Creative Writing

Have you always dreamed of being a published fiction writer? Or are you looking to get a degree and pursue a career as an editor, copywriter, or lyricist? However big your goals are, our Creative Writing program will sharpen your skills and provide you a supportive community of writers and instructors to help you become a strong, confident writer.

Students at any Maricopa Community College may need to complete courses at more than one of our colleges.

SCC Program Description

Students planning to major in English are interested in creativity, critical thinking, and interpretation. They love storytelling, reading, and expression of all kinds. They are trained to think deeply and to express themselves clearly through writing, to analyze complex information, to see the connections between events and people, and, above all, to know the power of language. Some of our best student thinking is published in Two Waters Review, our department publication of argumentation and analysis.

Students in the English program earn the Associate of Arts, which prepares them for transfer to a four-year program. If students follow the correct transfer path, they enter transfer partner universities as junior. Courses are available in person (day and evening) and online. Most students take a combination of in-person and online or hybrid courses to complete their English studies.

Scottsdale Community College’s Creative Writing program is designed to encourage literary curiosity, develop emerging talent, and support seasoned veterans. Ours is an inclusive community, welcoming previously marginalized and underrepresented voices as students learn to shape their thoughts and ideas into meaningful poetry, personal essays, short stories, memoirs, and full-fiction manuscripts.

Our experienced instructors offer a variety of courses exploring literary craft elements and structures involved in both fiction and creative nonfiction writing, peer and instructor writing critique workshops, the business of writing and publishing, and a series of special campus events designed to celebrate and showcase the written word.

All writing skill levels and genre interests are welcome here. Whether you are writing for self-expression, or hoping to win the next Pushcart Prize or National Book Award, SCC’s Creative Writing Program has a seat waiting just for you.

Why study Creative Writing at SCC?

  • Small class sizes with low student/instructor ratios
  • Quality, industry-relevant instruction offered by experienced instructors
  • All writing skill levels and genre interests are welcomed
  • A variety of learning modalities (in-person, hybrid, live online, and on your own time)
  • Evening, daytime, and summer courses are offered to meet your scheduling needs
  • Special Events are designed to provide students with opportunities to share their creative writing work with the community

Experiential Learning Opportunities

  • Transfer to university creative writing programs
  • Application for fellowships, writer’s colonies, and writing competitions
  • Publication in peer-reviewed journals

Course Format/Textbooks

Classes are offered in various formats: in-person, online, hybrid, day, evening, full-time and part-time.


 

Most of our courses use low-cost textbooks or no-cost material your instructors provide. General education courses may have textbooks that cost more.