Creative Writing Major
Why Study Creative Writing at Virginia Tech?
Here, you will study with distinguished authors including Matthew Vollmer, Jeff Mann, Evan Lavender-Smith, Sophia Terazawa, and Khadijah Queen. We also host a variety of campus readings for you to attend by renowned poets, playwrights, essayists, and fiction writers. Some of our past visiting writers have included:
- Viet Than Ngyuen
- George Saunders
- Carrie Fountain
- Douglas Kearney
- Matthew Salesses
- Jenny Boully
- Zadie Smith
- Terry Tempest Williams
- Kevin Young
- Terrance Hayes
- Cheryl Strayed
- Ocean Vuong
The major offers workshops that allow you to share your poems, stories, and essays with peer's to help you grow as a writer. With this opportunity, you can improve your writing skills while building your portfolio.
3
Study Abroad Programs
24
Average Class Size
100+
English Courses Offered
Caty Gordon, '10
Caty graduated from Virginia Tech in 2010 with degrees in creative writing and professional and technical writing. After graduating from Columbia University with her M.F.A. in creative nonfiction, she moved on to serve as an editorial assistant for Simon and Schuster and Penguin Group USA, where she is presently employed.
Orlando Dos Reis, '10
Orlando graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in creative writing in 2010. Post-graduation, he moved on to Kansas State University to continue his education, earning his M.A. in English language and literature in 2013. He presently serves as an editorial assistant for Abrams in the New York City area.
Erica Corder, '16
Erica graduated from Virginia Tech in 2016 with degrees in creative writing and political science. After starting up an independent journalism publication called The Pylon, Erica accepted a job in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech, where she currently works as a communications manager who tells the story of the college and its students and faculty in Blacksburg and beyond through writing, photos, and videos.
Shalini Rana, '18
Shalini graduated with double majors in creative writing and professional and technical writing. During her time at Virginia Tech, her poetry was published in undergraduate publications, Silhouette and Philologia, and received third place in the Steger Poetry Prize. Shalini works as a consultant for CollabraLink Technologies and continues writing. In the future, she plans to complete a poetry M.F.A. program.
Jessica Mardian, '20
In her creative writing courses, Jessica developed strong writing skills and found the space to express herself. She was published in the Silhouette literary magazine, was a finalist for the Steger Poetry Prize at Virginia Tech, and served as a speaker at the Creative Writing Showcase. Jessica plans to pursue a career a journalism and a MFA in Creative Writing, with a focus on poetry.
Careers and Further Study
What can you do with a major in Creative Writing?
Jobs Held by Our Graduates
- Author
- Creative manager
- Literary agent
- Publisher
- Grant writer
- Blogger
- Archivist
- Marketer
- Curator
- Video game developer
- Editor and copywriter
- Web designer
- Television writer
- Teacher
- Journalist and reporter
Creative Writing Major at Virginia Tech
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Beyond the Classroom
Experiential Learning
- INTERNSHIPS
- UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH AND INDEPENDENT STUDY
- STUDY ABROAD
- STRONG COMMUNITY
- WRITING WORKSHOPS
Engage in your profession by writing, researching, editing, and making connections with employers across the country. Apply the knowledge and skills you learn in the classroom to the workplace. Internships earn academic credit and provide valuable real-world experience.
You will work with a faculty mentor to experiment with language, find inspiration, grow as an artist, and share your work with peers and mentors. Learn how to brainstorm and experiment, gain experience performing your work for audiences, learn how to critique stories, poems, and plays in a workshop setting, and submit your work to literary magazines.
We host a faculty-led trip to London, an exchange program with Loughborough University, and a Wintermester Experience that visits different locations each year. These experiences enrich your understanding of the history and culture of the English language and its literature.
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Our diverse faculty is made up of published authors and poets, accomplished playwrights and essayists, and recipients of fellowships from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Guggenheim Foundation. We love mentoring our students and take great pride in watching them grow as writers.
During our Creative Writing major workshops, you will have the opportunity to share your stories, poems, and essays with your classmates. You'll offer critiques, compliments, suggestions, and interpretations of your peers work; you'll receive the same in return. No two workshops will ever be the same. Our goal is to help you improve your writing skills.
Curriculum
What You'll Study
Bachelor of Arts in English Degree
- Including Virginia Tech's Pathways
Creative Writing Major Requirements
- Introduction to Critical Reading
- Introduction to Critical Writing
- Literary History
- Acts of Interpretation
- Writing and Digital Media
- Capstone Experience
Minor and Elective Hours
Our program gives you the opportunity to build knowledge in another area by pursuing a minor, double major, or cognate.
120 hrs
B.A. English
45 hrs
General Education
39 hrs
Major Requirements
36 hrs
Elective
Campus Life
Campus Life
Discover all that Virginia Tech has to offer inside and outside of the classroom. Our campus life aims to build communities, promote holistic education, and cultivate environments that offer opportunities for leadership, innovation, and service.