Creative Writing

50% or more of this program can be completed online.

Write your way to a great career

If writing is your passion, MCC's Creative Writing A.A. degree program offers an exciting opportunity to make writing part of your life. You might also be surprised at the variety of professional fields that involve creative writing, including:  

  • Journalism
  • Publishing
  • Marketing
  • Education
  • Advertising
  • Television
  • Web Content Writer
  • Grant Writing

At MCC you'll learn from professors who are published writers themselves. You'll meet other aspiring student writers and share your work in a mutually supportive environment. Your MCC studies will culminate with learning about submitting your own work and publishing opportunities in Rochester and throughout the country.

Complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree in English or Creative Writing

Through classroom experiences, you'll sharpen your writing skills while exploring a variety of writing disciplines and career pathways. You'll also take foundation courses that lead to successful transfer to a bachelor's degree in English, Creative Writing, and more—at outstanding four-year colleges like these:

  • SUNY:
    • Geneseo
    • Brockport
    • Oswego
    • Potsdam

  • Goddard College
  • St. John Fisher College
  • Nazareth College
  • University of Rochester

Get in touch with Monroe Community College's admissions office to learn more about the opportunities you can create with an associate degree in creative writing. Contact us at (585) 292-2200 or admissions@monroecc.edu.

For information about the Creative Writing degree program itself, please contact Maria Brandt at mbrandt@monroecc.edu.

CREATIVE WRITING

A.A. Degree - Transfer Program

Department:English/Philosophy

School(s): Arts & Humanities

MCC Program Code: CW01

50% or more of this program can be completed online.

Description
This program of study is designed for students who are interested in cultivating the strong writing skills that writing careers will require. The program includes courses conducive to transferring into a baccalaureate degree in English and/or Creative Writing, while keeping pathways open for baccalaureate degrees that emphasize more professional writing as well. Accordingly, the program is structured so students can (1) deepen their skills through scaffolded coursework and (2) broaden their experience with multiple genres and career pathways. The program culminates in a capstone course that familiarizes students with submission processes, transfer opportunities, and publishing/reading venues both in Rochester and around the country, preparing them for the next stage of their personal/professional lives as writers.

Program Learning Outcomes
1. Analyze and evaluate written creative texts across multiple genres;
2. Revise and edit their own original, written, creative texts across multiple genres;
3. Produce their own professional-quality original written creative work;
4. Submit their own original written creative work to professional venues.
5. Draft, revise, and edit their own original written texts across multiple, non-creative academic and professional genres.

Employment Potential
For related jobs: Career Coach
Occupational Resource: https://www.onetonline.org

Requirements for Program Entrance
Placement into ENG 101 or ENG 200 or completion of TRS 200 with a C or better; or completion of ESL 201 with a C or higher,

Distribution Requirements

Credit Hours
FIRST SEMESTER
ENG 101 College Composition (grade of C or higher required) OR
OPEN ELECTIVE #

3
ENG 105 Introduction to Literature
3
ENG 113 Introduction to Creative Writing
3
PHL 102 Introduction to Logic OR
MTH 150 Survey of Mathematics OR higher SUNY-MATH course ##
3
SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION U. S. HISTORY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT- (SUNY-USCV) ELECTIVE
3
First Semester Total:
15
SECOND SEMESTER
ENG 200 Advanced Composition
3
ENG 213 Creative Writing (grade of C or higher required)
3
PHL 101 - Introduction to Philosophy OR
PHL 103 - Introduction to Ethics OR
PHL 105 - Technology and Values
3
SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION - SOCIAL SCIENCES (SUNY-SOCS) ELECTIVE
3
ENG 108 - Literature of the Holocaust OR
ENG 109 - Crime Fiction OR
ENG 118 - Perpetrators, Victims, and Bystanders: Literature of Genocide OR
ENG 201 - Early British Literature OR
ENG 202 - Modern British Literature OR
ENG 210 - Literature of the Black Experience OR
ENG 217 - Women, Gender and Literature OR
any other SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION DIVERSITY: EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND SOCIAL JUSTICE -(SUNY-DVRS) ELECTIVE
3
Second Semester Total:
15
THIRD SEMESTER
ENG 233 Creative Writing Workshop-Poetry (grade of C or higher required) OR
ENG 243 Creative Writing Workshop-Playwriting (grade of C or higher required) OR
ENG 253 Creative Writing Workshop-Nonfiction (grade of C or higher required) OR
ENG 263 Creative Writing Workshop-Short Fiction (grade of C or higher required)
3
ENG 250 Professional Communication OR
ENG 251 Technical Communication OR
COM 130 Media Writing OR
COM 131 Principles of Journalism
3
OPEN ELECTIVE
3
SUNY GENERAL EDUCATION - WORLD HISTORY AND GLOBAL AWARENESS (SUNY-WHGA) ELECTIVE
3
PROGRAM ELECTIVE***
3
Third Semester Total:
15
FOURTH SEMESTER
ENG 233 Creative Writing Workshop-Poetry OR
ENG 243 Creative Writing Workshop-Playwriting OR
ENG 253 Creative Writing Workshop-Non-Fiction OR
ENG 263 Creative Writing Workshop-Short Fiction
3
ENG 273 Creative Writing Capstone: Publishing in the Profession
3
HED 207 - Emotional Wellness OR
HED 209 - Drugs and Behavior OR
HED 212 - Women's Health and Wellness OR
Open Elective
3
SUNY- GENERAL EDUCATION - NATURAL SCIENCES AND SCIENTIFIC REASONING (SUNY-NSCI) ELECTIVE
3-4
ENG 233 Creative Writing Workshop-Poetry OR
ENG 243 Creative Writing Workshop-Playwriting OR
ENG 253 Creative Writing Workshop-Non-Fiction OR
ENG 263 Creative Writing Workshop-Short Fiction
3
Fourth Semester Total:
15-16
TOTAL CREDITS:
60-61
#Students with ENG 101 placement must take ENG 101. Students with ENG 200 placement will take an elective in place of ENG 101.
##MTH 150 or any other SUNY-MATH course with a higher number. Students are strongly encouraged to check with the institution to which they intend to transfer to ensure selection of an appropriate Math course.
***Any 200-level ENG literature class. Meet with advisor regarding transfer requirements.

Revised: 6/23/2023


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School of Arts & HumanitiesThe School of Arts & Humanities is a collection of disciplines, from languages and communication to visual and performing arts, that prepare you for creative and expressive professions.