Students in Drake's Creative Writing major collaborate on a project in a common area

Creative Writing and Writing Studies Major

Great writers are great thinkers. At a time when all the world’s information is at your fingertips, Creative Writing and Writing Studies majors at Drake learn to engage with it.

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College of Arts & Sciences | On-Campus

What You'll Learn

The act of putting pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) is often the last step in the writing process. And to get there, you’ll first need to cultivate your curiosity, your imagination, and your analytical powers.

As a Creative Writing and Writing Studies major at Drake University, you’ll tap each of these skills while also developing a passion for literature and media. While this major can position you for a life in letters, it also sharpens how you observe and communicate in ways that will pay dividends in whatever career you choose. Critical thinking and effective writing skills will set you apart from the pack in a multitude of professions.

In addition to small classes and one-on-one collaboration with faculty, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the curriculum toward your interests and goals—even fulfilling requirements with courses outside the department.

About the Creative Writing and Writing Studies Major

Study literary traditions and genres, and ways of using language as an exploratory tool and force for change.
Delve into the professional side of writing, learning to adapt to different mediums and styles, and putting your skills to practice with a Writing internship.
Engage with visiting writers during our annual Susan Glaspell Writers & Critics Series.
Help other Bulldogs improve their writing as a tutor in the Writing Center.
Participate in international study seminars in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Pair this flexible degree with a concentration, second major, or minor in another area of interest.

Program Facts

On campus
120 total credits; 36 credits for the major
Four years to completion
Full-time only

B.A. in Creative Writing and Writing Studies

After completing a core of five lower-division literature classes, you’ll select at least five upper-level courses in areas such as fiction writing, poetry, and autobiography and memoir.

Creative Writing and Writing Studies Minor

Refine your communication skills in this minor, designed to complement majors in numerous disciplines. The Writing minor requires at least six English courses, including Writing Seminar.

Interdisciplinary Concentrations

Branch out while critically examining our world with a minor in Black Diaspora Studies or a concentration in Women's and Gender Studies.

Jeffrey Karnicky

Professor, English; Department Chair, English

Jeanette Tran

Associate Professor, English

Susan Glaspell Writers & Critics Series

Meet and work with high-profile writers who visit campus as part of this annual series. Recent guests include Alison Bechdel, George Saunders, Ocean Vuong, Denise Frohman, and Anthony Cody.

A Creative Writing student works on an assignment in a common area on the Drake campus

Internships

Use your talents to help area non-profits through a Writing internship. You’ll collaborate closely with faculty advisors as you edit publications, conduct interviews, and complete other communication-related tasks.

Study Abroad

The English department’s seminars in the U.K. and South Africa let you explore the influences and locations behind literary cornerstones. In addition, many English and Creative Writing and Writing Studies majors study literature, language, and culture in places such as Australia, Argentina, and Italy.

A Drake Creative Writing student explains an idea in an animated way to a group of students seated around a circle in chairs

Service Learning

Writing can be a powerful tool for good. Our classes routinely incorporate service learning into the curriculum, where you’ll learn how to craft compelling messages and motivate readers to action.

Drake Community Press

Since 2014, the DCP has published books about issues important to Iowans. Student editorial interns play a crucial part in the process, contributing to writing, research, editing, and organizational tasks.

Drake students attend a heavily packed meeting that showcases on-campus clubs and professional organizations

Student Organizations

Writing students submit poetry, fiction, essays, and art to Periphery, Drake’s student-led art and literary journal. You could also join Sigma Tau Delta, Drake’s chapter of the international English honor society.

Careers & Skills

Writing is everywhere. So are Drake Creative Writing and Writing Studies majors: while some make their mark as professional novelists, poets, or playwrights, we expect most of our students will use their skills to build careers in fields that value writing and communication.

Effective writing and critical literacy are central to any role or industry where communication, persuasion, and collaboration are essential, including politics, legal studies, management, teaching, medicine, and public relations. In addition, a Creative Writing degree prepares you for graduate study in fields as diverse as English, creative writing, and law.

Opportunities

Advertising
Communications
Advocacy work
Journalism
Teaching
Law
Speechwriting

Skills

Learn to read and write imaginatively, critically, and analytically.
Become adept at collaborating with others, as you share your work and strengthen it through dialogue, and critique.
Develop culturally aware use of language, reflecting on change as it happens and adapting your habits when necessary.
Use language to better understand yourself and your world, as an exploratory writer and inquisitive reader.
Become a reflective and informed reader, able to generate and pursue complex questions of language’s meanings and uses.
Take pleasure in the play of language and other representational, symbolic systems of thought and expression.

Two Drake Creative Writing students discuss an assignment while standing around a laptop in a common area

Salary & Growth Outlook

Median salary for editors in 2024. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

“My time in the Drake English Department has taught me how to question and read deeper—to find the many interwoven elements that make writing magical. Now knowing, I can translate to doing, adding dimension and intention to my own writing.”

Karin Berdahl, AS‘23

Take the Next Step

Tap your creativity, curiosity, and critical thinking while learning to share those ideas with others in the Creative Writing and Writing Studies program at Drake.

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A Drake Creative Writing major smiles while typing an assignment on their laptop