Creative Writing, BA
As part of a close-knit community of literary artists, Saint Mary's Creative Writing majors study the art and craft of poetry, fiction, nonfiction and drama, learning how to generate, polish and publish original work that captures the diversity and complexity of our world.
As a Creative Writing major, you will study and receive mentorship from nationally recognized writers—including the College's permanent faculty, was well as Distinguished Visiting Writers—producing and discussing poems, stories, essays and plays in workshops, studying classic and contemporary literature, and honing the professional skills and knowledge necessary to lead a life of letters.
Creative Writing majors will graduate prepared for careers wherever memorable storytelling and attention to language are in demand: writing, publishing, film and television, creative agency work, graduate study in the literary arts, and more.
Learn More About Our Program
Get to know our well-respected faculty and their specialties, as writers and scholars. Or explore scholarship opportunities and an array of internship possibilities.
Curriculum
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the English Program, students will be able to...
- Engage in informed, active reading, bringing to bear a broad base of literary, historical and cultural knowledge.
- Read critically a wide range of literary texts, with an awareness of the theoretical assumptions behind various interpretive strategies, and the ability to choose appropriate methods of inquiry and to formulate clear questions.
- Apply a variety of reading strategies, combining critical detachment with the intellectual, imaginative, and emotional engagement necessary for appreciation.
- Write clear, well-reasoned prose for a variety of situations (academic, professional, social) for a variety of audiences and support their arguments with appropriate, thoughtfully analyzed evidence.
- Converse articulately about texts and interpretations, understanding that interpretation is often a dialogic, collaborative process.
- Evaluate critically how texts engage notions of diversity and difference.
Career Options
An English degree will equip you for any profession that requires research, analyzing texts, thinking critically and creatively, reading closely, making oral arguments, and writing persuasively.
Saint Mary's Testimonials
The English major at Saint Mary’s taught me to read and listen closely, to form arguments and express my ideas clearly and carefully. I grew to appreciate the importance of both the stories we hold dear, and the stories we take for granted. I gained analytic and expressive skills valuable in any field. I attended readings of renowned authors the department brought to campus and cautiously began to consider the writing life.
Mary Volmer '01 '05
Average Undergraduate Class Size 2021