Creative Writing
The English Department offers the opportunity to practice creative writing in various genres as part of the larger study of literature as reading widely and critically is a crucial foundation for learning to write well.
Because creative writing at Tufts is approached in the context of extensive reading and critical examination of literature, the Department does not offer a separate creative writing major or minor, though there is ample opportunity for intensive creative writing practice within both the major and minor.
English Major
English majors may count up to five creative writing courses (defined as courses numbered English 0005- 0017) towards the major’s required ten courses. See "Major Requirements" and "Approved Courses" for general information about the English major.
English Minor
English minors may count up to three creative writing courses (defined as courses numbered English 0005- 0017) towards the minor’s required six courses. See "Minor Requirements" for general information about the English minor.
Prerequisites & Credits
Course prerequisites are indicated in the following chart. Also indicated are restrictions on how many times a course may be counted for credit towards the English major or minor.
| Course | Prerequisites | # classes counted for Major/Minor Credits |
|---|---|---|
| English 5: Fiction | Completion of College Writing Requirement | Two |
| English 6: Poetry | Completion of College Writing Requirement | Two |
| English 7: Journalism | Completion of College Writing Requirement | Two |
| English 10: Non-fiction | Completion of College Writing Requirement | One |
| English 11: Intermediate Journalism | Completion of College Writing Requirement | One |
| English 12: New Forms of Screen Narrative | Completion of College Writing Requirement | One |
| English 13: Advanced Fiction | Completion of College Writing Requirement; Students must take one English 5 to enroll in English 13 | Three |
| English 14: Topics in Fiction Writing | Completion of College Writing Requirement; at least one English 5 | Unlimited |
| English 16: Writing Poetry: Advanced | Completion of College Writing Requirement; Eng 6 | Unlimited |
| English 17: Topics in Poetry Writing | Completion of College Writing Requirement; at least one English 6 | Unlimited |
Courses Requiring Completion of College Writing Requirement
- Liberal Arts students must have taken English 1 or English 3 and English 2 or English 4.
- Engineering students must have taken English 1 or English 3.
- Complete information about the writing requirement, including exemptions, is online at the First Year Writing page, and in the "First Year Writing Program Course Information Booklet," available in the English Department office.
- Students should check transcripts to ensure that any exemptions have been documented. Transcript-related questions should be directed to the Student Services desk in Dowling Hall (617-627-2000).
- Students whose transcripts do not reflect fulfillment of the writing requirement will first be emailed to rectify the situation. If proof of fulfillment of the writing requirement is not delivered to Student Services in a timely manner, the student will then be automatically dropped from the course.
Arts Distribution Requirement
- English 5, 6, 10, 13, 14, 16 and 17 (but not 7 or 11) may be used to fulfill an Arts distribution requirement.
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If a student takes the same course twice, these courses can count toward both parts of the Arts distribution requirement. Please remember, though, that no more than 3 courses used toward distribution requirements can be from the same department or program.
- For complete listings of courses fulfilling Distribution requirements see the Student Services Website.
Class Size & Attendance
All sections are limited to twelve students. To retain your place you must be present at the first meeting of the course.
Senior Honors Thesis
See under "Senior Honors Thesis" for information about the creative option.
Eligible Courses
Please note that creative writing courses must be offered by or cross-listed with English in order to count toward the English major or minor.
