Major in Creative Writing (B.A.)

At Clark, your education extends beyond the classroom. Visit the Career Connections Center to learn more about internship opportunities that complement your coursework and put your English knowledge into practice.

In cooperation with the University’s internship office, the English Department supports internships for all majors. Internships are available both in university offices and in venues beyond the campus-for example, newspapers, news departments of radio and television stations, periodical and book publishers, and communication departments. Please consult with Professor Neuman, Chair, for further information.

As a complement to this concentration, you can engage in a variety of related experiential learning opportunities, including internships, study abroad, and research. You can enter any or all of the English Department’s four annual writing contests; submit your work for publication in Caesura, Clark’s student literary magazine; or publish your work on the Clark Writes blog. Aspiring playwrights can submit their scripts to the Visual and Performing Arts Department’s biennial New Play Festival, which produces full-length plays written, directed, and performed by Clark undergrads.

Internships are available both in university offices and in venues beyond the campus-for example, newspapers, news departments of radio and television stations, periodical and book publishers, and communication departments.

Clark is committed to action-based learning, which means as an undergraduate you can join faculty and graduate students in their research. Our faculty are active researchers in a variety of English subfields including medieval and Renaissance literature; contemporary literary theory; semiotics and rhetorical theory; literary treatments of ethnicity; critical and literary theory; and book history and manuscript culture.

The English Department actively supports the development of young scholars and the presentation of student research in multiple formats. As an undergraduate student in Creative Writing, you’ll receive support from faculty mentors to pursue and present your creative work, with the opportunity to present your findings. You can also apply for funding to support your own research on a project of your choice during the academic year or during the summer.

The Goddard Library’s Rare Books Open House allows students to curate an exhibition of treasures from Goddard Library’s Special Collections. English students created and contributed to the Mix(L)it Digital Exhibit, a digital exhibit of mixed race literary and screen characters.

Our program facilitates scholarly research through our Capstone in English, a senior research project, and our Honors program. Please contact Professor Blake, Director of the Honors Program, for information. Also, every year The American Antiquarian Society, a prestigious national research library of American culture located in Worcester, offers seminars in specialized topics in American studies. Please contact Professor Neuman for more information.

At Clark you’ll get more than a great education; you’ll also be prepared for a long, productive career and life of consequence. And once you’ve completed your degree, you can join other Clark alumni who have gone on to work for great organizations and attend some of the best graduate schools in the world.

English majors are excellent communicators and highly adaptable, creative problem-solvers who apply their critical thinking skills to productive effect in a variety of professions. A foundation in creative writing is an asset to those seeking careers in education, digital and print media, marketing and public relations, and psychology.