Journalism vs. English vs. Writing vs. Creative Writing

College Majors Journalism Major
1

<p>As I've been searching various colleges by majors I've begun to wonder about the differences between the subjects listed in the title. </p>

<p>Many lump writing and creative writing into the same, while others english and writing. Then journalism is considered technical writing, but I've also seen it and english together. Then others have them all separately. </p>

<p>I'm interested in finding someone who can tell me what exactly the differences are, or if it depends solely on the college.</p>

2

<p>Aight, writing and creative writing are pretty much the same, and usually they are just minors, though some offer them as majors. </p>

<p>English is more about books, grammar, writing altogether.</p>

<p>Journalism prepares one for a job as a journalist/editor/etc. Not only do students learn how to write well, they also learn how to report well, get the story, etc.</p>

<p>What career are you interested in?</p>

3

<p>^I second what CE527M said, but would also add: </p>

<p>Journalism is only straight-up nonfiction. Creative writing has a bit more freedom with both poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. (Creative writing is often a set of classes/minor within the English department of a school). An English major will likely include classes on the study of literature.</p>

4

<p>Honestly, most of the time it depends on the college. Make sure that for wherever you’re applying, you research the way they treat their majors and departments. I was in your same position, and I applied to English at most schools, but Journalism to a few.</p>

5

<p>Creative writing, journalism, and writing are in fact different areas of study, but how they are presented (as major,minor, or concentration) really does depend on the college. I see a lot of colleges offer the general “English” major which may require a set of standard classes, similar to the University General Education Requirements. After that, they break it down into concentrations, and that’s where the subtopics such as creative writing (writing your own prose, poetry, or personal non-ficition), literature (studying different periods of writing in different areas of the world, reading and analyzing pieces of literature), professional writing (writing for business purposes, may include journalism, will probably work on presentation and public speaking), the English Language (studying the actual language and the rules of grammar) and even drama may come in. These subtopics are sometimes offered as minors as well.</p>

<p>Other colleges do offer the “Writing” and “English” majors as separate areas of study. I believe the writing may deal more with communication and writing styles/techniques , while English may deal more with literary elements, but like I said, it depends on the college.</p>

<p>Often, I see Journalism stand separately from the English category all together. This may be because it involves a lot more than just knowledge of grammar; it includes a media element (which is why it can also be found within the communications department rather than the English department of some universities).</p>

<p>Then there are colleges that just offer the English major. Period. It will probably dibble dabble in these areas.</p>

<p>The English major is a very flexible topic. It can actually be broken down into numerous facets. In fact, George Mason University breaks its English Major into THIRTEEN concentrations. Because this is such a multifarious subject, it depends on the institution on how in depth each subarea is. </p>

<p>When it comes to choosing English as a major/minor, it helps to know what you love about it or what your future endeavors are. Are you a bookworm? Do you enjoy writing poetry or short stories? Do you want to hone your technical writing? Do you want to teach? Thinking about graduate school? Thinking about these questions will greatly help you decide if you want a broad or specialized/centered study in English and which concentration is best for you. </p>

<p>Hope this helps!</p>

6

<p>I’m a journalism major and i’m switching over into Creative Writing. Well, it’s really an English major with a concentration in creative writing. I’ll be studying literature and the classics as well.
It really depends on the college and how much they invest into it. A journalism major will probably offer more than a journalism concentration.</p>