Students in a Creative Writing course at St. Thomas

Bachelor of Arts in English – Creative Writing

Have you dreamed of publishing a novel? The University of St. Thomas offers an English degree with a creative writing emphasis, allowing you to cultivate your writing skills in a number of genres. Along with rigorous coursework, we offer a number of opportunities to learn more about publishing and writing throughout your college career, setting you up for long-term success.

Why Study English – Creative Writing at St. Thomas?

In addition to studying various forms of literature, you will take a four-course sequence focusing on the development of your own creative work. From studying poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction to participating in a workshop course empowering you to design and publish a literary magazine, our program will provide you with practical tools to be successful after graduation. Our graduates work in many different fields, including editing, publishing, journalism, law, medicine and engineering.

Thinking Creatively

  • Course Requirements
  • Four-Year Plan
  • Degrees Awarded
  • Outside the Classroom
  • Course Requirements

    In addition to a gateway course introducing you to English studies, you will take literature classes focusing on historical perspectives and different genres. You will then integrate a four-course sequence moving toward more focused work within genres piquing your interest.

    Four-Year Plan

    We want you to pursue your passions. We developed a sample four-year plan for you to get an idea of what a student’s career is like at St. Thomas.

    Degrees Awarded

    • Bachelor of Arts in English – Creative Writing
    • Minor in English – Creative Writing

    Outside the Classroom

    English students can apply for membership in Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, and its affiliated campus Literary Club. Students in the Literary Club go on theater outings and offer readings and other fun activities during the academic year.

    Course Requirements

    Course Requirements

    In addition to a gateway course introducing you to English studies, you will take literature classes focusing on historical perspectives and different genres. You will then integrate a four-course sequence moving toward more focused work within genres piquing your interest.

    Four-Year Plan

    Four-Year Plan

    We want you to pursue your passions. We developed a sample four-year plan for you to get an idea of what a student’s career is like at St. Thomas.

    Degrees Awarded

    Degrees Awarded

    • Bachelor of Arts in English – Creative Writing
    • Minor in English – Creative Writing

    Outside the Classroom

    Outside the Classroom

    English students can apply for membership in Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, and its affiliated campus Literary Club. Students in the Literary Club go on theater outings and offer readings and other fun activities during the academic year.

    Individual working at desk with a laptop.

    Career Paths

    We give you the tools and knowledge you need to work in a variety of different industries after graduation.

    • Law
    • Writing
    • Marketing
    • Publishing
    • Communications

    Hands-On. Practical. Flexible.

    We offer a diverse array of courses that develop your skills in various areas, allowing you to be more flexible in your work after graduating from St. Thomas.

    Opportunities

    You can take an introduction to publishing course, which produces the award-winning Summit Avenue Review, our literary magazine.

    Acclaimed and Published

    Our critically acclaimed (and published) full-time faculty teach all creative writing classes, which means you will have direct access from experts.

    Internships

    We encourage our students to pursue internships during their undergraduate career. Internships are available at local publishers like Milkweed Press, Graywolf Press and more.

    English Minor in Creative Writing

    Express your creativity and develop your writing talent with our new Creative Writing minor! It begins with an introductory course focused on writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and continues with the choice of two additional creative writing courses that explore these genres in more depth. Electives include courses on literary publishing, fantasy fiction, and writing for children. Students can work individually with faculty mentors to complete creative writing manuscripts and seek publication. Alum Tasha Kazanjian, for example, published her novel A Trick of Spades after working with her faculty mentor, Dr. Heather Bouwman. As part of the minor, you may also take a course focused on designing and editing Summit Avenue Review, our campus literary magazine. The Twin Cities is a major publishing hub, so you will have many opportunities to get involved in the local literary scene.

    Center for Writing

    You can work in the Center for Writing and help fellow students learn crucial skills in writing and communication, providing a foundation for a career in professional writing. The center offers individualized conferences to students at any stage of the writing process, seeking to:

    • Promote engagement in writing, reading, and critical analysis
    • Support writers as they develop their abilities to respond to others, reflect, and express their own ideas concisely and thoughtfully
    • Enable students to gain perspective, self-awareness, and confidence as learners and writers.

    Take the Next Step

    best-value-logo-2022-transparent.pngThere is more to learn about St. Thomas; including our ranking as a Best Value School by U.S. News & World Report, the many classroom and extracurricular activities that will be part of your student experience and so much more. Schedule a visit to see our beautiful campus or start your application today.