Creative Writing Undergraduate Major (BA, HBA)
This program is available at the following locations:
- Corvallis
- Ecampus
The creative writing major’s disciplinary foundations are the study of the craft of creative writing combined with rigorous study of literature. Students develop their expertise in reading literature in conjunction with their development of writing craft.
The program objectives are to produce majors who can think and write creatively and with imaginative power. They’ll have highly trained analytical, critical, technical, and editorial skills, preparing them for graduate work in a range of fields, from the MFA to law school, or for a job market with an increasing demand for imaginative thinkers and skilled writers who can construct masterful, meaningful narratives.
Major Code: 092
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Analyze craft in a variety of forms, genres, and cultural contexts.
- Apply aesthetic principles to their own creative work.
- Critique the work of peers in oral and/or written feedback.
- Apply practices of revision to produce polished and/or publishable manuscripts.
- Interpret a wide variety of literature and genres (may include visual material and inter-cultural texts) using a range of theoretical and interpretive strategies including close reading, and write effective arguments about these texts.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core | ||
| ENG 304 | +CAREER PATHWAYS FOR ENGLISH AND WRITING MAJORS | 2 |
| WR 224 | +*INTRODUCTION TO FICTION WRITING | 3 |
| WR 240 | +*INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING | 3 |
| WR 241 | +*INTRODUCTION TO POETRY WRITING | 3 |
| WR 462 | ^ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING | 4 |
| WR 474 | +THE WRITING AND RHETORIC OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY | 4 |
| Select two 200-level ENG courses: | 8 | |
| *SHAKESPEARE | ||
| *SHAKESPEARE | ||
| *SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE: BEGINNINGS TO 1660 | ||
| *SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE: RESTORATION TO ROMANTIC ERA | ||
| *SURVEY OF BRITISH LITERATURE: VICTORIAN ERA TO 20TH CENTURY | ||
| LITERATURE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION: CLASSICAL-RENAISSANCE | ||
| *LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: ASIA | ||
| +*LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: AFRICA | ||
| +*LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN | ||
| *LITERATURES OF THE WORLD: MIDDLE EAST | ||
| *LITERATURE OF THE WORLD: EUROPE | ||
| +*CLASSICAL MYTHOLOGY | ||
| *TOPICS IN DIFFERENCE, POWER, AND DISCRIMINATION | ||
| +*AFRICAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE | ||
| CHILDREN'S LITERATURE | ||
| *INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL LITERATURE | ||
| *SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE: COLONIAL TO 1900 | ||
| *SURVEY OF AMERICAN LITERATURE: 1900 TO PRESENT | ||
| *LITERATURE OF AMERICAN MINORITIES | ||
| *THE BIBLE AS LITERATURE | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS | ||
| Upper Division (36 credits) | ||
| Select two courses from the following: | 8 | |
| SHORT STORY WRITING | ||
| CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING | ||
| POETRY WRITING | ||
| Select two courses from the following that align with the genre areas selected at the 300-level: | 8 | |
| ADVANCED FICTION WRITING | ||
| ADVANCED CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING | ||
| ADVANCED POETRY WRITING | ||
| Select two upper-division ENG courses from the following: | 8 | |
| *THE AMERICAN NOVEL: BEGINNINGS TO CHOPIN | ||
| *THE AMERICAN NOVEL: MODERNIST PERIOD | ||
| *THE AMERICAN NOVEL: POST-WORLD WAR II | ||
| *STUDIES IN PAGE, STAGE, AND SCREEN | ||
| *STUDIES IN WORD, OBJECT, AND IMAGE | ||
| *STUDIES IN GLOBALISM, TEXT, AND EVENT | ||
| *THE HOLOCAUST IN LITERATURE AND FILM | ||
| *NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE | ||
| *AMERICAN WOMEN WRITERS | ||
| THE ENGLISH NOVEL: VICTORIAN PERIOD | ||
| STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE | ||
| STUDIES IN LITERATURE 1700-1900 | ||
| STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE | ||
| STUDIES IN LITERATURE AFTER 1900 | ||
| STUDIES IN MODERN IRISH LITERATURE | ||
| STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND THE ENVIRONMENT | ||
| ^STUDIES IN AMERICAN LITERATURE | ||
| WRITING, LITERATURE AND MEDICINE | ||
| HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE | ||
| Electives | ||
| Select three upper-division courses in ENG, WR or FILM (if not used above) | 12 | |
| Additional Requirements | ||
| Remaining Core Ed, CLA Core, BA and Electives | 117 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in a catalog year up to 2024-2025
- +
Core Education course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2025-2026 and beyond
- ^
Writing Intensive Curriculum (WIC) course
Major Code: 092
Degree plans are subject to change and the following is only an example of how students may complete their degree in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best degree plan for them. Contact details for advisors can be found on the Academic Advising page.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| WR 121Z | +*COMPOSITION I | 4 |
| 200-Level ENG Course | 3-4 | |
| Core Ed: Transitions | 2 | |
| Language 111 | 4 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| 200-Level ENG Course | 3-4 | |
| Core Ed: Communication, Media & Society | 3-4 | |
| Core Ed: Social Science | 3-4 | |
| Language 112 | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WR 241 | +*INTRODUCTION TO POETRY WRITING | 3 |
| Core Ed: Difference, Power & Oppression Foundations | 3-4 | |
| Core Ed: Quantitative Literacy & Analysis | 4 | |
| Language 113 | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| WR 224 | +*INTRODUCTION TO FICTION WRITING | 3 |
| Core Education: Arts & Humanities Global | 3-4 | |
| Core Ed: Scientific Inquiry & Analysis | 4 | |
| Language 211 | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| WR 240 | +*INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING | 3 |
| Core Ed: Seeking Solutions | 3-4 | |
| Core Ed: Writing Elevation | 3-4 | |
| Language 212 | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| Upper-Division ENG Course | 4 | |
| Core Ed: Scientific Inquiry & Analysis | 4 | |
| Language 213 | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| WR 324 | SHORT STORY WRITING or CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING or POETRY WRITING | 4 |
| Upper-Division ENG Course | 4 | |
| CLA Core: Social Science | 3-4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| ENG 304 | +CAREER PATHWAYS FOR ENGLISH AND WRITING MAJORS | 2 |
| WR 341 | POETRY WRITING or SHORT STORY WRITING or CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING | 4 |
| CLA Core: Fine Arts | 3-4 | |
| CLA Core: Additional Course | 3-4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| WR 424 | ADVANCED FICTION WRITING or ADVANCED CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING or ADVANCED POETRY WRITING | 4 |
| WR 462 | ^ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING | 4 |
| CLA Core: Non-Western Culture | 3-4 | |
| CLA Core: Humanities | 3-4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| WR 440 | ADVANCED CREATIVE NONFICTION WRITING or ADVANCED FICTION WRITING or ADVANCED POETRY WRITING | 4 |
| WR 474 | +THE WRITING AND RHETORIC OF CRITICAL RACE THEORY | 4 |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Winter | ||
| Upper-Division ENG, WR or FILM | 4 | |
| Upper-Division ENG, WR or FILM | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Upper-Division ENG, WR or FILM | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 4 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in a catalog year up to 2024-2025
- +
Core Education course. Applies to general education requirements for undergraduate students in catalog year 2025-2026 and beyond
- ^
Writing Intensive Curriculum (WIC) course