bachelor’s degree in creative writing in 2019-2020, 71.1% of them were women. This is about the same as the countrywide number of 72.8%.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

Racial-ethnic minority graduates* made up 20.6% of the creative writing bachelor’s degrees at Emerson in 2019-2020. This is lower than the nationwide number of 26%.

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

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The Conservatory's staff of trained dance and performing arts professionals truly cares about every student, and makes sure each student is properly placed and is reaching their full potential.

Take a few minutes to get acquainted with our wonderful faculty:

Erika Frank OWNER | ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

ERIKA FRANK 

Erika is the Owner and Artistic Director of The Conservatory School for the Performing Arts, located in Stoughton Massachusetts. Established in 2014, Miss Frank built her business from scratch and grew it into a nationally recognized performing arts center. Erika was named one of the South Shore's Stars Top 40 Under 40 for her excellence in leadership, community development, and entrepreneurial skills. Her Pre-Professional Dance and Musical Theatre students have booked professional jobs on Broadway, Film, Television, and Commercials. In just 8 years of owning her school she has successfully placed students with top talent agencies and managers such as; CTG, DDO, Carson Adler, and KTM. Most recently her pre-professional musical theatre student, originated the role of Young Anna in FROZEN’s first National Broadway Tour. Miss Frank has a 100% college placement rate, where all of her alumni have been accepted into top dance and musical theatre college programs on scholarships, and have made names for themselves as performers, choreographers, and teachers in the dance community.

A native of Stoughton, MA Miss Frank started her dance career at the age of eleven dancing in The Ballet Theatre of Boston’s production of The Nutcracker. Miss Frank has worked on major motion films and on television including, The Teen Nick Halo Award Show, Taking Woodstock, Going the Distance, and The Forger starring John Travolta. Erika is a graduate of Dean College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance, and is also a graduate of the Dance Teachers Club of Boston’s Teachers Training Program. She is a degreed active member in good standing with Dance Masters of America (certified to teach ballet, modern, jazz and tap), and is a professional member of the National Dance Educators Organization. Erika has worked as a judge and master class teacher for the On Point National Dance Competition where she adjudicates performers in all dance genres/levels, and has taught musical theatre convention classes for competitive dancers.

Miss Frank has over a decade of teaching experience working with children in diverse ages, levels, and genres. Her choreography has won numerous awards at both regional and national dance competitions, and her students have been recognized in the competitive circa through high adjudications and as top scoring soloists. Erika has worked as a choreographer in the musical theatre community for over ten years choreographing musicals such as CHICAGO, ONCE UPON A MATTRESS, HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS WITHOUT REALLY TRYING, and LEGALLY BLONDE THE MUSICAL.

Erika is very thankful and humbled by the opportunity to give back to the upcoming generation of performers!

Amy Spanger VOCAL INSTRUCTOR | INTENSIVE | PRE-PROFESSIONAL

Amy Spanger  is a Drama Desk-nominated Broadway star, television and film actress, solo artist, musical theater teacher, and vocal coach. Broadway credits include Sunset Boulevard , Chicago , Kiss Me Kate , The Wedding Singer (Drama Desk Nomination), Rock of Ages , Elf: The Musical , Urinetown , and Matilda . She also created the role of Susan in Jonathan Larson's tick, tick... Boom off-Broadway and play Maureen in the first national tour of Rent . She played Gwendoly in The Importance of Being Earnest at Williamstown directed by David Hyde Pierce. Television and film credits include Six Feet Under , Bored To Death , Royal Pains , Law & Order: SVU , The Blacklist , Chicago Med , Synecdoche, NY and Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical . She has performed her solo shows at 54 Below, Birdland and Joe's Pub in NYC. She is a singing/acting coach and musical theater teacher. She lives in NYC with her husband, actor Brian Shepard.

Nick Silva LYRICAL/CONTEMPORARY | HIP HOP | ACROBATICS | RECREATIONAL | PRE-PROFESSIONAL

NICK SILVA is a Boston born, dancer and performer currently living between NYC and Boston. At a very young age Nick found a drive and passion for dance that took him to places he couldn’t even imagine. Nick has trained extensively with some of today’s most sought after choreographers such as Dana Foglia, Rhapsody James and more in Jazz, Contemporary, Hip Hop, and Ballet. Nick can be seen performing in a number of TV shows and films such as, Glee, America’s Got Talent, Big Brother, Good Morning America, The Wendy Williams Show, and Annie to name a few. He has danced behind artists such as Demi Lovato, Lindsey Stirling, Jennifer Hudson, and Halsey. As well Nick has performed broadway style and burlesque shows internationally in India, Dubai, Singapore, and Mexico. Most recently Nick had the amazing opportunity to be a featured dancer in Halsey‘s, “You Should Be Sad” music video. Follow Nick on Instagram @NickBasilSilva to keep up with what he’s up to these days!

Angela Cole

Angela is a dance artist, choreographer, and teacher based in the Providence and Boston areas. After training in classical ballet as a student, she went on to receive her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Roger Williams University, where she was the recipient of the Kelli Wicke Davis Outstanding Achievement in Dance Award. Upon graduating, Angela was a 2017 Young Artist in Residence at Bearnstow, Maine, and then went on to perform as a freelance artist and teacher throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She has danced for Natalie Johnson Dance in Cambridge, MA and is co-founder of ProviDANCE Project, a contemporary dance collaborative with her artistic partner, Ellen Oliver. Angela continues to create and share her choreography in various spaces throughout New England, striving to use movement as a medium to portray the human spirit and stories of people who have inspired her. She is on faculty teaching creative movement at The Croft School and Montessori Children’s House in Providence, RI, in addition to teaching ballet, pointe, and contemporary in dance schools throughout Massachusetts. Angela is passionate about inspiring students to find joy and their own individual voice in dancing, and is very excited to meet the students at the CSPA!

Jocelyn Padilla

Miss Jocelyn has a degree in Theater Education with an emphasis on Acting and Directing from Emerson College, and is a Stoughton native. Miss Jocelyn focuses on creating a nurturing and positive energy in all her classes and as part of her constitution. Her mission is to mentor and guide her students to help them grow their skills, make better, informed professional decisions, prepare for real-world experiences and gain new perspectives on their life and career by connecting to their true, authentic uniqueness. Jocelyn has been called to share her resources with 10+years of film and stage acting, audition techniques, and modeling expertise with the students of CSPA. She provides a warm and safe space to empower her students to grow and align themselves to a life of creativity, self-confidence, success, positivity, and community impact. She is excited to be a part of CSPA 2023! 

Olga Marchenko

Olga is originally from Russia where she began her dancing education at the age of nine. Taught the Vaganova method, she acquired the best academic traditions of classical Russian ballet. After graduating from Saratov Ballet Academy at the top of her class, she joined her hometown ballet theater. Three years later Olga moved to Moscow to join the Moscow City Ballet of Smirnov-Golovanov with which she toured the world for four years, performing as a corps-de-ballet and soloist dancer. Once in Boston, she continued dancing professionally and began her teaching career in 2008. Working with children of all ages, Olga has been involved with staging and choreographing recitals during the past 14 years at different studios and in public school settings throughout the greater Boston area. Her professional teaching engagements include Boston University, Tony Williams Dance Center, BalletRox, North End Music Performance Center among others. Olga is excited to share with children her experience and love of dancing.

Madison Hollen

Madison Hollen is a "triple threat" from Portsmouth, Rhode Island. She is a recent graduate of Roger Williams University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a concentration in Theater. Madison has played lead roles in the theater community, including Cha Cha in "Grease" RI, and has played numerous parts in shows throughout New England. She is a trained dancer in ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, lyrical, modern, and contemporary. While at RWU, Madison had the opportunity to perform and choreograph student pieces. Madison has spent over a decade training in acting, voice, and dance and is excited to share her knowledge to help mold the next generation of artists at the Conservatory School.

Erla Haxhiaj

My name is Erla Haxhiaj, I go by the name Air! I've been dancing for 19 years, living and telling my story through it all. My training is based in ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, lyrical, African, popping, tap, free-styling/improv, modern, Afro-beat, and heels, burlesque, musical theater, belling dancing and street-jazz. I've been in multiple music/concept videos, trained in choir & acting as well. With this acting I have done musicals in high school & was in Hubbies Halloween filmed in MA. I've taught at Zello Dance Studio and do pop-up classes through out the year. This year I also had the opportunity to join Liv3lihood dance crew out in Providence, Rhode Island at a studio called Thr3e Live Dance Complex. Also, performing for NKTOB, being in concept videos, and tutorials for other choreographers.

Justin Parish is an American composer, baritone, and educator living on Massachusetts' South Shore. His musical philosophy is rooted in the idea that humans can accomplish more when creating together. During his time in Massachusetts, he has had the pleasure of helping students of all ages and backgrounds reach their musical goals. His specialties include vocal health/maintenance, body awareness, audition preparedness, theory lessons, and songwriting/composition. Ultimately, Justin seeks to encourage confidence and independence in each student's individual pursuits, whether in musical theater, classical music, or contemporary music of any genre. He received his BM in Music Composition and Vocal Performance from Indiana University where he studied with Patricia Stiles, Aaron Travers, and Don Freund among others. Justin enjoys life in Plymouth with his partner, Michael, and dog, Sunny.