Mar 29, 2024  
2014-2015 University Catalog 
    
2014-2015 University Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Creative Writing, BA


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About the Program

Creative writing majors focus on writing poetry, fiction, or drama. In addition to the required five courses in writing, students take six or more courses in either literature or linguistics. Creative writing is appropriate for students who love to write and who do so no matter what. Many students choose to double major in creative writing and professional writing.

Points of Pride

  • The Purdue Department of English holds an annual High School Creative Writing Award which includes cash prizes presented at the annual Literary Awards Banquet.
  • The creative writing major at Purdue offers an intimate program (around 70 undergraduate students), and the creative writing faculty all know their students well.
  • The Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) offers a vast library of resources ranging from style guides to instructional material to assist Purdue students. OWL also is an international resource, with a Web site that receives nearly 100 million hits a year from more than 125 different countries.
  • Sycamore Review, a nonprofit journal for the arts, was founded in 1988 and is published twice annually by Purdue University’s Department of English.
  • Books and Coffee is held on campus each Thursday in February. Coffee and tea are available, followed by a half-hour talk about a selected work. The series is highly attended by faculty, staff, and students.
  • Purdue has several student organizations for English students which include the Student English Association, Haraka Writers, and the Professional Writers Club.

Careers

Most students in this major want to pursue a career as a writer of poetry, drama, or fiction. Many plan to attend graduate school to hone their skill and further develop their art. Other students will take jobs in industry while pursuing their writing as an avocation. An English major (including the creative writing major) learns many skills that employers find desirable, which may lead them to jobs in publishing, marketing, management, etc.

Summary of Program Requirements

The Summary of Program Requirements for Creative Writing  is a comprehensive list of those categories which a student must fulfill in order to earn their degree. Unlike the full Detailed Program Requirements listed below, complete lists of selectives for any given category are not shown. These summaries are intended to be printer-friendly and less expansive in detail.

Detailed Program Requirements

Please see below for detailed program requirements and possible selective fulfillments.

English-BA
CRTV
120 Credits

Creative Writing Major Requirements (30 credits)


Creative Writing Major Requirements

Prerequisite


Required Creative Writing Courses (30 credits)


Note

All Creative Writing courses except ENGL 20500 , ENGL 31600 , and ENGL 31700  may be repeated once by Creative Writing majors for credit; English ENGL 58900  may be taken only after two courses in the following list have been completed: ENGL 40700 , ENGL 40900 , ENGL 50700 , 50800, and ENGL 50900 . (The 40000 and 50000 level courses should be taken in order in any given genre; exceptions are granted by the permission of instructor.)

Area B - Literature/Linguistics Courses, at least 12 of which must be at the 30000 level or higher (18 credit hours)


Other Departmental /Program Course Requirements (54-56 credits)


Other Departmental /Program Course Requirements

Electives (34-36 credits)


University Core Requirements


  • Human Cultures Humanities
  • Human Cultures Behavioral/Social Science
  • Information Literacy
  • Science #1
  • Science #2
  • Science, Technology, and Society
  • Written Communication
  • Oral Communication
  • Quantitative Reasoning

Program Requirements


Fall 1st Year


15-17 Credits


Spring 1st Year


15-16 Credits


Fall 2nd Year


  • (Aesth Aware.)
  • SLC 20100 - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Natural Science Lab - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Individual & Society - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • ENGL Literature Prerequisite - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-16 Credits


Spring 2nd Year


  • ENGL REQ A - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • ENGL REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • SLC 20200 - Credit Hours: 3.00 - 4.00
  • Natural Science - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Racial & Ethnic Diversity - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-16 Credits


Fall 3rd Year


  • ENGL REQ A - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • ENGL REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Global Perspectives - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Gender Issues - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 3rd Year


  • ENGL REQ A - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • ENGL REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Social Ethics - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Fall 4th Year


  • ENGL REQ A - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • ENGL REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Other Cultures - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Spring 4th Year


  • ENGL REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • ENGL REQ B - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00
  • Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits


Note


120 semester credits required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

2.0 Graduation GPA required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

32 credit hours at 30000 level or higher required for Bachelor of Arts degree.

Degree Requirements


The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements.

Degree Works is knowledge source for specific requirements and completion

Foreign Language Courses


Foreign Language proficiency requirements vary by program.  For acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor:

American Sign Language, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, (ancient) Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Critical Course


The ♦ course is considered critical. A Critical Course is one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major.

Expired Course


Any course without a link to its description is one that has been expired.  However, this course could fulfill the degree requirement historically.

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