Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English: Creative Writing
Dubuque, USA
BA
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2026
TUITION FEES
USD 33,500 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* annual full-time rate
Key Summary
The Creative Writing major at Loras College offers extraordinary depth and range, together with the kind of close, sustained faculty mentoring which is only possible at a small college. Students choose from introductory and advanced courses in Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction, along with specialized courses in Screenwriting; Nature Writing; Fantastic Fiction; Writing for New Media; Writing as Social Action; Rhetoric & Political Engagement, Grant & Proposal Writing; and Revision, Editing & Publishing.
Our Creative Writing majors are introduced to rigorous critical reading in Literary Studies, sharpen their analytical skills in Literary Criticism, and choose several courses from the whole history of English and American literature, in all genres, and from selected courses in Irish, Canadian, Russian, and World literature. Many also choose a second major in English Literature to deepen their literary knowledge. (The Bauerly-Roseliep Scholarship is awarded each year to the graduating senior who most excels in both majors.) Students with an interest in writing for purposes of social and political engagement can also minor in Rhetoric & Public Writing.
Student Experience
Creative Writing majors are actively engaged on campus and beyond. A student editorial staff edits and publishes Catfish Creek: A National Undergraduate Literary Journal. Our students present their scholarly and creative writing on campus at the college’s annual Legacy Symposium, and, along with students from other colleges, at the annual Streamlines Undergraduate Language & Literature Conference. Many of our students also publish their writing in The Limestone Review, the college’s annual journal of scholarship and creative writing.
Many Loras English and Creative Writing students also land internships at local newspapers and publishing houses, including McGraw-Hill and Kendall Hunt. Many study abroad in Ireland for a semester in connection with the Irish Studies program, or write for and edit The Lorian (the Loras College newspaper). And many participate in the Loras Players theater troupe, including their annual performance of student-written one-act plays.
Every student will have an opportunity to have their work published in The Limestone Review. The top submissions are granted a $100 Alpha Award and entered in the Delta Epsilon Sigma national undergraduate writing competition.
Student Learning Outcomes – English: Creative Writing
- Demonstrate critical reading skills required to articulate a persuasive and insightful close reading and a persuasive and insightful formal or structural analysis of a literary text (Goal #1 is common to all Literature and Creative Writing majors).
- Demonstrate the rhetorical skills required to make a persuasive and insightful written argument using evidence from a literary text. (Goal #2 is common to all Literature and Creative Writing majors).
- Demonstrate the ability to write aesthetically interesting original works of creative writing.
- Demonstrate, through their writings, a clear understanding of genre conventions and literary techniques, such as structure, plot, character, setting, point of view, dialogue, imagery, metaphor, symbolism, rhetoric, or prosody;
- Demonstrate control of structure and form (unity, coherence, balance, emphasis)
- Effectively revise and edit their own work for technical, stylistic, and grammatical effectiveness;
- Orally articulate their composition and revision processes and explain how the study of literature and individual authors provide them with models and an understanding of literary conventions and traditions which inform their own writing.
Alumni Careers and Accomplishments
English is a valuable and marketable major. Students learn to write and speak well, to think critically, to collaborate with others, and to understand diversity. These skills are important in any career, and Loras English graduates work in a wide range of fields.
Career preparation flexibility is also enhanced by the ability to combine English with other majors and minors in a four-year program. Loras English graduates’ accomplishments include the following:
- Nationally acclaimed, Tony-Award winning playwright
- Correspondent for Los Angeles Times; head of National Public Radio News; Dean of Columbia Journalism
- School Founder and executive director of Posada Community Center, Pueblo, Colorado
- Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, John Carroll University
- Nationally acclaimed, Shelley Memorial Award-winning poet
- Vice President for Advancement, Lewis University
- Principal, Johnsburg High School, Johnsburg, Illinois
- Head of Legal Services, Dubuque, IA
- Science Editor for msnbc.com
- Earthforce, a nonprofit devoted to environmental education
- Professor of English, Marietta College
- Public Relations and Social Media Manager, Loras College
- Content Producer at NogginLabs; Founder and Fiction Editor of Knee-Jerk literary magazine
- Production Director and Managing Editor with Guerrero Howe Custom Media; Contributing Writer for
- Paste Magazine and Alarm Press
- National Fulbright Scholar; International Student and Scholar Advisor, UW-Platteville
- Developmental Editor, McGraw-Hill
Other common careers: Law, business, advertising, teaching, academia, publishing, journalism, magazine writing and editing, public relations, library science, technical writing, and many more.
“What can you do with an English Creative Writing degree?”
As an English Creative Writing major, you will be prepared for a variety of interesting careers.
- Creative writing
- Teaching
- Screenwriting
- Journalism
- Editing
- Publishing
- Political writing
- Freelance writing
- Technical writing
- Magazine writing
- Grant writing
- Broadcast media
- Digital media
- Consulting
- Advertising
- Law