Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing

A Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing program is offered through the Master of Arts in Professional Writing program in the English Department, College of Humanities and Social Sciences, at Kennesaw State University. A unique four-course, non-degree program, its mission is to provide instruction and membership in a community of writers to qualified writing students in metro Atlanta and North Georgia who seek intensive creative writing practice but who do not want to matriculate in a graduate program.

This Graduate Certificate program:

• Allows qualified writers to study in graduate-level writing workshops taught by professional writers on the Kennesaw State University faculty.
  
  
• Is designed for those interested in improving their poetry, developing a story, scripting a play, or completing their memoirs.
  
  
• Offers experienced and aspiring writers an exciting opportunity to work with published authors and writing teachers in a serious and productive environment.
  
  
• Offers a high level of writing instruction and brings writers into a community of engaging writers of all ages who are seeking to improve their writing, to explore publishing opportunities, to participate in literary events, and to broaden their personal and professional horizons.

Workshop Opportunities

Workshops are offered in the writing of poetry, plays, fiction, and nonfiction as well as in reading contemporary literature and developing careers in the literary arts. The courses are offered in the evening and, occasionally, on weekends. Most are seminars that allow for both individual critiques from the professor and group critiques from fellow students. This Graduate Certificate is designed especially for the person who has finished a bachelor's degree in any field and who has strong interests in creative writing but does not want to study in a full-blown graduate program at this time.

Selecting a Genre of Concentration

A student coming into the Certificate Program will choose one of the creative writing genres offered in the MAPW program: fiction, poetry, playwriting, or creative nonfiction. Once a genre discipline is selected, the student is expected to complete workshops in only that genre. For example, a student might apply to study for the Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing with a focus in fiction writing. A student who wants additional experience in the same or other genres might apply again for the program as described below.

The Certificate is designed to give intensive practice in the genre discipline that the student chooses. The student is asked to commit to one genre so that the practice might be focused. The student's writing practice is amplified by a study of the current and canonized literature of the genre. The "Readings for Writers" course will focus on works by established writers that will provide models for and help the student to situate his or her own writing within a tradition. In addition to writing practice, the successful writer needs to understand the field in which writing is produced, published, and critiqued. Thus the student is asked to take "Careers in the Literary Arts." This course teaches the student about publication procedures and practices and introduces the students to the professional networks that operate in the field.

Beyond the Graduate Certificate

Because creative writing demands continuous and intensive practice, the two workshops of the Certificate Program might not satisfy the demand for high-quality, intensive workshopping; therefore, students who hold the Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing or an MAPW degree with a concentration or support area in creative writing from Kennesaw State University may want to continue to enroll in the advanced workshop for the appropriate genre (PRWR 7500), repeatable for an unlimited number of times.

Students who hold a graduate degree in creative writing from another university who wish to continue workshopping might likewise enroll in PRWR 7500, contingent upon acceptance into the Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing program.

Application Process

For a graduate catalogue and application form, contact Kennesaw State University's Office of Graduate Admissions at 770-420-4377. An application for admission is also available online. Application materials should be sent to the Graduate Admissions office:

Office of Graduate Admissions
Kennesaw State University
1000 Chastain Rd #9109
Kennesaw GA 30144