Best Schools for Undergrad Creative Writing?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>What schools do you think have the best creative writing programs for undergraduates? A lot of people have thrown around U of Iowa, but I'm pretty sure that's only well-known for its graduate program. I'd also prefer if the school had a journalism program that I could double major in, since I'd like to be an editor for some publication as well as a novelist... unfortunately, this rules out Sarah Lawrence, a school that I adore. My top school is NYU, but they only have a creative writing minor and I don't hear many good things about it. I've looked at SUNY Purchase, Susquehanna and a couple of UCs... any other suggestions? I'd appreciate the help so much!</p>

<p>Thanks in advance.</p>

2

<p>You might want to look at Kenyon - excellent writing and English program plus students can work on the Kenyon Review, giving you some great editorial experience.
Other schools to consider: Gettysburg in PA, Knox in Illinois, Washington College in MD, Johns Hopkins in MD, Emerson in Boston, the University of Redlands (CA). But there are obviously many others out there as well.
If you want a larger school, look at Syracuse University - excellent journalism school and a strong creative writing program as well. Northwestern and USC might be worth checking out as well. Good luck!</p>

3

<p>Carnegie Mellon has a wonderful program.
<a href="http://english.cmu.edu/degrees/ba_cw/ba_cw.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://english.cmu.edu/degrees/ba_cw/ba_cw.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

4

<p>If you're female, you may want to look at Hollins in Virginia. No journalism program, but their creative writing program is amazing and highly regarded. Here's a list of all of the published authors that have graduated from Hollins: <a href="http://www.hollins.edu/grad/eng_writing/books/bookfrm.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.hollins.edu/grad/eng_writing/books/bookfrm.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

5

<p>Columbia has a really good Creative Writing and Journalism progam, especially for Graduate, but they have an excellent undergrad program too.</p>

6

<p>I second Columbia. I don't know if UNC has an undergraduate creative writing program, but I do know that it has a great journalism program. </p>

<p>UVa recently created a Media Studies Program a few years back that focuses on video, web, and print media. Regarding Creative Writing, eventhough I frown upon the US News rankings, the last time they ranked Creative Writing Programs, UVA was #4. Professors in the program include Anne Beattie, Gregory Orr as well as Pulitzer prize winners like Charles Wright and Rita Dove. Dove is also a 2-time U.S. Poet Laureate. Furthermore, this year 3 UVa grads garnered top honors. Franz Wright ('80) won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for "Walking to Martha's Vineyard." Edward P. Jones ('81) won the Pulitzer for Fiction for "The Known World." (Jones also won a MacArthur "genius" Award a couple months ago.) Lastly, Lisa Williams ('96) won a 2004 Rome Prize Fellowship in literature to study poetry in Italy.</p>

7

<p>columbia's is only grad for journalism though. I second Kenyon, there aren't many LAC's that can rival it's english department</p>

8

<p>UC Irvine has an excellent MFA program in creative writing, so some of that must trickle down to the undergrad program.</p>

9

<p>Don't always assume that, while I'm sure it's not a bad program, oftentimes money is spent on the grad program and just the grad program. So be careful with that assumption,</p>

10

<p>Mills College, women only, in the Bay area is supposed to have a pretty good program.
Yet another vote for Kenyon. Something in the back of my mind says Oberlin may be pretty good and I know that NYU has conservatory-style film/stage writing program.</p>

11

<p>Emmerson? I'm not sure if they have a creative writing program but they're overall good in the communications fields which might have a creative writing major / and journalism major</p>