Opportunities
You can take an introduction to publishing course, which produces the award-winning Summit Avenue Review, our literary magazine.
Bachelor of Arts in English – Creative Writing
Have you dreamed of publishing a novel? The University of St. Thomas offers an English degree with a creative writing emphasis, allowing you to cultivate your writing skills in a number of genres. Along with rigorous coursework, we offer a number of opportunities to learn more about publishing and writing throughout your college career, setting you up for long-term success.
Why Study English – Creative Writing at St. Thomas?
In addition to studying various forms of literature, you will take a four-course sequence focusing on the development of your own creative work. From studying poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction to participating in a workshop course empowering you to design and publish a literary magazine, our program will provide you with practical tools to be successful after graduation. Our graduates work in many different fields, including editing, publishing, journalism, law, medicine and engineering.
Thinking Creatively
Course Requirements
In addition to a gateway course introducing you to English studies, you will take literature classes focusing on historical perspectives and different genres. You will then integrate a four-course sequence moving toward more focused work within genres piquing your interest.
Four-Year Plan
We want you to pursue your passions. We developed a sample four-year plan for you to get an idea of what a student’s career is like at St. Thomas.
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Arts in English – Creative Writing
- Minor in English – Creative Writing
Outside the Classroom
English students can apply for membership in Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, and its affiliated campus Literary Club. Students in the Literary Club go on theater outings and offer readings and other fun activities during the academic year.
Course Requirements
Course Requirements
In addition to a gateway course introducing you to English studies, you will take literature classes focusing on historical perspectives and different genres. You will then integrate a four-course sequence moving toward more focused work within genres piquing your interest.
Four-Year Plan
Four-Year Plan
We want you to pursue your passions. We developed a sample four-year plan for you to get an idea of what a student’s career is like at St. Thomas.
Degrees Awarded
Degrees Awarded
- Bachelor of Arts in English – Creative Writing
- Minor in English – Creative Writing
Outside the Classroom
Outside the Classroom
English students can apply for membership in Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, and its affiliated campus Literary Club. Students in the Literary Club go on theater outings and offer readings and other fun activities during the academic year.
Practical Knowledge. Real-World Experience.
Not only do our faculty have years of experience and knowledge, but our students and alumni are utilizing their knowledge and skills every day in real-world situations.
Melissa Seymour ‘14
Melissa interned with a literary agency while she was a student at St. Thomas, which led to her becoming an editor at American Girl Publishing after graduating. She works in public relations now, and has published several graphic novels for kids. She is currently writing a middle grade novel too. She feels lucky to be able to use writing skills in many ways on different platforms at work, as well as the ability to work on her novel afterwards at home—her life revolves around words!
Hap Hausman
Hap discovered he enjoys the storytelling aspect of writing video game scripts after exploring different genres in his major. He has also learned how a writer’s perspective may differ from a publisher’s perspective in his Literary Magazine Practicum class as well. He hopes to use this unique experience to better market his own work in the future. He is working on reinvigorating a creative writing club on-campus so his peers can share their work too.
Career Paths
We give you the tools and knowledge you need to work in a variety of different industries after graduation.
- Law
- Writing
- Marketing
- Publishing
- Communications
Hands-On. Practical. Flexible.
We offer a diverse array of courses that develop your skills in various areas, allowing you to be more flexible in your work after graduating from St. Thomas.
Acclaimed and Published
Our critically acclaimed (and published) full-time faculty teach all creative writing classes, which means you will have direct access from experts.
Internships
We encourage our students to pursue internships during their undergraduate career. Internships are available at local publishers like Milkweed Press, Graywolf Press and more.
Your Teachers and Mentors
Leila Renee
Professor Renee teaches creative writing and literature courses. She is a short story writer and the author of a forthcoming novel.
Dr. Caleb Tankersley
Dr. Tankersley teaches courses in a wide variety of creative writing genres and in literary publishing.
Dr. Heather Bouwman
Dr. Bouwman specializes in young adult and children’s literature, authoring two middle-grade novels, as well as early readers books.
Opportunities Abound
Our students have the chance to study abroad, meet visiting writers and collaborate with faculty on research.
Acclaimed Authors
We often have internationally-recognized authors visit the university. Visiting authors have included Pulitzer Prize winners Viet Thanh Nguyen and Anthony Doerr, National Book Award winner Robin Coste Lewis, and authors Cheryl Strayed, Jamaal May and Emily St. John Mandel.
See the World
You can study abroad in our program! We offer courses like “From Beatrix Potter to Harry Potter” in England and “Surviving Adolescence: Literary ‘Adulting’ in England, the Netherlands, and Italy.”
The Summit Avenue Review
In our Literary Magazine Practicum course, you learn about the history of literary magazines and have the opportunity to work on the style, layout and design of publishing the Summit Avenue Review, the St. Thomas literary magazine.
Fast-Track
We offer a fast-track program to graduate with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in creative writing and publishing in five years.
English Minor in Creative Writing
Express your creativity and develop your writing talent with our new Creative Writing minor! It begins with an introductory course focused on writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and continues with the choice of two additional creative writing courses that explore these genres in more depth. Electives include courses on literary publishing, fantasy fiction, and writing for children. Students can work individually with faculty mentors to complete creative writing manuscripts and seek publication. Alum Tasha Kazanjian, for example, published her novel A Trick of Spades after working with her faculty mentor, Dr. Heather Bouwman. As part of the minor, you may also take a course focused on designing and editing Summit Avenue Review, our campus literary magazine. The Twin Cities is a major publishing hub, so you will have many opportunities to get involved in the local literary scene.
Center for Writing
You can work in the Center for Writing and help fellow students learn crucial skills in writing and communication, providing a foundation for a career in professional writing. The center offers individualized conferences to students at any stage of the writing process, seeking to:
- Promote engagement in writing, reading, and critical analysis
- Support writers as they develop their abilities to respond to others, reflect, and express their own ideas concisely and thoughtfully
- Enable students to gain perspective, self-awareness, and confidence as learners and writers.
Take the Next Step
There is more to learn about St. Thomas; including our ranking as a Best Value School by U.S. News & World Report, the many classroom and extracurricular activities that will be part of your student experience and so much more. Schedule a visit to see our beautiful campus or start your application today.