Bachelor of Arts in English: Creative Writing

Creative Writing
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About

Are you seeking the way to write your great novel, poetry, or nonfiction?

Creative Writing is a studio program designed to help you publish your artistic work. Our creative writing students, while publishing artistic work, have found diverse careers in editing, publishing, grant writing, teaching, professional schools, and more. Courses in Technical Communication complement these career interests.

At the heart of our programs is a passion for critical, creative, and professional understanding and use of the English language. The creative writing option emphasizes artistic expression. It builds the skills needed to produce imaginative, inspired, and publishable poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.

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What You'll Learn

The following information comes from the official EWU catalog, which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.

The following plan of study is for a student with zero credits. Individual students may have different factors such as: credit through transfer work, Advanced Placement, Running Start, or any other type of college-level coursework that requires an individual plan.

Courses could be offered in different terms, checking the academic schedule is paramount in keeping an individual plan current. Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.

All Undergraduate students are required to meet the Undergraduate Degree Requirements.

This major requires the completion of the World Language requirement.  Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree must complete two years of a single language in high school or one year of a single language in college.

First Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRWR 1111ENGL 2015CRWR 2105
ENGL 1015Natural Science BACR 115MATH 1075
Humanities & Arts BACR 115Social Science BACR 215Humanities & Arts BACR 215
Social Science BACR 115  
 16 15 15
Second Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRWR 217, 218, or 2195CRWR 217, 218, or 2195English Literature Elective25
CRWR 3015CRWR 3025Global Studies - graduation requirement15
Natural Science BACR 215Diversity - graduation requirement15Elective - minor or general elective5
 15 15 15
Third Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRWR 311, 312, or 3135CRWR 311, 312, or 3135CRWR 4175
English Literature Elective25English Literature Elective25Elective - minor or general elective5
Elective - minor or general elective5Elective - minor or general elective5Elective - minor or general elective5
 15 15 15
Fourth Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRWR 4175Elective - minor or general elective5CRWR 491 (Senior Capstone - graduation requirement)5
Creative Writing Elective35Elective - minor or general elective5Elective - minor or general elective5
Elective - minor or general elective5Elective - minor or general elective5Elective - minor or general elective4
 15 15 14
Total Credits 180
1

University Graduation Requirements (UGR) and Breadth Area Course Requirements (BACR) courses may be less than 5 credits and additional credits may be required to reach the required 180 total credits needed to graduate.  Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.

2

Required English Literature Surveys–CRWR majors are required to choose three from the approved list.

3

Additional Creative Writing credits–choose from the approved list.

Students who earn a BA in Creative Writing at EWU should be able to:

  • analyze works of literature using the technical language of the craft specific to their genre of study (literary fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry); 
  • articulate a critical understanding of the contemporary literary landscape;
  • demonstrate an understanding of the publishing process; 
  • produce texts that conform to the conventions specific to the genre being studied (literary fiction, literary nonfiction, or poetry);
  • provide constructive criticism of written works in progress.

Mission Statement: The Creative Writing Program develops students’ abilities in creative writing in the genres of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction on a foundation of study of significant literary texts in British, American, and world literature.

Creative Writing is a studio program designed to help students publish their artistic work. It is not intended to prepare a student for a specific career; however, our creative writing graduates, while publishing artistic work, have found diversified careers in editing, publishing, grant writing, teaching, professional schools and many fields less directly related to their writing abilities. Courses in technical communications are complementary to these career interests.

Students in the Creative Writing option are encouraged to register for 5+ credits from the following list of Breadth Area Core Requirements: HUMN 210 or HUMN 211 or history courses appropriate to the student’s area of literary interest.

Some substitutions may be allowed.

World Language Requirement: Two years of a single high school world language or one year of a single college-level world language is required.

Pre-Major Requirements
CRWR 111CREATIVE WRITING ORIENTATION1
CRWR 210INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING (students must complete this course with a grade ≥B )5
Required Workshops–choose two from the following10
Note: courses from the workshop sequence require a ≥B average for the two courses together.
BEGINNING FICTION WORKSHOP
BEGINNING POETRY WORKSHOP
BEGINNING NONFICTION WORKSHOP
Required CRWR Foundational Literature Surveys
CRWR 301FOUNDATIONAL TEXTS: PROSE5
CRWR 302FOUNDATIONAL TEXTS: POETRY5
Required English Literature Surveys–CRWR majors are required to choose three (some substitutions may be allowed)15
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE I
SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE II
BRITISH LITERATURE I: BEGINNINGS THROUGH 18TH CENTURY
BRITISH LITERATURE II: ROMANTICISM TO THE PRESENT
WORLD LITERATURES
SHAKESPEARE
SURVEY OF NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN AMERICAN LITERATURE
MYTHOLOGY
LITERATURE OF THE BIBLE
WOMEN, LITERATURE AND SOCIAL CHANGE
Required Form and Theory Writing Courses–choose two from the following10
FORM AND THEORY OF FICTION
FORM AND THEORY OF POETRY
FORM AND THEORY OF LITERARY NONFICTION
Required Workshop–must be repeated twice with choice of Fiction, Nonfiction or Poetry10
CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP
Additional Creative Writing credits–choose from the following 5
FORM AND THEORY OF FICTION
FORM AND THEORY OF POETRY
FORM AND THEORY OF LITERARY NONFICTION
PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS MAGAZINE, LIT. EDITING AND DESIGN (variable credit course)
PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS BOOKS, LIT. ED. AND DESIGN (variable credit course)
CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP
ZINE AND PUBLICATION DESIGN
Senior Thesis
CRWR 491CREATIVE WRITING SENIOR THESIS (must have senior status or have completed all 200–400 level requirements)5
Total Credits71

Applied Learning Opportunities

An EWU student sits at a table writing in a notebook

  • Applied Laboratory Work: Build hands-on writing and editing skills in workshop-style settings where you draft, revise, and critique work alongside your peers.
  • Classroom-Based Applied Learning/Simulation: Step into the roles of writer, editor, and publisher through workshops, peer critiques, mock submissions, and collaborative storytelling exercises.
  • Community-Based Projects: Team up with local organizations on projects that allow you to solve problems and make a difference.
  • Field Work: Take your learning beyond the classroom through immersive experiences like archival research, literary site visits, and author talks.
  • Internships: Get real-world experience (and often credit or pay) by working with publishers, nonprofits, media outlets, or arts organizations connected to your career goals.
  • Performance: Share your creative work through public readings, open mics, and other literary events.
  • Practicums: Hone your skills in structured field placements, such as classrooms, publications, and community organizations.
  • Undergraduate Research: Collaborate with professors on real-world research projects where you ask questions, solve problems, and present what you discover.

Sample Courses

ENGL 385. MYTHOLOGY. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
A survey of classical Greek myths, with special attention to the stories used in literature, and an introduction to comparative mythology.

Catalog Listing

ENGL 389. WOMEN, LITERATURE AND SOCIAL CHANGE. 5 Credits.

Cross-listed: GWSS 389.
Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
Satisfies: a university graduation requirement–diversity.
Examines fictional images of women as these images reflect the changing roles and status of women from Greece to the present, focusing on the 19th and 20th centuries.

Catalog Listing

ENGL 347. WORLD LITERATURES. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: ENGL 201.
The literature in this course represents a broad range of cultures and ethnicities. Readings of works in a variety of genre from across history and around the globe. Most syllabi in this course do not include British or American texts as those are considered in other surveys.

Catalog Listing

DESN 360. ZINE AND PUBLICATION DESIGN. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: DESN 200.
Facilitates the development of personal style and voice, as students design, edit, and create their own “zines” (reproducible hand-made booklets). Students practice graphic layout, typography, and professional book assembly. Analog production methods and desktop publishing software are used. Student-made zines will be sold at “Spokane Zine Fest” and other in-person and digital outlets.

Catalog Listing

Career Possibilities

  • Fiction Writer
  • Poet
  • Novelist
  • Screenwriter
  • Freelance Writer
  • Copywriter
  • Editor (Book or Magazine)
  • Literary Agent
  • Journalist (Newspapers, Magazines, or Online)
  • Content Writer for Digital Platforms
  • Investigative Reporter
  • Columnist
  • Blogger
  • Media Critic
  • Scriptwriter for TV or Film
  • Creative Writing Professor
  • English Teacher (High School or College)
  • Writing Workshop Instructor
  • Writing Tutor
  • ESL Writing Teacher
  • Grant Writer
  • Fundraising Writer for Nonprofits
  • Public Relations Specialist
  • Communications Coordinator for Social Causes
  • Advocacy Campaign Writer
  • Advertising Copywriter
  • Content Strategist
  • Social Media Manager
  • Brand Storyteller
  • Marketing Communications Specialist
  • Playwright
  • Speechwriter
  • Story Consultant for TV/Film
  • Dialogue Writer for Video Games
  • Director of Writing for Theater
  • Technical Writer
  • Corporate Communications Specialist
  • Instructional Designer
  • User Experience (UX) Writer
  • Proposal Writer for Businesses
  • Literary Magazine Editor
  • Poetry Anthology Curator
  • Arts Program Director
  • Book Reviewer
  • Writing Contest Coordinator

A Creative Writing major teaches you how to turn ideas and emotions into powerful stories across various written forms, including fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction.

You’ll learn to craft compelling narratives, develop memorable characters, and discover your unique voice. Meanwhile, you’ll explore literary techniques and storytelling structures to elevate your writing.

You’ll also sharpen your critical thinking and communication skills, preparing you for careers in writing, publishing, journalism, entertainment, and more. Whether your dream is to write novels, create scripts for film and TV, or produce digital content, this major gives you the tools to make it happen.

By the time you graduate, you’ll be a skilled communicator who can bring stories to life—wherever your creativity takes you.

Explore the diverse career opportunities for Creative Writing majors:

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