Through our program, writers shape their literary voices, develop distinctive styles, and intensify their written, critical, and editorial skills.

The undergraduate Creative Writing minor at the University of Illinois combines small, foundational workshops (poetry or fiction) with electives in literature, storytelling, rhetoric, and theatre. The result is a lively and flexible program of study that develops students' analytical and creative skills and helps prepares them for work or graduate study in any number of fields.

Creative Writing Minor Requirements

Core Course (3 credit hours)

  • CW 100: Intro to Creative Writing

Creative Writing Coursework (9 credit hours)

One of the following sequences.

Either

  • CW 106: Poetry Workshop I
  • CW 206: Poetry Workshop II
  • CW 406: Poetry Workshop III

or

  • CW 104: Fiction Workshop I
  • CW 204: Fiction Workshop II
  • CW 404: Fiction Workshop III

Approved Electives (6 credit hours)

Two courses from the following list. One of them must be a 300 or 400 level course:

  • Any CW or ENGL class
  • CMN 310: The Rhetorical Tradition
  • CMN 423: Rhetorical Criticism
  • JOUR 475: Magazine Writing
  • THEA 211: Introduction to Playwriting
  • IS 409: Storytelling
Learn More About the Creative Writing Program