If you have a passion for storytelling and want to pursue a career using your writing talents, the Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Creative Writing and English program can help you get on the right path. You'll develop your writing skills alongside students from across the country, who represent an incredible range of voices and experiences. Together, you'll participate in workshops, producing work and presenting it to your peers for commentary and discussion. Additional courses focus on the publishing industry and provide students the chance to reflect and build their writer's platform. With a catalog of courses in literature, students will also use literary analysis to inform their imaginative application of storytelling elements. After advanced study in our creative writing program, graduates will have essential writing and critical-thinking skill sets that can translate to a wide range of professions, including journalism, content writing, editing, copywriting, publishing, filmmaking, communications, and more.

Learn how to:

- Analyze and appreciate literary form, genre, structure, and style

- Employ the conventions and techniques of genres to shape your work

- Create advanced work using skills developed during your workshop training

"Everything I learned during my degree journey added to my understanding of how to write and boosted my creativity," said Aubrie Arnold '20, a graduate of the creative writing program. I now feel like I can and will write novels, I'm working on that now and I feel like I have the correct tools to make those novels successful."

When you choose to study creative writing at SNHU, you have the option to stay with the general track which gives you the flexibility to study a variety of genres or you can opt to add one of our 4 concentrations to your degree: fiction, nonfiction, poetry or screenwriting. Southern New Hampshire University is home to one of the largest creative writing programs in the country. Our unique online creative writing degree allows you to take writing courses from the start. The program features 4 writing workshops, including an advanced workshop in which you'll complete a polished piece in the genre of your choice. The courses in our BA in Creative Writing can help develop your talent for creating stories, novels, and characters and turning them into finished, professional pieces. Whether you choose the general track or a specific genre, you'll learn from published writers with valuable industry insights. In addition to the courses and electives within the major, SNHU's online writing degree program includes 36 credits of free electives.

This leaves you with room to choose courses or a minor in an area of study that you'd like to write about like history or psychology or the opportunity to complement your studies with career skills, such as graphic design or marketing. The amount of free electives also makes our creative writing degree an attractive option for transfer students. Throughout your program, you'll learn from published writers, professional editors, publishers, and established literary critics subject-matter experts who can help guide you to improving your craft.

As a bonus at SNHU, you can choose to further your study of creative writing with one of our popular graduate programs:

- Online MA in English and Creative Writing: Building on the learnings from your bachelor's degree, you can choose from the same 4 concentrations fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, or poetry in this 36-credit online master's in writing program, which allows you to develop creative works that can contribute to your professional advancement.

- Online MFA in Creative Writing: Gain both the writing skills and the professional skills to succeed in areas like marketing, publishing, content writing, teaching, and freelancing in this fully online, 48-credit online MFA in creative writing program. You can also focus on a wide range of fiction genres such as contemporary, romance, young adult, or speculative plus you'll add one of two embedded certificates to your program: professional writing or the online teaching of writing.

- Low-Residency MFA in Fiction or Nonfiction: This highly focused 2-year program consists of 4 workshops and 4 in-person, weeklong residencies in New Hampshire. Within the 60-credit low-residency MFA program, you'll complete both a manuscript suitable for submission to editors and a critical essay that's ideal for literary journals.

Part of our mission to expand access to quality higher education means removing the barriers that may stand between you and your degree. That's why you can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials. Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year for our 6 (8-week) undergraduate terms.

$150 Graduation Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)