Creative Writing

The BFA in Creative Writing offers a comprehensive and rigorous training in the writing of fiction and poetry within a vibrant writing community. Award-winning faculty, a weekly reading series, an annual writers conference, and the opportunity to live in the Arts Village, all provide inspiration and support for original creative work.

Students can also gain experience in editing and publishing through work on Prairie Margins, our undergraduate literary journal, or Mid-American Review, a nationally-distributed literary journal produced at BGSU.

Admission Information

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Quality classroom experiences

The heart of the program is the creative writing workshop, in which students share and discuss their work in a studio setting under the guidance of experienced writers and teachers. The workshop experience is complemented by courses in English literature and pre-professional courses such as Literary Editing and Publishing.

Stand Out in courses like

Craft of Fiction
Graphic Novel Workshop
Modern Poetry
Literary Editing and Publishing

Curriculum

Students take foundational courses in the craft of fiction and poetry; workshops with limited enrollments to ensure individual attention; courses in literature from ancient times to the present; advanced courses in modern and contemporary poetry and fiction; and a course in linguistics. Candidates for graduation complete a BFA thesis in their senior year and present their work at BFA readings.

96.55% of BGSU Creative Writing graduates report they're employed, in graduate school or starting a business within six months of graduation.

Internships and Careers

Our graduates go on to work in libraries, marketing and communications, educational design, editing and publishing, teaching English as a Second Language, technical writing, lobbying, social media management, and more. Some graduates choose to pursue advanced study in Creative Writing and apply for the MFA degree.

Go Far in your career

Writer
Editor
Publisher
Teacher
Marketer

Poems from BGSU's national publication, Mid-American Review, are among those featured on Poetry Daily.

More Information

The Creative Writing program is part of the Department of English in the BGSU College of Arts and Sciences.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in creative writing are expected to:

Use writing effectively—including current modes and evolving techniques and technologies—to explore subject matter and to communicate;
Develop understanding of subject matter in relation to larger historical and/or cultural contexts, including multicultural contexts
Make connections between theory and practice. Students apply theory to understand texts, solve problems, and teach effectively. Students generalize from experiences with texts, communication situations, and teaching situations;
Develop skills of creative and/or critical thinking.

Accreditation

Bowling Green State University [BGSU] is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. BGSU has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 01/01/1916. The most recent reaffirmation of accreditation was received in 2012 - 2013. Questions should be directed to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

The Creative Writing program is accredited by The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) and is in good standing.

More information on accreditation

Professional Licensure

Bowling Green State University programs leading to licensure, certification and/or endorsement, whether delivered online, face-to-face or in a blended format, satisfy the academic requirements for those credentials set forth by the State of Ohio.

Requirements for licensure, certification and/or endorsement eligibility vary greatly from one profession to another and from state to state. The Business Administration program does not lead to professional licensure.

Requirements for licensure, certification and/or endorsement eligibility vary greatly from one profession to another and from state to state. The Creative Writing program leads to professional licensure.

More information on professional licensure

Gainful Employment

Under the Higher Education Act Title IV disclosure requirements, an institution must provide current and prospective students with information about each of its programs that prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

The Creative Writing program is not a recognized occupation that requires a Gainful Employment disclosure.

* Job placement and salary information was compiled by the Office of Academic Assessment through the Graduation Survey from AY2015-2018. The data are gathered around the time of Commencement and a follow-up survey six months post Commencement. For the salary question, data for programs with fewer than fifteen responses are not included. Salaries for those programs are from the National Association of Colleges and Employers Summer 2019 Survey. For questions regarding the data, contact assessment@bgsu.edu.

Updated: 03/04/2021 03:53PM