Unlock Your Creative Potential: A Guide to UCLA Extension Creative Writing Courses

The UCLA Extension Writers' Program offers a comprehensive and customizable path for aspiring and established writers to hone their craft and achieve their literary goals. With approximately 400 annual courses available online and on the UCLA campuses in downtown Los Angeles and Woodland Hills, the program caters to diverse interests and skill levels. Whether you're a beginner taking your first steps or an experienced writer seeking advanced training, the Writers' Program provides a supportive and enriching environment to develop your creative writing skills across various genres.

A Customizable Curriculum

The Certificate in Creative Writing at UCLA Extension is designed to be fully customizable, allowing students to tailor their studies to their specific interests and writing goals. The curriculum requires the completion of 18 units of elective coursework. This flexibility enables students to explore multiple genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, or to focus on a specific area of interest.

For those who meet certain requirements, an intermediate or advanced level track is also available, providing a more challenging and specialized learning experience. While required introductory courses may be waived upon departmental approval, candidates must still complete the minimum total of required core course units and elective course units to earn the certificate. Previously completed courses in another UNEX Certificate program may apply in a limited quantity of units to a Writers’ Program Certificate if the course is eligible for the requirements.

Getting Started

Courses in the Writers’ Program are open enrollment, and each course is paid for individually. Sequential courses should be taken in numerical order, starting from the lowest course number and progressing to higher numbers. You may take Creative Writing courses without committing to the entire program.

However, establishing candidacy in the program offers several exclusive benefits, including:

Priority Placement on Waitlists: Certificate students receive preferential placement on waitlists, increasing their chances of enrolling in popular courses.
Access to the UCLA Career Center's Job Board: Explore thousands of job and internship postings through UCLA Career Center’s online job board.
Customized Curriculum: Receive a customized curriculum tailored to your writing goals.

Benefits of Certificate Candidacy

Beyond the core curriculum, certificate students enjoy a range of exclusive benefits designed to support their academic and professional development:

Advising: Receive a 30-minute, one-on-one goal-setting consultation with a Writers’ Program advisor. During this consultation, the advisor will customize a certificate program curriculum tailored to your experience, interests, and writing goals.
Enrollment Advantages: Receive quarterly notice when Writers’ Program courses open for enrollment each quarter and receive preferential placement on wait lists.
Manuscript Consultation: Within six months of completing certificate program coursework, receive 50% off a one-on-one manuscript consultation with a Writers' Program instructor.

Additional benefits exclusive to all UCLA Extension certificate students:

Career Resources: Access UCLA Extension’s Career Resources including online career coaching, workshops, networking events, and other resources.
Handshake Access: Explore thousands of job and internship postings through UCLA Career Center’s online job board.
UCLA Alumni Association Membership: Upon completing your certificate, join the nationwide Bruin family as a member of the UCLA Alumni Association.
Graduation Celebration: Attend the annual UCLA Extension Graduation Ceremony on campus to celebrate your achievements.
UCLA Recreation Facilities: Enjoy access to UCLA Recreation facilities as a student affiliate.
Bruin ID Card: Obtain an affiliate/Guest UCLA Bruin ID Card for additional student-related benefits.

Advanced Standing at Antioch University

Students who complete the Certificate in Creative Writing can receive Advanced Standing in Antioch University Los Angeles’s MFA in Creative Writing. Advanced Standing allows a student to enter the MFA program with the equivalent of one semester completed. In addition, you may be eligible for Antioch’s fellowships and scholarships. Eligible students should indicate in their Admissions Dialogue Essay that they have completed, or will have completed, UCLA Extension' Creative Writing Certificate by the time they begin study at Antioch University. Certificate completion does not guarantee admission to Antioch University’s MFA program.

How to Apply

To establish candidacy in the program, follow these steps:

Click the Apply Now button.
Login or create a new student account.
Once you are logged into the student portal, you can select “My Applications” from the left side menu at any time to return to your application.
Click the yellow “Start” button to proceed.
On the Certificate Application page, follow the instructions and click save.

All courses in this program are paid for individually, unless otherwise noted. An application form is required to establish candidacy in this program.

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Course Structure and Content

The Writers' Program offers a diverse range of courses to suit different skill levels and interests. These courses can be broadly categorized as follows:

Basic Creative Writing Courses: Designed for students with no prior writing experience.
Intermediate Courses: Recommended for students with some prior writing experience. Instruction is a mix of lecture and workshopping.
Advanced Workshops: Designed for students who have fulfilled the prerequisites stated in each description. Instruction includes lectures as appropriate, but the focus is on workshopping. A manuscript submission is required for entry into these workshops. Courses are primarily workshop-driven.
Poetry Workshops: Tailored to students with specific levels of experience in poetry writing.
Editing and Publishing Courses: Designed for writers who want to improve their editing skills or develop competencies toward a career in editing and publishing.
Practical Writing Skills Courses: Designed for anyone who wants to improve their writing skills but aren’t interested in working on a creative project. Courses focus on practical skills applicable to daily life, including clear expression of ideas in writing, persuasion, and writing for specific audiences.
Craft and Special Topics Courses: Open to students who want a deeper understanding of a specific craft issue or area of study.
Spec Script Writing: Recommended for beginning students who are writing a spec script of an existing comedy or drama series. A script-submission is required for these advanced-level workshop-driven courses.
Master Classes: Admission to this course is by application only. Note: Participants in this master class work only on the project submitted for admission. No exceptions.

Many courses focus on specific genres, such as fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, and screenwriting. Students can also explore specialized topics like memoir writing, personal essay, editing, and publishing.

Special Programs and Events

The Writers' Program also offers special programs and events to enhance the learning experience and foster a sense of community among writers. One example is a six-week introductory course perfect for anyone just getting started on their path to being a writer. Students work in small breakout sessions with experienced writers and teachers, then attend a lecture by various guest speakers with expertise in fiction, poetry, nonfiction or screenwriting. Short assignments are workshopped in the weekly breakout sessions. The goal of the course is to expose new writers to a variety of types of writing while getting their creative juices flowing.

The James Kirkwood Literary Prize, established in 1991, honors the literary achievements of new generations of fiction writers. In 2014, the Writers' Program established the Allegra Johnson Prize, a merit-based award with a prize of $5,000. The award is given to a promising novelist or memoirist in alternating years, providing both formal recognition of their talent and financial resources to support them as they complete their manuscripts.

Notable Instructors and Alumni

The Writers' Program boasts a faculty of professional writers with extensive experience in their respective fields. These instructors bring real-world insights and practical guidance to the classroom, helping students develop their skills and navigate the publishing industry. Some notable instructors include Stuart Beattie, G.I. Karen E., Octavia E., Pauline W., Drew Z., Randi Mayem Singer, Mrs. J., and Earl W.

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UCLA Extension Writers' Program: A Legacy of Excellence

UCLA Extension Writers' Program is a unit within UCLA Extension, the not-for-profit and self-supporting community outreach arm of the University of California, Los Angeles. The Regents of the University of California established University Extension in 1891. A permanent Extension office was opened in Los Angeles in 1917. Extension moved to the UCLA campus in 1948, and subsequently to its location at Gayley and LeConte in 1971.

The Writers' Program has a rich history of nurturing talented writers and contributing to the literary landscape. In 2013, Gotham Books published two books that were edited by then-Writers' Program Director Linda Venis and written by Writers' Program instructors.

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