Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing (Honors)

A student interested in this option should consult with a Co-Director of Creative Writing within the first month of the semester prior to the proposed study to discuss application guidelines and an adviser for the project, usually a senior faculty member the student has worked with before.

Normally, all four workshop requirements will have been completed prior to the start of the project.

The project will culminate in a creative body of work of high standard smaller in scope than the book-length thesis. A 25-page chapbook of poetry, for example, or 50 pages of fiction.

Recommendation for departmental honors will be made by the Creative Writing faculty to the English department based on the excellence of the student's record in the major, and the creative work as exemplified in the honors project.
Creative writing has a long history at Brandeis: taught since 1951, it has been a major in its own right since 2003.

Unlike other creative writing programs, our workshops are taught solely by established writers. You will learn your craft from working writers who are widely published and also dedicated teachers. Our impressive roster of past visiting writers includes Alice Walker, John Irving and Saul Bellow.

Our workshops are small 14 students maximum. And because they are open to all, you will work closely with a wonderfully diverse group of peers majoring in neuroscience, Judaic studies, African and African-American studies, fine arts, law, business, biology and other areas.

Our program is also unusually active, sponsoring reading series, student awards, panel discussions, workshops on publishing, and journal and performance opportunities. Our Reading Series brings nationally known poets, novelists and translators to campus for readings and meetings with students. Featured readers have included Tom Perrotta, Jamaica Kincaid, Carl Phillips, Kazim Ali, Adrienne Rich, Sharon Olds, Mark Doty and others.

Official copies of all high school transcripts and/or GED certificate and/or marks from any externally graded national exams. (If the original documents are not in English, please submit both original documents and English translations.) This should include transcripts for courses taken for credit outside your high school. Transcripts must include official grades from all years of secondary school.
A school report and a letter of recommendation from a secondary school official.
High School Senior Grades: Send your senior midyear grades as soon as they become available.
A letter of recommendation