Creative Writing Minor

Creating Writing Minor - hands writing

As one of the oldest writing programs in the United States, the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh has an excellent record of not only producing talented creative writers but also developing the writing skills of undergraduates who go on to work in a variety of professions, including journalism, law, and publishing. 

The Minor in Creative Writing was created in response to numerous students expressing their interest in writing but their main major required too much of a commitment for them to take on a second major. The Minor fulfills a need that is different from the certificate in Public and Professional Writing, with its particular focus on writing in commercial, nonprofit, government, and legal environments, and the Writing Major, which requires a more substantial commitment of time and study. 

According to many different sources (CEOs, personnel, and graduate school committees), the students who write well – no matter what their major might be – are the students who get noticed by employers. The kind of self-examination that the practice of writing encourages, as well as the ability to organize information into narrative, expressive and communicative forms, will always make candidates stand out.  Furthermore, the Writing Program hopes to also attract students who might want to work at the intersections of, say, Neuroscience and the Humanities, or students who want to think about and articulate the kind of complex relationships a more connected world creates. 

The Creative Writing Minor (18 credits) 

A student must complete 18 credits of English writing courses, with a 3-course concentration in one of the tracks. (A student can declare both a major and a minor in different tracks, provided that they do not overlap courses. Completion of both programs requires 51 credits.) 

This course is required: 

ENGWRT 0400 Introduction to Creative Writing 

Choose one of the following groups of courses: 

ENGWRT 0520 Introduction to Fiction 
ENGWRT 1010 Intermediate Fiction 
ENGWRT 1094 Readings in Contemporary Fiction 

ENGWRT 0530 Introduction to Poetry 
ENGWRT 1210 Intermediate Poetry 
ENGWRT 1290 Readings in Contemporary Poetry 

ENGWRT 0610 Introduction to Journalism and Nonfiction 
ENGWRT 1330 Intermediate Nonfiction 
ENGWRT 1390 Readings in Contemporary Nonfiction 

Choose two ENGWRT electives at the 500 level or above, which may include the following: 

ENGWRT 0520 Introduction to Fiction 
ENGWRT 0530 Introduction to Poetry 
ENGWRT 0610 Introduction to Journalism and Nonfiction 
ENGWRT 1090 Mastering Point of View 
ENGWRT 1091 Autobiography and the Creative Impulse 
ENGWRT 1092 The Writer’s Journal 
ENGWRT 1093 Development of a Writer 
ENGWRT 1095 Topics in Fiction 
ENGWRT 1101 Sentence Shop 
ENGWRT 1293 Topics in Poetry 
ENGWRT 1399 Topics in NF: Newspaper 
ENGWRT 1401 Topics in NF: Magazine Writing 
ENGWRT 1402 Topics in NF: Structures and Techniques 
ENGWRT 1403 Topics in NF: Electronic Media 
ENGWRT 1501 Topics in Creative Writing 
ENGWRT 1650 Playwriting  

Click here to view the Major & Minor Requirements Checklist