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.   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.    Many world-renowned authors have another claim to fame: professorships. Writers who have taught their craft include (among many others):   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.   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.   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.   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.   Notice a school that’s missing? Email us and let us know!   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!Overview of the Creative Writing Major
What to Look for in a College as a Creative Writing Major
Published Authors on Faculty
Genres Offered
Workshopping Opportunities
Showcasing Opportunities
List of All U.S. Colleges With a Creative Writing Major
School Name
City
State
Agnes Scott College
Decatur
Georgia
Ashland University
Ashland
Ohio
Augustana College
Rock Island
Illinois
Austin College
Sherman
Texas
Baldwin Wallace University | BW
Berea
Ohio
Beloit College
Beloit
Wisconsin
Bennington College
Bennington
Vermont
Berry College
Mount Berry
Georgia
Bowling Green State University | BGSU
Bowling Green
Ohio
Bradley University
Peoria
Illinois
Brandeis University
Waltham
Massachusetts
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn
New York
Brown University
Providence
Rhode Island
Bucknell University
Lewisburg
Pennsylvania
Butler University
Indianapolis
Indiana
California College of the Arts | CCA
San Francisco
California
Capital University
Columbus
Ohio
Carnegie Mellon University | CMU
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
Catawba College
Salisbury
North Carolina
Central Michigan University | CMU
Mount Pleasant
Michigan
Central Washington University | CWU
Ellensburg
Washington
Chapman University
Orange
California
Coe College
Cedar Rapids
Iowa
Colby College
Waterville
Maine
College of the Holy Cross | Holy Cross
Worcester
Massachusetts
Colorado College
Colorado Springs
Colorado
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago
Illinois
Columbia University
New York
New York
Dartmouth College
Hanover
New Hampshire
Eastern Michigan University | EMU
Ypsilanti
Michigan
Eckerd College
Saint Petersburg
Florida
Emerson College
Boston
Massachusetts
Emory University
Atlanta
Georgia
Fitchburg State University
Fitchburg
Massachusetts
Franklin and Marshall College | F&M
Lancaster
Pennsylvania
George Mason University
Fairfax
Virginia
George Washington University | GW
Washington
Washington DC
Hamilton College
Clinton
New York
Huntingdon College
Montgomery
Alabama
Ithaca College
Ithaca
New York
Johns Hopkins University | JHU
Baltimore
Maryland
Knox College
Galesburg
Illinois
Laguna College of Art and Design | LCAD
Laguna Beach
California
Lesley University
Cambridge
Massachusetts
Lindenwood University
Saint Charles
Missouri
Linfield College
McMinnville
Oregon
Loyola University Maryland
Baltimore
Maryland
Loyola University New Orleans
New Orleans
Louisiana
Macalester College
Saint Paul
Minnesota
Massachusetts Institute of Technology | MIT
Cambridge
Massachusetts
Mercer University
Macon
Georgia
Miami University
Oxford
Ohio
Millikin University
Decatur
Illinois
Millsaps College
Jackson
Mississippi
New School
New York
New York
Northwestern University
Evanston
Illinois
Oakland University
Rochester Hills
Michigan
Oberlin College
Oberlin
Ohio
Ohio Northern University | ONU
Ada
Ohio
Ohio University
Athens
Ohio
Ohio Wesleyan University
Delaware
Ohio
Oklahoma Baptist University | OBU
Shawnee
Oklahoma
Otterbein University
Westerville
Ohio
Pacific University
Forest Grove
Oregon
Pepperdine University
Malibu
California
Portland State University | PSU
Portland
Oregon
Pratt Institute
Brooklyn
New York
Principia College
Elsah
Illinois
Providence College
Providence
Rhode Island
Purdue University
West Lafayette
Indiana
Rhode Island College | RIC
Providence
Rhode Island
Rocky Mountain College | RMC
Billings
Montana
Roger Williams University | RWU
Bristol
Rhode Island
Saint Mary’s College (Indiana)
Notre Dame
Indiana
School of the Art Institute of Chicago | SAIC
Chicago
Illinois
Seattle University
Seattle
Washington
Seton Hall University
South Orange
New Jersey
Simmons College
Boston
Massachusetts
Southern Methodist University | SMU
Dallas
Texas
Southern Oregon University | SOU
Ashland
Oregon
Spalding University
Louisville
Kentucky
State University of New York at Purchase | SUNY Purchase
Purchase
New York
Stephens College
Columbia
Missouri
Suffolk University
Boston
Massachusetts
Texas Christian University | TCU
Fort Worth
Texas
Texas Wesleyan University
Fort Worth
Texas
The State University of New York at Binghamton | SUNY Binghamton
Vestal
New York
The State University of New York at Buffalo | SUNY Buffalo
Buffalo
New York
The State University of New York at Stony Brook | SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook
New York
Truman State University | TSU
Kirksville
Missouri
University of Arizona
Tucson
Arizona
University of California, Riverside | UC Riverside
Riverside
California
University of Cincinnati
Cincinnati
Ohio
University of Evansville
Evansville
Indiana
University of Houston
Houston
Texas
University of Idaho
Moscow
Idaho
University of La Verne
La Verne
California
University of Maine at Farmington | UMF
Farmington
Maine
University of Miami
Coral Gables
Florida
University of Michigan
Ann Arbor
Michigan
University of Nebraska Omaha | UNO
Omaha
Nebraska
University of New Mexico | UNM
Albuquerque
New Mexico
University of North Carolina at Wilmington | UNC Wilmington
Wilmington
North Carolina
University of Pittsburgh | Pitt
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma
Washington
University of Redlands
Redlands
California
University of Rochester
Rochester
New York
University of Southern California | USC
Los Angeles
California
University of St. Thomas (Minnesota)
Saint Paul
Minnesota
University of Texas at El Paso | UTEP
El Paso
Texas
University of the Arts | UArts
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
University of Tulsa
Tulsa
Oklahoma
University of Washington
Seattle
Washington
Valparaiso University | Valpo
Valparaiso
Indiana
Washington University in St. Louis | WashU
Saint Louis
Missouri
Wellesley College
Wellesley
Massachusetts
Western Michigan University | WMU
Kalamazoo
Michigan
Western New England University | WNE
Springfield
Massachusetts
Western Washington University | WWU
Bellingham
Washington
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Norton
Massachusetts
Wichita State University | WSU
Wichita
Kansas
Widener University
Chester
Pennsylvania
Wofford College
Spartanburg
South Carolina
Yeshiva University
New York
New York
Youngstown State University
Youngstown
Ohio
What Are Your Chances of Acceptance?