Advanced Graduate Studies in Creative Writing New England campus experience
Experienced professors
Career-relevant curriculum
Academic and career support
Program Overview Why get an advanced creative writing certificate at SNHU?
Ready to finish your story? The Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University is a low-residency program designed for students who have already completed an MFA in creative writing and wish to revisit, revise or complete a creative manuscript.
If you haven’t earned your MFA and would like to enroll in our online or low-residency graduate program, there's an option for you:
Skills you'll learn:
- Building a personal brand
- Publication-level writing and editing
- Teaching composition at the college level
- Book promotion
- Editorial practices
- Authorial self-promotion
Courses & Curriculum Create your plot twist with creative writing courses
In your certificate courses, you'll work alongside peers and award-winning, nationally recognized faculty members to revise a book or manuscript to be ready for publication. In your first residencies, you'll join the Mountainview MFA students for peer workshops. You'll then explore topics not covered in the MFA program, such as rewriting, comedy and landscape. The second residencies include tailored talks by faculty to meet students in their final stages of manuscript revision. Copyediting, endings and prologues/epilogues are some of the subjects that might be covered.
This program has tracks in fiction and nonfiction, but you’ll also have the option of choosing one of two supplementary tracks:
- Book business and self-promotion
- Teaching of composition
Learn from instructors with industry experience
Our faculty bring with them decades of knowledge and experience in creative writing, which informs the development of SNHU’s courses and curriculum. They look forward to supporting your journey both in the classroom and as you work toward a career in your field.
Benjamin Nugent
Position
Director of MFA, Professor - English
Nugent is the author of “Fraternity: Stories” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2020), which was named one of the ten best books of 2020 by New York Magazine and an Editor's Choice by The New York Times Book Review. His fiction was awarded The Paris Review's 2019 Terry Southern Prize, and his work has been published in Best American Short Stories, Harper's, The Paris Review and The New York Times Magazine.
To learn more about SNHU faculty, visit our campus faculty page.
Major Courses
You'll take major courses that provide you with a solid foundation in your area of study - in some cases featuring experiential or project-based learning opportunities, labs, simulations and internships. These courses will allow you to learn a wide variety of topics and help prepare you for a role in your desired field.
Courses may include:
Visit the course catalog to view the full Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing curriculum.
How to Apply
- Submit the Program Application Form.
- Submit an official transcript from the college or university that conferred your MFA degree. Please have electronic transcripts sent to mfa@snhu.edu. Note: If you received your MFA at SNHU, you do not need to submit a transcript.
- Submit a fiction or nonfiction writing sample that is 20-30 pages in length, double-spaced and in 12 point font. If fiction, your writing sample may consist of a novel excerpt, story or multiple stories. If nonfiction, it may consist of a memoir excerpt, a creative essay or multiple creative essays.
Can’t wait? You don’t have to!
Whether you’re looking to continue to enhance your education or further your career, certificates can help expand your future opportunities.
Career Outlook What can I do with a certificate in creative writing?
With an Advanced Certificate in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University, you'll have a completed manuscript that's ready for publication submission. So, opportunities as an author could be waiting right around the corner. You'll also gain the skills needed to be successful in roles such as copywriting and editing, and along with your MFA credential, you could decide to pursue teaching roles in higher education.
Student Experience So, what's it like taking classes?
In this low-residency program, you'll attend in-person residencies twice annually in Manchester, New Hampshire. Here, you'll learn from visiting authors, agents and editors while experiencing a vibrant and supportive writing community. When you're not meeting in person, you'll be working remotely with your peers and faculty members on writing, editing and marketing your work.
Student support
At SNHU, you'll never have to worry about feeling alone. Here, you’ll have help from your advisors, access to tutoring and office hours, career coaching, and mental health services so you can do your best and feel your best.
Additionally, our Office of Diversity Programs, International Student Services and Campus Accessibility Center make campus an inclusive place for everyone. Visit our Student Services page to learn more about our support offerings.
Small class sizes
With small class sizes, you’ll learn in an environment where professors with real world experience know you by name.
Here, you’re not getting lost in giant lecture halls, but instead, actively participating in thoughtful dialogue where you’re always encouraged to collaborate with your peers and ask questions when they arise.
State-of-the-art facilities
Our 300-acre campus has everything you need. From technology-advanced classroom settings to your dorms complete with fitness centers and hangout spots, our goal is to give you the best college experience possible.
Whether you’re learning in a classroom, in a lab, on the field, or in your field, you’ll have what you need to be successful from the moment you wake up to the moment you close your textbooks.
School of Arts, Sciences and Education Learn about the School of Arts, Sciences and Education
From understanding why people behave the way they do, to studying and tackling today's environmental issues, the School of Arts, Sciences and Education serves as an academic hub for creativity, collaboration and learning. Here, you'll have the chance to gain real-world experience through internships, student teaching, lab work and community-based projects. From studying cells under a microscope or analyzing crime scenes to leading a student-teaching session in an elementary classroom, you’ll learn how the world works so you can help make it a better place.
Student teaching opportunities
Inkwell game design studio
State-of-the-art labs
How SNHU makes college affordable
At Southern New Hampshire University, we're on a mission to make high-quality education more accessible with more affordable tuition. The advanced creative writing certificate is not eligible for federal financial aid. Students seeking alternatives to federal financial aid can explore tuition assistance, grants and scholarships, as well as private loans. To learn more about private loans, visit our Funding Your Education with Student Loans page.
Accreditations
SNHU is accredited by the regional accreditor the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE). The university also carries specialized accreditations for some programs.
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