Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing | Spalding University Catalog

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing

The Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing offers 15-credit-hour post-baccalaureate certificates that provide in-depth study for students who already hold a BA or BS and want to pursue study in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for children and young adults, or writing for TV, screen, and stage. Students complete a residency course and an independent study to earn the Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Writing. Students may earn an additional certificate if they would like to study in another area of concentration.

Upon earning this certificate, students may choose to continue to study for the MFA or MAW. The certificate student simply transitions into  second-semester courses and continues the coursework required for the desired degree.

Certificate Admissions Requirements

Certificate in Writing applicants are required to meet the same admission standards as degree-seeking applicants. The application consists of a completed application form, payment of the university application fee, a writing sample, two essays, and appropriate transcripts (the BA or BS is the minimum education requirement).

Admission based primarily on the quality of the applicant’s original writing judged by a committee of School of Writing faculty, who read the sample without knowing the identity of the applicant, and the Chair or Associate Programs Director.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so they may be submitted at any time. The early-decision application deadline for those wishing to start with the on-campus fall residency in November is August 1; the early-decision application deadline for those wishing to start with the on-campus spring residency in May is March 1, and the early-decision deadline for those wishing to start with the virtual summer residency in June is April 1. Prospective students who miss the deadline may inquire with the School of Writing Office about the possibility of applying after the deadline.

Certificate Admission Requirements: Acceleration for Spalding Seniors

Spalding undergraduate students who have achieved senior status (have earned 90 credits or more) may be given permission to take the bridge course ENG 512/612 Introductory Creative Writing Residency. This offers Spalding undergraduates the opportunity to successfully complete an elective 3-credit-hour residency course that can be counted as the first required course for the Post-baccalaureate certificate in Writing after earning the BA or BS. The 3 credit hours of ENG 512 can satisfy three credit hours in the undergraduate program as a general elective.

After successfully completing the certificate with recommendation from that course’s instructor and upon conferral of the BA or BS, approval of the School of Writing Chair or Associate Programs Director, submission of the graduate application form, other application materials, and official BA or BS transcripts, the student may enroll in the independent study and upon successful completion, earn the Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Writing.

Acceptance Information

The School of Writing usually makes decisions on applications three to four weeks after the complete application has been received.

If a student is denied admission, they are advised to seek additional instruction at a local undergraduate program and/or to work privately with a publishing writer or writing group. Another way to seek additional instruction is to take adult education courses in creative writing. The School of Writing offers a 3-hour course, ENG605: Advanced Creative Writing, that helps prepare students to enter graduate school. After additional experience, applicants may re-apply for admission to the program, submitting a new manuscript.

The School of Writing Faculty Committee recommends students for admission to the Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Writing program on a rolling basis.

  1. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.
  2. Successful applicants may enter the program in fall, spring, or summer based upon the admission cycle the applicant applied.
  3. After completing all components of the admission process, graduate students’ application materials are submitted to Spalding University’s Graduate Committee by the School of Writing Chair for university admission as a graduate student; once approved by the University Graduate Committee, acceptance into the certificate program will occur.
  4. If an applicant is selected and admitted into the program, yet is unable to begin in the next residency course, the initial acceptance into the certificate program remains good for one year.

Requirements

Residency courses include workshops, lectures, readings, and other assigned curriculum sessions. The student also plans, in consultation with his or her instructor, an Independent Study Plan for the upcoming course in original writing and reading (with critical commentary). Five times during the independent study, the student sends to the instructor a packet consisting of original creative writing, a detailed cover letter with questions about the craft of writing, and short essays commenting on the reading list. The instructor responds within a week to each aspect of the packet.

Assessment

The Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Writing requirements include the completion of one residency course and one independent study.

Grades

Certificate students receive discursive evaluation reports. The faculty mentors and Chair or Associate Programs Director determine that credit will be Awarded, Not Awarded, Incomplete, or Deferred. For more information, see the Graduate Academic Policies section of this catalog.

Academic Status

For certificate students to remain in the program, evaluations of Credit Awarded must be received at the end of each course. If evaluations of Credit Not Awarded are received, a course may be repeated one time. All tuition and appropriate fees are required. If at the end of the repeated course the student does not receive a Credit Awarded evaluation, the student will not be allowed to continue.

Tuition and Fee Payment Policy

Full payment of tuition and fees for certificate students is due before or on the first day of the semester. Tuition and fees may be paid by check, money order, cash, or credit card. The University also offers a 5-month payment plan.

The refund schedule for certificate programs is found in the School of Writing Student Handbook.

Withdrawal and Refund Policy

For information regarding the withdrawal and refund policy for certificate students, see the School of Writing Student Handbook or contact the School of Writing Office by email at schoolofwriting@spalding.edu.

Application for Certificate

Students completing the requirements for the Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Writing fill out an application for graduation, found on the portal page (my.spalding.edu). The forms must be submitted no later than two months before the end of the semester. Students who do not submit these forms cannot expect to receive the certificate in a timely manner.

Oversight of the Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing

The Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Writing oversight will rest under the supervision of the School of Writing Chair and Associate Programs Director who review evaluations, reports, and the projects of its students.

Link to gainful employment information for the Post-baccalaureate Certificate in Writing: www.spalding.edu/gainful-employment/creative-writing/


Program Sheets
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing for Children and Young Adults
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing Creative Nonfiction
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing Fiction
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Playwriting
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing Poetry
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Screenwriting
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in Writing: Special Topics
Post Baccalaureate Certificate in TV Writing


Other Low-residency Programs in the School of Writing

The School of Writing offers three low-residency programs: