FAQ for Undergraduate Students

Can I Major/Minor in Creative Writing at NYU?
We do not offer a Major in Creative Writing, though we do offer a popular Minor. To access the Creative Minor Declaration Form, please click here. If not a student in CAS, please use the Cross-School Minor Declaration in the Albert student center, or work with your home school advisor. 

How many courses/points are required to complete the Minor?
The Minor is a 16-point credit load. Creative Writing Minors are not required to specialize in a genre, nor are they required to take any special combination of creative writing courses beyond the introductory prerequisite, CRWRI-UA 815 Introduction to Fiction and Poetry. Intermediate and advanced-level workshops may be taken three times each for credit. Advanced courses are therefore optional,  and require Intermediate in their genre as prerequisite. (For example, Intermediate Fiction --> Advanced Fiction; or, Intermediate Poetry --> Advanced Poetry.) Minors must ensure that their total coursework in Creative Writing amounts to 16 points of CRWRI-UA credit. 

Which courses are available to undergraduate students?
The Creative Writing Program offers a range of writing workshops and intensives in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Our introductory workshop, CRWRI-UA 815 Creative Writing: Intro to Fiction & Poetry, is the pre-requisite for all higher level courses offered during the academic year (intermediate workshops, advanced workshops, and master classes). A summer intensive course (Writers in New York, Writers in Paris, or Writers in Florence) in fiction or poetry may serve as a pre-requisite for advanced workshops in the same genre and for intermediate workshops in alternative genres. There are no pre-requisites for our summer writing intensives (Writers in New York, Writers in Paris, or Writers in Florence), though an application and/or permission to register is required.

Do you offer courses in dramatic writing?
No. Our workshops are in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Students interested in studying dramatic writing should consult Tisch's Department of Dramatic Writing. 

Who can take creative writing courses?
The undergraduate Creative Writing Program is a part of NYU's College of Arts & Science (CAS), but our courses are open to undergraduates in all of NYU's schools. Students wishing to take higher-level workshops must first complete the introductory pre-requisite, CRWRI-UA 815 Creative Writing: Intro to Fiction & Poetry (or equivalent). Visiting students participating in NYU's Fall in New York, Spring in New York, Precollege, Summer in NYC, and Summer Study Abroad programs are also eligible to enroll in certain workshops and/or apply for our summer intensives.

Which academic year courses require an application?
Students must apply to the Creative Writing Program's Master Classes in Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction. Applications are not required for the Creative Writing Program's advanced-level workshops, nor are they required for any other academic year courses. Applications are announced over the creative writing listserv, with other regular program updates; to have your email added, please email creative.writing@nyu.edu. 

Who teaches undergraduate creative writing workshops?
The introductory workshops (CRWRI-UA 815 Creative Writing: Intro to Fiction & Poetry) are taught by graduate students in NYU’s distinguished Creative Writing Program. All higher-level workshops are taught by accomplished writers who are also dedicated teachers of writing. A list of this year's faculty can be found towards the bottom of our faculty page.

How large are your workshops?
Intro to Prose & Poetry workshops and Intensive Seminars are capped at 12 students, while Intermediate and Advanced Workshops are strictly capped at 15 students. 
 

I am on the waitlist for a workshop. Can you make an exception and allow me to enroll?
It is important that we maintain the small size of our workshops, and as noted, we have a strict enrollment cap of 12 or 15. We cannot make exceptions.

Can a creative writing course I've taken at another school count toward the Minor?
Students may petition to apply a maximum of one outside course towards the Minor. An outside course is any creative writing course offered outside of the CAS Creative Writing Program (i.e., any course without the prefix CRWRI-UA). For course substitution guidelines, please consult our Creative Writing Minor page. To request a course substitution, please click here.

Does the Creative Writing Program produce an undergraduate literary journal?
Yes. West 10th is our student-edited literary journal for NYU undergraduates. West 10th is an annual publication that comes out in April and is widely distributed across campus. A call for submissions is sent out in the fall and students may apply for editorial positions in the spring for the following year. For more information, please visit the West 10th page.

How can I receive undergraduate news and announcements from the Creative Writing Program?
Current undergraduates may join our listserv. If you enroll in foundational prerequisite CRWRI-UA 815, you'll be added automatically. Otherwise, please email creative.writing@nyu.edu with your first and last name, as well as your NYU school. Please use the subject line "Join UG Listserv." The Creative Writing Program distributes a weekly newsletter through this listserv.