Overview
Students interested in creative writing may choose one of two paths: a four-year English BA with a creative writing concentration, or a two-year creative writing associate's degree.
Students who choose the English BA with a creative writing concentration take all five of the university's creative writing workshops, with classes dedicated to poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. They supplement these studies with a nine-course literature sequence, a minor of their choice, and the university's liberal arts core curriculum.
Students who choose the associate’s degree in creative writing undertake a 60 hour course of study designed to prepare graduates for entry into a four-year, liberal arts degree program or a career in freelance writing. The AA in creative writing can typically be completed in four semesters and consists of a liberal arts core curriculum as well as core-specific classes.
Interested students in both programs serve on the editorial staff of the Cumberland River Review, a digital literary quarterly featuring new work by writers of national reputation, and attend on-campus readings and author events sponsored by the English department.
Trevecca's creative writing workshops are among the most student-focused courses on campus. Students write and revise original work in peer groups that are both challenging and supportive, and faculty instruction is dedicated to practical tips for the writing life. Trevecca creative writing students have gone on to jobs in publishing and editing, nonprofit administration, marketing, and many other industries and have successfully pursued freelance writing careers, graduate and professional school admission, and careers in public and preparatory school teaching.
Students interested in the associate degree in creative writing or the Cumberland River Review should contact Professor Graham Hillard (ghillard@trevecca.edu).
Faculty
News
Core Classes
World Literature
ENG 2000
Designed to engage students in dialogue with a variety of Western and Non-Western world literature, past and present. ENG 2000 is a recommended prerequisite for all upper-level literature courses.
Course Hours: 3
Creative Writing: Beginning Poetry
ENG 2100
Students will write and critique original poems in a workshop environment. Contemporary poets will be studied as models.
Course Hours: 3
Creative Writing: Beginning Fiction
ENG 2200
Students will write and critique original short stories in a workshop environment. Contemporary writers will be studied as models.
Course Hours: 3
Literary Magazine Practicum
ENG 2310
A one-credit-hour, applied course wherein students serve as editors of The Cumberland River Review, Trevecca's national literary magazine. The work of the magazine's editorial staff is as follows: Editors read submissions from national and international writers and poets; vote and comment on each poem, story, or essay; and meet monthly to discuss which submissions should be accepted for publication. CRR receives well over five hundred submissions per semester; each submission consists of as many as five poems or a short story of up to five thousand words. May be repeated for credit as many as four times, for a total of four credit hours.
Course Hours: 1
Creative Writing: Advanced Poetry
ENG 3460
Students will produce advanced poetry to be critiqued in a workshop environment. Contemporary poets will be studied as models with an emphasis on the manuscript as a whole.
Course Hours: 3
Creative Writing: Advanced Fiction
ENG 3470
Students will produce advanced fiction to be critiqued in a workshop environment. Contemporary writers will be studied as models with an emphasis on the development of plot, character, setting, theme, point of view, and diction.
Course Hours: 3
Creative Writing: Nonfiction
ENG 3480
Students will write and critique original works of creative nonfiction in a workshop environment. Contemporary essays will be studied as models.
Course Hours: 3
Contemporary Writing
ENG 3490
A study of Western poetry and fiction from 1980 through today. Contemporary Writing will focus on the analysis of work for which an incomplete body of criticism exists.
Course Hours: 3
Critical Reading, Writing, and Thinking
ENG 1080
This course acts as an introduction to literature and composition. Students will be challenged to read, analyze, and respond to literature as well as think, read and write critically.
Course Hours: 3
Outcomes/Careers
An English degree from Trevecca prepares students to enter any number of fields that prize creativity, critical thinking, writing acumen, and the ability to make sustained and convincing arguments.
English graduates from Trevecca often work in fields like these:
- Teaching
- K-12 Administration
- Freelance Writing
- Editing
- Publishing
- Journalism
- Public Relations
- Consulting
- Content Strategy
- Medical Humanities
- Marketing/Brand Management
- Proofreading
- Technical Writing
- Library Science
- Market-Research Analysis
- Non-Profit Administration
- Fundraising
Many students also choose to pursue advanced degrees in English, business, education, law and other areas.
Overview
Students interested in creative writing may choose one of two paths: a four-year English BA with a creative writing concentration, or a two-year creative writing associate's degree.
Students who choose the English BA with a creative writing concentration take all five of the university's creative writing workshops, with classes dedicated to poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. They supplement these studies with a nine-course literature sequence, a minor of their choice, and the university's liberal arts core curriculum.
Students who choose the associate’s degree in creative writing undertake a 60 hour course of study designed to prepare graduates for entry into a four-year, liberal arts degree program or a career in freelance writing. The AA in creative writing can typically be completed in four semesters and consists of a liberal arts core curriculum as well as core-specific classes.
Interested students in both programs serve on the editorial staff of the Cumberland River Review, a digital literary quarterly featuring new work by writers of national reputation, and attend on-campus readings and author events sponsored by the English department.
Trevecca's creative writing workshops are among the most student-focused courses on campus. Students write and revise original work in peer groups that are both challenging and supportive, and faculty instruction is dedicated to practical tips for the writing life. Trevecca creative writing students have gone on to jobs in publishing and editing, nonprofit administration, marketing, and many other industries and have successfully pursued freelance writing careers, graduate and professional school admission, and careers in public and preparatory school teaching.
Students interested in the associate degree in creative writing or the Cumberland River Review should contact Professor Graham Hillard (ghillard@trevecca.edu).