creative writing major uw madison

Creative Writing at University of Wisconsin - Madison

Creative writing degrees available at uw - madison, uw - madison creative writing rankings, popularity of creative writing at uw - madison, creative writing student diversity at uw - madison, uw - madison creative writing master’s program.

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 4 students earned a master's degree in creative writing from UW - Madison. About 75% of these graduates were women and the other 25% were men.

The following table and chart show the ethnic background for students who recently graduated from University of Wisconsin - Madison with a master's in creative writing.

Popular Reports

Compare your school options.

• Autobiography
• Biography and Published Works
• Toads, and All This Fiddle
• He Is Mad Which Makes Two
• Writers Try Short Shorts!
• Selected Poems

UW Creative Writing Program

• Publisher Information

The Creative Writing Program at Wisconsin, founded by Wallace in 1978, provides opportunities for writers to study poetry, fiction, play writing, and creative non-fiction. The University offers an undergraduate English Major with a Creative Writing Emphasis, an MFA in Creative Writing, and the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing (post-MFA fellowships), among other opportunities.

The Creative Writing Program supports The Madison Review literary magazine and The University of Wisconsin Press Poetry Series edited by Wallace.   The Brittingham Prize in Poetry and the Felix Pollak Prize in Poetry, each consisting of a $1,000 cash award and publication by the UW Press, are awarded annually to the two best book-length manuscripts of original poetry submitted in an open competition.

Please visit the Program’s website at Univ. of Wisconsin Creative Writing Program for more information.

Ron Wallace

Co-Director of the Program in Creative Writing University of Wisconsin - Madison Halls-Bascom Professor of English Felix Pollak Professor of Poetry

Office 6195H Helen C. White Hall 600 North Park Street Madison, WI 53706

Phone (608) 263-3705

E-Mail [email protected]

• Skip to Content
• Catalog Home
• Creative Writing, MFA

The program in creative writing offers a two-year master of fine arts degree in creative writing in the areas of fiction and poetry. The MFA program is a small program within a large and vibrant writing community. The program typically admits six new students each year.

The MFA program is the only program of its kind to have an "alternating genre" admissions policy. The program admits fiction writers in even-numbered years and poets in odd-numbered years. This alternating admissions schedule allows the program to provide a 2-to-1 student/teacher ratio and lets fiction instructors focus entirely on one group of fiction writers, and poetry instructors on one group of poets for the two-year instructional period.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

Details about the admissions process can be found on the MFA admissions page. 

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Program Resources

Prospective students should see the program website for funding information.

Minimum Graduate School Requirements

Major requirements.

Review the Graduate School minimum academic progress and degree requirements , in addition to the program requirements listed below.

Mode of Instruction

Mode of Instruction Definitions

Accelerated: Accelerated programs are offered at a fast pace that condenses the time to completion. Students typically take enough credits aimed at completing the program in a year or two.

Evening/Weekend: ​Courses meet on the UW–Madison campus only in evenings and/or on weekends to accommodate typical business schedules.  Students have the advantages of face-to-face courses with the flexibility to keep work and other life commitments.

Face-to-Face: Courses typically meet during weekdays on the UW-Madison Campus.

Hybrid: These programs combine face-to-face and online learning formats.  Contact the program for more specific information.

Online: These programs are offered 100% online.  Some programs may require an on-campus orientation or residency experience, but the courses will be facilitated in an online format.

Curricular Requirements

Required Courses

Students take 3 credits in each of the first, second and third semesters, then 6 thesis credits in the fourth semester. These are not courses—rather, they're the means by which the University gives MFAs credit for their independent writing.

Students take 15 credits of electives drawn from appropriate courses across the curriculum. While students are expected to focus on and produce book-length theses by the end of their two years here, they are also encouraged to pursue other intellectual interests via these electives. In the past, MFA students have fulfilled their elective requirements by enrolling in literature courses, studying foreign languages, pursuing other artistic interests such as dance, book-making, and classical guitar, augmenting research for historical novels by taking appropriate history classes. MFA students may also hone their writing skills in other genres by taking intermediate and advanced undergraduate workshops and graduate level workshops in genres outside the one for which they were admitted, as electives with the permission of the instructor. Students may also take up to 6 elective credits in the form of additional thesis hours in the second and third semesters.

Graduate School Policies

The  Graduate School’s Academic Policies and Procedures  provide essential information regarding general university policies. Program authority to set degree policies beyond the minimum required by the Graduate School lies with the degree program faculty. Policies set by the academic degree program can be found below.

Major-Specific Policies

Prior coursework, graduate credits earned at other institutions.

With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 12 credits of graduate coursework from other institutions. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a master’s degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

Undergraduate Credits Earned at Other Institutions or UW-Madison

No credits from a UW–Madison or other institution's undergraduate degree are allowed to count toward the degree.

Credits Earned as a Professional Student at UW-Madison (Law, Medicine, Pharmacy, and Veterinary careers)

Refer to the Graduate School: Transfer Credits for Prior Coursework policy.

Credits Earned as a University Special Student at UW–Madison

With program approval, students are allowed to transfer no more than 10 credits of coursework numbered 300 or above taken as a UW–Madison University Special student. Coursework earned ten or more years prior to admission to a master’s degree is not allowed to satisfy requirements.

The MFA advisor (sometimes referred to as the MFA program director) will review student academic performance and conduct in all coursework to determine that students are making satisfactory progress toward the degree. If at any time the MFA advisor determines that a student’s academic performance and/or conduct has not been satisfactory, the MFA advisor, with the input and concurrence of the voting members of the Creative Writing Steering Committee, may place the student on probation or may dismiss the student from the program. The period of probation will be one semester in duration. Prior to the end of the probationary period the MFA advisor will review the student’s performance and conduct and decide, with the input and concurrence of the voting members of the Creative Writing Steering Committee, to reinstate or dismiss the student.

Advisor / Committee

The current MFA advisor (sometimes referred to as the MFA program director) advises all MFA students.

Credits Per Term Allowed

Time limits.

It is expected that the MFA thesis be completed in May of the second year in the program.

Refer to the Graduate School: Time Limits policy.

Grievances and Appeals

These resources may be helpful in addressing your concerns:

• Bias or Hate Reporting  
• Graduate Assistantship Policies and Procedures
• Office of the Provost for Faculty and Staff Affairs
• Employee Assistance (for personal counseling and workplace consultation around communication and conflict involving graduate assistants and other employees, post-doctoral students, faculty and staff)
• Employee Disability Resource Office (for qualified employees or applicants with disabilities to have equal employment opportunities)
• Graduate School (for informal advice at any level of review and for official appeals of program/departmental or school/college grievance decisions)
• Office of Compliance (for class harassment and discrimination, including sexual harassment and sexual violence)
• Office Student Assistance and Support (OSAS)  (for all students to seek grievance assistance and support)
• Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards (for conflicts involving students)
• Ombuds Office for Faculty and Staff (for employed graduate students and post-docs, as well as faculty and staff)
• Title IX (for concerns about discrimination)

Students should contact the department chair or program director with questions about grievances. They may also contact the L&S Academic Divisional Associate Deans, the L&S Associate Dean for Teaching and Learning Administration, or the L&S Director of Human Resources.

Each student receives financial aid in the form of teaching assistantships, scholarships, tuition remission, and health benefits. Students may also receive prizes or fellowships.

• Professional Development

Take advantage of the Graduate School's  professional development resources to build skills, thrive academically, and launch your career. 

• Learning Outcomes
• Develop the creative and technical skills necessary to conceive, execute, and revise original literary work in a student's chosen genre (fiction or poetry).
• Demonstrate sensitivity to language and style on both the artistic and technical levels.
• Develop the critical, analytical, and editing skills necessary to evaluate literary works in progress, both in the student’s own work-in-progress, and in that of the student’s peers.
• Develop the ability to read literary works not only for their social, historical, intellectual, formal, and interpretive value, but for their capacity to inspire and generate new work, and to see in a finished work the process of its being made.
• Develop through study and practice the pedagogical skills necessary to teach creative writing courses to undergraduate students.
• Demonstrate understanding of professional and pedagogical practices and opportunities within and related to the field of creative writing.
• Recognize and apply principles of ethical conduct with respect to one's work.
• Engage with local communities of creative writers.

MFA Faculty & Staff

Faculty: Professors Amy Quan Barry, Amaud Jamaul Johnson, Beth Nguyen, and Porter Shreve

Staff: Faculty Associates Sean Bishop and Ron Kuka, Mendota Lecturers Leila Chatti and Dantiel W. Moniz

• Requirements

Contact Information

English College of Letters & Science creativewriting.wisc.edu

Sean Bishop, MFA Program Administrator [email protected] 206-491-1505

Professor Martin Foys, Director of Graduate Studies [email protected]

Graduate School grad.wisc.edu

• /​api/​
• /​pdf/​
• Explore Graduate Opportunities
• Explore UW-​Madison's Undergraduate Opportunities
• Accounting and Information Systems
• African American Studies
• African Cultural Studies
• Agricultural and Applied Economics
• Agricultural and Life Sciences -​ College-​Wide
• Animal and Dairy Sciences
• Anthropology
• Art History
• Asian Languages and Cultures
• Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences
• Bacteriology
• Biochemistry
• Biological Systems Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering
• Biostatistics and Medical Informatics
• Business -​ School-​Wide
• Cell and Regenerative Biology
• Chemical and Biological Engineering
• Chicana/​o and Latina/​o Studies
• Civil and Environmental Engineering
• Civil Society &​ Community Studies
• Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies
• Communication Arts
• Communication Sciences and Disorders
• Community and Environmental Sociology
• Computer Sciences
• Counseling Psychology
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis
• Educational Policy Studies
• Educational Psychology
• Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Engineering -​ College-​Wide
• Creative Writing, Doctoral Minor
• English Linguistics, Doctoral Minor
• English, Doctoral Minor
• English, MA
• English, PhD
• Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies, Doctoral Minor
• Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies, MA
• Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies, PhD
• Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Graduate/​Professional Certificate
• Food Science
• Forest and Wildlife Ecology
• French and Italian
• Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
• Gender and Women's Studies
• German, Nordic, and Slavic
• Graduate -​ School-​Wide
• Human Ecology -​ School-​Wide
• Industrial and Systems Engineering
• Information School
• Institute for Clinical and Translational Research
• Institute for Regional and International Studies
• Integrative Biology
• Journalism and Mass Communication
• Kinesiology
• La Follette School of Public Affairs
• Language Institute
• Language Sciences
• Law -​ School-​Wide
• Life Sciences Communication
• Management and Human Resources
• Materials Science and Engineering
• Mathematics
• Mead Witter School of Music
• Mechanical Engineering
• Medical Physics
• Medicine and Public Health -​ School-​Wide
• Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics
• Nursing -​ School-​Wide
• Nutritional Sciences
• Operations and Information Management
• Pharmacy -​ School-​Wide
• Planning and Landscape Architecture
• Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences
• Plant Pathology
• Political Science
• Population Health Sciences
• Real Estate and Urban Land Economics
• Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education
• Religious Studies
• Risk and Insurance
• Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work
• Soil and Environmental Sciences
• Soil Science
• Spanish and Portuguese
• Veterinary Medicine -​ School-​Wide
• Nondegree/​Visiting Student Guide
• Pharmacy Guide
• School of Medicine and Public Health Guide
• Undergraduate Guide
• Veterinary Guide

Best Creative Writing colleges in Wisconsin 2024

Best creative writing colleges in wisconsin for 2024.

University of Wisconsin-Madison offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Master's degrees.

University of Wisconsin-Green Bay offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a medium sized, public, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 15 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 15 Bachelor's degrees.

Saint Norbert College offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a midsize suburb. In 2022, 2 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 2 Bachelor's degrees.

Beloit College offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a small city. In 2022, 15 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 15 Bachelor's degrees.

Lawrence University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a small city.

Northland College offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a remote town. In 2022, 1 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 1 Bachelor's degree.

University of Wisconsin-Parkside offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, public, four-year university in a midsize suburb. In 2022, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Certificates.

Cardinal Stritch University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb.

Lakeland University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a outlying rural area.

List of all Creative Writing colleges in Wisconsin

• Arts & Humanities

Seek the challenge

What does it mean to study the humanities at a large public research university like UW-Madison? Rich interdisciplinary work. A tradition of rigorous debate. Unparalleled language programs. A focus on the Midwest's unique role — past, present and future — in our society. Opportunities to study under leading scholars and contribute to a global body of knowledge. And so much more. 

Revisiting History With a New Lens

Finn Enke researches the intersection of social movements, gender and sexuality.

Faculty receive 2024-25 WARF Named Professorships, Kellett Fellowships, and Romnes Awards

17 College of Letters & Science faculty have been awarded fellowships from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research for 2024-25. The awardees span across all four research divisions of L&S.

Behind the Scenes: Preparing for the 2024 Summer Olympics

A communication arts alum and NBC Sports production associate explains how she’s getting ready to cover one of the world's biggest sporting events.

Grant Nelsestuen, Associate Dean of Arts & Humanities

The humanities are essential to our future. They make an enormous difference in our lives, and we need them now more than ever.

Arts & Humanities Departments & Programs

Click to view all academic degree-granting program in the Arts & Humanities division.

African Cultural Studies, Department of

The mission of the Department of African Cultural Studies is to provide research and teaching in the languages and expressive cultures of Africa and Africans around the world.

Department Chair : Luis Madureira

Art History, Department of

The mission of the Department of Art History is to promote scholarly inquiry into the history of art in all its different media in a wide range of historical periods and world cultures.

Department Chair: Kirsten Wolf

Asian Languages & Cultures, Department of

The Department of Asian Languages and Cultures includes instruction in Chinese, Japanese and Korean, as well as courses on literature, linguistics, culture, religion, and thought in East Asia.

Department Chair: Charo D'Etcheverry

Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies, Department of

The Department of Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies offers undergraduate majors in classical humanities, classics (Greek and Latin), and Latin, along with a certificate in classical studies. The department also cooperates with the School of Education to offer a teacher certification program in Latin.

Department Chair: Alex Dressler

Creative Writing Program

The Creative Writing Program provides a full range of opportunities for undergraduates, graduate students, and, through the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing's fellowships, post-graduates to study, practice, and receive recognition in the genres of poetry and fiction. While the program's primary emphasis is on those genres, it additionally offers classes in creative nonfiction and playwriting. The program also sponsors readings throughout the academic year that are free and open to the public.

English, Department of

The Department of English includes a wide array of disciplines in contemporary English studies: literary studies, composition and rhetoric, creative writing, English linguistics and English as a second language. The department offers a strong undergraduate major in literature, with complementary tracks in creative writing and linguistics.

Department Chair: Christa Olson

English as a Second Language, Program in

The Intensive English Program provides quality instruction to adults who wish to improve their proficiency in English. English as a Second Language offers full-time 15-week programs in the fall and spring semesters and an 8-week program in the summer.

Director: Joe Nosek

French and Italian, Department of

The Department of French and Italian is recognized as a leader in literary and critical scholarship, and for a tradition of excellence in teaching and pedagogical research and training. The department is proud of its reputation for interdisciplinary innovation in curriculum and technology.

Department Chair: Grazia Menechella

Gender and Women's Studies, Department of

The mission of the Department of Gender and Women's Studies is to expand the understanding and appreciation of women's lives and experiences both historically and in contemporary societies. The department defines education and learning in the broadest sense, including coursework, research, and a wide range of educational programs on and off campus.

Department Chair: Judy Houck

German, Nordic, and Slavic+, Department of

The Department of German, Nordic, and Slavic+ strives to create inclusive excellence by valuing the contributions of people of diverse backgrounds based on their race, ethnicity, culture, veteran status, marital status, socio-economic level, national origin, religious belief, ability, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and class. This is an ongoing task that requires each of us to unlearn our socialization in cultures where privilege and opportunity are unequally distributed along many of those lines and then to put that learning into practice in our classrooms, syllabi, decision-making structures, and research.

Department Chair: Jolanda Vanderwal Taylor

History, Department of

The Department of History serves over 750 undergraduate majors and countless additional students drawn to history to meet other requirements of the College. As a member of the Graduate School, the History Department has a vibrant community of over 200 graduate students.

The Department of History of Science joined the Department of History in summer 2017.

Department Chair: Neil Kodesh

Honors Program

The L&S Honors Program serves over 1,300 students in the College of Letters and Science with an enriched undergraduate curriculum. Students in the program pursue the Honors in the Liberal Arts, Honors in the Major or Comprehensive Honors Degrees. The program began in response to a 1958 petition by students seeking more challenging work and opportunities to "delve more deeply" into their fields of interest.

Director: Daniel Kapust

Integrated Liberal Studies Program (ILS)

The Integrated Liberal Studies (ILS) Program offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the basic subjects in the liberal arts curriculum. Its faculty members are drawn from many programs and departments at the UW-Madison. This diversity enables the ILS Program to offer the different subject areas needed to satisfy the breadth requirement and for a sound liberal education.

Program Chair: Karen Britland

Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies Program (ITS)

Formerly the M.A./Ph.D. in Theatre and Drama, the Interdisciplinary Theatre Studies Program at UW-Madison prepares M.A. and Ph.D. students to pursue innovative, interdisciplinary research in theatre studies, and to relate their scholarly research to production and/or teaching.

Director: Paola Hernandez

Jewish Studies, Mosse/Weinstein Center for,

Founded in 1991, the George L. Mosse/Laurence A. Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies brings together a variety of disciplines to study and interpret Jewish and ancient Israelite history, religion, politics, society, and culture. Drawn from over a dozen different departments, our faculty have achieved national and international prominence for teaching and scholarship.

Director: Jordan Rosenblum

Language Sciences Program

Language Sciences is a hub for cross-disciplinary and cross-departmental collaborative research, teaching, service, and outreach related to the scientific study of human language at UW-Madison. Language Sciences houses an undergraduate Linguistics major, a Ph.D. program in Linguistics, and a Linguistics Ph.D. minor. Our faculty from across campus are engaged in innovative research projects spanning a broad range of topics and methods of inquiry.

Program Chair: Rajiv Rao

Medieval Studies Program

The Medieval Studies Program offers an interdisciplinary environment for the pursuit of knowledge relating to the Middle Ages, a period spanning Late Antiquity to roughly 1500. Representing faculty from over 18 departments, the Program offers courses and certificate programs at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Director: Lisa Cooper

Mead Witter School of Music

The Mead Witter School of Music is proud of an outstanding international roster of faculty artists and scholars devoted to the School's fundamental mission of fostering and promoting the global cultural art of music. The school's 60-member faculty maintains a unique focus on individual student achievement, utilizing the vast resources of the world-famous Madison campus.

Director: Dan Cavanagh

Philosophy, Department of

The Department of Philosophy carries on a long and proud tradition of highly acclaimed teaching and research in core areas of philosophy — especially in the philosophy of science and ethics, but also in metaphysics, epistemology, and the history of philosophy.

Department Chair: Emily Fletcher

Religious Studies Program

Religious studies is an academic discipline that looks at religious phenomena worldwide from a variety of angles in order to achieve an understanding of the many roles that religion plays in human life. Students of religion use different methods for different goals. These include historical methods to understand how religions change in time; critical literary methods to understand religious ideas; aesthetic methods to understand religious art; social-scientific methods to understand the relationship between religion and society and culture.

Director: Susan Ridgely

Second Language Acquisition, Doctoral Program in

Second Language Acquisition (SLA) is the scholarly field of inquiry that investigates the human capacity to learn languages other than the first, during late childhood, adolescence, or adulthood, and once the first language or languages have been acquired. SLA studies a wide variety of complex influences and phenomena that contribute to the puzzling range of possible outcomes when learning an additional language in a variety of contexts.

Director: Katrina Daly Thomspson

Spanish and Portuguese, Department of

The Department of Spanish and Portugues e is dedicated to the study and teaching of the languages, literatures and cultures of the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking worlds. It is one the largest departments of Spanish and Portuguese in the United States, and offers a full range of undergraduate and graduate courses and areas of specialization in literature, culture, and linguistics.

Department Chair: Fernando Tejedo

Centers, Institutes & Special Projects

Click to view all Arts & Humanities centers and institutes.

American Constitution, Center for the Study of the

The Center for the Study of the American Constitution (CSAC) is a non-profit, non-partisan center dedicated to serving scholars, educators, and students who are interested in the American Constitution in its historical context. 

Director and Co-editor: John P. Kaminski

Creative Writing, Wisconsin Institute for

Since 1986, the University of Wisconsin's Institute for Creative Writing has provided time, space, and an intellectual community for writers working on a first book of poetry or fiction. Since 2012, we have also considered applicants who have published only one full-length collection of creative writing prior to the application deadline, although unpublished authors remain eligible, and quality of writing remains the nearly exclusive criterion for selection. Altogether, our poetry and fiction fellows have published more than a hundred full-length collections and novels, many of them winning major national honors.

Coordinator:  Sean Bishop

Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE)

The Dictionary of American Regional English (DARE) is a multi-volume reference work that documents words, phrases, and pronunciations that vary from one place to another across the United States.  The entries in DARE include regional pronunciations, variant forms, some etymologies, and regional and social distributions of the words and phrases. 

Chief Editor: Joan Hall

Early Modern Studies, Center for

The Center for Early Modern Studies aims to encourage innovative research and foster lively dialogue and debate across a wide range of disciplines with a special focus on the early modern period (15th-18th centuries).

Director: Steve Hutchinson

Film and Theater Research, Wisconsin Center for

Researchers at the Wisconsin Center for Film and Theater Research may study more than a century of cinema, radio, television, and theater through moving images, visual materials and manuscripts. Collections donated by some of Hollywood's most renowned directors, producers, screenwriters and actors, often augmented by viewing copies of their most significant works, provide complementary documentation for both the art and business of Hollywood's Golden Age, as well as more modern independent and experimental filmmaking. 

Director:  Vance Kepley

Gender and Women, Center for Research on

The Center for Research on Gender and Women was established in 1977 and serves as a unit of the Department of Gender and Women Studies to promote greater knowledge and understanding about gender and women’s studies both in the US and globally. It promotes scholarly interactions among gender studies researchers on campus, as well as linkages with women’s studies scholars nationally and internationally.

Director: Chris Garlough

Harvey Goldberg Center for the Study of Contemporary History

Humanities, center for the.

The Center for the Humanities is a hub of creative inquiry and cultural life, drawing renowned scholars from across campus and around the globe to present cutting-edge research and engage new ideas. Through seminars, workshops, and conferences, the Center fosters collaboration beyond disciplinary lines and promotes intellectual exploration outside the classroom.

Director: Russ Castronovo

Humanities, Institute for Research in the (IRH)

Founded in 1959, the Institute for Research in the Humanities (IRH) sponsors some 40 external and internal fellowships. The institute encourages innovative research and interdisciplinary exchange asking large questions of history, culture, literature, ideas, language, and the arts.

Director: Steve Nadler

Interdisciplinary French Studies, Center for

The Center for Interdisciplinary French Studies is committed to the connection of francophonie in all domains of study at UW-Madison and abroad.

Co-Directors: Gilles Bousquet and Aliko Songolo

Interdisciplinary Humanities

Ranging across the vast array of human experience, creativity, and expression, Interdisciplinary Humanities offers students the ability to discover, explore, and understand the human condition through a variety of content areas, media, and methodologies.

Max Kade Institute for German American Studies

The Max Kade Institute for German American Studies is an interdisciplinary unit dedicated to researching the story of German-speaking immigrants and their descendants in a global and multicultural context; preserving American print culture and personal documents in the German language; and sharing the Institute’s resources through teaching, publications, community outreach, and public programming.

Directors: Mark Louden

Language Institute

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an international leader in foreign language education and research, with the capacity to offer instruction in over 80 modern and ancient languages. Drawing on the wealth of this expertise, the Language Institute promotes collaboration for research, education and outreach in languages, literatures and cultures.

Director: Dianna Murphy

Mayrent Institute for Yiddish Culture

The Mayrent Institute for Yiddish Culture is dedicated to studying and preserving Yiddish music and culture, teaching it to new generations, and supporting scholarship that explores it as an important facet of Jewish and American life.

Director: Sunny Yudkoff

Pushkin Studies, Wisconsin Center for

The Wisconsin Center for Pushkin Studies is a unique resource for scholars dedicated to research and publication on the work of Alexander Pushkin.

Religion and Global Citizenry, Center for

The mission of The Center for Religion and Global Citizenry is to increase UW-Madison students’ religious literacy and their facility for communicating across boundaries of faith so that they may function effectively as citizens of a religiously diverse world. This is achieved via two programs: The Interfaith Fellows Programs and The Interdisciplinary Religious Group.

The Center was established in August of 2017 after the closing of the Lubar Institute for the Study of Abrahamic Religions in June of 2016. The Center hopes to grow to become the hub for discussion of religious pluralism on the UW-Madison Campus and the greater Madison community.

Upper Midwestern Cultures, Center for the Study of

The Center for the Study of Upper Midwestern Cultures is committed to the languages and cultural traditions of this region's diverse peoples. The Center fosters research and the preservation of archival collections, while producing educational and outreach programs for a broad public audience. It also assists community groups, classrooms, and scholars with projects involving Upper Midwestern Cultures.

Director: Anna Rue

Visual Cultures, Center for

The Center for Visual Cultures develops and sustains vital connections and collaborations between the study and practice of the visual with bridges across the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. As a leader in the field since 2002, we support cutting edge creative production and interdisciplinary research, programming, and community outreach activities in the new and developing field of visual cultures studies.

Director: Laurie Beth Clark

Writing Center

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Writing Center helps undergraduate and graduate students in all disciplines become more effective, more confident writers. The Center's methods - multi-faceted, flexible, and collaborative - reflect respect for the individual writer, whose talents, voice, and goals are central to its endeavors.

Co-Directors: Nancy Linh Karls and Emily Hall

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
• About Dean Wilcots
• Latest from Dean Wilcots
• Prospective Students
• L&S Dean's Ambassadors
• Computer, Data & Information Sciences
• Natural, Physical & Mathematical Sciences
• Social Sciences
• L&S Staff Directory
• L&S Research Services
• Alumni & Friends
• Letters & Science Magazine
• Sift & Winnow
• Irving & Dorothy Levy Hall

• Majors & Minors
• About Our Faculty
• Academic Experience
• Academic Support
• Graduate Programs
• Get Involved
• Athletics & Sports at UWEC
• Meet Blugolds
• Living in Eau Claire
• Music, Arts, & Culture
• First-Year Visits
• Transfer Visits
• Group Visits
• Plan Your Trip
• What to Expect
• Virtual Tour Options
• First-Year Student
• Transfer Student
• International Students
• High School Special Student
• Graduate Student
• Other Student
• UWEC Application
• Contact Admissions
• Tuition & Fees
• Financial Aid
• Scholarships
• Net Price Calculator
• University Mission
• Campus History
• Accreditation
• Campus Events and Calendars
• Collaborations and Partnerships
• Points of Pride
• Work at UW-Eau Claire 

Blugold combines love of English and math during her college studies

When Nora Schmidt came to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire 3½ years ago as a freshman, choosing her minor was easy. After all, she’d already earned several mathematics credits thanks to the AP calculous courses she completed in high school.

Finding her major proved to be far more difficult, though in hindsight the answer was right in front of her all along, says Schmidt, who will graduate in December with a major in English-creative writing and a minor in math.

“My creative writing major was a hard sell,” says Schmidt, who grew up in Hudson. “I’ve loved writing my whole life, but never had the courage to pursue it as more than a hobby. Encouragement from my family and my professors helped me develop the confidence and skill to go for it.”

Once she made her decision, she never looked back.

The English department — her professors and fellow students — helped Schmidt find her place on campus and a future that excites her.

“In English, I love how close the professors are in the department and how welcoming they are to their students,” Schmidt says.

She says she’s been fortunate to have had some of the same professors teach her in more than one course, creating a sense of familiarity that “helps me feel really at home in the department.”

Building skills, confidence through research

While she found her home in the English department, her math studies also helped to shape her college experiences and how she sees her future.

During her freshman year, Schmidt was in two math classes taught by Dr. Chris Ahrendt, professor of mathematics. The second semester, he invited her to join his research team. So, she spent her sophomore year researching the behavior of solutions of the Riccati equation in the time-scale calculus, focusing on the ways in which we might translate methods and givens of continuous math to the realm of discrete math.

“The research with Dr. Ahrendt was really important for my college career, in terms of the experience but also the impact it had on my self-esteem and academic confidence,” Schmidt says. “It probably sounds silly, but I didn’t really know that I was particularly ‘smart’ until my freshman year, when various professors encouraged me to major in math, English and even chemistry. My high school teachers had been encouraging and supportive, but being selected to do research with professors as a freshman eliminated my doubts about my intelligence.”

Honors student

Schmidt enjoys the challenges and experiences she found through her major and minor, but she also appreciates that the University Honors Program offered her opportunities to take classes on topics that fall far outside of her typical areas of study.

“I could talk for days about the Honors Program,” Schmidt says. “I love it to bits, mostly because of the way it enabled me to take time for ‘fun’ elective learning. While I’ve always loved learning in general, I never took the time in high school to take the ‘fun’ classes. Instead, I piled on AP courses in preparation for college.

“After over 16 years of working hard to make the most of school, it was so fun to take classes like ‘Fermentation,’ ‘The Political Thought of Abraham Lincoln,’ ‘The Multicultural Art & Science of Forgiveness’ and ‘Botanical Beings (Ojibwe botanical teachings).’”

Students in the Honors Program come from all majors, which helps students connect with other high-achieving and curious Blugolds from many majors. The interdisciplinary focus of the program makes the Honors classes especially interesting, Schmidt says.

“Part of what makes an Honors course an Honors course is that it must be interdisciplinary, so each class I’ve taken in Honors has taught me at least a basic understanding and working definition of two-plus disciplines/perspectives,” Schmidt says. “I learned to cook sourdough scones, to dissect Lincoln’s speeches, to forgive the trespasses of myself and the people I love and to finally keep a plant alive, among many, many other things.”

A mentor and a leader

Through the University Honors Program, Schmidt also has served as a tutor, helping to provide academic support to other Blugolds who are part of the program. This semester she’s a tutor for the “The Political Thought of Abraham Lincoln” course.

This year, Dr. Heather Fielding, director of the Honors Program, encouraged Schmidt to be a peer mentor through a new program that supports freshmen who come to UW-Eau Claire without declaring a major.

“Nora has a classic 'Power of And' story, and this is why it was perfect for her to work with undecided students,” Fielding says. “She declared a major late because she was so full of interests and eventually figured out a way to pursue almost all of them here.”

The Level Up initiative is an enrollment management program that helps first-year students transition to college and make meaningful connections.

“It is a role that Nora was amazing at,” Billy Felz, interim vice chancellor for enrollment management, says of Schmidt’s work as a peer mentor. “She was approachable, insightful and engaging with our new students, and most importantly she was relatable.

“I was very impressed with her 'take charge' leadership, which was seen at the end of our first class, when she told our students she would escort them to the best place on campus to get coffee and then show them how to take the bus for free to upper campus. Those students were so lucky to have her as a resource in their first semester of freshman year.”

Schmidt says it was rewarding to work with the younger students, helping to guide and support them in the first weeks of their college career.

“Over the first seven weeks of the semester, I got to know seven incoming freshmen and help them ease into the UWEC experience,” Schmidt says. “I also had a couple of my friends come to talk to the class about student orgs and involvement on campus.

“Though it was a small group, I enjoyed working with the students in my Level Up section and helping them adjust to campus and college life. It made me really happy to share some of the knowledge I’ve accumulated throughout my 3½ years here and keep my students from making the same mistakes.”

A Blugold family

While Schmidt blazed her own trail as a Blugold, she had plenty of people to turn to if she needed advice about how to make the most of her time at UW-Eau Claire. After all, she’s been surrounded by Blugolds for years.

Both her siblings, Tom and Abby Schmidt, are UW-Eau Claire graduates. They loved their time at UW-Eau Claire, which helped inspire Schmidt to follow in their footsteps.

“Having visited both my siblings throughout high school, I didn’t even apply to any other schools — I knew UWEC was the right place for me,” Schmidt says of deciding to be a Blugold. “When I arrived here as a freshman, it already felt like a little family reunion.”

Several of her cousins currently are Blugolds and her uncle also graduated from UW-Eau Claire, Schmidt says, joking that “we still have a couple of cousins to wrangle in when they reach high school.”

“In the fall of 2019, there were six of us in my family attending UWEC, and most of us even lived on upper campus,” Schmidt says. “All of my maternal grandparents’ grandchildren attend(ed) UWEC. I’ve carpooled with each of my cousins to family events and trips home, and I scarcely had to eat alone for my first two years here — every day at Davies felt like a family gathering.”

Looking to the future

Schmidt is graduating in 3½ years, a semester earlier than expected. So, she is still thinking about her next steps after graduation. Whatever path she decides to follow, she knows UW-Eau Claire has prepared her well to be successful.

“My future plans are quite murky, but only because my liberal arts education and English degree are so broad in the paths that they open,” Schmidt says. “I’m planning to get my teaching degree at some point. About 50% of my family members are teachers and/or work in education, so it’s always been a goal of mine, even if it’s not until later in life. Right now, I’m focusing on internships and testing my hand at copy writing, graphic design, editing and nonfiction creative writing, while continuing my years-long development as a fiction writer and essayist.

“Between the wide variety of topics and emphases in the English department, and the diverse perspectives in Honors classes, I am quite ready to take on communication in its many forms.”

You may also like

University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

105 Garfield Avenue  P.O. Box 4004  Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004 

715-836-4636

Get the Reddit app

A subreddit for students, faculty, alumni, or anyone that considers themselves a Badger and the University of Wisconsin - Madison their home. On, Wisconsin!

What is a good writing intensive course at UW Madison? I’m a bio major on the premed path, and the prehealth website mentions that some schools require an intensive writing course.

By continuing, you agree to our User Agreement and acknowledge that you understand the Privacy Policy .

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

You’ve set up two-factor authentication for this account.

Enter a 6-digit backup code

Create your username and password.

Reddit is anonymous, so your username is what you’ll go by here. Choose wisely—because once you get a name, you can’t change it.

Reset your password

Enter your email address or username and we’ll send you a link to reset your password

Check your inbox

An email with a link to reset your password was sent to the email address associated with your account

Choose a Reddit account to continue

Snow falls and the lakes freeze and ice coats the bushes and trees on campus. Winter is especially beautiful in Madison.

The Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing Fellowships

Since 1986, the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Creative Writing has provided time, space, and an intellectual community for writers working on a first book of poetry or fiction, while developing their skills as instructors in one of North America’s top-ranked creative writing programs. Since 2012, we have also considered applicants who have published  only one  full-length collection of creative writing prior to the application deadline, although unpublished authors remain eligible, and quality of writing remains the near-exclusive criterion for selection. Altogether, our poetry and fiction fellows have published more than 150 full-length collections and novels, many of them winning major national honors.

At present, the Institute offers up to five internationally competitive nine-month fellowships each year. Typically, we award two fiction fellowships (the James C. McCreight Fiction Fellowship and the Carol Houck Smith Fiction Fellowship), and two poetry fellowships (the Jay C. and Ruth Halls Poetry Fellowship and the Ronald Wallace Poetry Fellowship). Additionally, the Institute offers one third-year MFA fellowship — the Hoffman-Halls Emerging Artist Fellowship — to a current student of UW-Madison, through a closed competition.

Each of these fellowships carries with it a stipend of at least $40,000 paid in 9 equal installments beginning in mid-September, generous health benefits, and a one-course-per-semester teaching assignment in undergraduate creative writing. Since this is a residential fellowship, we expect fellows to live in the Madison area, to hold no other teaching, graduate study or fellowship obligations, and to participate fully in the life of the Madison writing community during the fellowship period.

Fiction and poetry fellows are asked to give one public reading during the fellowship year. Additionally, all fellows participate in determining the recipients of the annual  Brittingham and Felix Pollak Prizes in Poetry , as well as the Program in Creative Writing’s  undergraduate writing contests . Along with faculty, fellows also serve on the committees selecting the following year’s Institute fellows.

Details and frequently asked questions regarding the fellowships can be found on the  applications page of this website. Applications to the poetry, fiction, and HEAF fellowships must be submitted online between November 1 and January 1.

The current administrators of the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing are  Sean Bishop and Ron Kuka . Please read this page and the application page in detail before contacting the administrators with questions.

The Halls and Wallace Poetry Fellowships & the McCreight and Houck Smith Fiction Fellowships

Poets and fiction writers who have completed or will have completed an MFA or a PhD in creative writing by August 15th of the fellowship year are eligible to apply for a Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing poetry or fiction fellowship, provided they have not yet published more than one full-length book of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or other creative work by the March 1 application deadline. Details and frequently asked questions regarding these fellowships can be found on the  fellowship applications page of this website. The HEAF is the only Institute fellowship for which current students of the UW MFA program are eligible to apply.

The Hoffman-Halls Emerging Artist Fellowship

The Hoffman-Halls Emerging Artist Fellowship (the HEAF) is awarded to a second-year MFA candidate in the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Creative Writing MFA program, to fund a third year of study prior to graduation. Poets and fiction writers are eligible for the HEAF in alternating years.

The recipient of the HEAF will be determined by an outside judge. The name of this judge will be withheld until the HEAF has been announced. Details and frequently asked questions regarding these fellowships can be found on the  fellowship applications page  of this website. The Institute may decline to give the HEAF award in any year it deems appropriate.

Institute Administrator  Ron Kuka Program in Creative Writing Department of English