upenn creative writing mfa

Creative Writing at Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies

Creative writing at penn’s college of liberal and professional studies.

Become a Penn-made writer—your way. Designed with working adults and nontraditional students in mind, Penn’s College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) offers a range of opportunities to study the craft of creative writing with expert faculty and a community of like-minded peers. As a Penn student, you have access to world-class resources including Penn Libraries and Kelly Writers House, as well as personalized advising to help you make the most of your Penn experience. 

What’s your story?

Whether you are an experienced writer hoping to focus and polish your work or a beginner exploring the arts of creative expression, Penn LPS workshops, and writing-intensive Proseminars offer inspiration, technique, and constructive feedback. Wherever you are, whatever level of education you’ve achieved, there’s a program for you at Penn.

Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences >

Master of Liberal Arts >

Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts >

Certificate in Creative Writing >

Penn LPS Online courses >

Post-Baccalaureate Studies >

Beginning or completing a bachelor’s degree?

The Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) degree is an accredited degree program that offers an Ivy League liberal arts education—fully online.

• Earn a bachelor’s degree, with the option to complete related certificates at the same time
• Complete 30 courses (or less, if eligible for credit transfer) through full-time study or a part-time flexible pace
• Take immersive, fully online courses from anywhere in the world; does not require residence in Philadelphia
• Tailor your studies with a degree concentration such as Creative Studies , Individualized Studies , or Literature, Culture, and Tradition
• Apply through the standard admissions process, or “prove your way in” by demonstrating academic ability
• Apply for a fall, spring, or summer start

Learn more about BAAS >

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Looking for a graduate degree that isn’t terminal?

The Master of Liberal Arts (MLA) program allows you to design your own curriculum by choosing courses across the University and combining different disciplines to tackle the question or project that motivates you. Anchored by writing-intensive Proseminar courses, the MLA is ideal for students who wish to draw from different disciplines to approach a creative project or research query.

Designed for students who already have a master’s degree and want a short, focused degree program to extend their studies, the Master of Philosophy in Liberal Arts (MPhil) program balances all the benefits of the MLA with the independence of self-directed study.

• Earn a graduate degree with the option to complete a graduate certificate in creative writing at the same time
• Complete coursework and a capstone project in one year of full-time study or at a part-time flexible pace
• Take daytime or evening courses on campus, and online courses when available
• A bachelor’s degree in any field is required to apply, and the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is optional

Learn more about MLA >

Learn more about MPhil >

Just want to write—without committing to a degree program?

Unlock your creativity from anywhere in the world through accelerated online courses. The Certificate in Creative Writing allows you to choose four courses from a variety of collaborative workshops—including genres such as poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction—to earn a certificate, or a total of six courses to qualify for an advanced certificate. Want to test the waters first? Enroll in individual courses in creative writing without committing to a program of study, enjoying the flexibility and expertise offered by Penn LPS Online to suit your schedule and interests.

• Earn academic credit with each course, with the option to complete a certificate
• Complete the certificate program in less than one year, or take courses at your own pace
• Fully online and asynchronous; does not require residency in Philadelphia
• No application or prerequisites required; you are eligible if you have attained a high school diploma
• Enroll any time for a fall, spring, or summer start

Learn more about Penn LPS Online certificates >

Learn more about Penn LPS Online courses >

If you’ve completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, the Post-Baccalaureate Studies (or post-bacc) program is a unique opportunity to hand-pick courses from more than 50 academic departments—including creative writing, literature, and related studies.

• Earn academic credit with each course
• Complete coursework through full-time study or a part-time flexible pace
• A bachelor’s degree in any field is required to apply

Learn more about Post-Baccalaureate Studies >

Already enrolled in a degree program?

If you’ve committed to a degree program at Penn or another institution, you may still have an opportunity to practice writing at Penn.

• Anyone with a high school diploma can enroll as a visiting student during Penn Summer Sessions —no application needed
• Undergraduates can enroll as a Domestic Guest Student to spend a term at Penn
• Penn graduate students can enroll in writing-focused MLA courses as electives

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While LPS values creating a community of diverse lived experiences, in considering your application for admissions, LPS has not in the past and will not in the future consider racial or ethnic identity as a factor in the admissions decision. We are in the process of revising our application language. Applicants are not required to respond to any questions regarding race or ethnicity.

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Julia Bloch Director, Creative Writing Program CPCW 207

Mingo Reynolds Director of Administration, Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing CPCW 307

Jamie-Lee Josselyn Associate Director for Recruitment, Creative Writing Program Director, Summer Workshop for Young Writers, Kelly Writers House CPCW 206

Christopher Martin IT Support Specialist CPCW 202

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A Letter from the Graduate Chair

To All Current and Prospective Graduate Students:

Welcome to the virtual home of the M.A. and Ph.D. programs in the Department of English at the University of Pennsylvania. On these pages, current as well as prospective students will find detailed information about graduate study in English at Penn.

The Department offers full-time M.A. and Ph.D. programs. Comprehensive in their range of specializations, these programs are intellectually dynamic and rigorous. Our M.A. program offers students a solid foundation in the professional study of literature and culture, and our Ph.D. program prepares students for full participation in the profession as scholars and teachers of English and American literature, broadly conceived. Over seventy graduate students enjoy close interaction with thirty-eight internationally renowned faculty members in the Department who teach and publish on a large number of historical periods, theoretical areas, and methodological approaches. Many of our faculty work across traditional period and disciplinary divides, and we encourage our students to bring similar innovation and creativity to their own research and teaching.

Our Department culture reflects our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment that is at once challenging and supportive. We recognize that success in our profession requires more than taking courses, passing exams, writing a dissertation, attending conferences, and publishing articles; it also involves the recognition that we produce new knowledge collectively. Accordingly, we consider our graduate students full members of the Department and encourage everyone to take an active role in the intellectual and social community of the Department as well as other programs and departments across campus. We convene an array of reading and discussion groups that bring together faculty and graduate students throughout the year; we host numerous Department lectures by leading scholars from across the world; we encourage graduate students to take leading roles in planning conferences and symposia; and we include graduate students in a range of Department gatherings, dinners, and other intellectual and social events.

We also support and value our Graduate English Association, which acts as a forum for graduate students to provide advice and support, to organize workshops, to help one another through all stages of the program, to discuss graduate concerns and initiatives with faculty and administration, and to plan various social events. Since most of our Ph.D. students plan to become professors, the Department provides extensive pedagogical training and mentorship. All Ph.D. candidates teach at least three semesters while working toward their degrees. Second-year English Ph.D. students assist professors with teaching and grading in undergraduate courses and enroll in a semester-long pedagogy seminar; fourth-year English Ph.D. students design and teach a Junior Research Seminar in their own field of specialization while attending a series of pedagogy workshops. In addition to these official requirements, Ph.D. students have other opportunities to assist with and teach courses at Penn and beyond, and each year we offer teaching and mentoring workshops on special topics led by professors and graduate students.

The Department recognizes the importance of financial support in a program as demanding as ours. To this end, all of our admitted Ph.D. students are awarded an identical five-year guaranteed funding package. This award, the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship, gives students a generous yearly stipend and covers all tuition, fees, and health insurance. In addition, Ph.D. candidates are eligible for many travel grants for conference presentations and archival research, and the University offers a number of competitive sixth-year funding opportunities for dissertation completion. Regrettably, no financial aid is available for our M.A. students, whether in the form of fellowships, research assistantships, or teaching assistantships.

In the last year of the Ph.D. program, most doctoral candidates apply for academic jobs, and the Department provides extensive assistance and support to students at this crucial stage of their careers. We are proud of our placement record, which is among the best in the country. Graduates of our Ph.D. program go on to thrive in tenure-track positions at a range of public and private colleges and universities. We also support students who seek opportunities beyond academia. We are proud of those who have chosen careers in library and digital services, in the publishing industry, in teaching at the secondary level, and in management consulting, to name just a few of the alternate paths graduates of the Department have taken.

Graduate school is full of many surprises, but there is one thing of which you can be sure: Your time in our Department will be one of intellectual growth and excitement. By the end you will have made an original and important contribution to your field of scholarly expertise. We cannot promise you that earning a Ph.D. or M.A. in Department of English will be an entirely smooth or always pleasurable process. The work and effort required is difficult and at times daunting. However, I promise you that we will do everything to support you as you work toward an advanced degree in English and prepare for a brilliant and rewarding career beyond graduate school.

Graduate Teaching Awards

Our graduate students are regularly recognized as excellent teachers. See right for a few recent winners, or view a full list of our award winners .

Tajah Ebram

Sas dissertation completion fellowship (dcf).

Maureen Furniss Best Graduate Student Essay Award

In memoriam.

We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of our colleague, Yoonmee Chang . Yoonmee received her Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania in English and was an instrumental leader in the founding of the Asian American Studies Program at Penn. She was Associate Professor at George Mason University and author of Writing in the Ghetto: Class, Authorship, and the Asian American Ethnic Enclave .

https://asam.sas.upenn.edu/news/2018/01/23/memory-our-colleague-yoonmee-...

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English: Creative Writing, BA

Related programs.

• English: 18th/19th Centuries, BA
• English: 20th/21st Centuries, BA
• English: Africana Literatures & Culture, BA
• English: Cinema & Media Studies, BA
• English: Drama, BA
• English: Gender/Sexuality, BA
• English: General English, BA
• English: Literary Theory & Cultural Studies, BA
• English: Literature, Journalism and Print Culture, BA
• English: Medieval/Renaissance, BA
• English: Poetry and Poetics, BA
• English: The Novel, BA

The English Major with a Concentration in Creative Writing provides students with a solid grounding in literature as well as advanced study in creative writing. Penn’s premier undergraduate creative writing program includes courses in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, screenwriting, playwriting, writing for children, journalistic writing, and review.

The minimum total course units for graduation in this major is 33. Double majors may entail more course units.

For more information: http://www.english.upenn.edu/Undergrad/

For information about the General Education requirements, please visit the College of Arts & Sciences Curriculum page.

You will need to take one course to fulfill each sector of the Major Core, six in total. Two of these courses may double-count with your Literature Seminar Electives. Creative Writing Seminars cannot count in the Major Core.

The One Series seminar (TOS) cannot double-count in the Major Core. However, if you take a second TOS course, your additional TOS may count as a Literature Seminar or an Elective.

You must take at least three Creative Writing Seminars.

You must take one Early-Period Literature Seminar, either Literature Before 1700 (AEB7) or Literature Before 1900 (AEB9). This Seminar may be double-counted in the Major Core.

You must take one more Literature Seminar. This may be double-counted in the Major Core.

Remaining number of courses to fulfill 13 credits (1-3 c.u.).

Applicants must have a 3.6 GPA in the major. Thesis required.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

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Mfa program overview.

• MFA Degree Requirements
• Fine Arts Certificates
• MFA Course Descriptions
• MFA Outside Electives

The MFA curriculum at Penn pairs graduate students with a diverse faculty that span the disciplines of visual art. Students extend their conceptual strategies while inventing and then refining hybridized forms of traditional art making methods. In addition to seminars within the department, graduate students are encouraged to pursue topics of science and the humanities through an immense selection of  courses throughout the university .

The Penn MFA program is fluid. In addition to  studio and seminar courses , graduate students select expert-led workshops. The workshops vary in focus from very technical subjects such as digital fabrication or new casting technologies, to seminar topics such as issues of photography in painting. Several workshops are introduced each semester, allowing for a responsive curriculum that advances the individualized projects of the graduate students.

Each year students in the program present public lectures and exhibitions, preparing them for an independent career in the arts that successfully reaches multiple audiences. Teaching Assistantships are offered to all incoming students; those with a sustained desire to teach participate in a program where they propose a syllabus and teach a foundation level studio course at Penn.

The MFA program annually awards students with opportunities to participate in a wide range of fully funded residency programs at the American Academy in Rome, The Vermont Studio Center, the Frank Mohr Instituut in the Netherlands, the Lugoland Project in Lugo, Italy, and upon acceptance, the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture.

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What You Won’t Learn in an MFA

An mfa can teach you skills, but will it prepare you for a writing career.

By 2018, I had written five books and decided to pursue an MFA in creative writing with a concentration in fiction. For me, earning an MFA gave me the time and space I needed to quit my day job and transition to writing full-time, but that was something I had been building toward for over a decade. Of course, I can’t speak to all MFA programs, but in many cases, they focus almost exclusively on writing skills and don’t give writers the concrete skills they need to make money writing and publishing. I often found myself answering questions for my classmates about what publishing was really like. It simply wasn’t being taught, sometimes because faculty themselves were struggling with how to navigate writing as a business.

An MFA program may be the right choice to help you become a better writer, or because you want the qualification to teach writing at a college; it may not give you insights into navigating the publishing landscape.

Here are some of the professional development skills you may need to gain outside of the classroom on your writing journey.

Getting published

Many MFA programs don’t talk to authors about the good, the bad, and the ugly in both traditional publishing and self-publishing. There is often an assumption that if you’re in an MFA program, you’ll be seeking a traditional publishing deal. But most programs also don’t teach writers the skills to query small presses or agents who can query large presses. Even as self-publishing has become an increasingly popular publishing choice, many MFA programs aren’t giving students a clear picture of what it involves.

Contracting

My MFA program was great, but never once during my studies did I hear anyone talk about how to read, negotiate, or understand a contract. As an indie author, you’ll have fewer contracts to interact with than authors who choose to traditionally publish their work, but contracts will still come up—contracts with designers who are working on your books, contracts with podcasts or magazines publishing excerpts of your work. In my MFA program, students who were publishing were left to talk with each other to try to understand how contracts work. Most writers aren’t legal experts, and we benefit from having either a private attorney or an attorney through an organization such as the Author’s Guild review our contracts. I would love to see MFA programs better prepare writers to navigate these business interactions, to negotiate writing rates, and to understand what rights we may be signing away with a particular contract.

Writing to market

The culture of MFA programs often shames or diminishes the idea of writing to market, and instead prioritizes creating literary art for the sake of art. This is a completely valid way to approach your writing life. However, if your goal is to publish your work and sell books, understanding the market and how to write books that appeal to readers is important. There’s nothing wrong with writing books with mass-market appeal, but, depending on the program you attend, you may not hear that in classes. Especially for writers considering the self-publishing route, learning how to understand current trends and how to write books that connect to them is invaluable.

Writing is your passion, and seeing your name in print might be your dream, but when it happens, your writing also becomes a business. Understanding how to manage a writing business is something that most new writers won’t have a lot of experience with. For example, when you get paid from book sales, speaking arrangements, or most anything to do with your books, taxes aren’t going to be withheld. Instead, you’ll need to put money aside to pay your taxes. MFA programs generally don’t cover these details or highlight the importance of hiring an accountant or tax professional to help you with setting up your writing business. You may need to form an LLC for your self-publishing business, open a business bank account, and file taxes appropriately for your writing work. As a self-published author, you also may need to keep records tracking orders and inventory.

Most authors are not able to make a living from books alone. Many writers are balancing a variety of different content creation and income streams. This may include teaching at a college or university (for which a terminal degree such as an MFA is required), freelance writing, and independent teaching, to name a few possibilities. The more writing programs can give MFA students the tools they need to understand the business side of their work, the more successful they will be.

Sassafras Lowrey writes fiction and nonfiction and was the recipient of the 2013 Lambda Literary Award for emerging LGBTQ writers.

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Roots Interns

Nonprofit creative writing internship.

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We’re excited to offer a wide range of Creative Writing Internships around the world and online. All our writing internships are with development programs that tackle social or environmental issues on a grassroots level. Think about projects that focus on photography, education, gender equality, health, youth empowerment, gender equality, community development, or the environment. As a writing intern with one of these organizations, you’ll help tell stories from the field, put impact into words, and help convince potential donors to get involved. These charity writing internships all have a slightly different emphasis; some are purely focused on grant writing, while others allow you to write for a number of platforms. But either way, you’ll sharpen your penmanship by helping to raise awareness of important work in developing countries. It’s a great way to build a writing portfolio, jumpstart creativity, and further a good cause.

Some of these writing internships are based on-site, while others can be done remotely. It may also be an option to do a hybrid style internship.

Depending on the internship, you can get experience with the following:

• Creative writing for internal blogs and external publications
• Online content writing
• Writing newsletters, press releases, and impact reports
• Putting together grant applications

Your tasks will vary depending on your skills and the needs of the organization, but you will likely get involved in Digital Marketing and Fundraising. Tasks can for example be;

• Managing and developing social media channels
• Gathering stories and visual material on the projects that can be put out on all communications platforms
• Creating newsletters and writing blog content
• Assisting with website management and development
• Doing communications and digital fundraising research
• Running online fundraising campaigns
• Writing funding proposals and grant applications
• Report writing
• Assisting with communications strategy

REQUIREMENTS

• Strong writing skills
• Ideally some experience in social media or web management
• A versatile approach to writing
• An independent attitude
• A passion for nonprofit work
• Cape Town, South Africa
• Livingstone, Zambia

START DATE : Flexible and will be discussed during the interview process

DURATION : 2-6 months (longer stays might be possible)

• Please note that the internship is based on a volunteer work placement, so you will not receive a payment or stipend of any kind.
• Remote Internship – USD 525 (regardless of the duration)
• In-Person Internship – from USD 1,817 for a 2 month internship. Note that rates vary depending on the location, type of accommodation and duration of your stay.
• NB. Fees only need to be paid, once a placement has been secured.

Visit https://www.rootsinterns.com/academic-focuses/creative-writing/ to find out more about possible destinations and nonprofits you could be interning with.

PLEASE KEEP THE FOLLOWING IN MIND

• You will be contacted by Roots Interns , as they handle all internship applications for this organization. Roots will also help with any practical preparations before the start of your internship (f.e. arranging your accommodation, answering any questions you might have about living abroad, etc.)
• During the internship you will be linked to a supervisor/mentor that will guide you and provide support & feedback throughout your time with the organization.
• There are multiple destinations and organizations available depending on your preference.
• Check out this link for more information about Roots Interns and the specific options focused on Creative Writing.

HOW TO APPLY

Complete the application form via https://www.rootsinterns.com/apply-handshake/

OR mail to [email protected]

CONTACT FOR MORE INFO

https://www.rootsinterns.com/contact-us/

URL for more info about creative writing internships with nonprofit organizations: https://www.rootsinterns.com/academic-focuses/creative-writing/

Creative Writing Program Marks Three Decades of Growth, Diversity

By Luisa A. Igloria

2024: a milestone year which marks the 30 th  anniversary of Old Dominion University’s MFA Creative Writing Program. Its origins can be said to go back to April 1978, when the English Department’s (now Professor Emeritus, retired) Phil Raisor organized the first “Poetry Jam,” in collaboration with Pulitzer prize-winning poet W.D. Snodgrass (then a visiting poet at ODU). Raisor describes this period as “ a heady time .” Not many realize that from 1978 to 1994, ODU was also the home of AWP (the Association of Writers and Writing Programs) until it moved to George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.

The two-day celebration that was “Poetry Jam” has evolved into the annual ODU Literary Festival, a week-long affair at the beginning of October bringing writers of local, national, and international reputation to campus. The ODU Literary Festival is among the longest continuously running literary festivals nationwide. It has featured Rita Dove, Maxine Hong Kingston, Susan Sontag, Edward Albee, John McPhee, Tim O’Brien, Joy Harjo, Dorothy Allison, Billy Collins, Naomi Shihab Nye, Sabina Murray, Jane Hirshfield, Brian Turner, S.A. Cosby, Nicole Sealey, Franny Choi, Ross Gay, Adrian Matejka, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Ilya Kaminsky, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Jose Olivarez, and Ocean Vuong, among a roster of other luminaries. MFA alumni who have gone on to publish books have also regularly been invited to read.

From an initial cohort of 12 students and three creative writing professors, ODU’s MFA Creative Writing Program has grown to anywhere between 25 to 33 talented students per year. Currently they work with a five-member core faculty (Kent Wascom, John McManus, and Jane Alberdeston in fiction; and Luisa A. Igloria and Marianne L. Chan in poetry). Award-winning writers who made up part of original teaching faculty along with Raisor (but are now also either retired or relocated) are legends in their own right—Toi Derricotte, Tony Ardizzone, Janet Peery, Scott Cairns, Sheri Reynolds, Tim Seibles, and Michael Pearson. Other faculty that ODU’s MFA Creative Writing Program was privileged to briefly have in its ranks include Molly McCully Brown and Benjamín Naka-Hasebe Kingsley.

"What we’ve also found to be consistently true is how collegial this program is — with a lively and supportive cohort, and friendships that last beyond time spent here." — Luisa A. Igloria, Louis I. Jaffe Endowed Professor & University Professor of English and Creative Writing at Old Dominion University

Our student body is diverse — from all over the country as well as from closer by. Over the last ten years, we’ve also seen an increase in the number of international students who are drawn to what our program has to offer: an exciting three-year curriculum of workshops, literature, literary publishing, and critical studies; as well as opportunities to teach in the classroom, tutor in the University’s Writing Center, coordinate the student reading series and the Writers in Community outreach program, and produce the student-led literary journal  Barely South Review . The third year gives our students more time to immerse themselves in the completion of a book-ready creative thesis. And our students’ successes have been nothing but amazing. They’ve published with some of the best (many while still in the program), won important prizes, moved into tenured academic positions, and been published in global languages. What we’ve also found to be consistently true is how collegial this program is — with a lively and supportive cohort, and friendships that last beyond time spent here.

Our themed studio workshops are now offered as hybrid/cross genre experiences. My colleagues teach workshops in horror, speculative and experimental fiction, poetry of place, poetry and the archive — these give our students so many more options for honing their skills. And we continue to explore ways to collaborate with other programs and units of the university. One of my cornerstone projects during my term as 20 th  Poet Laureate of the Commonwealth was the creation of a Virginia Poets Database, which is not only supported by the University through the Perry Library’s Digital Commons, but also by the MFA Program in the form of an assistantship for one of our students. With the awareness of ODU’s new integration with Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) and its impact on other programs, I was inspired to design and pilot a new 700-level seminar on “Writing the Body Fantastic: Exploring Metaphors of Human Corporeality.” In the fall of 2024, I look forward to a themed graduate workshop on “Writing (in) the Anthropocene,” where my students and I will explore the subject of climate precarity and how we can respond in our own work.

Even as the University and wider community go through shifts and change through time, the MFA program has grown with resilience and grace. Once, during the six years (2009-15) that I directed the MFA Program, a State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) university-wide review amended the guidelines for what kind of graduate student would be allowed to teach classes (only those who had  already  earned 18 or more graduate credits). Thus, two of our first-year MFA students at that time had to be given another assignment for their Teaching Assistantships. I thought of  AWP’s hallmarks of an effective MFA program , which lists the provision of editorial and publishing experience to its students through an affiliated magazine or press — and immediately sought department and upper administration support for creating a literary journal. This is what led to the creation of our biannual  Barely South Review  in 2009.

In 2010,  HuffPost  and  Poets & Writers  listed us among “ The Top 25 Underrated Creative Writing MFA Programs ” (better underrated than overrated, right?) — and while our MFA Creative Writing Program might be smaller than others, we do grow good writers here. When I joined the faculty in 1998, I was excited by the high caliber of both faculty and students. Twenty-five years later, I remain just as if not more excited, and look forward to all the that awaits us in our continued growth.

This essay was originally published in the Spring 2024 edition of Barely South Review , ODU’s student-led literary journal. The University’s growing MFA in Creative Writing program connects students with a seven-member creative writing faculty in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction.

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Creative Writing

About the creative writing course block.

The Creative Writing course block at Penn LPS Online offers an innovative, collaborative course of study for those who have always wanted to learn to unlock their creativity. Each course is designed as a workshop in which you explore new ideas, tackle new writing tools, generate original insights, and discover your own powers of innovation. You create, collaboratively discuss, and revise your original writing with feedback from your instructors and your peers. You also engage with a range of assigned readings and multimedia that inform and grow your innovative practice.

The Creative Writing curriculum appeals to students new to creative writing as well as students with writing experience who want to learn new skills. Through a series of courses in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting, the Creative Writing course block focuses on creative writing as a form of critical thinking, as a way to reimagine audience and as a space of innovation. Taught by professionals in the field, our courses cultivate both individual and group learning, providing an overview of the field as well as deep dives into literary genres. These courses are designed for hands-on, intensive study of the subtleties and power of language.

Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences degree courses in the Creative Writing course block are offered on an accelerated (8-week) schedule. Courses in the block are largely asynchronous with some optional synchronous sessions to be scheduled by the instructors.

All Penn LPS Online courses offer academic credit.*

Please note: Students completing this course block while enrolled in the Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences (BAAS) degree are awarded a Certificate in Creative Writing upon completion of the degree. If you are enrolled in the BAAS program and don't complete the degree requirements to graduate, you are not eligible to receive this certificate.

*Academic credit is defined by the University of Pennsylvania as a course unit (c.u.). A course unit (c.u.) is a general measure of academic work over a period of time, typically a term (semester or summer). A c.u. (or a fraction of a c.u.) represents different types of academic work across different types of academic programs and is the basic unit of progress toward a degree. One c.u. is usually converted to a four-semester-hour course.

The Creative Writing course block prepares you to:

• Understand how text conveys meaning across a variety of literary genres and styles
• Explore how to use innovation, flexibility, and collaboration to cultivate a creative writing practice
• Create, revise and edit your original writing in multiple literary genres, including poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and screenwriting

Meet The Faculty

Julia Bloch

• Faculty Director, Penn LPS Online Certificate in Creative Writing
• Director, Creative Writing Program

• Director, Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing

Laynie Browne

• Poet, prose writer, teacher and editor

Scott Burkhardt

• Lecturer in cinema and media studies

Christy Davids

• Teacher, poet and assistant editor at The Conversant

Lise Funderburg

• Lecturer in creative writing

• 2017-2018 Digital Studies Fellow at Rutgers University-Camden

Dick Polman

• Povich Writer-in-Residence at the Center for Programs in Contemporary Writing (CPCW)

• Writer, editor, teacher

Zachary Tyler Vickers

• CRWR 1010: The Craft of Creative Writing
• CRWR 1600: Modern and Contemporary US Poetry
• CRWR 2010: Poetry Workshop
• CRWR 2400: The Art of Editing
• CRWR 2500: Writing and Meditation
• CRWR 2600: Fiction Workshop
• CRWR 2800: Narrative Collage
• CRWR 3000: Writing About Place
• CRWR 3200: Screenwriting
• CRWR 3600: Advanced Nonfiction *
• CRWR 3700: Journalism

*This course may not be offered every academic year. Check the course page or our  course guide  to see when upcoming terms are added.

Courses are subject to change.

Related concentrations

• Creative Studies
• Individualized Studies

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Geographic coordinates of Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, Russia

City coordinates

Coordinates of Elektrostal in decimal degrees

Coordinates of elektrostal in degrees and decimal minutes, utm coordinates of elektrostal, geographic coordinate systems.

WGS 84 coordinate reference system is the latest revision of the World Geodetic System, which is used in mapping and navigation, including GPS satellite navigation system (the Global Positioning System).

Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a position on the Earth’s surface. Coordinates are angular units. The canonical form of latitude and longitude representation uses degrees (°), minutes (′), and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, or in decimal degrees.

Latitude varies from −90° to 90°. The latitude of the Equator is 0°; the latitude of the South Pole is −90°; the latitude of the North Pole is 90°. Positive latitude values correspond to the geographic locations north of the Equator (abbrev. N). Negative latitude values correspond to the geographic locations south of the Equator (abbrev. S).

Longitude is counted from the prime meridian ( IERS Reference Meridian for WGS 84) and varies from −180° to 180°. Positive longitude values correspond to the geographic locations east of the prime meridian (abbrev. E). Negative longitude values correspond to the geographic locations west of the prime meridian (abbrev. W).

UTM or Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system divides the Earth’s surface into 60 longitudinal zones. The coordinates of a location within each zone are defined as a planar coordinate pair related to the intersection of the equator and the zone’s central meridian, and measured in meters.

Elevation above sea level is a measure of a geographic location’s height. We are using the global digital elevation model GTOPO30 .

Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia

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Elektrostal

Elektrostal Localisation : Country Russia , Oblast Moscow Oblast . Available Information : Geographical coordinates , Population, Area, Altitude, Weather and Hotel . Nearby cities and villages : Noginsk , Pavlovsky Posad and Staraya Kupavna .

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