Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
About
Creative Writing at Spalding University
We often find meaning in life through stories. Stories of gods and goddesses, war, struggle, love, adventure, romance, victory and defeat are such a rich part of our human experience that we sometimes forget it all begins with the written word.
At Spalding, we understand how powerful a person’s voice can be. We understand how writing can inspire and shape the world, how it can influence and drive creativity, how it makes us want to learn and create. This is why the Creative Writing Program at Spalding places an emphasis on collaboration, feedback, community, and an exploration of craft through workshops and classes designed to not only provide writers with strong writing skills, but to also make those writers part of a larger community as they pursue careers in writing.
At Spalding you can pursue a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing allowing you to tailor your studies to your specific interests and focus on genres, writing styles, and literature you are passionate about. At the same time, we provide a foundation of skills to help you move toward a career in the field of writing or continue studying writing at the graduate level.
Experience
To help prepare you for your future career, Spalding’s BFA in Creative Writing provides opportunities to gain experience and hone your skills.
The Opal Lit Magazine
The BFA’s undergraduate magazine, The Opal, gives students the opportunity to work as editors for an online, student-run publication. Going into its third tear, The Opal is focused on providing a space for emerging writers across the country.
Community
The undergraduate creative writing community at Spalding is a close-knit group of writers intent on learning and mastering their craft. The writing community shares work and engages in campus life events that include:
- The annual Celebration of Student Writing
- Various writing contests
- Author visits
- Writers in residence
- The Spalding School of Professional and Creative Writing’s residencies (as mentioned below)
- Writing workshops
- Salon-style reading sessions
SCPW Residencies
Twice a year, in fall and spring, Spalding’s Naslund-Mann Graduate School of Writing (SCPW) holds one-week residencies in which 30+ nationally recognized and published writers from a variety of disciplines attend the university. The BFA program at Spalding works alongside the SCPW to provide undergraduate students the experience of meeting these authors and attending lectures and participating in various residency activities. During these residencies, BFA students have the opportunity to meet SCPW graduates from across the country and see first hand what a top ranked graduate program in writing has to offer.
Internship Opportunities
You can gain valuable experience outside Spalding as well. Spalding students have held internships at the following places:
- Filson Historical Society
- Fons Vitae
- Hydra Publications
- Kentucky Author Forum
- Louisville Magazine
- Spalding University Writing Center
- Today’s Woman Magazine
Classes and Program
Almost all creative writing classes at Spalding are around 15 students. This provides students with individualized attention from our faculty, which creates an atmosphere of collaboration, feedback and discovery. In addition to small classes, Spalding has six, six-week sessions throughout the year. Classes run from Monday to Thursday with a break week between sessions. These sessions allow for a great deal of flexibility in study as students can tailor schedules to meet their needs as they take day, evening, and online classes.
Spalding’s BFA program is 120-credit hours and offers students the opportunity to explore various genres of creative writing while also providing internships, practicums in career-related fields, reading opportunities, community connections, and independent studies allowing a focus on passion projects.
In addition to the required University Studies courses (52 credit hours), Creative Writing students also take:
- Creative Writing Workshops (18 credit hours)
- Practicum, Leadership, and Senior Seminar (18 credit hours)
- Literature and Linguistics (15 credit hours)
- Humanities (15 credit hours)
- Social Sciences (12 credit hours)
- Natural Sciences and Math (9 credit hours)
- Religious Studies (6 credit hours)
Career Options
In addition to becoming a published author, a BFA can prepare you for a career in developing content for magazines, websites, blogs, television, advertising, and corporations in need of print or online materials. A BFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University will provide a foundation for critical reading, thinking, and editing skills that can lead to careers such as film editing, professor, library science, teaching, communications director and journalist to name a few. The job market is in need of excellent editing and writing skills and a BFA can provide that foundation and experience.
Financial Aid Options
Spalding University has a robust offering of financial aid including scholarships, grants, loans, and other types of aid. Check out our Financial Aid page for more information.
Mission-Focused Approach to Learning
At Spalding, we are a diverse community of learners out to change the world. Our graduates serve at every organizational level. We have health and service professionals on the ground changing lives, business leaders transforming teams, and social movers and shakers affecting change. Through our university mission, we’ve made a commitment to fixing what is broken. On the highest level, we work to create solutions and ignite conversations focused on peace, justice and compassion. On a small scale, we put compassion into action through service to individuals and communities. We hope that you will join our movement to make a difference in the lives of others.
