English and Creative WritingMajor

In the Creative Writing Program at Emory students study both art and craft: the literary traditions in which they write and the elements of craft in poetry, fiction, playwriting, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction. The program fosters their development as writers, through an emphasis on reading as a writer, generating material, and revision.

Academic requirements of the English/creative writing major are eleven courses (thirty-eight to forty-four credits) beyond the introductory courses in English required by Emory College (English 101, 181, or Literature 110). Five of those eleven courses (fifteen to twenty credits) are to be creative writing workshops and the other six (eighteen to twenty-four credits) are to be advanced-level English classes in literature and criticism (i.e., 300 and 400 level). Students must take at least two 300-level literature courses in prose, two in poetry, and two in nineteenth-century writing or earlier. Majors may also substitute one 200-level English literature course for one 300-level course. At least two writing workshops must be in the same writing genre (fiction, poetry, etc.). This framework provides enough flexibility so that English/creative writing majors may work out individual programs of study in consultation with their advisers. In addition to the creative writing courses listed below, English/creative writing majors are also eligible for work in the Internship Program (see ENG 496R), independent study (see ENGCW 397R), and creative writing honors (see ENGCW 495R). Please note that internship hours do not count toward the major. The Creative Writing Program also sponsors a reading series in which nationally prominent authors are invited to campus to read from their latest works and to meet with students.