Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees in writing are available at many undergraduate schools, usually in the arts and humanities or English departments. Southern New Hampshire University has an accredited BA program in creative writing that you can take online or on campus. Minnesota State University at Mankato offers a 40-credit BA program that requires a minor and eight credits in a foreign language.
Several universities allow students to choose between the bachelor of arts degree in writing and the bachelor of fine arts (BFA) degree in writing. The BFA degree reflects significant expertise in an area of writing, and it typically has more requirements than the BA degree. Minnesota State University at Mankato offers a 76-credit hour program that requires eight credits in a modern language for the BFA in creative writing.
A master of fine arts degree (MFA) in writing typically requires the student to submit a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation and a writing sample. Hamline University of St. Paul, Minnesota, offers a 48-credit MFA program that requires a core seminar and and eight hours of a capstone thesis. Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, has a 49-credit-hour online MFA program in creative writing and an in-residence MFA in writing and poetics.
A doctoral program in writing qualifies the degree holder to teach writing to college students. The Ph.D. program at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln requires 24 to 30 hours of course work above the master's level as well as 30 hours of dissertation credit. Ohio University has a Ph.D. in creative writing that requires a dissertation of 200 to 300 pages. The University of Southern California offers a 64-credit hour program for a Ph.D. in literature and creative writing.