does bu have a creative writing major

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

BU Creative Writing

for writers at Boston University and beyond

• Contributors

This is the blog for the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Boston University. We’re looking to connect our far-flung alumni and current grad students, and also just give the world a little news about our program. Please feel free to leave comments.

All material published here is for educational and entertainment purposes only. All authors submitting work do so without compensation, and as such shall at all times retain all rights to said work; we shall make every effort remove anything posted here if it should be published elsewhere. While the information contained on this site is intended to be useful, both to you, the reader, and to those who wrote it, it should go without saying that the opinions expressed in the contents of individual posts do not necessarily reflect those of Boston University, its Board of Trustees, or of the Creative Writing Program, its faculty, or staff. 

• Search for:

Recent Comments

• Tulsi patra on Ryan Wilson’s recent publications and awards
• Coloring Pages on Omer Friedlander receives VSC fellowship
• Martika on Omer Friedlander receives VSC fellowship
• Gaz Hall on Lisa Hiton’s Book Reviewed by Meg Fernandes
• Poshak on Ryan Wilson’s recent publications and awards

Alumni Pages

• Daphne Kalotay
• Eleanor Goodman
• Epistolary Blog
• Eric Grunwald
• Micah Nathan
• Piano & Scene
• Rachel DeWoskin
• Rebecca Kaiser Gibson
• Roman Sturgis
• Apply to the Program
• BU Creative Writing on Facebook
• Creative Writing Program
• Favorite Poem Project
• flatmanCrooked
• Global Fellows
• WordPress.com
• WordPress.org

Faculty Pages

• Robert Pinsky
• Sigrid Nunez
• November 2022
• October 2022
• August 2022
• February 2022
• January 2022
• November 2021
• October 2021
• August 2021
• February 2021
• January 2021
• December 2020
• October 2020
• September 2020
• August 2020
• December 2019
• November 2019
• September 2019
• February 2019
• January 2019
• December 2018
• November 2018
• October 2018
• August 2018
• February 2018
• January 2018
• December 2017
• November 2017
• October 2017
• August 2017
• February 2017
• January 2017
• December 2016
• October 2016
• September 2016
• August 2016
• February 2016
• January 2016
• December 2015
• November 2015
• October 2015
• September 2015
• August 2015
• February 2015
• January 2015
• December 2014
• November 2014
• October 2014
• September 2014
• August 2014
• February 2014
• January 2014
• December 2013
• November 2013
• October 2013
• September 2013
• August 2013
• February 2013
• January 2013
• December 2012
• November 2012
• October 2012
• September 2012
• August 2012
• February 2012
• January 2012
• December 2011
• November 2011
• October 2011
• September 2011
• February 2011
• January 2011
• November 2010
• October 2010
• September 2010
• August 2010
• February 2010
• December 2009
• November 2009
• August 2009

Boston University MA in Creative Writing

How much does a master’s in creative writing from boston u cost, boston u graduate tuition and fees.

Does Boston U Offer an Online MA in Creative Writing?

Boston u master’s student diversity for creative writing, male-to-female ratio.

Of the students who received their master’s degree in creative writing in 2019-2020, 50.0% of them were women. This is less than the nationwide number of 66.6%.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

Around 25.0% of creative writing master’s degree recipients at Boston U in 2019-2020 were awarded to racial-ethnic minorities*. This is about the same as the nationwide number of 24%.

Popular Reports

Compare your school options.

Creative Writing

• English and Writing

Creative Writing majors weave a rich tapestry of storytelling, exploring forms such as poetry, personal essays, memoirs, short stories, scriptwriting, novels, literary journalism, and even video games. It could be a favorite line in a movie, play, or book that lures an audience in and changes their world. 

Telling a story can shed light on societal issues that would otherwise receive little or no attention. By evoking emotion, the story and its characters captivate the reader. People become invested in the story, the impact of the problem on the characters’ lives, and the outcome. Creative writing humanizes experiences in a way that may foster compassion for others. A compelling creative writer draws readers in so that they become engaged in the story.

Your imagination, mindset, and self-expression will be challenged and sharpened as a creative writing major. You’ll explore multiple creative writing forms. Creative writing challenges you to dig deep and learn about yourself and others.

Looking for colleges that offer a major in Creative Writing?

Boston University (BU) 2024-25 Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

Early Decision: Nov 1

Regular Decision Deadline: Jan 4

Boston University (BU) 2024-25 Application Essay Question Explanations

The Requirements: 1 essay of 300 words

Supplemental Essay Type(s): Why , Community

How to Write Boston University Supplemental Essays

You only have to write one supplemental essay for BU , and both prompt choices are focused on community. According to their founding principles, BU believes that professional careers should be “in the service of the wider community—local and international.” In that spirit, the school values diversity and engages closely with both Boston and the world. To ace this essay, focus on the communities that matter to you and try to identify why you hold them dear. This will help you decide whether to write about what you’ve already done to serve your community, reflecting on your past, or how you will contribute to BU’s campus community next year, dreaming up future possibilities. Whichever path you take, make sure your essay highlights your passions and your commitment to bettering the world around you. With those elements in place, you’re sure to make your mark on admissions!

Boston University Essay Prompts Breakdown

Boston university is dedicated to our founding principles: “that higher education should be accessible to all and that research, scholarship, artistic creation, and professional practice should be conducted in the service of the wider community—local and international. these principles endure in the university’s insistence on the value of diversity in its tradition and standards of excellence and its dynamic engagement with the city of boston and the world.” with this mission in mind, please respond to one of the following two questions in 300 words or less:, 1. reflect on a social or community issue that deeply resonates with you. why is it important to you, and how have you been involved in addressing or raising awareness about it.

This is your opportunity to not only show admissions that you’re paying attention to the world around you, but also demonstrate your creativity and vision. Start by brainstorming a few problems or challenges—big and small—that bother you or impact your life in some capacity. Maybe it’s rampant wildfires, trans rights, or accessibility issues in your community. The scope and scale of your problem can vary. With this prompt, it’s a good idea that you touch on when or where your passion first began and how it developed over time. Show that you’re not only informed and concerned, but also actively engaged in addressing the problem head on (in one to three innovative ways). This prompt gives you a wonderful opportunity to reveal something new about yourself through discussing your enthusiastic engagement with a given issue; in the process, you will showcase your curious, well-rounded nature to admissions—and huzzah for that!

2. What about being a student at BU most excites you? How do you hope to contribute to our campus community?

With this prompt, BU is marrying two classics: the Why Essay and the Community Essay . The point of this sort of prompt is twofold: to learn what makes you tick and to gauge your commitment to the school. So, the more time you spend researching the school and their unique offerings, the better you’ll be able to demonstrate both. Spend some quality time poring over the school website. Take notes on anything and everything that appeals to you across all aspects of student life: classes, professors, labs, clubs, speakers, location—literally everything! The point is to paint a picture for admissions that clues them into your passions and demonstrates how BU will help you cultivate them. Once you’ve completed your preliminary research, narrow the list to your top five or so items to focus on. Remember, your essay should not only reveal information about your interests, but also your vision for engaging with the campus community from your first day on campus.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Boston University Essays

We have been reading supplemental essays for Boston University for over twenty years now, so we know a thing or two about the most common mistakes students make. The most common mistakes to avoid are repeating the prompt in your essay (don’t waste your words), trying to sound like an academic (admissions wants to hear your authentic voice!), and using cliches (they’re ineffective and—let’s face it—lazy).

Why Choose College Essay Advisors for Boston University Essays

We at College Essay Advisors have been guiding students one-on-one through the essay writing process for the Boston University (BU) supplements for over twenty years. We take a holistic approach to this essay, considering each student’s application package as a whole and identifying their strengths to highlight. Our Advisors accommodate each student’s scheduling needs to virtually brainstorm, draft, and revise a winning essay. It’s incredibly important to us that each student’s voice is preserved, and we pride ourselves in helping students to write successful BU supplemental essays that differentiate them from similarly qualified applicants. For more information, submit a contact form below or review our one-on-one advising services or list of student acceptances . 

About Amanda Amah

View all posts by Amanda Amah »

We're waiting for your call!

Frequently Asked Questions

Boston University requires one (1) supplemental essay.

Supplemental essays are designed to offer admissions more insight into your candidacy, so it’s in your best interest to take advantage of the opportunity to reveal new information about yourself, which will give admissions deeper insight into the kind of person you are and the kind of community member you’ll be on campus.

Authenticity and reflection are key. You want to both ensure that you’re submitting essays that no one else could submit—meaning they contain specific details from your life or interests that aren’t easily replicable—and show that you’ve put thought and care into your response.

The Boston University essay can be no longer than 300 words.

"I wanted to let you know that so far I've been accepted to every school including Boston University! Thank you so much for your help. I was so much more confident in my applications because of the work we did together."

– CEA Student, Boston University, Class of 2028

"Thank you again for all your help in helping my daughter with her essays. She wouldn’t be in the position that she is in without it. [Her Advisor] made it easy and I would definitely recommend your organization to my friends."

– CEA Parent, Boston University, Class of 2027

Contact us for information on rates and more!

• I am a * Student Parent Potential Partner School Counselor Private College Counselor
• Name * First Last
• Phone Type Mobile Landline
• Street Address
• Address City State / Province / Region Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antarctica Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Bouvet Island Brazil British Indian Ocean Territory Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cabo Verde Cambodia Cameroon Canada Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Comoros Congo Congo, Democratic Republic of the Cook Islands Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Curaçao Cyprus Czechia Côte d'Ivoire Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Eswatini Ethiopia Falkland Islands Faroe Islands Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Heard Island and McDonald Islands Holy See Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Isle of Man Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macao Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Myanmar Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norfolk Island North Macedonia Northern Mariana Islands Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Palestine, State of Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Pitcairn Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Réunion Saint Barthélemy Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Martin Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Samoa San Marino Sao Tome and Principe Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Sint Maarten Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands South Sudan Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Sweden Switzerland Syria Arab Republic Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania, the United Republic of Thailand Timor-Leste Togo Tokelau Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Türkiye US Minor Outlying Islands Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Viet Nam Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, U.S. Wallis and Futuna Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Åland Islands Country
• Which best describes you (or your child)? High school senior High school junior College student College grad Other
• How did you find CEA? Internet Search Podcast New York Times Guidance counselor/school Social Media YouTube Friend Special Event Delehey College Consulting Perks at Work Other
• Common App and Coalition Essays
• Supplemental Essays
• University of California Essays
• University of Texas Essays
• Resume Review
• Post-Grad Essays
• Specialized Services
• Waitlist Letters
• Private School Essays
• General College Counseling
• School list with priorities noted:
• Anything else we should know?
• Phone This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

School Stats:

• Agnes Scott College
• Alvernia University
• American University
• Amherst College
• Babson College
• Bard College
• Barnard College
• Baylor University
• Bennington College
• Bentley University
• Berry College
• Bethany College
• Boston College
• Boston University (BU)
• Bowdoin College
• Brandeis University
• Brown University
• Bryn Mawr College
• Bucknell University
• Butler University
• California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
• California Lutheran University
• Capitol Technology University
• Carleton College
• Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)
• Catawba College
• Centre College
• Chapman University
• Claremont McKenna College
• Clark University
• Clemson University
• Coastal Carolina University
• College of Charleston
• College of William and Mary
• College of Wooster
• Colorado College
• Colorado School of Mines
• Columbia University
• Cornell University
• Culver-Stockton College
• D'Youville University
• Dartmouth College
• Davidson College
• Dickinson College
• Drexel University
• Duke University
• Earlham College
• Elon University
• Emerson College
• Emory University
• Flagler College
• Fordham University
• George Mason University
• Georgetown University
• Georgia State University
• Georgia Tech
• Gonzaga University
• Hamilton College
• Hampshire College
• Harvard University
• Harvey Mudd College
• Haverford College
• Hillsdale College
• Hofstra University
• Howard University
• Illinois Institute of Technology
• Illinois Wesleyan University
• Ithaca College
• Johns Hopkins University
• Kalamazoo College
• Lafayette College
• Lehigh University
• Lewis and Clark College
• Linfield University
• Loyola Marymount University (LMU)
• Lynn University
• Macalester College
• Manchester University
• Marist College
• Mary Baldwin University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Meredith College
• Monmouth College
• Moravian University
• Morehouse College
• Mount Holyoke College
• New York University (NYU)
• North Carolina State
• North Park University
• Northwestern University
• Occidental College
• Oklahoma City University
• Olin College of Engineering
• Pepperdine University
• Pitzer College
• Pomona College
• Princeton University
• Providence College
• Purdue University
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• Rice University
• Roger Williams University
• Saint Anselm College
• Saint Elizabeth University
• Santa Clara University
• Sarah Lawrence College
• Scripps College
• Seattle Pacific University
• Seattle University
• Siena College
• Smith College
• Soka University of America
• Southern Methodist University
• Spelman College
• St. John’s College
• Stanford University
• Stevens Institute of Technology
• Stonehill College
• Swarthmore College
• Syracuse University
• Texas A&M University
• Texas Christian University (TCU)
• The College of Idaho
• The George Washington University
• The New School
• Trinity College
• Tufts University
• Tulane University
• UNC Wilmington
• University of California
• University of Central Florida (UCF)
• University of Chicago
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Colorado Boulder
• University of Florida
• University of Georgia (UGA)
• University of Illinois Chicago (UIC)
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• University of Maryland
• University of Massachusetts Amherst
• University of Massachusetts Lowell
• University of Miami
• University of Michigan
• University of Minnesota
• University of Mississippi (Ole Miss)
• College of Mount Saint Vincent
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC)
• University of North Carolina at Charlotte
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• University of Notre Dame
• University of Oklahoma
• University of Oregon
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Pittsburgh
• University of Richmond
• University of Rochester
• University of San Diego
• University of San Francisco
• University of Southern California (USC)
• University of Texas at Austin
• University of Tulsa
• University of Vermont
• University of Virginia (UVA)
• University of Washington
• University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Vanderbilt University
• Vassar College
• Villanova University
• Virginia Tech
• Wake Forest University
• Washington and Lee University
• Washington University in St. Louis
• Wellesley College
• Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI)
• Yale University

Want free stuff?

We thought so. Sign up for free instructional videos, guides, worksheets and more!

One-On-One Advising

Common App Essay Prompt Guide

Supplemental Essay Prompt Guide

• YouTube Tutorials
• Our Approach & Team
• Undergraduate Testimonials
• Postgraduate Testimonials
• Where Our Students Get In
• CEA Gives Back
• Undergraduate Admissions
• Graduate Admissions
• Private School Admissions
• International Student Admissions
• Common App Essay Guide
• Supplemental Essay Guide
• Coalition App Guide
• The CEA Podcast
• Admissions Stats
• Notification Trackers
• Deadline Databases
• College Essay Examples
• Academy and Worksheets
• Waitlist Guides
• Get Started

• Admitted Graduate Students
• Current Graduate Students
• Current Undergraduate Students

BC.EDU LINKS

• Boston College
• Campus Life
• Jesuit, Catholic
• Academic Calendar
• BC Magazine
• Directories
• Offices, Services, Resources
• Agora Portal
• Maps & Directions
• Undergraduate

Major, Minor, and Concentrations

• First-Year Writing Seminar & Literature Core
• Writing Fellows Program
• Undergraduate Courses

For Current Students

The English Department offers a large undergraduate major and minor and six optional interdisciplinary concentrations, including an intensive, workshop-based Creative Writing program. Non-majors can also complete these  concentrations as minors.

• Sophomore Sequence

B.A./M.A. in English

• Secondary Education Programs

The major ordinarily consists of 30 credits (10 courses) beyond the First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS) and Literature Core. Following a sophomore sequence that helps you develop fundamental skills essential to literary study and a pair of courses introducing literature’s historical traditions, English majors have the opportunity to work with a faculty advisor to choose among a rich variety of electives.

In your junior and seniors years, you will develop depth in one or more of these areas by taking a seminar on a topic that interests you. All majors in the class of 2024 and beyond will complete a new set of courses on Race, Blackness, and Language, which reflect our continued commitment to re-making the curriculum to fit the needs of the current century.

After you declare the major by contacting Marla DeRosa , you’ll be assigned a departmental faculty advisor if English is your only major or your first declared major. The advisor will help you map out an academic program in line with your interests. If English is a second major, you will be assigned an informal departmental faculty advisor. 

Advising Information

Major Requirements

For the class of 2024 and beyond:.

• 1 semester of Studies in Poetry (ENGL 2131)
• 1 semester of Studies in Narrative (ENGL 2133)
• 1 semester of medieval or early modern literature (pre-1700), which can be fulfilled by courses in either British or American literature
• 1 semester of eighteenth- or nineteenth-century literature (pre-1900), which can be fulfilled by courses in either British or American literature
• 1 course designated as fulfilling the Race, Blackness, and Language requirement
• 5 electives

At least one of these courses must be a seminar. Seminars should be taken after Studies in Poetry and Studies in Narrative, ordinarily during the junior or senior year, and include all grad/undergrad courses offered in English, as well as any course with a seminar designation. Creative writing courses do not count as seminars.

Majors may also want to pursue a concentration within the major (see below), apply to the intensive Creative Writing Concentration, or pursue Honors during their senior year. English majors can receive credit for up to two courses (electives or distribution requirements) for each semester of study abroad in an approved program.  Summer/evening courses taken through the Woods College of Advancing Studies (designated as ADEN) do not count for Core credit or credit towards the major.

For information on the study abroad course approval process, the English Honors Program, and more, please visit the Current Students page.

Race, Blackness, and Language Requirement

This requirement for all English majors is designed to encourage students to think about how the meaningfulness of literature emerges from the many forces shaping the world as we understand it, focusing on anti-black racism and racial difference more generally. Students will examine issues of race thinking and global relations of power through lenses of ethics, social justice, respect for human dignity, sustainability, and the politics of language use. The department requires a course in Race, Blackness, and Language in the belief that analyzing literature with these themes in mind stimulates critical thinking and broadens our imaginations.

Courses that meet this requirement will

• Contain readings that reflect on the ways in which ideas of race, blackness, and language have found expression in multiple literary traditions.
• Teach students to recognize how whiteness is a product of race thinking that is often concealed under universal categories and thus accepted as the human norm.
• Engage with these literatures as complex social, philosophical, and artistic texts in their own rights, not only as reactive responses to white, colonial, or Eurocentric thinking and aesthetics.
• Teach students to recognize institutional and disciplinary norms and practices that have historically excluded or marginalized the study of these literatures.
• Offer strategies for thinking through the current political moment as well as conceptualizing and historicizing relations of power.

Once you’ve taken Studies in Poetry and Studies in Narrative as a major, you are eligible to enroll in a seminar. Seminars are smaller, discussion-based classes that foster a close-knit sense of community and intellectual risk-taking. The department’s seminars include a wide range of courses that allow for student-led discussions, projects, and conversations.

In some seminars, students develop podcasts; in others, students look closely at the work of a single author over a career or they might work collaboratively to annotate unpublished texts.

The department’s seminars fall into two categories, both of which allow you to fulfill the seminar requirement:

• Exploratory Seminars, which often emphasize project- and process-based learning
• Graduate/Undergraduate Seminars, which delve deeply into a topic or question and often—though not always—culminate in a research paper that contributes to a critical conversation. We encourage students interested in writing an Honors Thesis or applying to graduate school to consider enrolling in a mixed Graduate/Undergraduate seminar.

All English majors are eligible for all listed seminars, you should follow your interests in choosing the seminar that is the best fit. This is not a requirement for minors, but minors are encouraged to consider taking a seminar as one of their electives.

Learning Outcomes

By the successful completion of the English major at Boston College, students will be able to demonstrate:

• an ability to write clear, coherent, organized, and stylistically correct papers
• an ability to close-read, interpret, and analyze texts, including poetic texts,a knowledge of literary genres and appropriate use of critical terminology
• a recognition of the historical specificity of literary works and/or other cultural products,an awareness that there are a variety of critical approaches to literary and cultural texts

If your major GPA is over 3.6, we encourage you to consider applying to write a senior thesis (scholarly or creative) in the department’s Honors Program under the guidance of a full-time professor.

Honors Information

The Minor is designed to give you maximum flexibility to pursue your interests in the study of literature. You will take one of the sophomore sequence classes and one course focused on the historical traditions informing English-language literatures, both of which provide an important foundation in the development of your writing skills, in deliberate thinking about the quality of your attention to literary texts, and the relationship between history and the development of literary forms.

After these two courses, you get to develop a sequence of four electives from the department’s rich offerings. These electives can include any topics that interest you, from a sampling of different kinds of courses to clusters of courses on topics or approaches that most interest you. For instance, you could take as many creative writing courses as you wanted or you could focus on courses organized around themes, such as those that meet our Race, Blackness, and Language designation.

To declare your minor, contact Marla Derosa:

Minor requirements.

The English minor is comprised of six courses (18 credits) beyond beyond First-Year Writing Seminar (FWS) and Literature Core.

These must include:

• Either Studies in Poetry (ENGL 2131) or Studies in Narrative (ENGL 2133)
• A historical foundations course (pre-1700 or pre-1900)
• Four electives from the department's offerings

We encourage minors to consider taking a seminar and a Race, Blackness, and Language course for one of their four electives.

Core and Woods College classes may not be counted toward the minor, though additional courses that fulfill the first two requirements may be counted as electives. Students may count up to two courses from study abroad toward the minor, though they must be approved by the department.​

​For questions about the English minor, or to declare, please contact Marla DeRosa at marla.derosa@bc.edu .

The Sophomore Sequence: Studies in Poetry and Studies in Narrative

Two courses serve as gateways to the English major: Studies in Poetry and Studies in Narrative. Majors are encouraged to take these courses at the beginning of their course of study to prepare them for upper-level English classes, and English minors must complete at least one of the two.

These courses focus on preparing students to read and write critically about two major literary forms: poetry and narrative. The emphases in both courses is on improving the quality of your attention to literary texts and on accelerating your development as a writer.

Studies in Poetry

In this class, you will learn to analyze poetry across a wide range of genres, styles, and historical periods. Studies in Poetry will also develop your critical writing skills, preparing you for upper-division English courses. 

Course Objectives

• To be introduced to and learn to interpret a variety of poetic forms and techniques
• To learn to analyze poems with reference to the social contexts—historical, geographic, and otherwise—in which they have been composed and transmitted
• To continue to hone students’ abilities in close reading, writing about literature, and oral discussion in the classroom

Studies in Narrative

In this class, you will learn to analyze narrative prose across a wide range of genres, styles, and historical periods. Studies in Narrative will also develop your critical writing skills, preparing you for upper-division English courses. 

• To be introduced to and learn to interpret a variety of narrative forms and techniques
• To learn to analyze narratives with reference to the social contexts—historical, geographic, and otherwise—in which they have been composed and transmitted

The English Department offers a B.A./M.A. Program that allows select students to earn both a B.A. and an M.A. in English in five years. Enrolled students will start earning graduate credit as a senior, then complete the M.A. in a fifth year of full-time study.

The purpose of the program is to allow students a greater opportunity for concentrated study and research training. Students in the B.A./M.A. program must meet all the specific course requirements for the undergraduate major as well as the formal requirements for the M.A., including the completion of Introduction to Advanced Research or its equivalent, demonstrated proficiency in a foreign language, a theory course, and a comprehensive exam.

Contact the Program Director

Requirements

Admission to the program requires a GPA of 3.3 overall and 3.6 in the English major. Students may count four courses taken in the senior year toward their M.A. degree. These courses may be graduate courses, or undergraduate courses designated as 'seminars.' At least two of the four must be at the graduate level, including hybrid graduate/undergraduate seminars; up to two of the four may be undergraduate courses designated as 'seminars.' The two graduate courses must be taken as overloads, and these count toward the M.A. degree only. The other two courses will count toward both degrees. One of the graduate courses taken in the senior year must be 'Introduction to Advanced Research' or 'Issues and Methods in American Studies.'

Students interested in the program should consult the director of the M.A. program to discuss whether this version of the M.A. is right for their individual goals. The director will review the student's academic record and, if appropriate, facilitate the application process. The application fee and GRE requirement will be waived.

Once accepted into the B.A./M.A. program students will have the director of the M.A. program as their advisor. Students in the program will not be eligible for TF/TA positions or graduate financial aid. Students in the program will not be charged graduate tuition for the two overload graduate courses taken in the senior year.

How to Apply

Students must submit applications by March 31 of the junior year. The required application materials are a personal statement, a writing sample, three letters of recommendation, and an official transcript. Please consult the application instructions below and e-mail  gsasinfo@bc.edu  with any questions on how to upload materials. Do not send any materials to the English department.

Application Instructions

Secondary Education Major and Minor

If you’re an English major also completing a Lynch School of Education major or minor, you'll need to fulfill more specific requirements to demonstrate a broad range of knowledge within the discipline. In addition to the First-Year Writing Seminar, the Literature Core, Studies in Poetry, and Studies in Narrative, you will need the following courses:

• one Pre-1700 Class
• one Pre-1900 Class
• one course on Anglophone or Ethnic American Authors
• one course on Women Authors
• one course on the History of the Language/Grammar/Linguistics
• one course on Adolescent and Young Adult Literature
• two English electives

To help you gain sufficient knowledge across this spectrum, you may consider taking one or more general survey courses (e.g. Introduction to British Literature and Culture I and II, American Literary History I, II and III) to fulfill some of these requirements. Students with questions about the EN/LSOE requirements should meet with Marla DeRosa in Stokes S493.

Lynch School English Courses

If you’re an English major also completing an education  major or minor in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, you’ll need to fulfill more specific requirements to demonstrate a broad range of knowledge within the discipline. In addition to the First Year Writing Seminar, the Literature Core , Studies in Poetry , and Studies in Narrative , you will need the following courses:

To help you gain sufficient knowledge across this spectrum, you may consider taking one or more general survey courses (e.g. Introduction to British Literature and Culture I and II, American Literary History I, II and III) to fulfill some of these requirements. Students with questions about the EN/LSOEHD requirements should e-mail Marla DeRosa in Stokes S493.

Minor in Secondary Education

As an MCAS English major, you may apply to minor in Education in order to gain certification for teaching. The program begins in the junior year. Contact the Coordinator of Secondary Education or the Associate Dean in the Lynch School of Education during the first semester of your sophomore year for more information.

Apply to Minor in Education

Interdisciplinary Concentrations & Minors

English majors can choose to focus their program of study with one of six optional concentrations, and non-majors can also complete these programs as six-course, 18-credit minors.

• Interdisciplinary Concentrations/Minors
• Creative Writing Concentration

Interdisciplinary Concentrations and Minors

American Studies

Asian American Studies

Creative Writing

Irish Studies

Medical Humanities

The Creative Writing Concentration

The English department offers a Creative Writing Concentration that allows you to intensify and focus your English major by taking a series of practice-based writing courses along with literature courses. These small, intensive, processed-based workshops are taught by published authors and offered in three genres—poetry, fiction and non-fiction—at three levels. As a Concentrator, you will also attend gatherings to read new work, share news about literary activities on campus, socialize with other writers, do writing prompts together, and discuss career paths. You will be invited to a rich array of talks, readings, and smaller gatherings with visiting writers.

Graduates of the program have gone on not only to publish their own creative work, but also to find careers in publishing, journalism, teaching, communications, and many other fields that require excellent writing skills. Past students have been admitted to graduate programs in creative writing at, among other places, Washington University in St. Louis; Bowling Green; NYU; Eastern Washington State; University of Iowa; Indiana U.; Sarah Lawrence College; U. of Wyoming; Emerson College, U. of Florida; U. of Texas Austin; U. of Pittsburgh; Hunter College; UMass Amherst; Brooklyn College; U. of Arizona, Columbia.

• A Creative Writing Concentrator undertakes a 36-credit English major instead of the usual 30 credits.
• At least nine of these credits must be writing workshops in any genre, selected with the help of your Concentration advisor.

If you are an English major who has received a grade of A- or better in one of the department's creative writing workshops, you may declare the Creative Writing Concentration up through the end of drop/add week of first semester of junior year. The period for declaring the Concentration each semester runs through the end of drop/add week. Eligible English Majors wishing to declare should see Marla Derosa in Stokes S493.

If you are interested in declaring, please contact Marla Derosa.

Workshop faculty.

• Allison Adair
• Lynne Anderson
• Christopher Boucher
• Kimberly Garcia
• Elizabeth Graver
• Lori Harrison-Kahan
• Tom Kaplan-Maxfield
• Paula Mathieu
• Suzanne Matson
• Stuart Nadler
• James Najarian
• Susan Roberts
• Carlo Rotella
• Bonnie Rudner
• Andrew Sofer

Boston College Student Literary Publications

• Gusto Journal
• The Laughing Medusa
• The Medical Humanities Journal of Boston Colleg e

Boston College National Literary Publications

Post Road Internships

Creative Writing Events

• Boston College Arts Calendar
• Lowell Humanities Series
• University Events Calendar

Resources for Writers

Each year, the English Department gives out Undergraduate Writing Awards in recognintion of outstanding student writing. The submission deadline for these prizes is 4:00 p.m. on March 31. Please contact Prof. Andrew Sofer for more information.

Award Information & Submission Forms

Creative Writing students can also take advantage of several external resources that list job and fellowship opportunities, as well as literary journal submission deadlines and information on MFA programs. Each year, the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) convenes the nation's largest creative writing conference.

Association of Writers & Writing Programs

Poets and Writers Magazine

English Department Stokes Hall South, 4th floor

617-552-3708

• book Majors
• map-pin-pointer Virtual Tour
• file-document Request Information
• checklist MyBU Portal Login
• phone Explore Stories

Boston University Admissions 233 Bay State Road, Boston MA 02215

First-Year Applicants

First-year applicant checklist.

As a first-year applicant, you must submit the following credentials. International applicants must also submit additional  credentials .

• Common Application or QuestBridge Application

High School Transcript

Senior year grades.

• Counselor Recommendation and School Report Form

Teacher Evaluation

• Standardized Tests (Optional)
• College of Fine Arts Requirements

Additional Details

Common application and questbridge application.

BU accepts the Common Application and QuestBridge Application .

QuestBridge Applicants : Please visit our QuestBridge webpage for details about the application process.

Selecting an Academic Program:

• You must specify a BU school or college when applying.
• Please refer to our list of majors to see which semesters of entry are available for each program.
• If you do not have a specific school or subject area in mind, we suggest you apply to the College of Arts & Sciences and select “Undeclared” or the College of General Studies .

Essays : You must submit two essays in the space provided on the Common Application. This is an important part of your application because it gives you the chance to tell us your story as an applicant.

Admission to your selected program:

• While you will be given consideration for the school or college to which you apply, it’s possible that you will be offered admission to the College of General Studies or another BU program for which you qualify. Please check the box to indicate whether you would like to be considered for this option on your application.
• If you are applying to the College of Fine Arts, you will only be considered for the program to which you applied.
• If you are interested in being considered for the Kilachand Honors College , check “Yes” to this question on your application and then complete the required essay. Your application will first be considered for admission to the school or college to which you have applied. If you are admitted to that program, you will then be considered for admission into the Kilachand Honors College.

Application Fee: Our application fee is $80 and can be paid via the Common Application.

For most BU programs, the recommended high school/secondary school curriculum is as follows:

• 4 years of English
• 3-4 years of mathematics (precalculus/calculus recommended)*
• 3-4 years of laboratory science
• 3-4 years of history and/or social science
• 2-4 years of a world language

*Applicants to the College of Engineering are required to have a year of calculus. For students enrolled in IB courses, this requirement would be met with enrollment in HL or SL Math Analysis & Approaches or HL Math Applications & Interpretations.

* Applicants to the Questrom School of Business are required to have a year of calculus  or  a year of precalculus and a year of AP Statistics. For students enrolled in IB courses this requirement would be met with enrollment in HL or SL  Math  Analysis & Approaches or HL  Math  Applications & Interpretations.

• Early Decision Applicants: Early Decision applicants should have their counselor submit first marking period grades, which may be first quarter or first trimester grades, as soon as they are available.
• Regular Decision Applicants: If you are on a semester schedule, please have your counselor send your first marking period or first quarter grades if available. In addition, your counselor must submit first semester grades once they are available. If you are on a trimester schedule, please have your counselor submit your first trimester grades once they are available.

School Counselor Recommendation and School Report Form

Please ask your counselor to submit the School Report form and the School Counselor Recommendation form found on the Common Application.

Please ask a teacher to submit the Teacher Evaluation form found on the Common Application.

Standardized Tests

Boston University is test optional for first-year applicants applying through fall 2025 and spring 2026.

• This policy applies to all undergraduate schools and colleges at Boston University as well as all scholarship programs.
• International students will be required to submit the TOEFL, IELTS, or DuoLingo English Test as the primary means for evaluating English-language proficiency.

Prospective students and applicants must decide for themselves whether or not to include standardized test scores with their application for admission to Boston University. When making this decision, we ask students to consider the totality of their academic record, their contributions both in and out of the classroom and to their communities, and whether they feel confident that the sum of these experiences fully reflect their academic ability and potential.

Students have the ability to indicate whether they would like us to consider their standardized test scores when they apply. Once you have submitted your application, this answer cannot be changed.

If you would like your standardized test scores considered:

Boston University accepts self-reported standardized test scores on your application. You may also submit your official test scores via the testing agency, or through the self-report form on the MyBU Applicant Portal.

Please note: If you submit self-reported standardized test scores, an official score report from the testing agency will be required before enrolling at Boston University. If there are discrepancies between self-reported and official standardized test scores, your enrollment at Boston University may be rescinded.

When sending official scores, t he BU codes are:

BU superscores both the SAT and ACT.  To take advantage of superscoring, we recommend including all your test scores if you take more than one test or take a test multiple times. For both the SAT and ACT, BU uses the highest score of each section, regardless of test date, to best represent you as an applicant.

• If you’ve taken the SAT more than once, you can select which results you want to send to us using  Score Choice . We only consider the highest SAT scores submitted.
• For the ACT, we recalculate a new composite score using the highest score from each section, regardless of test date.

Portfolios, Auditions, and Interviews

If you are applying to the  College of Fine Arts , please see the different requirements for the program.

Please note that all materials and documents submitted as part of an application for admission become the property of Boston University and cannot be returned.

A Life-Changing Application

More than just academics, a BU education prepares you to make the most of life. So discover why clicking "send" on your application is a smart choice.

Apply to BU

Get inspired, find a major, see for yourself.

BA: Creative Writing

BA in English with a Creative Writing Concentration

Students in the creative writing program at Binghamton University learn critical thinking and reading in a creative context. For students who are strong writers and interested in writing fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction, the chance to be part of a community of writers while working with our internationally recognized faculty is not just an opportunity to prepare for a career — the ability to think critically and communicate well cuts across almost all jobs, and our graduates have gone on to work in almost any field you can think of — but also to understand how your own voice fits within the vital continuum of literature.

click here for more info on the Binghamton Center for Writers

• Share on Facebook
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Pinterest
• Share on LinkedIn
• Share by Email

Last Updated: 3/8/18