Contact:
Katherine Kidd, English Studies Coordinator
401 Hall of Languages
The Creative Writing Major in the English Department is designed for students who have an intense interest in developing their skills as writers and readers of creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. Students need to read widely and critically in order to write well and will be well served by a study of contemporary writing practices and the influences, precedents, and roots of literature. Students will be expected to read contemporary and historical works from a range of aesthetic credos that will provide a context to their development as artists. Students will begin to think as writers do and to understand the aesthetic and moral choices writers confront as they write. In addition, students will have ample opportunity for frequent and extensive writing and rewriting as they read, critique, and support each other’s work under the guidance of the distinguished faculty of the MFA in Creative Writing, a nationally ranked program.
Students who wish to major in Creative Writing should consult the English Studies Coordinator to be assigned an appropriate advisor, who helps plan the course of study.
Some students majoring in Creative Writing may wish to apply for a dual enrollment with another school or college within the University, such as the School of Information Studies, College of Visual and Performing Arts, the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, or the School of Education. For more information, see the web site at english.syr.edu.