English Minor in Creative Writing

Our eighteen-credit minor is open to all undergraduates, and students from other schools like engineering, commerce, architecture, education, and nursing are encouraged to declare. The minor does not have prerequisites, except that, like every minor at UVA, you must declare a major before you can declare a minor. And, alas, English majors cannot declare because the College does not allow students to major and minor in the same department.

Image

CW Minor Requirements

We've tried to keep our requirements modest, but every minor has a few. Ours are,

• Three ENCW workshop courses, two of which must be at the 3000 level or higher. The workshop courses can be in multiple disciplines, so students can minor by taking a mixture of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction writing, or they can specialize in just one genre. Students can apply one ENCW 2000-level course toward the minor. 
• One ENCW 4550 (topics in literary prose) or one ENCW 4820 (poetry poetics) course. Our creative writing faculty typically teach these classes and the courses help students examine a range of literature through the eyes of a writer and with a focus on literary craft. 
• Two ENGL literature courses at the 3000 level or higher. One of the courses must have a pre-1900 focus.

On an exception basis, students can substitute up to one ENWR course as part of the minor.

Declaring the Minor

Interested students can declare the minor by using the college's "Declare a Major or Minor" form at this page. Students must have already declared a major before declaring a minor. Please fill in "Anna Beecher" and "am2aw@virginia.edu" under the "Declaration of Major/Minor Contact (DMC)" blanks.

Students declaring a minor in creative writing need to adhere to the College's minor declaration polices, outlined on this page. Among those policies, please note that most students must declare a minor before the add deadline of their next-to-last semester at UVA. This usually means students must declare the minor before the College's fall add deadline in their fourth year.

FAQ's

Q: If I declare a minor but don't fulfill the requirements and finish it, will that appear on my transcript?

A: No, absolutely not. A UVA transcript shows the courses you have taken and the majors and minors you have earned, but it does not list unfinished minors (or majors). There is "no harm, no foul" if you become a creative writing minor but decide later you cannot finish the coursework. Toward graduation, the registrar's office may email you about removing the minor from your course of study in SIS, but they make no notations that appear on a transcript.

Q: If I'm in the minor, do I get registration preference? Do I get an earlier registration time or get to bypass instructor permission on your courses?

A: In short, no, the minor does not affect your course registration or give you priority. For instructor-permission courses, however, it's often a good idea to let the professor know you are a declared minor. This won't guarantee enrollment, but it may increase your odds.