The BFA in Creative Writing is unlike any other writing degree offered in Wisconsin. A rigorous and focused curriculum for arts-minded students, this degree prepares students for a variety of careers, including creative writing, editing and publishing.
At Lakeland, students take three tiers of creative writing workshops in three genres, as well as courses in our other fine arts programs – Music, Art, and Theater – in order to magnify study, extend practice and enrich experience.
Required Cooperative Education experiences and internships pair students with national literary journals, a national book press Seems, the Great Lakes Writers Festival, the Community Book Read, and the campus’ digital media outlet, The Mirror.
In the last decade, Lakeland's Creative Writing program has had 100 percent job placement for students who pursued this degree. Many received highly coveted teaching assistantships and tuition remission upon acceptance.
Lakeland University also offers a major in Writing, which has been a staple at our campus for more than three decades!
Lakeland’s experienced Writing faculty takes great pride in working one-on-one with all students. While the primary instructors are well-versed in all facets of the written word, Madeleine Wattenberg is an award-winning poet who has published dozens of works and done numerous readings. Her debut poetry collection, I/O, was a finalist for the 2021 Miller Williams Poetry Prize, and Jodie Mortag, an expert in fiction and nonfiction, has work in numerous literary magazines--Ruminate, North Dakota Quarterly, Counterclock, Fourteen Hills, Barnstorm, Stoneboat, among others.
What are some careers available to me?
Co-Op & Internship Opportunities
Lakeland's Cooperative Education program will provide Creative Writing students with 12-18 months of full-time work experience and academic credit for their work. A combination of scholarships and wages will help significantly reduce or eliminate post-graduation debt.
