Creative Writing Degree Online Bachelor of Arts

Aspiring authors and storytellers who are looking for a way to gain inspiration and foster their imaginations will find the online Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and English with a concentration in Fiction Writing to be the perfect balance of craft and critical analysis.

This BA program emphasizes the craft of fiction writing and helps you develop an appreciation for all forms of fiction while honing your writing skills and philosophy of composition. You'll gain insights into publishing technologies and the industry as you enhance your understanding of plot, narrative voice and character.

When focusing on fiction writing, it's critical to get a solid foundation in the broader scope of creative writing. This comprehensive program gives you a powerful understanding of plot, character development, narrative voice and other mechanics of creative writing.

Explore your creative boundaries and perfect your craft for the kind of fiction writing you want to bring to life. Because when you study fiction writing at Southern New Hampshire University, you can dive deeper into the genre you want to create. From fantasy to sci-fi and mystery to young adult, you can embrace the style of writing that you're drawn to.

The BA program's format encourages collaboration and direct interaction with faculty and peers. You'll also have the chance to get published and learn from experienced authors through The Penmen Review, our own online journal for writers.

Career outlook:

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median 2019 salary for writers and authors was $63,200.¹

The BLS notes that a degree is typically required for a full-time writing position.

Courses may include:

• New Media: Writing and Publishing
• Fiction Writing Workshop
• Intermediate Fiction Writing Workshop
• Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop

Discover your niche with a nonfiction writing degree online at Southern New Hampshire University. Our Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and English with a concentration in Nonfiction delves into a wide variety of styles and subjects – everything from the personal essay to the autobiography, memoir, travel writing and magazine features.

Our creative writing online program will help you combine research and reflection with compelling storytelling while developing your voice. You'll also gain insights into publishing technologies and the industry. Explore your creative boundaries and perfect your craft with a nonfiction writing degree online.

A solid foundation in the broader scope of creative writing is critical to the craft of nonfiction writing. In our comprehensive nonfiction writing program, you'll acquire a powerful understanding of research, narrative voice and other mechanics of creative writing. The online nonfiction writing degree program's format encourages collaboration and ongoing interaction with faculty and peers.

You'll also have the chance to get published and learn from experienced authors through The Penmen Review, our own online journal for writers.

Career outlook:

The median 2019 salary for writers and authors was $63,200, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.¹

Opportunities for nonfiction writing are everywhere, from business to publishing, magazines, newspapers, books and the internet.

Courses may include:

• New Media: Writing and Publishing
• Nonfiction Writing Workshop
• Intermediate Nonfiction Writing Workshop
• Advanced Nonfiction Writing Workshop

The online Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing with a concentration in Poetry degree program is an opportunity for aspiring poets to find inspiration, engagement and creative collaboration with peers and faculty alike. Our specialized program enables you to hone your craft and unleash your imagination, helping you create imagery in verse.

While a poetry degree is valuable in and of itself, it can also prepare you for many professional paths. You can explore careers in creative writing, advertising, journalism, publishing and advertising copywriting. Southern New Hampshire University also offers an online Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing with a concentration in Poetry.

As a student in our poetry degree online program, you'll begin taking writing courses during your first year. You'll also have the chance to get published and learn from experienced authors through The Penmen Review, our own online journal for writers.

Career outlook:

Careers paths with a BA in creative writing include work as a creative writer, advertising copywriter, journalist, publisher or poet.

Courses may include:

• New Media: Writing and Publishing
• Poetry Writing Workshop
• Intermediate Poetry Writing Workshop
• Advanced Poetry Writing Workshop

Whether you have dreams of writing blockbusters, developing documentaries or working with other writers on sitcoms, the online BA in Creative Writing and English with a concentration in Screenwriting is an excellent way to hone your writing skills and put your passion to work.

The classes in this specialized screenwriting degree online are based on a comprehensive study of creative writing, with a special focus on story structure, character development and the visual medium of film. You'll have the opportunity to explore all of the forms that screenwriting takes – feature-length and short films, television episodes and miniseries, commercial and internet-based video.

While creative writing is at the core of this program, your screenwriting classes will place a special emphasis on visual storytelling. Designed by experienced and distinguished faculty, this creative writing program will give you a powerful understanding of how story, character, theme, action, visuals and dialogue intertwine to create a visual moment in time.

The format for the screenwriting degree online program encourages collaboration and direct interaction with faculty and peers. You'll also have the chance to get published and learn from experienced authors through The Penmen Review, our own online journal for writers.

Career outlook:

Blockbuster movies, independent films and shorts, commercials, television dramas and sitcoms all rest their success on the backbone of their scripts.

Screenwriters have lots of options when it comes to navigating their careers. You could pursue independent work and make your stories come to life – or you could develop scripts for specific projects that need a writer's touch.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, writers and authors earned a median salary of $63,200 in 2019.¹

Courses may include:

• New Media: Writing and Publishing
• Introduction to Screenwriting Workshop
• Intermediate Screenwriting Workshop
• Advanced Screenwriting Workshop

Flexible

With no set class meeting times, you can learn on your schedule and access online course materials 24/7.

Affordable

Take advantage of some of the lowest online tuition rates in the nation, plus financial aid for those who qualify. We also make it easy to transfer to SNHU by accepting up to 90 credits from your previous institution.

Respected

Founded in 1932, Southern New Hampshire University is a private, nonprofit institution with over 100,000 graduates across the country. SNHU is regionally accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE), which advocates for institutional improvement and public assurance of quality.

Recently, SNHU has been nationally recognized for leading the way toward more innovative, affordable and achievable education:

• “Most Innovative” regional university honors from U.S. News & World Report each year since 2015
• A $1 million grant from Google.org to explore soft skills assessments for high-need youth
• Recognition as a 2017 Digital Learning Innovator by the Online Learning Consortium

Network

At Southern New Hampshire University, you'll have access to a powerful network of more than 200,000 students, alumni and staff that can help support you long after graduation. Our instructors offer relevant, real-world expertise to help you understand and navigate the field. Plus, with our growing, nationwide alumni network, you'll have the potential to tap into a number of internship and career opportunities.

Opportunities

You'll have the chance to share your work with the vibrant creative writing community at SNHU:

• The Penmen Review, our online journal that accepts submissions 12 times a year
• Word for Word, a bimonthly livestream event featuring published writers reading from their work
• Fall Fiction Contest, a short-story competition that offers SNHU scholarships among its prizes
• Student Writers Spotlight, a livestream reading showcasing the best of SNHU's creative writing students

96.5% of students would recommend SNHU.² Discover why SNHU may be right for you.

Part of our mission to expand access to quality higher education means removing the barriers that may stand between you and your degree. That’s why you can apply at any time and get a decision within days of submitting all required materials.

Acceptance decisions are made on a rolling basis throughout the year for our 6 (8-week) undergraduate terms.

Simply contact an admission counselor, who can help you explore financial options, answer all your questions and walk you through the application process. Start by:

• Completing a free undergraduate application
• Providing previous institutions attended – so we can retrieve transcripts for you at no cost

Test scores are not required as part of your application.

There are a wide variety of writing degrees that can help prepare you for your ideal writing career, including a BA in Creative Writing and graduate programs such as our master's in English and Creative Writing,  online MFA, and low-residency MFA in fiction or non-fiction.

A creative writing bachelor’s degree will give you a strong foundation of writing skills and help you hone your craft. You’ll also gain a better understanding of the publishing industry and build a portfolio of writing samples you can use when applying for jobs.

SNHU's creative writing degree offers 4 concentrations to help you focus on a specific genre, improve your knowledge, develop genre-specific skills and help you become more marketable in the workforce.

“It’s important to have a degree in writing or English because you’ll learn how to write properly and get practice writing in all different forms,” said Anne-Marie Yerks, adjunct faculty for the MFA in fiction writing program at Southern New Hampshire University. “You also need a degree so that people will respect what you do and feel confident about hiring you.”

As a creative writing major, you'll build a strong understanding of the English language and learn how to use the elements of storytelling to write everything from nonfiction essays to poetry.

But writing won't be your only subject of study. You'll also read well-known literature, analyzing the work of writers like Shakespeare to inspire and inform your own writing.

You'll learn from professors with real-world experience as authors, publishers and literary critics and will explore the workings of the publishing industry.

As a creative writing major, you'll graduate with the key critical thinking, communication and collaboration skills you need for a career as a journalist, editor, copywriter, author and more.

The best writing degree is the one that helps you prepare for the job you want and gives you a strong foundation of writing skills and experience.

At Southern New Hampshire University, creative writing students dive deep into the English language and great works of literature. By reading and analyzing great works of literature, you'll be able to learn the art of storytelling and develop your own writing style.

Interested in a particular writing career? Degree concentrations allow you to focus your learning on a specific genre of creative writing and can give you a leg up when applying to writing jobs.

If you dream about becoming a novelist, a bachelor’s degree in fiction writing will prepare you for a life of storytelling, helping you hone your writing skills and enhance your understanding of plot, narrative voice and character.

A bachelor’s degree in nonfiction writing can prepare you for a career as a journalist, author or communications manager, helping you combine research and observation with compelling storytelling.

If poetry is your passion, a creative writing bachelor’s degree with a poetry concentration will help you develop your personal style and build a portfolio. You’ll study the poetry of others and regularly write, read and critique poems with your peers in poetry workshops.

A screenwriting degree offers a special focus on story structure, character development and the visual medium of film. You’ll explore writing for feature-length and short films, television episodes, commercials and internet-based video.

It depends. SNHU’s creative writing bachelor’s degree program requires 120 course credits to graduate and typically takes about 4 years to complete.

If you’ve attended college before, you may be able to transfer credits to your degree program and save time (and money). We accept up to 90 transfer credits toward your program here, with free transfer credit evaluations that let you see how your existing credits can be applied to your new degree.

It's also important to consider your other responsibilities. If you can attend school full time and take on a full course load each semester, you’ll complete your degree faster. If you work full time or have a family and need to fit your learning into an already busy schedule, you may need to complete your degree at a slower pace.

Starting a writing career doesn’t have to mean becoming an author. In fact, writers are needed across a variety of industries, from business and entertainment to engineering and marketing.

Some writing jobs¹ you may explore include:

• Author: Use storytelling skills to write everything from children’s books and novels to biographies, essays and memoirs.
• Editor: Apply your understanding of the written word to plan, review and revise content for publication in books, periodicals or online platforms.
• Copywriter: Promote a product, service or organization with content for advertisements, marketing campaigns or websites.
• Journalist: Research topics, investigate story ideas and interview sources to write compelling nonfiction articles for newspapers, magazines, blogs and television news programs.
• Screenwriter: Use the power of writing to create visual and auditory experiences for everything from major blockbuster films to television episodes and commercials.
• Speechwriter: Write speeches for business leaders, politicians and others, using words to engage with and move an audience.
• Technical writer: Prepare instruction manuals and how-to guides to clearly communicate complex ideas and technical information.

Of course. Screenwriting requires a strong foundation of writing skills and creativity to take a film, television episode or commercial from an idea to the screen.

Screenwriters are the storytellers of the entertainment industry. As a screenwriter, you’ll use character, dialogue, setting and other visuals to engage an audience.

A screenwriting degree can help set you apart from others in the industry and give you the skills you need to bring a story to life on screen.

For Yvette Freeman '15, an actor known for her roles on shows like “ER,” “Days of Our Lives,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “Pretty Little Liars,” earning an online screenwriting degree at SNHU was critical to her move from acting into screenwriting.

“Everybody in Hollywood has a screenplay in their drawer,” said Freeman. “I want to pull mine out and get them made. No more hiding.”

¹ Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, on the internet, at:

• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/writers-and-authors.htm (viewed June 9, 2020)
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/editors.htm (viewed Feb. 5, 2020)
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/reporters-correspondents-and-broadcast-news-analysts.htm (viewed Feb. 5, 2020)
• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/media-and-communication/technical-writers.htm (viewed Feb. 5, 2020)

Cited projections may not reflect local and/or short-term economic or job conditions and do not guarantee actual job growth.

² According to more than 9,200 SNHU online students in survey responses from the fall of 2019.