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Fall 2025 Undergraduate Catalog
Creative Writing, BFA
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 Return to: Majors
Lichtenstein Center Undergraduate Studies, College of Arts and Sciences
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Fine Art in Creative Writing
Office: Melville Library, N3017, Zip 3371
Phone: (631) 632-7102
A Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in creative writing offers a way for students to write compellingly about the issues at the “deep heart’s core” of their - and our - experience. Through workshops in the practice of craft, majors develop their capacity for expression and persuasion, seeking the voice and form of expression that best connects what they have to say with their audience. In literature courses, they learn to read like a writer and to contextualize their own work. The capstone project, a book-length manuscript, teaches self-reliance: students learn to apply their skills and carry a creative vision through to completion. The major’s interdisciplinary aspects and project-driven structure promote creative thinking about students’ own interests and burgeoning competencies, about the nature of truth, and about the time and place in which their imaginations live.
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Admission Requirements
Students who would like to major in Creative Writing apply to the program with a portfolio that includes a statement of purpose and ten to 15 pages of creative writing in any genre or genres. Those applying to Stony Brook may apply for admission to Creative Writing at the same time and will be prompted to submit their portfolios. Those who are already Stony Brook students, or have been admitted as transfer students to Stony Brook from another institution, should apply with the supplemental materials to the Program Director. Current students are advised to apply to the major after they have successfully completed CWL 190 and CWL 202 or the equivalent. See department website for a more detailed description of the application process and portfolio. Notes regarding the Major in Creative Writing: - Current Stony Brook students are encouraged to apply to the major in their first or second year.
- Transfer students already in their second year at another institution are strongly encouraged to apply to the major along with their application to Stony Brook. Speak with the program director to plan a path through this 60-credit degree.
Degree Requirements
The major in Creative Writing leads to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Students must earn a C or better in all courses toward the major, and a B or better in CWL 250 , a course for majors only. At the beginning of their third year, majors choose a genre in which to specialize: fiction, poetry, scriptwriting, or creative nonfiction. In fall of their 4th year, majors take their capstone cluster of courses. Completion of the major requires at least 60 credits. Introductory courses required of all majors (9 credits)
Ten writing workshops (30-31 credits)
Students may repeat courses for credit. Majors must take at least 3 workshops outside their declared genre. - CWL 300 - Forms of Creative Nonfiction 3 credits
- CWL 305 - Forms of Fiction 3 credits
- CWL 310 - Forms of Poetry 3 credits
- CWL 315 - Forms of Scriptwriting 3 credits
- CWL 320 - Forms of Interdisciplinary Arts 3 credits
- CWL 325 - Forms of Science Writing 3 credits
- CWL 510, 520, 530, 540, 550 Forms of Fiction, Poetry, Scriptwriting, Creative Nonfiction, Professional and Scientific Writing (MFA faculty). By special permission, majors may take a graduate writing workshop, or may count credits earned in EGL 285 , EGL 286 , THR 325 , or THR 326 toward this requirement. Note that a maximum of 6 graduate credits may be applied toward the undergraduate degree.
Two literature courses for writers (6 credits)
Students may repeat these courses for credit as the topics change. Four “Capstone Cluster” courses (15 credits)
These courses should be taken during the fall of Y4. Upper-Division Writing Requirement
The upper-division writing requirement is satisfied by satisfactory completion of CWL 300 , CWL 305 , CWL 310 , CWL 315 , CWL 320 , or CWL 325 with a grade of C or better. These courses satisfy Requirement B for the major, ten required writing workshops. Students should consult with the department advisor to ensure that their plan for completing the Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent with university graduation requirements for General Education. Students completing the Stony Brook Curriculum (SBC) must complete a course that satisfies the “Write Effectively within One’s Discipline” (WRTD) learning objective to graduate. The Upper Division Writing Requirement is consistent in most cases with the SBC learning outcomes for WRTD. SBC Courses
This table illustrates major courses that can also be used to fulfill SBC requirements. (See Note 1 & Note 2) | SBC Category | Required Major Courses | Optional Major Courses (see Note 3) | | ARTS | CWL 202 | THR 325, THR 326 | | GLO | | CWL 330, CWL 340 | | HUM | CWL 190 | | | LANG (see Note 4) | | | | QPS | | | | SBS | | | | SNW | | | | TECH | | | | USA | | CWL 335 | | WRT | | | | STAS | | CWL 325 | | EXP+ | CWL 450 | CWL 320 | | HFA+ | | CWL 300, CWL 305, CWL 310, CWL 315, CWL 330, CWL 335, CWL 340 | | SBS+ | | | | STEM+ | | | | CER | CWL 390 | | | DIV (see Note 5) | | | | ESI | CWL 487 | | | SPK | CWL 390 | | | WRTD | | CWL 300, CWL 305, CWL 310, CWL 315, CWL 320, CWL 325 | Note 1: Some course information may be subject to change. Please contact your major advisor for additional consultation. Note 2: For majors that require study in a related area or completion of a minor, visit the respective program’s “Major SBC Courses” page to view expanded SBC options. Note 3: Denotes any course in which students can choose from more than one option. These may include, but are not limited to, major electives, concentration/track/specialization courses, or calculus/physics/chemistry sequences. Note 4: CEAS majors, the Athletic Training major, the Respiratory Care major, and the Clinical Laboratory Sciences major are exempt from the LANG learning objective. Students enrolled in the major in Social Work are exempt from the LANG learning objective, but are required to enroll in and pass with a letter grade of C or higher the first semester of an elementary foreign language course numbered 111, or satisfy through alternate methods. Note 5: Students are responsible for completing the general education requirements published in the Bulletin that was current as of the first semester of matriculation (or rematriculation). The following student groups must satisfy the DIV learning objective as part of their degree requirements: - Freshmen who matriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
- Transfer students who matriculate in the Spring of 2020 or later
- Students who rematriculate in the Fall of 2019 or later
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