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English (BA) - Creative Writing

About

The skills most in demand for today’s job market are those in which English majors excel – oral and written communication, reading comprehension, active listening, analysis and critical thinking.

These fundamental strengths place graduates of Appalachian State University’s English (BA) – Creative Writing program at the top of employers’ wish lists, assuring them success and flexibility in a variety of careers – including writing, editing, publishing, journalism, broadcasting, marketing, advertising, public relations, teaching, educational administration, law, business, library and information science, the caring professions, government and more.

With award-winning faculty including a former North Carolina Poet Laureate, Appalachian’s Department of English offers one of the finest undergraduate creative writing programs in North Carolina. Students flourish in small classes focused on workshopping their writing, and have the opportunity to engage with renowned visiting authors, including Appalachian’s Rachel Rivers-Coffey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing.

After Graduation

Employment: Students who graduated from this program have gone on to work for Oxford University Press, Technica Editorial Services, Adams Literary Agency, Cox Media Group, MicroMass Communications, UNC-Chapel Hill, Merkle, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Impact Financial Systems and others.

Graduate School: Students who chose to continue their education have gone on to earn graduate degrees in English, law, publishing, library and information science, education, communication sciences and disorders, public administration, social work, computer science and creative writing. Students from this program have gone on to MFA graduate programs in Creative Writing at the following schools:

  • Dartmouth University
  • University of Iowa
  • University of San Francisco
  • University of South Florida
  • Indiana University
  • Sarah Lawrence College
  • New York University
  • Georgia State University
  • UNC-Greensboro
  • UNC-Wilmington
  • North Carolina State University

Career Exploration website

People

  • Student Profile: Winners of the Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship
    Student Profile: Winners of the Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship

    English majors Jay Phillips of Charlotte and Victoria Goff of Akron, Ohio, have been recognized as the latest recipients of App State’s Truman Capote Literary Trust Scholarship, having received feedback on their work by poet Jacinta White.

  • Faculty Profile: Mark Powell
    Faculty Profile: Mark Powell

    A two-time Fulbright award recipient, Mark Powell is working on his seventh novel. He is director of the university’s Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series, which brings renowned writers to Appalachian’s campus each year.

  • Faculty Profile: Dr. Kathryn Kirkpatrick
    Faculty Profile: Dr. Kathryn Kirkpatrick

    Among the honors she has received, Kirkpatrick is a two-time recipient of the Roanoke-Chowan Award for Poetry, awarded each year to a North Carolina poet for the best book of poetry.

  • Faculty Profile: Joseph Bathanti
    Faculty Profile: Joseph Bathanti

    Rigorous and adventurous is how this former North Carolina Poet Laureate and award-winning writer describes Appalachian’s creative writing program.

    Meet more faculty

  • Alumnus Profile: Todd Atchison ’01
    Alumnus Profile: Todd Atchison ’01

    Todd Atchison, a poet and prose writer, says he believes his time at App State as an English and philosophy major prepared him to be a writer. He recently published his grandfather’s memoir during the coronavirus pandemic.

    Meet more alumni

Courses

  • Program of Study
    Program of Study
  • Four Year Guide
    Four Year Guide

    Click on the pdf for your major

  • NCCC Transfer Four Year Guide
    NCCC Transfer Four Year Guide

Minors

A minor is required for this major. Popular choices include:

  • Psychology
  • History
  • Philosophy
  • TESL/Applied Linguistics
  • General Business
  • Marketing
  • Religious Studies
  • Political Science
  • Art
  • Theatre Arts

View all minors

Engagement Outside the Classroom

Sigma Tau Delta is an international honor society for English undergraduates.

Lyric is Appalachian’s Spoken Word Poetry Club.

The Peel is an award-winning student-run literary publication that features Appalachian students’ stories, poetry, essays and artwork.

Cold Mountain Review is Appalachian’s professional literary review published out of the Department of English.

The Film Club is the Department of English’s undergraduate club devoted to film production and appreciation.

APPS Society Film Series is sponsored by the Appalachian Popular Programming Society (APPS).

Sustainability Film Series screens films that help viewers better understand the challenges facing human culture and our planet.

The Queer Film Series seeks to increase campus and community awareness of the histories, lives, and cultures of LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex) persons.

The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series brings eight authors to campus for readings and craft talks throughout the school year.

Global Learning

Appalachian is committed to introducing students to different cultures and teaching them how to live and interact in a global society.

Admission Requirements

There are no admission requirements beyond admission to Appalachian State University.

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Why Appalachian?

  • The Hughlene Bostian Frank Visiting Writers Series brings eight authors to campus every year.
  • Appalachian’s Creative Writing concentration was the first undergraduate program in the U.S. to receive an endowed Truman Capote Creative Writing Scholarship. It is awarded annually to a rising junior or senior whose submissions of prose or poetry are judged to be outstanding. The department also offers the John Foster West and Marian Coe Creative Writing Scholarship Competitions.
  • The Rachel Rivers-Coffey Distinguished Professorship in Creative Writing brings to campus every fall a writer of national prominence. In the past, the program has hosted Al Young, Toi Derricotte, Kelly Cherry, Robert Morgan, R.T. Smith, Gurney Norman, Nancy Huddleston Packer, Kathryn Stripling Byer, George Ella Lyon and others.
  • Research shows that English majors who choose to pursue a graduate or professional degree consistently perform at the highest levels on the GMAT, MCAT, LSAT and the GRE.
  • Qualifying students can participate in App State’s Accelerated Master’s program — often called 4+1 — and complete a master’s degree in English in one additional year.

Location

Boone and Hickory*

*The Hickory Campus location is pending accreditation from SACSCOC for this program. Accreditation is expected in summer 2023.

Careers

Appalachian graduates with English degrees excel wherever employers value cultural literacy and the ability to read carefully, think critically and write effectively. 

See where they work

Contacts

College of Arts and Sciences

Department of English

Dr. Leonardo Flores
Chair
floresll@appstate.edu
828-262-3098

  • Department of English

    The Department of English at Appalachian State University is committed to outstanding work in the classroom, the support and mentorship of students, and a dynamic engagement with culture, history, language, theory and literature. It offers Master of Arts degrees in English and rhetoric and composition, as well as undergraduate degrees in literary studies, film studies, creative writing, professional writing and English education.

  • College of Arts and Sciences

    Appalachian’s Largest College

    The College of Arts and Sciences at Appalachian State University is home to 17 academic departments, two centers and one residential college spanning the humanities and the social, mathematical and natural sciences. The college is dedicated to providing instruction and research essential to the university's mission and seeks to cultivate the habits of inquiry, learning and service among all its constituents.

    By the Numbers

    • 1/3 of the degrees awarded at Appalachian
    • More than 70% of general education courses are taught in the college
    • 93 majors offered
    • 53 minors offered
    • 6,411 undergraduate majors
    • More than 460 full-time faculty members
    • 41,203 living alumni
    • $8,754,800 awarded to the college in external grants during the 2020–21 academic year
    • $236,914 awarded to students through 6 collegewide scholarships and 98 departmental scholarships for the 2020–21 academic year

    Graduate Programs

    Accelerated Master’s program opportunities are available in pursuing a master's degree in 12 selected areas: Appalachian Studies, Biology, Computer Science, Engineering Physics, English, Geography and Planning, History, Mathematics, Romance Languages (French/Spanish), Political Science, Psychology (Experimental Science) and Public Administration. Other master’s degrees, graduate certificates and specialist degrees are listed on Appalachian’s School of Graduate Studies website.

    Top Employment Sectors

    • Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools
    • Federal, State and Local Government
    • Justice, Public Order and Safety Activities
    • Computer Systems Design and Related Services
    • Legal Services
    • Health Care
    • Biotech/Engineering
    • Elementary and Secondary Schools
    • Nonprofit Organizations

Appalachian Cares

It's up to me|us

Appalachian Cares is a place to find resources and support available for our students faculty and staff regarding student health and safety.

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