Quinnipiac University’s English Department proposed a new certificate of creative writing, set to launch in the fall 2025 semester, to encourage non-English majors to pursue their interests in creative writing.
The program would require students to take nine credits of creative writing courses, one of which must be a 200-level course, and another at the 300-level. There is a range of courses that are available to students in the program, allowing them to write poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction.
The courses students can take as a part of this program include Advanced Creative Nonfiction and Intro to Writing Poetry. No new courses will be added for this program and all of the classes are in-person.
Jason Koo, a professor of English and the director of creative writing at Quinnipiac, will lead the program.
“We see a lot of non-(English) majors take Intro to Writing Poetry, Intro to Fiction and Intro to Creative Nonfiction, but those students don’t usually sign up for our advanced classes in each genre,” Koo wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “We want to incentivize those students to do so, along with English majors who are interested in developing their creative writing skills.”
Although three courses is the minimum number of courses students must take to complete the certification, they are encouraged to take more.
“We believe there are a lot of really talented creative writers at Quinnipiac who might benefit from the certificate program because it would push them to realize that they are, in fact, writers who can succeed professionally (i.e. publish their work),” Koo wrote.
Students who participate in the program would be required to read their creative writing pieces at a public event held by the English department at the end of the year.
Koo, alongside English professors Bessie Flores Zaldivar and Valerie Smith, would teach the courses that will help students obtain the certification.
The College of Arts and Sciences’ Curriculum and Pedagogy Committee unanimously approved the proposed certificate in late January. Recently, the program was approved by Connecticut’s Senate, which is the last stage of the process of bringing the program to Quinnipiac.
“Even if students pursuing the certificate don’t become professional writers, they will no doubt strengthen their writing and interpersonal skills (via workshopping) in ways that would benefit them in any career path,” Koo wrote.
