Graduate Program Director

At all degree levels, the Creative Writing Program at Illinois State University is an integral part of the English curriculum, and at all degree levels, the curriculum is an integrative English Studies curriculum model. The English Department faculty of approximately 50 strong has designed specialized writing and teaching writing tracks which lead to degrees that are balanced in the breadth of their coursework and specialized in selected areas of depth. The Department has gathered together a community of writers/scholars who have national reputations in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, theory, translation, new media, and writing pedagogy.

The Creative Writing Program at Illinois State University has earned a national reputation as a place for the study of alternative forms of writing. Graduate students are invited to envision limitless choices in an environment that respects productive conversation about dissension.

Both the master's in English and the PhD in English Studies at Illinois State University offer creative writing options. The master's in English requires ten courses and a creative thesis; the PhD in English Studies includes 14 courses that interrogate the intersections of pedagogy, writing, literature, and language. The dissertation involves a critical introduction, the creative work itself, and a pedagogical analysis situated in creative writing.

The level of graduate assistantship support is quite high at both the master's and doctoral levels, funding up to 70 students a year in a program of approximately 160 graduate students. In addition, there are special assistantships in editing and creative writing, including several editing/ desktop publishing internships in the Department's Publications Unit. Although the doctoral degree in English at Illinois State is not a studio degree, students frequently specialize in various aspects of teaching writing, including creative writing. The program encourages and supports participation on large joint projects.

Graduate Program Director

At all degree levels, the Creative Writing Program at Illinois State University is an integral part of the English curriculum, and at all degree levels, the curriculum is an integrative English Studies curriculum model. The English Department faculty of approximately 50 strong has designed specialized writing and teaching writing tracks which lead to degrees that are balanced in the breadth of their coursework and specialized in selected areas of depth. The Department has gathered together a community of writers/scholars who have national reputations in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, theory, translation, new media, and writing pedagogy.

The Creative Writing Program at Illinois State University has earned a national reputation as a place for the study of alternative forms of writing. Graduate students are invited to envision limitless choices in an environment that respects productive conversation about dissension.

Both the master's in English and the PhD in English Studies at Illinois State University offer creative writing options. The master's in English requires ten courses and a creative thesis; the PhD in English Studies includes 14 courses that interrogate the intersections of pedagogy, writing, literature, and language. The dissertation involves a critical introduction, the creative work itself, and a pedagogical analysis situated in creative writing.

The level of graduate assistantship support is quite high at both the master's and doctoral levels, funding up to 70 students a year in a program of approximately 160 graduate students. In addition, there are special assistantships in editing and creative writing, including several editing/ desktop publishing internships in the Department's Publications Unit. Although the doctoral degree in English at Illinois State is not a studio degree, students frequently specialize in various aspects of teaching writing, including creative writing. The program encourages and supports participation on large joint projects.