The Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) degree in creative writing at Lakeland is the only writing major like it in the state of Wisconsin. Students completing the B.F.A. dive deeply into the art of writing poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, developing their individual talents in a workshop environment that provides immediate feedback from peers and professors. Creative writing students also experience courses in literature, art, music, and theatre, in order to more fully understand how interconnected are the fine arts. Such a diverse background in the arts serves the students well, by catalyzing their creative inspirations and enriching their written work. A capstone writing project, such as a significant collection of essays or poems or a novella, culminates the creative writing students’ senior year. 

Creative writing students have many opportunities to work with professional writers from outside of campus as well, through Lakeland’s annual Great Lakes Writers Festival in November, the national literary magazines SEEMS and Stoneboat, the annual community book read, and a week-long visiting writer residency each spring. 

The B.F.A. degree in creative writing is a rigorous program for the serious writer. All students are committed to a life of creative writing, and most continue their studies in graduate school, as they prepare for careers as editors, freelance writers, or college professors. 

Programs

• Creative Writing, B.F.A.

• Four-Year Plan: Creative Writing

Courses

• CRW 115 - Writing in the Genres
• CRW 215 - Fiction Writing
• CRW 220 - Poetry Writing
• CRW 240 - Nonfiction Writing
• CRW 250 - Screenwriting
• CRW 400 - Internship in Writing (1-4 semester hours)
• CRW 410 - Advanced Fiction Writing
• CRW 420 - Advanced Poetry Writing
• CRW 440 - Advanced Nonfiction Writing
• CRW 460 - Writer’s Studio (0 semester hours)
• CRW 465 - Developing the Writing Project (1 semester hour)
• CRW 470 - Senior Project in Writing
• CRW 480 - Special Topics in Writing
• CRW 490 - Independent Study in Writing