Creative Writing (Minor)
Program description , minor declaration.
The New York University Program in Creative Writing, among the most distinguished programs in the country, is a leading national center for the study of writing and literature. The undergraduate and graduate programs provide students with an opportunity to develop their craft while working closely with some of the finest poets and novelists writing today. The creative writing program occupies a lovely townhouse on West 10th Street in the same Greenwich Village neighborhood where so many writers have lived and worked. The Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House allows writers—both established and emerging—to share their work in an inspiring setting.
The program's distinguished faculty of award-winning poets and prose writers represents a wide array of contemporary aesthetics. Our instructors have been the recipients of Pulitzer Prizes, MacArthur Genius, Guggenheim, and NEA fellowships, National Book and National Book Critics Circle awards, Pushcart Prizes, the Whiting Writer's Award, and more.
Undergraduates are encouraged to attend the program's reading series, which brings both established and new writers to NYU. Writing prizes, special events, and our undergraduate literary journal, West 10th , further complement our course offerings and provide a sense of community for undergraduate writers. If you have questions about the minor in creative writing, please contact us at [email protected] .
To request declaration of a minor, CAS students should visit the host department. To request declaration of a cross-school minor, CAS students should complete the online Minor Application available in their Albert Student Center. Students may also use the Minor Application in Albert to request cancellation of a CAS or cross-school minor.
Program Requirements
General information.
The minor requires the completion of four 4-credit courses (16 credits), comprised of the following:
The introductory workshop CRWRI-UA 815 Creative Writing: Intro Prose & Poetry , or the study away course CRWRI-UA 9815 Creative Writing , is generally the required foundational course, to be followed by 12 additional credits from the program's CRWRI-UA course offerings.
However, students who begin their minor by taking one of the program's 8-credit summer intensives—Writers in New York (CRWRI-UA 818, 819, or 835), Writers in Paris (CRWRI-UA 9818 or 9819), or Writers in Florence (CRWRI-UA 9828 or 9829)—are not required to take the introductory workshop (CRWRI-UA 815, CRWRI-UA 9815, or equivalent). Following completion of one of these 8-credit intensives, students may take advanced coursework in the same genre as their summer intensive and/or move directly into an intermediate workshop in an alternative genre. Students may also repeat an 8-credit summer intensive to complete the 16-credit minor. Intermediate and advanced workshops may be taken three times for credit.
Students wishing to begin the creative writing minor while studying away at an NYU site should register for CRWRI-UA 9815 Creative Writing or, if studying away in the summer, for one of the 8-credit intensives offered in Paris and Florence (CRWRI-UA 9818, 9819, 9828, or 9829). These courses are not considered outside courses and will automatically be counted toward the creative writing minor. All other creative writing courses taken away require a petition for substitution and are subject to approval by the program.
Policies Applying to the Minor
Policy on course substitutions, nyu policies, college of arts and science policies, program policies.
The creative writing minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 (C). No credit toward the minor is granted for grades of C- or lower, although such grades will be computed into the grade point average of the minor, as well as into the overall grade point average. No course to be counted toward the minor may be taken on a Pass/Fail basis.
Students may petition to apply one outside (non- CRWRI-UA) course toward the minor, either as the introductory prerequisite (equivalent to CRWRI-UA 815 or 9815) or as an elective. Ideally, the equivalent course will focus on students' own creative practice, craft element(s) of genre, and incorporate a workshop (peer feedback) structure.
To petition to substitute an outside course, students must complete the course substitution petition form, available on the program's website, and provide the course syllabus (as described on the petition form). The undergraduate programs manager will review the submitted syllabus to verify course level and determine substitution eligibility. Students must petition for course substitution prior to registration.
If the program pre-approves a non-NYU course for substitution, it can only be counted toward the minor if 1. the Office of the Associate Dean for Students in CAS has also approved the course credit for transfer, and 2. the student receives a grade of C or better.
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages .
A full list of relevant academic policies can be found on the CAS Academic Policies page .
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The NYU Creative Writing Program is among the most distinguished programs in the country and is a leading national center for the study of writing and literature. Learn More
To qualify for the degree, a student must have a GPA of at least 3.0, must complete a minimum of 24 points with a grade of B or better, and may offer no more than 8 points with a grade of C (no more than 4 points with a grade of C in creative writing workshops).
Grading and GPA Policy. To qualify for the degree, a student must have a GPA of at least 3.0, must complete a minimum of 24 points with a grade of B or better, and may offer no more than 8 points with a grade of C (no more than 4 points with a grade of C in creative writing workshops).
The New York University Program in Creative Writing, among the most distinguished programs in the country, is a leading national center for the study of writing and literature. The undergraduate and graduate programs provide students with an opportunity to develop their craft while working closely with some of the finest poets and novelists ...
Creative Writing (2022 - 2024) In addition to the on-campus creative writing courses offered throughout the year, special January term and summer programs offer students a chance to study intensively and generate new writing in Florence, New York, and Paris. Creative Writing: Introduction to Prose and Poetry.
A creative writing sample is required. It should not exceed 25 double-spaced pages for fiction and nonfiction applicants and 10 single-spaced pages for poetry applicants. The font size should be 12 point or larger.
Courses are offered in New York, as well as at a number of NYU Study Away sites. Intensive Seminars—to which students may apply following completion of the foundational Creative Writing: Intro to Fiction & Poetry course (or equivalent)—provide intensive mentoring and guidance for select undergraduate writers.
Specific departmental requirements can be found here. You may also contact the Creative Writing Program at (212) 998-8816 or creative.writing@nyu.edu.
The creative writing minor must be completed with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 (C). No credit toward the minor is granted for grades of C- or lower, although such grades will be computed into the grade point average of the minor, as well as into the overall grade point average.
The Department of English encourages its majors to take advantage of NYU's many opportunities for study away. NYU London offers courses that may be used to fulfill major requirements, as well as courses in British politics, creative writing, and the history of British art and architecture.