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What is a Creative Writing Major?

If you’re reading this, I assume you’re interested in becoming a creative writer. You’ve found a creative writing major online, and you’re wondering what it’s like to study literature and composition for a career. Continue reading for a concise introduction to what a creative writing major is and what it takes to become one.

Keys to a Creative Writing Major

Like many other majors, a creative writing major can teach you a lot of things. While it’s not designed to train you for a specific profession, it can help you develop the following skills:

  • Creative Writing
  • Rhetoric
  • Argumentation
  • History
  • Language
  • The Classics
  • and more …

Comparisons to Other Majors

To give you some perspective on what a creative writing major is like, here are some of its salient features compared to other majors:

  • Lower coursework requirement
  • A wider variety of electives
  • More flexibility in terms of when you fulfill your degree
  • A smaller class size
  • A greater emphasis on critical thinking and problem solving
  • A greater emphasis on writing for both pleasure and profit
  • A greater emphasis on individual creativity
  • A greater emphasis on collaborative learning
  • A greater emphasis on English as a second language
  • More access—both in terms of faculty as well as student resources—to literary works
  • More access to famous writers
  • A greater variety of writing opportunities
  • A greater emphasis on marketing and publishing
  • A greater variety of potential job opportunities
  • A greater variety of potential graduate schools

Keys to Succeeding in a Creative Writing Major

No matter what stage you’re at in life, a creative writing major can teach you a lot about writing and the literary world. To give you a leg up, here are some of the things you should keep in mind if you decide to pursue this route: