The Fiction Writing Department offers a four-year writing program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Fiction Writing. The program is structured around the nationally acclaimed Story Workshop^®method of teaching writing, originated and developed by the department’s former chairperson, John Schultz. The Story Workshop courses teach the writing of fiction and creative nonfiction. The department also offers a variety of critical reading and writing classes, as well as elective specialty writing courses such as science fiction, writing for children, creative nonfiction, playwriting, and publishing on a level and scope unequaled in undergraduate programs. Columbia writing graduates have published widely in all of these areas and possess training enabling them to obtain jobs in a broad range of communications-related fields.

The sequence of core workshops includes Fiction Writing I, Fiction Writing II, Prose Forms I, and Fiction Writing Advanced. Fiction Writing Advanced is repeatable for credit.

The Fiction Writing Department also offers a post-baccalaureate certificate of major, as well as a minor in Fiction Writing and interdisciplinary minors in Playwriting and Creative Nonfiction.

More Information about this Department