Bachelor of Arts in Writing

Immerse Yourself in a World of Creative Expression with a BA in Writing

The Marian University Bachelor of Arts in Writing program takes aspiring authors and engages them in writing not only to fulfill their passions, but to set them up for success in careers at private companies, nonprofit groups, and educational institutions.

Those in the BA in Writing program develop strong writing skills as we emphasize written communication, rhetoric, and textual analysis to provide a strong foundation for careers in multiple fields. Close working relationships with faculty and staff enable students to achieve their personal and professional goals in a range of high-paying and rewarding fields, including education, law, or advertising.

By reading closely, thinking and writing clearly, and discussing complex topics articulately, Bachelor of Arts in Writing program students are equipped with the essential skills that ensure success in the working world.

With a strong writing education, your career options are endless.

Hands-On Learning Experiences

An internship and capstone project allows students in the writing program to apply classroom knowledge to practical work experiences. Students can also add experience to their resumes and establish relationships with numerous companies and school districts while in school.

Guest Mentors

Our classes regularly host visiting writers, who provide insight into what life as an author is like and how to navigate the industry. Our guests sit down for casual dinners with students and the Fond du Lac community and provide public readings, often at the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts, in conjunction with the Lake Reading Series. Past guests include Li-Young Lee, Jean Valentine, Goldie Goldbloom, Tara Betts, Bonnie Jo Campbell, and Kevin Powers.

100%

Aspiring to Graduate School?

100% of our writing students who elected to pursue an advanced degree were accepted into a graduate school within six months of graduation.

Ready to Apply to Jobs

Through core courses or electives, students have opportunities to learn skills in areas such as writing for the Internet, fictional writing, poetry, the classics, and public relations. Graduates may consider jobs such as:

  • Author
  • Editor
  • Researcher
  • Reporter
  • Technical Writer
  • Advertising Copywriter
  • Internet Content Writer
  • Public Relations Assistant

Explore a Writing Degree

Dr. Justin Ponder, associate professor of English, answers the age-old question “what can I do with a degree in English or writing?” Dr. Ponder provides examples of jobs that you can achieve with one of these degrees in addition to the skills and experiences you will gain from Marian’s program. Learn what courses are offered in addition to what activities you can participate in outside of the classroom, including The Muriel Press.

Muriel Press logo

The Muriel Press – A Unique On-Campus Internship Experience

Writing students are encouraged to take part in the in-the-classroom internship experience through our very own embedded micro-press. Gain first-hand experience working with an author, technology, and understanding the many moving parts of small-press publishing today, from writing to post-publication.

The Muriel Press experience encompasses the full publishing cycle from editing and book design to marketing and public relations. Students complete a multi-course sequence delivered through the English, Art, and Communication programs and work alongside Midwestern authors whose works focus on social justice.

Bachelor of Arts in Writing Curriculum

Students in the Marian University Bachelor of Arts in Writing program will enhance their skills in analytical and research writing and be given the opportunity to embrace the strong foundation in critical thinking needed to excel in their post-collegiate endeavors. They will learn to write individual creative works, in addition to evaluating theories and practices of literary criticism. Our students will be exposed to a range of cultures, contexts, and perspectives, and will investigate literature’s role as an expression of or challenge to a society’s values.

Academic Catalog
FACULTY DIRECTORY

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Effective Communication: Writers will effectively organize discussion, support ideas, and use standard conventions in all learning contexts to express themselves clearly in writing.
    • Organization: Student ideas are expressed in a well-organized manner, and papers exhibit sophistication in structure, such as the capacity for making choices about organization that are informed in part by the content.
    • Support: Author ideas are very well supported through examples, quotes, statistics, etc.
    • Grammatical Conventions: Writers observe the grammatical conventions of standard written English and exhibit sophistication in diction and sentence structure.
  • Critical Thinking: Develop logical, well-supported conclusions.
    • Linking evidence (support, data, information) and conclusion (inference) by the student is clear, present, and follows logically.

Mission

The Marian University Bachelor of Arts in Writing program provides opportunities for students to become critical readers, writers, and thinkers by asking them to write in a variety of genres and to analyze literature from a diversity of cultures, contexts, and perspectives.

Graduates of the BA in Writing program stay one step ahead of the competition and are equipped with the essential skills that ensure success in the working world. A Writing degree prepares students for a variety of career possibilities, including positions in advertising, business, education, law, ministry, public relations, publishing, writing, and social justice work. Many graduates also go on to graduate school.

To help students become critical readers, writers, and thinkers, the Bachelor of Arts in Writing program assesses knowledge acquisition, effective communication, and critical thinking in ways that are essential to the broader liberal arts education Marian University provides. The Marian University Bachelor of Arts in Writing program demonstrates its effectiveness in the areas of learning outcomes, quality assurance, capstone assessments, employment, graduate education, academic rigor, and teaching excellence.

  • Learning Outcomes: In 2014-2015, students in courses offered in the English Program demonstrated the following learning outcomes:
    • Knowledge Acquisition: 93% of students met or exceeded expectations
    • Effective Communication: 83% of students met or exceeded expectations
    • Critical Thinking: 86% of students met or exceeded expectations
  • Quality Assurance: The English Program ensures common standards across multiple courses by establishing shared criteria between instructors through normed assessment.
  • Capstone Assessments: To help students transition into their profession the English Program is developing and assessing major courses like Introduction to Literary Study, Advanced Study of Grammar, Internship, and the English Research Capstone.
  • Employment: 100% of graduates are employed within six months of graduation from the English Program.
  • Graduate Education: 100% of graduates who elected to pursue an advanced degree were accepted into a graduate school within six months of graduation from the English Program.

English program video

Hear what students and faculty have to say about the opportunities awaiting you in our English program!

At Marian University, students find committed faculty and staff aiming to help them reach their fullest potential. Through an applied learning approach, students find that the Bachelor of Arts in Writing program prepares them to share their passion for creativity and expression through writing.

Admission to university per university standards. For more details regarding this, view Marian’s Academic Bulletin.