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