Register By: June 29 Classes Start: July 01
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Write Your Own Story
- $330/credit (120 credits)
- Transfer up to 90 credits
- Receive credit for prior learning
- 4 genre options for concentrations
- Advanced writing workshops
- No application fee or SAT/ACT scores required
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Creative Writing Degree Program Overview
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.
"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.”
This degree is also an attractive option for transfer students, as it offers a number of free electives.
What You'll Learn
- Essential writing and critical-thinking skill sets
- Literary analysis to inform the application of storytelling elements
- Literary form, genre, structure and style
- Conventions and techniques used by varying genres
How You'll Learn
At SNHU, you'll get support from day 1 to graduation and beyond. And with no set class times, 24/7 access to the online classroom, and helpful learning resources along the way, you'll have everything you need to reach your goals.
An Online Creative Writing Degree Can Help You Reach Your Goals
Whether you are looking to advance your career or simply want to pursue your passion for writing, the online creative writing bachelor's program at SNHU offers a supportive community, comprehensive curriculum, and flexible format that can help you achieve your goals.
Concentration Options
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.
Fiction
Nonfiction
Poetry
Screenwriting
Career Outlook
If exploring creative careers sounds appealing, an online creative writing degree can prepare you for a variety of positions1, including:
Author
Use storytelling skills to write everything from children’s books and novels to biographies, essays and memoirs.
Editor
Apply your understanding of the written word to plan, review and revise content for publication in books, periodicals or online platforms.
Copywriter
Promote a product, service or organization with content for advertisem*nts, marketing campaigns or websites.
Journalist
Research topics, investigate story ideas and interview sources to write compelling nonfiction articles for newspapers, magazines, blogs and television news programs.
Screenwriter
Use the power of writing to create visual and auditory experiences for everything from major blockbuster films to television episodes and commercials.
Speechwriter
Write speeches for business leaders, politicians and others, using words to engage with and move an audience.
And with today's technology, it's easy for writers and authors to work from just about anywhere as long as they have internet access – meaning jobs aren't limited to major cities anymore.
In addition to the writing skills you'll develop in a creative writing degree program, you could also pick up a handful of other career skills1 the workforce desperately needs, like:
- Adaptability: Adapt to updates in software platforms and programs, including various content management systems (CMS).
- Creativity: Develop interesting plots, characters or ideas for new stories.
- Critical-thinking skills: Understand concepts that must be conveyed through writing.
- Determination: Gain the focus to meet deadlines.
- Persuasion: Convince others to feel a certain way about a good or service – especially if you choose a career in advertising.
- Social perceptiveness: Develop an understanding of how readers respond to and connect with your work.
"This [program] not only allowed me to explore my creativity through writing," said Nicholas Patterson '22. "It taught me the fundamentals of the industry and how to pursue a career in it."
Job Growth and Salary
Prospects for writer and author occupations appear promising in the coming years. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry shift from print to online media should result in employment growth.1
Job Growth
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, career opportunities for writers and authors are projected to grow 4% through 2032 — that's as fast as average for all occupations.1
Salary
In 2022, the median annual wage for writers and authors was $73,150.1
Understanding the Numbers
When reviewing job growth and salary information, it’s important to remember that actual numbers can vary due to many different factors — like years of experience in the role, industry of employment, geographic location, worker skill and economic conditions. Cited projections do not guarantee actual salary or job growth.
Start Your Journey Toward an Online Creative Writing Degree
Why SNHU for Your Creative Writing Degree
Admission Requirements
How to Apply
What SNHU Students Are Saying
Nicholas Patterson '22
"I came [to SNHU] originally to have more freedoms and explore my creativity in a new environment. This program has given me that and more – this program has enabled me to improve myself in every facet of writing, from brainstorming a new idea to learning about genres and even how to market myself and my writing."
120 Credits
8-Week Terms
100% Online
No Set Class Times
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 30 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 writingprogram, 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 writingprogram. 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 MFAprogram, you'll complete both a manuscript suitable for submission to editors and a critical essay that's ideal for literary journals.
Curriculum Requirements & Resources
General Education
All undergraduate students are required to take general education courses, which are part of SNHU's newly redesigned program, The Commons. The goal of The Commons' curriculum is to empower you with some of the most in-demand skills, so you can succeed not only in your academic career, but in your personal and professional life too.
Technology Resources
We provide cloud-based virtual environments in some courses to give you access to the technology you need for your degree – and your career. Learn more about our virtual environments.
Earn Math Credits
Save time and tuition with our Pathways to Math Success assessments. Depending on your scores, you could earn up to 12 math credits – the equivalent of 4 courses – toward your degree for less than $50 per assessment. For additional information, or to register for a Pathways to Math Success assessment, contact your admission counselor or academic advisor today.
| View Full Curriculum in the Catalog |
|---|
| Courses May Include | ||
|---|---|---|
| BA in Creative Writing and English Online | ||
| ENG 226 | Introduction to Creative Writing | An introductory creative writing course designed to acquaint students with the craft of creative writing and the skills that will be required in subsequent creative writing workshops. Students will explore such craft issues as point of view, voice, characterization, dialogue, setting, conflict, rhythm, imagery, poetic structure, and dramatic scene development. Students will be expected to submit a number of writing exercises, including stories and poems. Student will also be expected to read and comment on their peers' writing with thoughtful and constructive criticism, as well as read and discuss published work. |
| ENG 340 | Context of Writing: Writers/Publishing | ENG 340 is designed for students interested in creative writing. Students will be introduced to the workings of the American publishing industry, including the roles of the literary agent and editor. In addition, students will study contemporary American literature from a writer's perspective, including style, structure, and other elements of the craft of writing, and reflect on how their choices ultimately impact audience and the marketability of their writing. |
| ENG 350 | The English Language | This course is an introduction to the following topics in English linguistics: history of English, etymology, vocabulary (morphology), phonology, dictionaries, syntax, semantics, dialects, discourse analysis, and child language acquisition. The course is designed for students who want to learn about the English language as preparation for teaching, or for becoming better writers, or for studying literature. Students will have the opportunity to research, write about, and present on a linguistic topic of individual interest such as the language of advertising or propaganda. |
| ENG 431 | Advanced Creative Writing | This course gives students serious about their writing an opportunity to study a particular genre (fiction, poetry, scriptwriting or nonfiction) beyond the 300-level workshops. In addition to extensive reading within a chosen genre, workshops require participation in class discussions, student presentations and analyses of other students' work. Select class periods will be devoted to individual support from the instructor. |
| LIT 300 | Literary Theory | This course is an introduction to the major schools of contemporary critical theory, and an examination of principal exponents of these theories. The student will become familiar with the most important features of psychoanalytic criticism, Marxism and feminism and examine the meaning of structuralism and post-structuralism. In addition, the course affords an opportunity to practice applying the theories to specific literary texts. |
| LIT 322 | Popular and Contemporary Fiction | This course will analyze today's popular and contemporary fiction. What makes a book a "best seller"? What makes literature sell in the millions of copies? Writers who strike it rich generally write books that are fast paced and easy to read, following a set of conventions that readers recognize, and touch a nerve within their society. Writers who win the hearts of the literati and schoolmarms generally try to touch that nerve also, but they do so with language and plots that are inventive, artistic, and memorable. With a focus on current and past best sellers, this course will introduce you to a variety of literary sub-genres (true crime, memoir, road novel, extreme adventure, western, roots quest). The books we will read often return to themes of individualism, race, and violence in American culture- prominent elements in our psyches, popular culture, and pulp fiction- though we will certainly discuss other themes as well. |
| Total Credits: 120 | ||
Minimum Hardware Requirements
What to Expect as an Online Student
No set class times: Asynchronous classes let you do your coursework when and where you want
Pick your pace: Choose between full time (2 courses) or part time (1 course) each term
Student support: 24/7 access to online student services like the library, tech and academic support
University Accreditation
Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)as well as several other accrediting bodies.
Tuition & Fees
As a private, nonprofit university, we’re committed to making college more accessible by making it more affordable. That’s why we offer some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation.
We also offer financial aid packages to those who qualify, plus a 30% tuition discount for U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty.
| Online Undergraduate Programs | Per Course | Per Credit Hour | Annual Cost for 30 credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree/Certificates | $990 | $330 | $9,900 |
| Degree/Certificates (U.S. service members, both full and part time, and the spouses of those on active duty)* | $693 | $231 | $6,930 |
Tuition Rates are subject to change and are reviewed annually.*Note: students receiving this rate are not eligible for additional discounts.
Additional CostsNo Application Fee, Course Materials ($ varies by course)
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of writing degrees are there?
What do you learn in a creative writing major?
What is the best degree for a writer?
How long does it take to get a bachelor's degree in creative writing?
What jobs can you get with a creative writing degree?
Is screenwriting creative writing?
What is SNHU’s Fall Fiction Contest and who can enter?
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