Writing Gets Major Status

Ithaca College is now offering a bachelor of arts degree in writing. The new major was approved last April by the New York State Education Department, and according to Barbara Adams (left), assistant professor of writing, a comprehensive bachelor’s degree in writing is hard to find.

"What’s distinctive about Ithaca College’s writing major is that we offer students a wealth of areas to focus on. A number of undergraduate degrees in writing concentrate on only creative or technical writing, but ours goes beyond that broad categorization to include a variety of specific genres, such as children’s literature, the literary essay, satire, creative nonfiction, arts criticism, and so forth."

That rich selection, adds Marian MacCurdy (right), associate professor of writing and department chair, is crucial to the development of young writers.

"A broad-based program with a liberal arts orientation allows students to learn who they are as writers," she says. "Students will be able to come to us with the things they want to write about."

To earn a degree, students will take a number of core writing courses before deciding on an area of writing in which to concentrate. They will also be required to minor in an outside field related to their area of concentration. For example, a student who decides to concentrate on scientific writing might find it beneficial to minor in biology or chemistry or computer science. Someone concentrating in fiction may want to minor in English literature. Students will also have the option of constructing their own minor with the help of their advisers. The writing major also has a foreign language requirement.

"We had between 110 and 120 students a year when writing was a minor," MacCurdy says. "We sense there will be a lot of interest in the major."

The Department of Writing will continue to offer the minor in writing.