School of Communication and CultureCreative Writing Bachelor's Degree
- BA
In the Creative Writing bachelor’s degree program at Columbia College Chicago, you will start writing day one, developing the skills you need to craft compelling fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and multimedia texts of the highest quality. The program encourages you to push boundaries while working alongside a diverse group of peers and faculty. Our curriculum prepares you to be flexible, able to adapt whatever story you have — or need! — to tell across multiple genres and formats. You’ll graduate being able to pursue a wide range of careers in fields such as editing, publishing, and strategic workplace communication.
Examples of Creative Writing Careers
The Student Experience
In the Creative Writing BA program at Columbia College Chicago, you’ll start writing from day one and develop transferable skills as you learn to become a more effective writer.
You’ll explore a variety of writing styles and forms right from the start. Beginning with the foundations of storytelling, you’ll move through a variety of writing workshops and literature courses that help you create written, audio, and visual texts for a 21st century audience.
You’ll take a series of workshop courses offering a range of strategies and experiments to help you develop your unique voice. The Working Writer will help you develop the professional expertise required for the long run of a career in writing, and help you adapt your creative writing skills to a variety of writing-based career opportunities. Your capstone course will guide you in creating writing project that demonstrates to editors, publishers, and employers your adaptability and depth as a writer.
Alongside your writing workshops, you’ll have an opportunity to take elective classes in visual and performing arts, film and television, and other areas. These electives will open your eyes to the many ways writing engages with social and cultural change.
Our faculty members are published authors and practicing writers who bring diverse literary backgrounds into the classroom. They’ll encourage you to produce your best work and help you explore where you fit into the literary world.
You can work on Columbia’s literary journal "Allium, A Journal of Poetry & Prose." You’ll gain hands-on experience with editing and producing a nationally distributed publication. Living in Chicago means you’ll have access to one of the country’s best live literary scenes. You can also participate in Columbia’s Efroymson Creative Writing Reading Series and the Writers at Lunch program, where you’ll engage with award-winning writers.
Career Readiness
Columbia College Chicago integrates academic training with professional opportunities to ensure you’re career ready.
Columbia’s Career Center and faculty connections will help you secure internships in industries that value strong communication skills, such as publishing, advertising, education, and media. We know that adaptability and flexibility are key when applying for jobs, internships, or MFA programs. Our goal is to support you in developing a portfolio that includes a variety of projects that demonstrate your ability to write in different forms and genres.
Our alumni network is vast and active, with graduates working across a range of creative fields. By participating in alumni events and connecting through Columbia’s network, you’ll have access to professionals who can offer mentorship and job opportunities. Whether you're aiming for a career in writing, editing, or a related field, the support of Columbia's alumni community will be an invaluable resource.
Alumni Spotlight
Christine Mangan ’04
Published “Tangerine,” which sold to HarperCollins for more than $1 million and was optioned for a film by George Clooney.
of 2023 grads are employed, enrolled in continued education, or pursuing their creative practice.