Major in Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Program has been named one of the most affordable creative writing programs in the the state of Kentucky by creativewritingedu.org.

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Do you spend your free time outlining plots, building worlds, and creating characters? Do you find yourself eavesdropping on conversations at school or the coffee shop, then jotting down a great snippet of dialogue? Do you stay up late trying to capture your emotions in words? Are you interested in writing works that move people to tears or laughter, or that inspire change in the world?

If you answered yes, then a creative writing major is for you. 

The creative writing program at Murray State offers a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree in creative writing, as well as a creative writing minor. Under the guidance of our award-winning faculty, our majors hone their craft in small workshops that offer individualized attention and a vibrant peer community.

Students who major in creative writing may take introductory, intermediate, and advanced courses in fiction (both short fiction and novel writing), nonfiction, and poetry, as well as specialty courses on topics ranging from horror writing to nature poetry. In addition to working closely with our faculty, creative writing majors learn from  other publishing authors who visit campus as part of the annual Murray State Reading Series. Students also have the opportunity to develop their editing skills by working on Notations, the student-run literary journal.

Creative Writing majors are prepared to use their degree in a wide variety of careers, including screenwriting, editing, publishing, technical writing, video game design, marketing, journalism, teaching, business, law, and professional writing. Other creative writing majors attend graduate school to further advance their art. Our graduates have been accepted into MFA programs at Florida State, Hollins, University of Mississippi, Spalding University, University of Tennessee, University of Washington-St. Louis, and elsewhere. Ultimately, creative writers learn many skills that employers find desirable.

If you are interested in pursuing a major or minor in creative writing, we encourage you to visit campus, where you can talk to our faculty, visit a class or two, and see what it's like to be an emerging writer at Murray State. Contact Gwendolyn Paradice (gparadice1@murraystate.edu), our undergraduate creative writing program coordinator, for more information.

B.A./B.S. in English/Creative Writing