Whether you want to improve your creative writing skills or if you are planning to transfer to a four-year baccalaureate-granting institution, COD offers:

• Dedicated instructors with years of writing and publishing experience. Creative Writing professors share decades of publishing experience and classes are grounded in the workshop model.
• Opportunity to study poetry, creative nonfiction, fiction, novel writing, nature writing and screenwriting.
• Instruction in top-notch facilities and on cutting-edge equipment.
• Experience with actively producing creative work and revising work based on peer feedback.
• Opportunity to work as part of the award winning literary journal, The Prairie Light Review.
• Flexible course schedules with online, hybrid and face-to-face classes. 

College of DuPage is the first community college in Illinois to offer a certificate in creative writing. 

English/Creative Writing Transfer Pathway, Associate in Arts

The English Transfer Pathway, Associate in Arts enables students to choose their own path of study including Creative Writing, Film, Literature and Writing Studies and graduate with an Associate in Applied Science degree. This track helps provides a seamless transfer to a baccalaureate-granting institution.

Creative Writing, Certificate

The Creative Writing, Certificate is designed for students who want to develop or enhance their creative writing skills and those interested in publishing creative writing pieces. It also serves students interested in transferring to baccalaureate institutions with undergraduate major and/or minor programs in Creative Writing. The program aligns with courses in the 2+2 articulation agreement in Creative Writing with Columbia College Chicago and Roosevelt University.

Beyond creative writers, the certificate provides an extra credential for those in the business, law, nursing, marketing and other writing-intensive careers. It also seeks to help students learn how to "tell the story" for a company or professional growth.

The certificate seeks to expose learners to a variety of creative writing genres, including poetry, creative nonfiction, drama, fiction, and screenwriting.

We believe that the study of creative writing allows students to discover and unlock their creative potential, opening the door to authentic self expression and a deeper understanding of the world.

Our student-centered approach to teaching and learning seeks to nurture talent and develop creative voice. The capacity for creative expression is key to personal, academic and professional success and fulfillment.

Academic and Career Pathways give you a roadmap to achieving your career goals. Follow a pathway based on your degree or certificate that outlines which classes you need to take and when so you graduate on time or move on to the next phase in your career.

• English Transfer Pathway, Associate in Arts
• Creative Writing, Certificate
• Professional Writing, Certificate

By studying Creative Writing at College of DuPage, students will:  

Express and Exchange Ideas in Creative Ways

• Use language creatively to achieve desired effects.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how your intention and audience guide creative choice.
• Respond to the creative texts produced by classmates to both improve and support each author's work.

Develop Critical Thinking Skills

• Analyze creative techniques used by published authors to improve your own creative technique.
• Apply terminology, practices, and theoretical methods associated with creative writing.
• Communicate your understanding complexity, nuance, and deep meaning in creative works.

Build Socially Responsible and Ethical Reasoning

• Learn to value and express multiple perspectives and viewpoints by practicing the craft of creative writing.
• Develop an awareness of how creative works help readers to learn about themselves and the world around them.

Tony Bowers

• MFA: Columbia College Chicago
• MA: National Louis University
• BA: Columbia College Chicago

Tony Bowers is a published author and serves as the co-chair of the creative writing committee. He holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Columbia College and a Masters in Teaching from National Louis University. He is the 2006 recipient of the Follett Fellowship in Creative Writing and his short story collection On the Nine, was published by Vital Narrative Press in 2015. He is hard at work on his first novel, A Dollar Short.

Jason Snart

• PhD: University of Florida
• MA & BA: University of Alberta

Dr. Jason Snart is COD's English Department Chair of Literature, Creative Writing, and Film. He earned his MA in English with a specialization in creative writing from the University of Alberta and his PhD in Literature from the University of Florida. He has published a number of scholarly books, including The Torn Book (a study of the British Romantic era poet and artist William Blake), in addition to two books on blended learning (the combination of online and f2f teaching in the same course): Hybrid Learning and Making Hybrids Work. In addition to Snart's continuing research in the areas of online/blended writing instruction and course design, he regularly publishes poetry and fiction in various literary magazines. Professor Snart teaches a range of courses, including Intro to Creative Writing (Eng 2250), Poetry Writing (Eng 2252), and British Literature from 1800 through the Present (Eng 2221).

Trina Sotirakopulos (Sotira)

• Ed.D.: Northern Illinois University 
• Master Online Teacher Certification: University of Illinois
• MA: Northern Illinois University
• BA: Columbia College Chicago

The co-editor of two award-winning anthologies, and author of a YA novel, Professor Sotirakopulos serves as the chair of the Creative Writing Certificate Program and advisor of COD's art and literary journal, The Prairie Light Review. Sotira has also published poetry and flash fiction in various literary journals. She shares her knowledge of publishing and writing in both the online and face-to-face learning environments. Her courses include Literary Journal (2210), Introduction to Creative Writing (2250), Fiction Writing (2251), Creative Nonfiction Writing (2253), and Writing for Publication (2261), along with Honors Composition II (1102). Her published dissertation investigates marginalized community college students’ experiences taking honors courses for the first time. 

College of DuPage partners with several four-year institutions to help students seamlessly complete a bachelor’s degree in English. Students can connect with Transfer Services for personalized guidance on transfer opportunities.

For more information about Transfer Pathways, visit the College of DuPage Catalog.. The pathway outlines a typical two-year course plan for completing an AA or AS degree before transferring to a four-year program. Course requirements vary by institution, so consult your faculty or academic advisor for specific guidance.

Articulation Agreements

College of DuPage maintains transfer agreements with many colleges and universities to ensure a smooth transition toward a bachelor’s degree. These agreements often include a defined course sequence. Students should regularly meet with a faculty member or Advising Services to stay on track.

• Columbia College Chicago, AA to BA in Creative Writing
• Columbia College Chicago, AA to BA in English
• DePaul University, AA to BA in Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse
• Elmhurst University, AA to BA in English- Literature Track
• Elmhurst University, AA to BA in English with Secondary Education Licensure
• Elmhurst University, AA to BA in English- Writing Track
• North Central College, AA to BA in Literature
• University of Arkansas at Little Rock, AA to BA in Professional and Technical Writing

Transfer Guides

Beyond articulation agreements and guaranteed admission programs, College of DuPage courses transfer to many other institutions. Transfer Guides help students select COD courses that meet prerequisites for specific majors and include details such as contact information, major requirements, general education requirements, and transfer policies.

• Roosevelt University, AA to BA in English

While the first course in the sequence, Introduction to Creative Writing, does not have a prerequisite, the genre writing courses require a Reading Placement Test Score of Category 1.

Please also note that only students seeking an Associate in Arts along with the Creative Writing Certificate will qualify for financial aid. Students are encouraged to talk with Financial Aid to determine eligibility.

Courses in the Creative Writing Certificate incorporate employability skills, which include the following objectives:

• Learn to value and express multiple perspectives and viewpoints.
• Develop writing skills for self and global understanding.
• Use language creatively.
• Demonstrate an understanding of intention and audience
• Work collaboratively with others in group settings to improve content.
• Create publishable texts through the process of invention, creation, and revision.
• Apply terminology, practices, and theoretical methods associated with creative writing.
• Analyze the writing market and select publishing options for texts.
• Use communication skills developed in the program to participate in live events.

• Tony Bowers - (630) 942-2688
• Jason Snart - (630) 942-20343
• Trina Sotirakopulos - (630) 942-2177

If you are unable to contact a faculty member, messages may be left with the Liberal Arts Division, Berg Instructional Center (BIC), Room 2E06, (630) 942-2047.