As one of the oldest writing programs in the United States, the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh has an excellent record of not only producing talented creative writers but also developing the writing skills of undergraduates who go on to work in a variety of professions, including journalism, law, and publishing.
The Minor in Creative Writing was created in response to numerous students expressing their interest in writing but their main major required too much of a commitment for them to take on a second major. The Minor fulfills a need that is different from the certificate in Public and Professional Writing, with its particular focus on writing in commercial, nonprofit, government, and legal environments, and the Writing Major, which requires a more substantial commitment of time and study.
According to many different sources (CEOs, personnel, and graduate school committees), the students who write well – no matter what their major might be – are the students who get noticed by employers. The kind of self-examination that the practice of writing encourages, as well as the ability to organize information into narrative, expressive and communicative forms, will always make candidates stand out. Furthermore, the Writing Program hopes to also attract students who might want to work at the intersections of, say, Neuroscience and the Humanities, or students who want to think about and articulate the kind of complex relationships a more connected world creates.
The Creative Writing Minor (18 credits)
A student must complete 18 credits of English writing courses, with a 3-course concentration in one of the tracks. (A student can declare both a major and a minor in different tracks, provided that they do not overlap courses. Completion of both programs requires 51 credits.)