Creative Writing Certificate
Completing a creative writing certificate at Shippensburg University means becoming a better writer, exploring your imagination and working in small classes taught by published authors.
What Will I Learn?
You will learn:
- How to harness the power of language, both to express your own creative vision and to meet the myriad needs of employers in the professional world
- To read more deeply and synthesize information from a variety of sources
- How to receive feedback to take your writing to the next level and provide criticism that is sincere and substantive
Core courses explore the fundamental elements of technical writing, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, everything from creating believable characters to the key components of an effective business leader. Extensive focus is placed on workshop, when student poems, stories, novel chapters and other endeavors are openly discussed and critiqued by the class.
What are the requirements for this degree?
You must take 12 credits to complete this certificate.
What Types of Careers Could I Get With This Degree?
Experience with creative writing can help you in these areas:
- Arts and education (poetry workshop, dramatic dialog, musical lyrics)
- Business (telling great stories, innovative thinking)
- Communication/journalism (creative nonfiction writing, collaborative critique, reviewing arts events)
- Criminal justice (compelling narrative, psychological insight, setting a scene)
- Humanities (historical fiction, character development, understanding human nature)
- Sciences (nature writing, science fiction, world building)
Some specific job titles include:
- Web content creator
- Copywriter
- Publishing assistant
- Advertising copywriter
- Grant writer
- Technical writer
- Corporate communications author
- Public relations specialist
- Social media manager
- Marketing coordinator
- Speech writer
- Proposal manager
What Kinds of Experiences Could I Have?
In the classroom, you’ll work with award-winning published authors to shape your own creative and professional projects and share feedback with fellow writers. Outside the classroom, you’ll attend readings by nationally-recognized novelists and poets, take the stage at poetry slams, submit your writing to contests and conferences, publish your work to the school’s literary journal (The Reflector) or join the editorial board.
Our faculty include a New York Times best-selling author and a writer recently recognized as a Best American Poet. Combined, our core faculty have published over a dozen books. Our small size allows for intense individual attention.