Graduate Program in Creative Writing (GPCW) 3+2

If you aspire to become a professional writer in a specific discipline, you’ll thrive in Western’s Creative Writing 3+2 pathway. In this program, you have the opportunity to earn an MFA in Creative Writing, paired with a B.A. in English or Environment & Sustainability.

Program Overview

A student claps for her classmate after they read their creative work during the open mic night at I Bar Ranch

Discover your niche as a professional writer.

In the Creative Writing 3+2 pathway, you’ll earn your bachelor’s degree in either English or Environment and Sustainability and your MFA in Creative Writing in just five years.

As an undergraduate, you’ll be able to explore your writing interests in a variety of classes that will prepare you for graduate-level work while you discover what form of writing you are most passionate about. In your fourth year, you’ll transition into the graduate portion of the program, choosing to work in one of four Creative Writing concentrations: Genre Fiction, Screenwriting, Poetry or Nature Writing. Whichever concentration you choose, you’ll work with world-renowned writers to hone your skills, learn the business of being a professional writer and create a portfolio of publishable work.

You’ll graduate with a B.A. in English or Environment and Sustainability, and an MFA in Creative Writing, in addition to gaining ample industry knowledge and the skillset to become a successful writer in a specific discipline.

Fast track your education

Students on the Creative Writing 3+2 pathway earn their bachelor’s degree in either English or Environment and Sustainability and their M.F.A in Creative Writing in just five years.

Program Requirements

At Western, course rotations are crafted to encompass a variety of subject fields for a comprehensive education and versatile degree. For required courses and degree plans, visit the official University Catalog. Below is a general overview of courses at Western Colorado University related to this area of study.

Creative Writing English (3+2 with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing) allows students to complete the B.A. in English (ENG) and the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA) at Western in five years. To remain qualified for the 3+2, upon earning 60 credits each student must:

maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and 3.0 within the emphasis in the major;
earn a minimum grade of B+ in at least two English courses;
submit an 800- to 1,000-word personal statement describing the student's writing experience and commitment to writing;
submit a creative writing sample of at least ten pages appropriate to the MFA concentration the student is applying to;
provide two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be an academic reference addressing the applicant's ability to succeed in a low-residency program.

If any aspect of a student's performance is found to be insufficient, the relevant MFA Concentration Director will recommend denial of acceptance to the GPCW Program Director and the Graduate Studies Dean, and the student will need to find a new emphasis or minor in order to complete the undergraduate degree. Upon meeting the requirements, and completing Year Three (reaching 93 credits in this plan-see "DEGREE PLAN") holding to the same GPA and general performance standards outlined above, the School of Graduate Studies will designate the student as an "MFA candidate in Creative Writing with provisional acceptance." Upon completion of Year Four (reaching 12 8 credits in this plan-see "DEGREE PLAN"), the student will receive their BA and the School of Graduate Studies may designate the student as an "MFA Creative Writing degree-seeking student." Students who have completed Year Four and all other requirements of the 3+2 program and all Western undergraduate requirements (120 total credits, 40 upper-division credits, general education requirements, the ENG undergraduate courses listed under the English Comprehensive Emphasis) but choose to leave the MFA program before completion of Year Five will still have completed the undergraduate ENG Comprehensive Emphasis and have earned the 120 credits necessary for a Western undergraduate degree.

A minimum of 45 credits is required for the B.A. components of the emphasis including a three-credit, upper-division literature elective. In the fourth and fifth years, an additional 60 credits of Creative Writing MFA coursework results in the MFA in Creative Writing degree.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
ENG 161	Introduction to Creative Writing (GT-AH1)	3
ENG 250	Critical Approaches to Literature	3
ENG 358	Global Literatures: Studies in: The Underworld	3
ENG 371	Literary Theory and Criticism	3
ENG 405	Advanced Writing	3
ENG 445	Literary Magazine Submission and Production	3
ENG 463	Major British Authors:	3
ENG 464	Major American Authors:	3
ENG 493	Senior Seminar I: Studies in: Criminal Justice	3
ENG 494	Senior Seminar: Studies in:	3
Select one of the following:		3
ENG 151	Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality
ENG 152	Women and Literature
ENG 153	Literary Culture of the American West
ENG 230	Environmental Literature (GT-AH2)
ENG 255	Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2)
ENG 331	Literature and Ethnicity: Studies in:
ENG 337	Women Writers
ENG 370	Myth and Culture
Select two of the following:		6
ENG 300	Creative Writing: Fiction
ENG 301	Creative Writing: Poetry
ENG 303	Creative Writing
ENG 305	Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction
Select one of the following:		3
ENG 372	British Literature: Medieval and Renaissance Texts
ENG 373	British Literature: Milton through the Romantics
ENG 374	British Literature: The Victorians to the Present Day
Select one of the following:		3
ENG 384	American Literature Early to Civil War
ENG 385	American Literature-Civil War to Present
Total Credits		45

Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Summer before Year 4 of 3+2 (Year 1, Summer 1 of MFA):

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
CRWR 600	The Common Read & Writing Craft	2
And any ONE of the following:		3
CRWR 601	FUNDMT WRITING GENRE FICTION I
CRWR 630	Foundations of Poetry
CRWR 660	Scenes & Sequences
CRWR 681	Introduction to Nature Writing
Total Credits		5

Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Fall of Year 4 of 3+2 (Fall 1 of MFA):

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Select any ONE of the following pairs:		12
CRWR 608	Genre Writing I- Romance and Mystery Fiction
CRWR 609	Genre Studies I-Romance and Mystery
OR
CRWR 664	Adapting the Feature
CRWR 665	Feature Structure & Genre
OR
CRWR 634	Poetry Now
CRWR 648	Poetry Craft and Technique
OR
CRWR 685	Craft of Creative Nonfiction
CRWR 686	Genres of Nature Writing
Total Credits		12

Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Spring of Year 4 of 3+2 (Spring 1 of MFA):

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Any ONE of the following pairs:		12
CRWR 618	Genre Studies II- Western, Speculative, and Young Adult Fiction
CRWR 619	Genre Writing II- Western, Speculative, and Young Adult Fiction
OR
CRWR 667	Writing the Television Screenplay
CRWR 669	TV Structure & Genre
OR
CRWR 635	Poetry Workshop I
CRWR 644	Poetic Lineages
OR
CRWR 680	Writing Place: New Forms and Techniques
CRWR 688	Writing about Nature and Society
Total Credits		12

Upon successful completion of the prescribed courses listed above, University defined General Education, and elective requirements totaling 120 credits (with 40 at the 300-level or higher), students are eligible for their B.A. conferral. Students electing to complete the MFA in Creative Writing must complete the courses of their declared emphasis curriculum. 31 credits of the the following including:

Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Summer before Year 5 of 3+2 (Year 2, Summer 2 of MFA):

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
CRWR 694	MFA Thesis	2
And any ONE of the following:		3
CRWR 602	FUNDM WRITING GENRE FICTION II
CRWR 640	From Thesis to Book
CRWR 670	Visual Storytelling
CRWR 682	Book-Length Considerations
Total Credits		5

Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Fall of Year 5 of 3+2 (Fall 2 of MFA):

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
CRWR 694	MFA Thesis	3
And any ONE of the following:		6
CRWR 620	Short Forms Genre Fiction Writing
CRWR 645	Poetry Workshop II
CRWR 672	Screenwriting Workshop I
CRWR 687	Nature Writing Workshop
Total Credits		9

Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Spring of Year 5 of 3+2 (Spring 2 of MFA):

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
CRWR 694	MFA Thesis	1
Select any ONE of the following pairs:		12
CRWR 621	Business Fundamentals for Genre Writers
CRWR 626	Pedagogy & Practicum
OR
CRWR 673	The Concept & The Pitch
CRWR 674	Screenwriting Workshop 2
OR
CRWR 649	Special Topics in Poetry
CRWR 653	The Writing Life
OR
CRWR 689	Special Topics in Nature Writing
CRWR 695	Professional Development in Nature Writing
Total Credits		13

Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Summer after Year 5 of 3+2 (Summer 3 of MFA):

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
CRWR 697	Special Topics	1
And any ONE of the following:		3
CRWR 604	CAREER PLANNG FOR GENRE WRITER
CRWR 650	Graduate Poetry Seminar
CRWR 679	Screenwriting Thesis Production
CRWR 683	THESIS SEMINAR IN NATR WRITNG
Total Credits		4

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
Fall		Credits
ENG 102	Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1)	3
MATH	Essential Skills	3
Gen Ed	Gen Eds	3
Gen Ed	Gen Eds	3
Gen Ed	Gen Eds	3
HWTR 100	First Year Seminar	1
	Credits	16
Spring
ENG 103	Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2)	3
ENG 161	Introduction to Creative Writing (GT-AH1)	3
ENG 250	Critical Approaches to Literature	3
Gen Ed	Gen Eds	3
Gen Ed	Area II	4
	Credits	16
Year Two
Fall
Elective		3
ENG 230 or ENG 151 or ENG 152 or ENG 153 or ENG 255 or ENG 331 or ENG 337 or ENG 370	Environmental Literature (GT-AH2) or Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality or Women and Literature or Literary Culture of the American West or Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2) or Literature and Ethnicity: Studies in: or Women Writers or Myth and Culture	3
ENG 372 or ENG 373 or ENG 374	British Literature: Medieval and Renaissance Texts or British Literature: Milton through the Romantics or British Literature: The Victorians to the Present Day	3
Gen Ed	Area II	4
Gen Ed	Gen Eds	3
	Credits	16
Spring
ENG 371	Literary Theory and Criticism	3
ENG 358	Global Literatures: Studies in: The Underworld	3
ENG 300 or ENG 301 or ENG 303 or ENG 305	Creative Writing: Fiction or Creative Writing: Poetry or Creative Writing or Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction	3
ENG 384 or ENG 385	American Literature Early to Civil War or American Literature-Civil War to Present	3
Elective		3
	Credits	15
Year Three
Fall
ENG 493	Senior Seminar I: Studies in: Criminal Justice	3
ENG 464	Major American Authors:	3
ENG Elective	Upper Division Literature	3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credits	15
Spring
ENG 463	Major British Authors:	3
ENG 494	Senior Seminar: Studies in:	3
ENG 300 or ENG 301 or ENG 303 or ENG 305	Creative Writing: Fiction or Creative Writing: Poetry or Creative Writing or Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction	3
Elective		3
Elective		3
	Credits	15
Summer
CRWR 600	The Common Read & Writing Craft	2
CRWR 601 or CRWR 630 or CRWR 660 or CRWR 680	FUNDMT WRITING GENRE FICTION I or Foundations of Poetry or Scenes & Sequences or Writing Place: New Forms and Techniques	3
	Credits	5
Year Four
Fall
ENG 405	Advanced Writing	3
Choose one of the following sets:		12
CRWR 608	Genre Writing I- Romance and Mystery Fiction
CRWR 609	Genre Studies I-Romance and Mystery
OR
CRWR 634	Poetry Now
CRWR 648	Poetry Craft and Technique
OR
CRWR 664	Adapting the Feature
CRWR 665	Feature Structure & Genre
OR
CRWR 685	Craft of Creative Nonfiction
CRWR 686	Genres of Nature Writing
	Credits	15
Spring
ENG 445	Literary Magazine Submission and Production	3
Choose one of the following sets:		12
CRWR 618	Genre Studies II- Western, Speculative, and Young Adult Fiction
CRWR 619	Genre Writing II- Western, Speculative, and Young Adult Fiction
OR
CRWR 635	Poetry Workshop I
CRWR 644	Poetic Lineages
OR
CRWR 667	Writing the Television Screenplay
CRWR 669	TV Structure & Genre
OR
CRWR 680	Writing Place: New Forms and Techniques
CRWR 688	Writing about Nature and Society
	Credits	15
Summer
CRWR 602 or CRWR 630 or CRWR 670 or CRWR 682	FUNDM WRITING GENRE FICTION II or Foundations of Poetry or Visual Storytelling or Book-Length Considerations	3
CRWR 694	MFA Thesis	2
	Credits	5
Year Five
Fall
CRWR 620 or CRWR 645 or CRWR 687 or CRWR 672	Short Forms Genre Fiction Writing or Poetry Workshop II or Nature Writing Workshop or Screenwriting Workshop I	6
CRWR 694	MFA Thesis	3
	Credits	9
Spring
CRWR 694	MFA Thesis	1
Choose one of the following sets:		12
CRWR 621	Business Fundamentals for Genre Writers
CRWR 626	Pedagogy & Practicum
OR
CRWR 649	Special Topics in Poetry
CRWR 653	The Writing Life
OR
CRWR 673	The Concept & The Pitch
CRWR 674	Screenwriting Workshop 2
OR
CRWR 689	Special Topics in Nature Writing
CRWR 695	Professional Development in Nature Writing
	Credits	13
Summer
CRWR 604 or CRWR 650 or CRWR 679 or CRWR 683	CAREER PLANNG FOR GENRE WRITER or Graduate Poetry Seminar or Screenwriting Thesis Production or THESIS SEMINAR IN NATR WRITNG	3
CRWR 697	Special Topics	1
	Credits	4
	Total Credits	159

Faculty & Staff

Steve Coughlin, MFA

Professor of English

Sarah Goettsch

Graduate Program in Creative Writing Coordinator

Tyson Hausdoerffer, Ph.D.

Director, Graduate Program in Creative Writing

Julie Kane, Ph.D.

Poetry Faculty

Lindsay King-Miller, MFA

Thesis Mentor

Gary Lilley

Poetry Faculty

Candace Nadon, Ph.D.

Genre Fiction Faculty

Laura Pritchett, Ph.D.

Director, Nature Writing Concentration

Ligiah Villalobos Rojas, MFA

Screenwriting Faculty

Andrew Sellon, MFA

GPCW Faculty, Performance Coach

Ana Maria Spagna, MFA

Nature Writing Faculty

Anna Stileski, M.A.

Executive Assistant

Richard Wilber, Ed.D.

Genre Fiction Faculty, Graduate Thesis Coordinator

Maya Jewell Zeller, MFA

Nature Writing and Poetry Faculty

Careers

Top Skills

Communication
Copywriting
Editing
Fiction Writing
Proofreading
Research

Career Pathways

Editor
Fiction Writer
Literary Agent
Novelist
Playwright
Screenwriter

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Fostering your intellectual development is the primary focus of every academic program at Western. Our professors and Office of Career Services will help you identify your strengths, hone your skills, define your goals, and prepare for a fulfilling and enriched life after graduation. Wondering how you can apply your program of choice to your intellectual and personal journey? Check out our “What Can I Do With This Major?” tool to explore the diverse opportunities and pathways within any degree program.

Western’s Scholarship Application portal allows you to search for, apply to and manage your scholarship opportunities. This platform houses over 300+ departmental and privately funded scholarship opportunities available to both new and returning students. Through the scholarship portal, students may identify scholarship opportunities based on academic program, campus involvement, academic standing, specific keywords and more. Students may click below to begin learning about what scholarship opportunities are available to them.

Please check individual scholarship opportunity start dates and deadlines as there are exceptions.

Find your Scholarships

Please check individual scholarship opportunity start dates and deadlines as there are exceptions.

Find your Scholarships

Alumni Association Future Alumni Scholarship

The Alumni Association Scholarship is a one-time scholarship of $1,000 and is applicable for the student’s junior or senior year at Western.

Any child or grandchild of an alumni is eligible to receive the Future Alumni Scholarship.

This is a one-time non-renewable scholarship of $1,000.
Only one Future Alumni Scholarship will be awarded per academic year.
GPA must be 3.2 or above (college).

Due date has been extended to April 30 for 2024. An Alumni selection committee, appointed by the Alumni Advisory Council, will review applicants and select awardee by June 1.

Apply

Alumni Legacy Scholarship

The Alumni Legacy Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western (incoming freshman or new transfer students are eligible).

Do you have a son or daughter looking at college? Have they considered attending Western? As an alumni, your son, daughter and/or grandchildren are eligible for certain benefits distributed through this scholarship, as follows:

This is a one-time scholarship of $1,000.
Nominee must be an incoming first-year student or new transfer.
The cost of orientation is reduced by half (a $45 value).
GPA must be 2.5 or above (high school or college of transfer).

The applicant must fill out the application form found below. Application forms are accepted year-round. If the applicant meets the GPA guidelines, the scholarship will be awarded.

Apply

Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship

The Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western. This scholarship is not available to midyear transfers or students beginning in the spring semester.

Are you an alumni or employee of Western and know a prospective (or incoming) student who would be a great fit at Western? A recommendation from alumni and employees can support any new student and provide them a $500 scholarship their first year. (Western employees may not recommend a spouse or dependent receiving tuition benefits).

Any Western alumni/employee may nominate only one student per academic year to receive the $500 scholarship (distributed $250 per semester).
The scholarship is good for the first year only and is non-renewable.
The recommended student must be a full-time undergraduate student, attending Western for the first time.

The applicant must fill out the application form found here. The nominating alumni/employee must fill out the application form and submit the required documents by June 1. The recommended student must meet university admissions acceptance standards and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Presidential Promise

The Presidential Promise is guaranteed to students who have received a scholarship through the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) and/or GearUp—and are eligible for a Pell Grant.

For students who meet these criteria, Western will cover the cost of tuition and fees through the combination of federal, state and institutional aid. For more information on the Presidential Promise, visit our scholarships page.

Tuition Discount Programs

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) or Central Plains (CP) tuition represents a substantial savings relative to normal, out-of-state tuition. Students eligible for the WUE or CP program will be charged 150% of Western’s total in-state tuition. For 2018-19, total in-state tuition was $8,934. WUE/CP tuition was $13,401. The WUE/CP discount is valued at $4,695.

For more information about the WUE and CP geography-based programs, visit Western’s Tuition Discount Programs Page.

Western Merit Scholarship

Immediately upon acceptance at Western, every student is considered for a merit scholarship worth between $2,500-$4,500 per year for in-state students and $8,000-$10,000 for out-of-state students. The amount is based on the student’s GPA and ACT/SAT scores. Visit our Net Price Calculator at western.edu/cost to determine whether you qualify for a merit scholarship.

For more information about merit scholarships at Western, visit our scholarships page.

Note: Students enrolled in a Western-CU Boulder Partnership Program (i.e. major) do not qualify for Western Merit Scholarship programs. See the Rady Merit Scholarship section above for scholarship opportunities.

Get Involved

Expand your network and apply your knowledge.

There are so many ways that you can maximize your educational experience at Western. Take advantage of these opportunities to grow personally and professionally.

Teaching Assistantships: Students help fellow students in challenging writing courses.
Writing Center: Work as a writing consultant for the greater campus community.
Pathfinder Magazine: Submit your creative work for a chance to be published in Western’s annual creative work publication.

A helping hand

Writing Center consultants can help students at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming to polishing final drafts.

News & Research

Western’s MFA Director Laura Pritchett’s latest novel is born from a world on fire

Western Earns Accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission

Pride Month, Tokenism, and Being Queer at Western

Western Poetry Faculty Member Chosen for Prestigious Poetry Prize

Teaching into the Firetower

CMarie Fuhrman presenting in front of audience

Western’s CMarie Fuhrman Releases New Anthology & Public Radio Podcast

Creative writing students working in classroom

Nature Writing and Western Press Books to Produce Inaugural Book

Renown Author Karen Auvinen to Join Western Faculty

Western Instructor Named to Top Writer’s Honor

Graduate Program Pushes Caps on Enrollment During Pandemic

View More Graduate Program in Creative Writing (GPCW) 3+2 News and Research

Additional Resources

How It Works

Program Structure Prospective students apply to Western as traditional undergraduate students and choose either an Environment and Sustainability major (which leads into the Nature Writing MFA …

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Tuition and Aid

For their first three years on the 3+2 pathway, students in the program pay undergraduate tuition and are eligible for both undergraduate financial aid and program-specific scholarships.

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Learn More about the GPCW

Interested in learning more about the Graduate Program in Creative Writing? There’s no better way to get to know our program than through the voices of our faculty and students. Tune in to watch this informational video about everything you’ll look forward to as a student in our program.

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