Best Creative Writing colleges in the U.S. 2025
Creative writing is about artistically sharing emotions, thoughts, and opinions on a subject; not just relaying information. Courses include American literature, editing and proofing, fundamentals of writing, world literature, Shakespeare, screenwriting fundamentals, fiction fundamentals, writing nonfiction, and poetry writing. Creative writing covers both nonfiction and fiction, but the predominant types of creative writing are poetry and fiction, which includes novels, short stories, novellas, and flash fiction. Playwriting, screenwriting, journaling, and memoirs are other typical forms.
Students will learn how to use written language to communicate more clearly in their professional and personal lives and move beyond proficient mechanics to writing craftily in an attempt to evoke emotions and express points of view. Careers for creative writers?outside of being a creative writer?include blogger, journalist, composition teacher, copywriter, scriptwriter, and novelist. Creative writers must understand the importance of deadlines and have well-researched writing samples in order to move up the career ladder. The median annual wage of writers and authors was more than $50,000 in May 2010. Religious, professional, and civic industries employed the most writers followed by newspapers and book industries. Creative writers may also be freelance writers. Freelance writers are self-employed individuals who make a living selling their content to publishers. They may simultaneously work on multiple assignments for numerous companies depending on individual financial goals.
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Brown University offers 3 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2023, 62 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 39 Bachelor's degrees, and 23 Master's degrees.
Northwestern University offers 3 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a small city. In 2023, 13 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 12 Master's degrees, and 1 Bachelor's degree.
Johns Hopkins University offers 4 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 102 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 74 Master's degrees, 26 Bachelor's degrees, and 2 Certificates.
University of Notre Dame offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2023, 9 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 9 Master's degrees.
University of Southern California offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 41 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 41 Bachelor's degrees.
University of Virginia-Main Campus offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize suburb. In 2023, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Master's degrees.
Columbia University in the City of New York offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 166 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 133 Master's degrees, and 33 Bachelor's degrees.
Cornell University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a small city. In 2023, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Master's degrees.
Vanderbilt University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Master's degrees.
The University of Texas at Austin offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2023, 98 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 79 Certificates, and 19 Master's degrees.
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List of all Creative Writing colleges in the U.S.
| School | Average Tuition | Student Teacher Ratio | Enrolled Students | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Brown University Providence, RI | 12 : 1 | 11,516 | |
|
Northwestern University Evanston, IL | 15 : 1 | 23,203 | |
|
Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD | 21 : 1 | 30,362 | |
|
University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | 10 : 1 | 13,174 | |
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University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | 22 : 1 | 47,147 | |