creative writing capstone nyu

The Blotter

The english department's student-written news blog, the english department’s new creative writing track (by cynthia de luna).

NYU’s English Department has churned out numerous talented writers over the years. This year, however, the program has taken up a new commitment to integrating students’ specifically creative interests into the current English major through its new Creative Writing Track. While students have often turned to the Creative Writing minor outside the English Department to develop their creative talents, current English students can now also foster those talents through the English Department’s offerings.

The Creative Writing Track within the English Department extends the now-named Literary Studies Track in a way that allows students to approach literature and writing from a new perspective, one that asks them to consider the relationship between critical and analytical thinking and creative practices. Like the Literary Studies Track, the Creative Writing Track requires the four core courses (Introduction to the Study of Literature, formerly called Literary Interpretation, British Literature I, British Literature II, and American Literature I). The Creative Writing Track also requires a fifth course alongside these four, the Reading as a Writer course, which debuted this semester in two sections: Faculty Coordinator Professor Nicholas Boggs’ “Queer Literature” and Professor Maureen McLane’s “Poetry, Hybrid Genre, Creative Encounter.” Reading as a Writer acts as a gateway course in which students approach reading with an emphasis on questions of craft, and it will be offered once again next year.

The Creative Writing Track gives students the choice to take either a pre-1800s course or a critical theories course rather than both, and the track requires students to take two creative writing workshops through the Creative Writing Department, an introductory workshop and a second workshop. (Courses taken towards the Creative Writing minor can count for the Track as well.) While the Literary Studies Track allows students three English electives, the Creative Writing Track requires two; the third elective is replaced by a workshop-based colloquium that students take while they work on an independent capstone writing project. “[The] Creative Writing Track colloquium, much like the honors colloquium, provides students with a rigorous and community-building context in which to develop their capstone projects,” Professor Boggs explains. The capstone project is ultimately a culmination of students’ work in the track, and can take various forms—a collection of poems, a novella, or a play, for example—depending on what students decide on with the help of a faculty adviser. Each student will work with a faculty adviser over the course of the semester, and interested students are encouraged to approach possible advisers as soon as their ideas have begun to develop; members of the faculty who are active creative writers include Professors Boggs and McLane as well as Professors Julia Jarcho, Tomas Urayoán Noel, and Lytle Shaw. “We are especially pleased,” adds Professor Boggs, “that Jess Row, a notable fiction writer who was just awarded a Guggenheim, will be joining us for the 2016-2017 academic year, during which he will teach a section of Reading as a Writer and serve as adviser for a number of capstone projects.”

The return of a creative writing track within NYU’s English Department offers current and prospective English students a chance to take on literary studies in a way that allows them to use and hone their critical, analytical, and creative skills concurrently. It will provide students with a new way of looking at texts, one that pushes the English program further and challenges students to take on literature with a different set of skills.

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• BA in Humanities

Creative Writing

The Creative Writing concentration is designed for beginner through experienced writers who wish to develop their craft. Through studio classes in poetry, prose, and performance, you will concentrate on generating texts and learning the conventions of particular genres and forms. You also will participate in interdisciplinary humanities seminars that bring together reading, writing, theory, and method.

Build Your Audience

Improve as a writer with practice and feedback and increase your audience through publication in our literary and arts journal, Dovetail.

Faculty Contact

Dr. Clif Hubby

(212) 992-8397

[email protected]. 

Requirements

Creative writing concentration: craft studios category.

Students select four credits from Craft Studios and four credits from Workshops and an additional eight credits from either category.

• CWRG1-UC5243 The Craft of Playwriting 4
• CWRG1-UC5242 Poetry Studio 4
• CWRG1-UC5241 Prose Studio 4

Creative Writing Concentration: Workshops Category

Students select four credits from Workshops and four credits from Craft Studios and an additional eight credits from either category.

• CWRG1-UC5277 Creative Nonfiction Workshop 4
• CWRG1-UC5271 Fiction Workshop 4
• CWRG1-UC5272 Poetry Workshop 4
• CWRG1-UC5280 Writing for Children & Adolescents 4
• CWRG1-UC5275 Writing for The Screen 4
• CWRG1-UC5273 Writing for The Theater 4
• MEST1-UC6050 Digital Storytelling 4
• MEST1-UC6013 Writing for Media and Communication 4

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• Program of Study

Course Offerings

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 CRWRI-UA 815  Formerly Creative Writing: Introduction to Fiction and Poetry. Identical to CRWRI-UA 9815. Not repeatable for credit. Workshop. Offered in fall, winter, spring, and summer. 4 points. An exciting introduction to the basic elements of poetry and prose, with in-class writing, take-home reading and writing assignments, and substantive discussions of craft. Structured as a workshop: students receive feedback from their instructor and their fellow writers in a roundtable setting and should be prepared to offer their classmates responses to their work.

Intermediate Workshops in Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction CRWRI-UA 816   (Intermediate Fiction Workshop), CRWRI-UA 817 (Intermediate Poetry Workshop), CRWRI-UA 825 (Intermediate Creative Nonfiction Workshop) Prerequisite for Fiction : Creative Writing: Introduction to Prose and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815), or Creative Writing (CRWRI-UA 9815), or Writers in New York: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 818), or Writers in New York: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 819), or Writers in New York: Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 835), or Writers in Paris: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9818), or Writers in Paris: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9819), or Writers in Florence: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9828), or Writers in Florence: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9829), or Intensive Seminar in Fiction (CRWRI-UA 861; formerly Master Class in Fiction, CRWRI-UA 860), or equivalent. Workshop. Offered in fall, winter, spring, and summer. 4 points. Prerequisite for Poetry : Creative Writing: Introduction to Prose and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815), or Creative Writing (CRWRI-UA 9815), or Writers in New York: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 818), or Writers in New York: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 819), or Writers in New York: Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 835), or Writers in Paris: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9818), or Writers in Paris: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9819), or Writers in Florence: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9828), or Writers in Florence: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9829), or Intensive Seminar in Poetry (CRWRI-UA 862; formerly Master Class in Poetry, CRWRI-UA 870), or equivalent. Workshop. Offered in fall, spring, and summer. 4 points. Prerequisite for Creative Nonfiction : Creative Writing: Introduction to Prose and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815), or Creative Writing (CRWRI-UA 9815), or Writers in New York: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 818), or Writers in New York: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 819), or Writers in New York: Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 835), or Writers in Paris: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9818), or Writers in Paris: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9819), or Writers in Florence: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9828), or Writers in Florence: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9829), or Intensive Seminar in Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 863; formerly Master Class in Creative Nonfiction, CRWRI-UA 880), or equivalent. Workshop. Offered in fall and spring. 4 points. Offer an opportunity to continue the pursuit of writing at the intermediate level. Integrate in-depth craft discussions and extensive outside reading to deepen students' understanding of their chosen genre and broaden their knowledge of the evolution of literary forms and techniques. Each may be repeated three times for credit.

Writers in New York: Fiction, Poetry, or Creative Nonfiction CRWRI-UA 818   (Writers in New York: Fiction), CRWRI-UA 819 (Writers in New York: Poetry), CRWRI-UA 835 (Writers in New York: Creative Nonfiction) Application required. Workshop. Offered in the summer. 8 points per course. Offer poets and fiction writers an opportunity to develop their craft while living the writer's life in Greenwich Village. Students participate in daily workshops and craft classes, are mentored by accomplished professional writers, and attend readings, lectures, panel discussions, and seminars led by New York-based writers and editors. Assignments encourage immersion in the city. Students work intensively to generate new writing and also attend a lively series of readings, lectures, literary walking tours, and special events. May be repeated once for credit.

Advanced Workshops in Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction CRWRI-UA 820 (Advanced Fiction Workshop), CRWRI-UA 830 (Advanced Poetry Workshop), CRWRI-UA 850 (Advanced Creative Nonfiction Workshop) Prerequisite for Fiction : Intermediate Fiction Workshop (CRWRI-UA 816), or Writers in New York: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 818), or Writers in Paris: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9818), or Writers in Florence: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9828), or Intensive Seminar in Fiction (CRWRI-UA 861; formerly Master Class in Fiction, CRWRI-UA 860), or equivalent. Workshop. Offered in fall and spring. 4 points. Prerequisite for Poetry : Intermediate Poetry Workshop (CRWRI-UA 817), or Writers in New York: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 819), or Writers in Paris: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9819), or Writers in Florence: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9829), or Intensive Seminar in Poetry (CRWRI-UA 862; formerly Master Class in Poetry, CRWRI-UA 870), or equivalent. Workshop. Offered in fall and spring. 4 points. Prerequisite for Creative Nonfiction : Intermediate Creative Nonfiction Workshop (CRWRI-UA 825), or Writers in New York: Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 835), or Intensive Seminar in Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 863; formerly Master Class in Creative Nonfiction, CRWRI-UA 880), or equivalent. Workshop. Offered in fall and spring. 4 points. Provide students with the opportunity to hone their individual voices and experiment with different aesthetic strategies in genre-specific workshops taught by eminent writers in the field. Focus on revision techniques, the development of sustainable writing processes, and the broadening of students' knowledge of classical and contemporary masters. Each workshop has a distinct emphasis and area of exploration; course descriptions are available online prior to registration. Each may be repeated three times for credit.

Intensive Seminars in Fiction, Poetry, and Creative Nonfiction CRWRI-UA 861 Intensive Seminar in Fiction, CRWRI-UA 862 Intensive Seminar in Poetry, CRWRI-UA 863 Intensive Seminar in Creative Nonfiction Prerequisite for Fiction : Creative Writing: Introduction to Prose and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815), or Creative Writing (CRWRI-UA 9815), or Intermediate Fiction Workshop (CRWRI-UA 816), or Writers in New York: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 818), or Writers in New York: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 819), or Writers in New York: Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 835) or Writers in Paris: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9818), or Writers in Paris: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9819), or Writers in Florence: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9828), or Writers in Florence: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9829), or Advanced Fiction Workshop (CRWRI-UA 820), or equivalent. Recommended prerequisite: Advanced Fiction (CRWRI-UA 820). Application required. Workshop. Offered in fall and spring. 4 points. Prerequisite for Poetry : Creative Writing: Introduction to Prose and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815), or Creative Writing (CRWRI-UA 9815), or Intermediate Poetry Workshop (CRWRI-UA 817), or Writers in New York: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 818), or Writers in New York: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 819), or Writers in New York: Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 835), or Writers in Paris: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9818), or Writers in Paris: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9819), or Writers in Florence: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9828), or Writers in Florence: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9829), or Advanced Poetry Workshop (CRWRI-UA 830), or equivalent. Recommended prerequisite: Advanced Poetry (CRWRI-UA 830). Application required. Workshop. Offered in fall and spring. 4 points. Prerequisite for Creative Nonfiction : Creative Writing: Introduction to Prose and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815), or Creative Writing (CRWRI-UA 9815), or Writers in New York: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 818), or Writers in New York: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 819), or Writers in New York: Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 835), or Writers in Paris: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9818), or Writers in Paris: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9819), or Writers in Florence: Fiction (CRWRI-UA 9828), or Writers in Florence: Poetry (CRWRI-UA 9829), or Intermediate Creative Nonfiction Workshop (CRWRI-UA 825), or Advanced Creative Nonfiction Workshop (CRWRI-UA 850), or equivalent. Recommended prerequisite: Advanced Creative Nonfiction (CRWRI-UA 850). Application required. Workshop. Offered in fall and spring. 4 points. Taught by acclaimed poets and prose writers to select NYU undergraduates. Application is required for admission. Each is limited to 12 students and provides intensive mentoring and guidance for serious and talented undergraduate writers. Full details of these courses and their applications are shared on the program’s undergraduate listserv; students are added to the listserv when they enroll in Creative Writing: Introduction to Prose and Poetry (CRWRI-UA 815). They may also contact [email protected] for information.

Creative Writing Internship CRWRI-UA 980 Prerequisites: a declared minor in creative writing, two CRWRI-UA courses or the equivalent, and approval of the program. An internship may not be used to fulfill the minimum requirements of the minor. For full policies, registration procedures, and the application form, please visit the program's website. Offered in fall, spring, and summer. 2 points. Requires 8 to 12 hours of work per week. Must be with an external (non-NYU) organization related to creative writing (e.g., a literary agency, magazine, publisher, or outreach program) and should involve some substantive aspect of writerly work. Requires a final five- to seven-page report, and an evaluation is solicited from the intern's supervisor. Grading is pass/fail. Students are responsible for finding the internship and receiving program approval before the end of the Albert add/drop period each term.

Writers in Paris: Fiction or Poetry CRWRI-UA 9818   (Writers in Paris: Fiction), CRWRI-UA 9819 (Writers in Paris: Poetry) Application required. Workshop. Offered in the summer. 8 points per course. Offer poets and fiction writers an opportunity to experience the writer's life in Paris. Students participate in daily workshops and craft classes, are mentored by accomplished professional writers, and attend readings and special seminars led by Paris-based writers and editors. Assignments encourage immersion in the city. Students work intensively to generate new writing and also attend a lively series of readings, lectures, literary walking tours, and special events. May be repeated once for credit.

Writers in Florence: Fiction or Poetry CRWRI-UA 9828   (Writers in Florence: Fiction), CRWRI-UA 9829 (Writers in Florence: Poetry) Application required. Workshop. Offered in the summer. 8 points per course. A literary retreat in Florence for poets and fiction writers. Students participate in daily workshops and craft classes, are mentored by acclaimed writers, and attend readings and special seminars on all aspects of the writer's life. Assignments are designed to encourage serious literary study, as well as immersion in the local landscape, and students are expected to work intensively to generate new writing. May be repeated once for credit.

Creative Writing (MFA)

Program description.

The MFA Program in Creative Writing consists of a vibrant community of writers working together in a setting that is both challenging and supportive. This stimulating environment fosters the development of talented writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The program is not defined by courses alone, but by a life built around writing.

Through innovative literary outreach programs, a distinguished public reading series, an exciting public student reading series, special literary seminars with visiting writers, and the production of a high-quality literary journal, students participate in a dynamic literary community actively engaged in all aspects of the literary arts—writing, reading, teaching, publishing and community outreach. Students also have the opportunity to enjoy America's most literary terrain; New York University is situated in the heart of Greenwich Village, a part of the city that has always been home to writers.

The MFA in Creative Writing is designed to offer students an opportunity to concentrate intensively on their writing. This program is recommended for students who may want to apply for creative writing positions at colleges and universities, which often require the MFA degree. The MFA program does not have a foreign language requirement.

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the  general application requirements , which include:

• Academic Transcripts
• Test Scores  (if required)
• Applicant Statements
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation , and
• A non-refundable  application fee .

See Creative Writing for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Program Requirements

Special project, program information.

Taken in four separate semesters. Students are required to take workshops in the genre in which they were admitted to the program.

Craft courses may be repeated provided they are taught by different instructors.

With the permission of that department and of the director of the CWP. 

Additional Program Requirements

A creative special project in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction consisting of a substantial piece of writing—a novel, a collection of short stories or essays, a memoir, a work of literary nonfiction, or a group of poems—to be submitted in the student’s final semester. The project requires the approval of the student’s faculty adviser and of the director of the CWP.

The MFA degree may also be earned through the Low Residency MFA Writers Workshop in Paris. Under this model, degree requirements remain the same, although Craft courses and Workshops take the form of intensive individualized courses of study with the faculty, including three substantial packet exchanges of student work per semester. All students earning the MFA degree through the low-residency program must also participate in five ten-day residencies in Paris, which involve a diverse series of series of craft talks, lectures, readings, special events, faculty mentorship meetings, and professional development panels.

Sample Plan of Study

Please note : The following is a sample plan of study for a student enrolled in the poetry track. Fiction and creative nonfiction plans of study would parallel the below, substituting the Workshop requirements accordingly (i.e., Workshop in Fiction or Workshop in Creative Nonfiction, respectively).

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

• Graduate students in the Creative Writing Program at NYU work intensively with faculty mentors in writing workshops and individual conferences to learn and master the basic elements of the craft of fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry.
• Students are expected to read widely and deeply, and to acquire a broad practitioner’s knowledge of literature in their declared concentration (poetry, creative nonfiction, or fiction).
• Students are taught to read carefully and critically, and in doing so learn to read as writers. By studying great novels, poems, and works of literary nonfiction by other writers, students learn how to write their own.
• The two-year program of intensive study culminates in the completion of a creative thesis— a novel, a collection of stories or essays, or a collection of poems. The thesis manuscript, ideally, is a working draft of a first book. Many program alumni go on to publish books and win awards for their writing.

Grading and GPA Policy

Nyu policies, graduate school of arts and science policies, program policies.

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). A student may take no more than 36 points toward the degree.

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages .

Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page . 

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