northwestern creative writing program

• English Language Programs
• Postdoctoral Affairs
• Training Grant Support
• Request Information

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

• Academic Programs
• Explore Programs

Litowitz Creative Writing Graduate Program

Degree requirements.

Learn more about the program by visiting the Department of English

See related Interdisciplinary Clusters and Certificates

Degree Types: MFA+MA

This new, fully-funded MFA+MA in Creative Writing and English program offers intimate classes, the opportunity to pursue both creative and critical writing, and close mentorship by renowned faculty in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Our three-year curriculum gives students time to deepen both their creative writing and their study of literature. Students will receive support for three academic years, and two summers, to complete both degrees – an MFA in Creative Writing and an MA in English.

Drawing on innovative scholarship, deep immersion in process, and cross-pollination between critical and creative texts, students will complete book-length thesis projects of their own design, either within or across genres, and a substantial essay on literary texts. The program's small size and attentive faculty will develop students' sense of literary context, while encouraging them to pursue the distinctiveness of their projects.

In addition to their studies, students will be guided in the teaching of creative writing and, through summer editorial work at TriQuarterly.org , the editing of a literary journal.

Students will pursue their work on our beautiful Evanston campus, amid artists, filmmakers, scholars and public intellectuals, with easy access to the vibrant literary arts scene of Chicago.

Additional resources:

• Department website
• Program handbook(s)

Program Statistics

Visit Master's Program Statistics for statistics such as program admissions, enrollment, student demographics and more.

Program Contact

Contact Nathan Mead Graduate Program Assistant 847-491-3341

The following requirements are in addition to, or further elaborate upon, those requirements outlined in  The Graduate School Policy Guide .

Course Requirements

May be taken outside the English department with permission of Creative Writing DGS.

Other Degree Requirements

• First Year Review
• Satisfactory completion of an article-length literary critical essay in the late spring of year two. This 20-25 page capstone essay will typically be an expanded version of an essay written for an English Department graduate seminar, revised in response to comments from, and as appropriate in consultation with, the seminar instructor.
• Satisfactory completion of an MFA Thesis: the first draft of a book-length work of original fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, or mixed-genre work.

Last Updated: September 12, 2023

• SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

Northwestern offers one of the best dramatic writing graduate programs in the country – a fully-funded immersion in the art, craft, and business of playwriting and screenwriting in one of the most exciting and creative cities in the world. Over two years, you will write multiple full length scripts for screen + stage, collaborate with MFA actors, directors, and designers, connect with industry professionals in New York, LA, and abroad, and see your own work produced at our brand new downtown Chicago theatre center. Your time at Northwestern will be  tuition free  and provide you with health insurance and a living stipend so you can focus entirely on your creative work.

In our workshops, you will study with some of the best writers in the country – our full-time  faculty , guest artists, and the small group of talented MFA writers in your cohort. We have no “house style” at Northwestern – each faculty member, and each student, is encouraged to pursue an individual aesthetic and approach to the craft. Our goal is not to teach writers how to write  like us , but to help each writer realize the best version of their own unique voice and talent.

And every member of the MFA writing faculty is also a working writer – creating television shows, writing and directing independent features, working in writers rooms and on studio development deals, and seeing their plays produced in Chicago, New York, across the country, and internationally. At Northwestern, you’ll learn not just the art and craft of media writing, but also how to build a real career to support your vocation. You will have access to our first-class facilities including cameras, lighting, sound, and computer labs, as well as the performance and media spaces in our new downtown center. And in addition to guaranteed play readings and productions, you will receive a $5,000 grant in your second year to produce new work for stage or screen.

Northwestern also offers the opportunity to work across disciplines – not just writing for the screen and stage, but through partnerships in our sister programs – the Theatre MFAs in  Acting ,  Directing , and  Design ; the MFA in  Documentary Media ; the MA in  Sound Arts and Industries ; and the PhD in  Screen Cultures . As a graduate student, you will be able to take elective classes in any department at Northwestern – from Creative Writing to Comparative Literature, from Anthropology to Art History. And in your second year, you will teach introductory screenwriting to undergraduates and earn valuable college teaching experience

Along the way, you will meet artists and executives from TV, stage, film, and new media – recent mentors include industry veterans from HBO, Verve, NBC, Anonymous Content, Playwrights Horizons, and the Sundance Film Festival. Recent guest artists include Tony Kushner, Stacy Osei-Kuffour, George R.R. Martin, Todd Solondz, Kia Corthron, Wallace Shawn, Asghar Farhadi, John Logan, Doug Wright, Maria Bamford, Norman Lear, and Young Jean Lee.

Founded by Professor David Tolchinsky, the program’s initial faculty included Tolchinsky, Rebecca Gilman, and Bill Bleich. Our graduates  have had their plays produced at The Goodman Theatre, The Alliance, Victory Gardens, Steppenwolf, Playwrights Horizons, and at theaters across the country. They have written for TV shows including  Better Things, The Dropout, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I Love Dick, The Bridge, Chicago Med, Pico da Neblina,   The Late Show with Seth Meyers, and Late Night with Stephen Colbert . Their films have screened at Sundance, the Berlin Film Festival, the London Film Festival, and the New York LGBT Film Festival. And they’ve been hired as professors at Northwestern, Notre Dame, Kenyon College, The University of Wisconsin, and Seoul Institute of Arts. Recent MFAs include winners of the Kendeda Prize, the Whiting Award, Residencies at New Dramatists and the Playwrights Center, and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Drama.

We’re excited to receive your application. In the meantime, please get to know the program via our  website . Whether you’re looking for an MFA in screenwriting or an MFA in playwriting, we think you’ll find that our program combines the best of both worlds. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Zayd Ayers Dohrn, Director & Erin Courtney, Associate Director

MFA in Writing for the Screen + Stage

[email protected]

Courses, Creative Writing | Northwestern University School of Professional Studies - Northwestern School of Professional Studies

• Post-baccalaureate
• Undergraduate
• Professional Development
• Pre-College
• Center for Public Safety
• Get Information

View Courses

Creative Writing

COOK FAMILY WRITING PROGRAM

The writing program, about the program, our mission.

The Cook Family Writing Program offers courses at every level—from introductory to advanced—to ensure that Northwestern undergraduates have ample opportunities to learn to write clearly and persuasively. We also work with faculty across the University to help their students become more effective writers.

Quick Links

• Postdoctoral Fellow Search
• Why take a Writing Program course?
• Writing Requirements

The Writing Place

Undergraduate.

Undergraduates can take Writing Program courses that cater to writers across a variety of levels and domains. They can also benefit from Writing Program resources to grow as writers outside the formal structures of coursework.

• Course Descriptions

The Writing Program offers graduate students opportunities to develop as writers through The Graduate Writing Place , as well as opportunities to develop as writing instructors through coursework and Graduate Writing Place fellowships and assistantships.

• English 570
• Graduate Assistantships

The Writing Program can help faculty develop composition courses or integrate writing instruction into their courses through in-person meetings, workshops, and online resources. We can also help your students get the most out of their visits to the Writing Place.

• Meetings & Workshops
• Online Resources
• Writing Place Syllabus Statement

There are no upcoming events at this time

English 305 Spring and Summer 2024 Topics

Caring for the community: northwestern students create solutions to help migrant families in chicago public schools through service learning, new faculty introduction - kristine zlatkovic, new faculty introduction - brendan o'kelly, new faculty introduction - shuwen li.

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

• Class Schedules

Annual 2024-2025 Class Schedule

**Meeting days and times may be subject to change.**

Click on a course title to view the description.

What are your chances of acceptance?

Calculate for all schools, your chance of acceptance.

Your chancing factors

Extracurriculars.

List of All U.S. Colleges with a Creative Writing Major

Writing has been my passion practically since I learned to read in kindergarten. I would write stories about princesses and my family dog, Gansett. When it came time to look at colleges, I was set on attending one with a strong creative writing program. Ultimately, I graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars.

Today, colleges across the country offer creative writing as a major. Because writing skills are essential for a wide range of careers, and because most curricula emphasize broad liberal arts competencies, a degree in creative writing can set you up for success in numerous fields, whether you want to be an editor or a lawyer.

Interested in majoring in creative writing? Learn which schools offer the major and what to look for in a program.

Overview of the Creative Writing Major

Creative writing is about more than spinning tales. For your major, you’ll generally need to pursue a curriculum grounded in literature, history, foreign language, and other humanities courses, along with distribution courses, if the college requires them.

Most creative writing majors must participate in workshops, in which students present their work and listen to peer critiques, usually with a certain number of advanced courses in the mix. In some cases, colleges will ask you to specialize in a particular genre, such as fiction, poetry, or playwriting. 

To succeed in creative writing, you’ll need to have a tough spine, in order to open yourself up to feedback from your classmates and instructors. You may need to give readings in public — if not as an undergraduate, certainly during your career. Of course, a passion for creating is essential, too, as is a willingness to revise your work and learn from the greats and your peers.

A creative writing major opens up doors to many careers, including journalism, content marketing, copywriting, teaching, and others. Even careers that don’t center around writing often have a strong writing component: you’ll need to write reports, deliver presentations, and so on.

Some writers go on to earn an MFA, which will help you hone your craft. It’s also often a prerequisite for teaching creative writing at the college level.

What to Look for in a College as a Creative Writing Major

Published authors on faculty.

Many world-renowned authors have another claim to fame: professorships. Writers who have taught their craft include (among many others):

• Maya Angelou (Wake Forest University)
• Colson Whitehead (many colleges, including Vassar College and Columbia University)
• Stephen Dixon (Johns Hopkins University)
• Viet Thanh Nguyen (University of Southern California)
• Eula Biss (Northwestern University)
• Toni Morrison (Princeton University)

Be aware that as an undergraduate, you may not be able to learn from the greats. That’s why it’s important to look into which courses these faculty teach before you have dreams of being mentored by Salman Rushdie — who is a Distinguished Writer in Residence at NYU.

Genres Offered

While many schools that have creative writing majors offer fiction and poetry courses and tracks, there are some niche genres that could be more difficult to find. If you’re interested in playwriting, for example, you won’t find that at every school. Before you decide on a program, be sure it includes the genres you’d like to explore further, whether that’s flash fiction, creative nonfiction, or something else.

Workshopping Opportunities

The core of most quality creative writing curriculum is workshopping. This means sharing your work in your classes and listening to your peers discuss and critique it. While this may sound intimidating, it can do a lot to help you hone your work and become a better writer. Look for colleges that make this the bedrock of their curriculum.

Showcasing Opportunities

Are there opportunities to present your work, such as college-sponsored readings where undergraduates can participate? Or, perhaps the school has a great literary journal. At my school, students could submit their plays and have them performed by fellow students. 

List of All U.S. Colleges With a Creative Writing Major

What are your chances of acceptance.

No matter what major you’re considering, the first step is ensuring you’re academically comparable to students who were previously accepted to the college or university. Most selective schools use the Academic Index to filter out applicants who aren’t up to their standards.

You’ll also want to demonstrate your fit with the school and specific major with the qualitative components of your application, like your extracurriculars and essays. For a prospective creative writing major, the essay is particularly important because this is a way to demonstrate your writing prowess. Activities might include editing your school’s newspaper or literary journal, publishing your work, and participating in pre-college writing workshops.

Want to know your chances of being accepted to top creative writing schools? Try our Chancing Engine (it’s free). Unlike other calculators, it takes your individual profile into account, including academic stats and qualitative components like your activities. Give it a try and get a jumpstart on your journey as a creative writing major!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

• SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises logo

• Student Profiles

From Law to the Arts: Finding New Ways to Shape Communities

Posted May 8, 2024 by dus1269

“I had all these opinions on music, and I wanted to do something with them,” says Sherie. “But, early on, I ruled out a career in entertainment. I didn’t view it as a reliable path, and I wanted a career that would allow me to impact communities that need an advocate.” For her, making an impact meant pursuing a career in law—and she was preparing to do so by participating in her high school’s mock trial program and speech and debate teams.     

Her next step was to earn a bachelor’s degree in political science at the University of Illinois Chicago. After that, she planned to attend law school, take the bar, and become a lawyer. One thing she didn’t consider about her chosen career path, however, was the mental toll it would take. As she studied politics and law, music and entertainment became ways to de-stress. Eventually, their healing and wellness capabilities caused her to reconsider her future.    

After graduating, she worked for the Schuler Scholar Program, an education nonprofit. This experience helped her connect the dots on new ways she could pursue music and the arts as a career. “I realized that becoming a lawyer wasn’t the only way to be a community advocate,” she says. “There were other ways I could make a difference while still maintaining a healthy mind.”  

As a scholar coach, Sherie helped low-income and first-generation students find their way into top schools, coaching and mentoring them through the application process and helping them plan for a successful college education.   

“I enjoyed the aspects of my role that involved using media or music as a tool for students to connect with each other and get used to telling stories for college admissions,” she says. “We often referenced or used music and other creative arts to help them along their journeys, and I enjoyed those experiences the most.”  

To make the official transition away from the legal profession, Sherie applied to two master’s programs—an MS in Journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism and an MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises (MSLCE) from Northwestern’s School of Communication—with the intention of only completing one.  

When she was accepted into both, however, she couldn’t choose between them. So, she earned her journalism degree first, knowing the program would give her writing and networking skills if she revisited a career in law or politics. During that time, she was also a health and science reporter for Medill News Service and a researcher for Hearst Television.  

In 2023, after earning her MS in Journalism, she enrolled in the MSLCE program to learn more about the business side of entertainment. One of the first courses she took— Understanding the Creative Industries , taught by Lecturer Freda Love Smith —helped her realize what the field truly encompasses. “It allowed me to think about the industry as more than just the movies, TV shows, and music we listen to and watch. These things help us make sense of who we are as a society and what that means.”  

Hands-on work is helping her apply what she’s learning. Her favorite project so far involved the opportunity to create a transmedia franchise for an existing brand. Her team turned the game series Legend of Zelda into a movie, TV show, and symphony tour featuring the game’s music. “We got to think about how we could expand this world and tell this story in a way that resonates with more and more people. Every new transmedia story provides a unique value and has a unique audience, too.”  

She’s also a digital and social intern for iHeart, managing social media content and spending time on-air for the Angi Taylor Show on Rock 95.5 FM and working with Darryl Dennard , the host of V103’s Chicago Speaks, to pitch story ideas and book interviews.   

These experiences, combined with what she’s learning in the MSLCE program, are helping Sherie connect her creative expertise with business knowledge, strategic skills, and an entrepreneurial mindset. As a result, her 10-year goal is to establish a music/museum venue that caters to Black artists, musicians, and fans.   

“There’s a misconception that heavy metal and rock genres were developed by White icons and have mostly White audiences, but that’s simply not true,” she explains. “I want to highlight the artists of yesteryear that contributed to the progression of the genres and also use the space to uplift current Black rock artists. What I’m learning will help me pull the pieces together to build my enterprise. For example, I’ve discovered how company founders can convince people to invest in their projects. That’s a big part of being an entrepreneur: having persuasion skills to convince people to buy in.”

Three skills Rashida Anderson-Abdullah (HP Sherie) built through the MSLCE program:   

• How to ask the right questions. “We’re encouraged to conduct informational interviews to find out whatever we need to learn to get us to where we need to go. I’m so comfortable interviewing, uncovering information, and researching, which has helped me amp up my industry knowledge.”  
• How to pitch story ideas. “This skill will be invaluable to me for my own enterprise. It’s been a wake-up call: I know I need to be able to strategically pitch an idea to an investor.”  
• How to develop effective go-to-market strategies. “We’ve learned about content creation, distribution, presentation, curation, and more.”

Read more on our  blog  and follow Northwestern’s MS in Leadership for Creative Enterprises program on  Facebook ,  Instagram  and  Linkedin .

Categories: Student Profiles

Tags: Entertainment , Journalism , MSLCE , MSLCE Student , mslce24 , music , music business

• UC Berkeley
• Letters & Science

Creative Writing Minor

Graduate programs, university of california, berkeley graduate admissions office.

http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/prospective/

The University of California, Berkeley does not offer a graduate program in Creative Writing. Below is a list of selected Creative Writing graduate programs offered by other colleges and universities:

Creative Writing graduate programs

ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY – Los Angeles, California – Creative Writing M.F.A. at AULA ARIZONA STATE – Tempe, Arizona – Creative Writing M.F.A. at ASU BOSTON UNIVERSITY – Boston, Massachusetts – Creative Writing M.F.A. at BU BROOKLYN COLLEGE – Brooklyn, New York – Creative Writing M.F.A. at BC COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – New York, New York – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Columbia CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – M.A. in English (Creative Writing Option) at Concordia GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Fairfax, Virginia – Creative Writing M.F.A. at GMU GODDARD COLLEGE – Plainfield, Vermont – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Goddard INDIANA UNIVERSITY – Bloomington, Indiana – Creative Writing M.F.A. at IU NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – New York, New York –  Creative Writing M.F.A. at NYU or M.A. in English with Concentration in Creative Writing at NYU SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA – Moraga, California – Creative Writing M.F.A. at SMC SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – San Francisco, California – Creative Writing M.A. and M.F.A. at SFSU TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY – San Marcos, Texas – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Texas State STANFORD UNIVERSITY Stegner Fellowship – Palo Alto, California UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Birmingham, Alabama – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Alabama UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Tucson, Arizona –  Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Arizona UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Fayetteville, Arkansas – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Arkansas UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Creative Writing M.F.A. Options at UBC UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS – Davis, California – English M.A. with an Emphasis in Creative Writing at UCD UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE – Irvine, California – English M.F.A. in Writing at UCI UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE – Riverside, California – M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at UCR UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA – Norwich, United Kingdom – Creative Writing M.A. at UEA UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA – Gainesville, Florida – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UF UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Houston, Texas – M.A. and Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing and M.F.A. in English: Creative Writing at UH UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Moscow, Idaho – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Idaho UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Iowa City, Iowa – Creative Writing M.F.A. in English at U of Iowa and M.F.A. in Nonfiction Writing at U of Iowa UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – College Park, Maryland – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Maryland UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN – Ann Arbor, Michigan – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Michigan UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA – Missoula, Montana – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Montana UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA – Las Vegas, Nevada – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UNLV UNIVERSITY OF OREGON – Eugene, Oregon – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UO WARREN WILSON COLLEGE – Asheville, North Carolina – MFA Program for Writers at WWC

Announcements

• Fall 2024 Course List
• Summer 2024 Course List
• Spring 2024 Course List
• Berkeley Holloway Poetry Series – Spring 2024
• UC Berkeley Lunch Poems 2023-24
• Minor Declaration Form – Must declare no later than term before EGT.

DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES

Annual 2024-2025 class schedule.

Distinguished Professor 'Widens Scope' of Viking, Early Medieval Art

Nancy Wicker honored as UM Distinguished Professor

• Distinguished Professor ‘Widens Scope’ of Viking, Early Medieval Art

OXFORD, Miss. – The University of Mississippi has appointed Nancy Wicker, professor of art history, as its newest Distinguished Professor.

"Honoring our outstanding faculty by naming them Distinguished Professors is a great honor and tremendous recognition of their accomplishments," said Noel Wilkin, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs.

"The university is its people, and it is fitting to recognize and celebrate the great accomplishments of our most outstanding faculty."

Nancy Wicker works at an excavation site. Over the years, she has conducted research at several sites around the world. Submitted photo

In 2018, UM began appointing the honorific title, which recognizes the faculty members who have demonstrated sustained excellence in research and creative achievement, teaching and service.

Wicker, who joined the Ole Miss faculty in 2003, teaches courses and researches early medieval art. This includes the art and archaeology of Scandinavia from the Migration Period of the fifth and sixth centuries through the Viking Age.

"It is very common for scholars to study Christian, Jewish and Islamic art during this time period," Wicker said. "I study none of the above. So, I've been widening the scope of early medieval art in the U.S.

"How can we art historians try to bring global concerns to medieval art if we don't cover all of Europe? It's a really important role to open the stage.

"Vikings are incredibly popular, but not very well studied as an academic subject."

Wicker's published research covers a wide range of topics, including bracteates, or gold pendants; Viking art in Spain; the sensory effects of jewelry; female infanticide in the Viking Age; and runic literacy. She has presented more than 200 papers across 19 countries and conducted on-site research in numerous additional nations.

Nancy Wicker helps place an artifact for analysis in a scanning electron microscope at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Submitted photo

"The things I study are found archaeologically; they come out of the ground," she said. "I've been on several excavation sites, and I was the first and only American at UNESCO's Birka, Sweden, Viking archaeological site ."

In 2010, Wicker was the first woman elected to foreign membership in the Philosophical-Historical Section of the Royal Society of Humanities at Uppsala, Sweden. Additionally, she is the only American ever to be included in the International Sachsen Symposium , a research network for the archaeological study of the Saxons and their neighboring peoples in northwestern Europe.

A first-generation college graduate, Wicker earned bachelor's degrees in art history and art studio from Eastern Illinois University. She received a master's degree in art history, followed by a doctorate in ancient studies from the University of Minnesota.

Michael Barnett, interim chair of the Department of Art and Art History , said Wicker is a valued member of the department.

"She has made a significant impact on many students who have noted her influence on their growth as scholars and artists," Barnett said. "Dr. Wicker's passion for teaching has played a vital role in the development of students in the department, the university and for students beyond our campus.

"Her ability to identify the areas of improvement for each individual student, and to shape the material to their needs has had a profound effect upon their development."

Wicker has co-edited three books including "Situating Gender in European Archaeologies." Her current project involves writing about the people of Viking art .

"I'm writing about the people who made it, the people who commissioned it, people who wore it or used it – whether it's jewelry or weapons, etc.," she said. "With modern metal detecting, we're finding more art that actually depicts humans, which has been breathtaking."

Nancy Wicker (right) analyzes images of Viking artifacts from a scanning electron microscope with Dr. Jason Griggs, associate dean for research in the UM School of Dentistry. Wicker and Griggs have collaborated to study how Viking jewelry shows signs of metal fatigue and breakage. Submitted photo

Each school and college has guidelines for nominations for Distinguished Professor, but the university requires that nominated faculty have at least six years of service at the highest rank of professor. Also, it is expected that awardees will have achieved a significant degree of national or international recognition.

As part of Wicker's nomination, a senior scholar outside the university wrote that her work is "highly original and at the cutting-edge of medieval studies" with its multidisciplinary approach that "draws in the most sophisticated way on the methodologies of literature and manuscript studies, archaeology, art history, cultural history and sociology."

One of Wicker's ultimate objectives is to advocate for research in the humanities.

"When people think of research, they usually imagine enormous science grants," she said. "I really want to make a statement that not everybody in art and art history studies Michelangelo and Picasso. "I try to be a leader in saying that research in humanities is extremely important."

Erin Garrett

May 10, 2024

• College of Liberal Arts
• Faculty News