Program Overview

To find success as a writer, you need two things: time to write and to belong to a community of writers. The Spalding University Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program offers students both. Students’ primary focus within the program will be producing writing across multiple genres and developing their literary citizenship. Students gain perspectives on various publishing techniques and methods of publishing, writing cultures, elements of community building, and the local literary community and beyond.

This major is housed within the Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing, providing a well-rounded education which exposes BFA students to culture, history and art that will inspire their craft as well as exceptional opportunities to attend readings, lectures, and presentations by leading creative writers, editors, and agents, as well as sessions with professionals established in writing-related careers in the business and nonprofit sectors which happen during our MFA residencies and virtual learning sessions. Thus, Spalding undergraduates pursuing the BFA have unique and exceptional opportunities to take advantage of enriching sessions offered through our world-class graduate programs. Undergraduate students also have the option to take graduate courses alongside MFA students, earning graduate credit while still in their undergraduate programs.

A BFA degree in Creative Writing develops an advanced level of competence in the use of language and the exercise of the creative intellect, providing a basis for a variety of career options and professional choices. Members of the writing faculty serve as advisors to help students successfully complete their degree program and accomplish their career goals.

Prospective writing students may also be interested in our BA in Professional Writing program with Editing and Technical Writing and Business Writing tracks.

Admission
Students may declare the Creative Writing major at any time. Formal admission to the major occurs after students complete CW 221: Introduction to Creative Writing.

Requirements
The BFA in Creative Writing requires students to complete 120 credit hours

• 52 hours of University Studies, 17 hours of electives, and 51 hours to serve their major, as follows:
• 18 hours in creative writing workshops
• 15 hours in literature and linguistics
• 18 hours in Senior Seminar, Internship, Practicums, Leadership, & Special Topics

One half of the 51 credit hours must be upper division courses. In addition, students must take one-half of the credit hours required for the major at Spalding University.

Literary Citizenship in Creative Writing Minor (18 credit hours)
Students who pursue the Literary Citizenship in Creative Writing minor will explore and articulate how to publish their written work, build a community and create a brand around their writing, interact as a writer within a community of writers, critically examine the role of writers in our society and explore what it means to be a writer and how to make their voices heard. Through this interdisciplinary minor, students will gain perspectives on various publishing techniques, writing cultures, methods of publishing, and elements of community building.

Students will complete six classes (18 hours) in the BFA in Creative Writing program:

• CW 221: Intro to Creative Writing
• CW 385: Special Topics in Creative Writing
• CW 326: Online & Print Publishing
• ENG 225: Emerging Genres
• CW 400: Leadership in the Arts
• Practicum 1 of 2:
    1. ENG 250: Writing Center Consultant
    2. ENG 260: Literary Mag

These courses do not count as University Studies but are above and beyond the courses needed to fulfill general education requirements in the major program.

Creative Writing Minor (18 credit hours)

Students majoring in any degree program may select this minor. The Creative Writing minor has at its core a focus on literature and writing workshops. To complete the minor, students are able to choose from a variety of courses that explore literature and writing. Through small classes and individual feedback, students develop their voice, refine their technique, make connections to other disciplines, and engage deeply with their peers' work.

Assessment
In the final semester of their senior year, students enroll in CW 450: Senior Seminar, for which they will complete a final creative project:

• 30-page collection of poems, short stories, personal essays, short play or excerpt of longer work.
• One shorter work intended for submission to publications.
• An essay reflecting on their growth as a writer and their plan for their writing life following graduation.

Students will also be presented with the opportunity to read a portion of their work either at an all-school event or at a community reading organized by the program director or their creative writing peers.

Course Descriptions
Ten courses in the program carry the CW designation. All other courses specific to the BFA degree come from English studies.

Program Sheets
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Creative Writing Minor