Creative Writing Minor

Develop your own creative voice through workshops and community.

Lehigh’s Creative Writing Minor teaches students how to develop their writing and storytelling skills in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Whether you're passionate about fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction, this program provides the guidance and inspiration to shape your manuscripts and sharpen your storytelling skills.

Studying creative writing allows students to explore different literary genres and put the tools of compelling writing to good use. Combining workshops, lectures, seminars and literary study, the minor introduces students to a long history of literary tradition and a larger community of writers, scholars and critics.

Key Benefits

• Different Pathways: Students are encouraged to explore specializations in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. With small class sizes and a craft-based approach, students have the space to experiment and bring their ideas to life.
• Lively Writing Community: The Creative Writing Program sponsors readings, residencies, master classes with notable writers, and student readings, from Amaranth, the student-run literary journal of Lehigh, to the Williams Prizes in Creative Writing, an annual contest to recognize excellence in writing.

Coursework

Any undergraduate student at Lehigh University can declare this minor. Some courses may require instructor permission.

The minor will consist of 16 credits and will include:

1. One of the following introduction courses: (4 credits)

ENGL 142 Introduction to Writing Poetry

ENGL 143 Introduction to Writing Creative Non-Fiction

ENGL 144 Introduction to Writing Fiction

2. A literature course at the 100- or 300-level. (4 credits)

3. Select one of the following: (4 credits)

ENGL 342 Advanced Poetry Writing

ENGL 343 Advanced Creative Non-Fiction

ENGL 344 Advanced Fiction Writing

4. Select one of the following: (4 credits)

ENGL 142 Introduction to Writing Poetry

ENGL 143 Introduction to Writing Creative Non-Fiction

ENGL 144 Introduction to Writing Fiction

ENGL 170 Amaranth

ENGL 201 Special Topics in Writing

ENGL 342 Advanced Poetry Writing

ENGL 343 Advanced Creative Non-Fiction

ENGL 344 Advanced Fiction Writing

ENGL 483 Creative Writing and Literary Studies

Creative Writing Degree Contact

Department of English: inengl@lehigh.edu | (610) 758-3310