Naropa’s creative writing program values experimentation, critical study, and authenticity. Earn your creative writing bachelor’s degree at a university where writing workshops, literary studies, and publication opportunities create a deeply integrated experience of creative expression. Engage in contemplative poetics, experimental writing, and explorations of narrative forms while studying eco-poetics, book arts & letterpress, queer literature, and the literature of psychedelics. You already love to write. With Naropa’s creative writing degree, you’ll grow as a writer and as a person while discovering fulfilling writing jobs. Our creative writing and literature majors go on to earn graduate degrees in the arts, publish literary works, and pursue careers as teachers, editors, and communications professionals.
Among colleges for Creative Writing, the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics is unique in its approach to writing as a means of social and personal transformation.
Engage in critical and creative thinking to deepen your awareness of self, others, and the world around you. Develop insights regarding your academic and creative work as well as your own well-being.
Acquire the hands-on experience, skills, and professional guidance necessary to succeed as an artist or thinker in the writing profession.
Naropa’s four-year undergraduate program in creative writing and literature redefines traditional creative writing as a journey into oneself and toward connection with others. The creative writing degree at Naropa offers an on-campus education that allows students to develop themselves and their craft as part of a writing community. At Naropa, we believe that the best creative writing, whether it’s short story writing, poetry, or a blend of genres, comes from deep personal introspection. We also know that engagement with like-minded communities is an essential sounding board for this kind of introspection. A college for creative writing and literature is only as strong as the writing community it creates.
As part of the Creative Writing bachelor’s degree, this course introduces Black Mountain Poets, the Beats, New York School, Black Arts Movement, Language Poets, New Narrative, and Jack Kerouac School faculty work—poetic movements and writers that continue to influence Naropa’s writing landscape, innovation, aesthetics, and activism. By exploring experimental lineages, Naropa archives, as well as contemporary trends influencing the Kerouac School milieu, we participate as readers/writers/activists and invoke critical/creative awareness that informs the writing process. This creative reading and writing workshop invokes a vital space of active experimentation and culminates in a creative portfolio.
A Bachelor of Arts degree (120 credits) consists of a Core Curriculum (24 credits) and at least one major, as well as minors and/or elective courses of the student’s choosing. The Creative Writing degree has a total of 36 credit hours.
Gateway: 3 credits
Milestone: 24 credits
Writers in Community: 3 credits
Electives: Choose 6 credits
Electives can be any 300- or 400-level Creative Writing & Literature course; professional development, literature seminars, workshops, practicums, or Summer Writing Program.
Capstone: 3 credits COR440 Capstone II (3)
Total: 36 credits
Explore a short, self-paced course with sample classes, teachings from faculty, and real stories from students and alumnx about their experience. Get a feel for how learning happens here through reflection, practice, and real-world application.
Engage in creative cross-genre experimentation and experimental approaches to writing and literature. Push beyond your comfort zone to develop your creative voice with Naropa’s open-genre creative writing degree.
The award-winning faculty of the creative writing Bachelor’s degree follows in the footsteps of literary greats such as Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics co-founders Anne Waldman, Allen Ginsberg, and Diane di Prima, and Ken Kesey and Amiri Baraka, who taught at the Kerouac School.
Naropa equips you with the skills and self-awareness for a rewarding career in writing. Students can engage in editorial work with the student-led literary magazine, Bombay Gin, and delve into letterpress printing at the Harry Smith Print Shop.
The creative writing degree aims to guide students through the full process of crafting creative work—from generation to revision—while offering opportunities to interpret and respond to a variety of poetic situations.
Our creative writing Bachelor’s degree promotes contemplative practice to develop students’ insight regarding their academic and creative work as well as their overall well-being, and encourages students to evaluate their own assumptions and the assumptions of the discourse community through critical and creative engagement with a diversity of values.
The program prepares students for potential careers as artists and thinkers by exposing them to professionals in the field and offering them guidance toward envisioning and meeting their goals, including exploring careers in different fields for creative writing majors.
Study mindfulness and use your writing as a tool for looking within.
Think beyond the canon and experiment with language in your own work.
Learn to give and receive feedback in a supportive community environment.
Gain hands-on experience and learn the publishing process from the inside out.
Create a polished professional dossier and a powerful writing portfolio.
Realize your potential in the Naropa Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Literature degree program. Whatever path you choose, Naropa’s undergraduate degree in creative writing and literature will give you the skills and self-knowledge to take the next steps toward a fulfilling career in writing.
I was attracted to Naropa because I was interested in a 360-degree approach to education. The capacity to be transformed by new information relies completely on the student’s own self-awareness and ability to live consciously. My teachers created environments where we learned how to observe and encourage each other as writers, no matter how different our perspectives or styles.
Graduates from our Creative Writing and Literature bachelor’s program pursue careers as artists and thinkers across a wide range of fields. Naropa alumni go on to become poets, authors, editors, literary agents, teachers, communication professionals, and visual artists, among other creative roles. Many also choose to deepen their craft and expand their opportunities by pursuing a master’s degree in creative writing.
A BA in creative writing and literature will provide you with the skills and knowledge to pursue your career of choice in the field. At the end of your bachelor’s, you’ll have generated a professional dossier and acquired critical analytical skills. At Naropa, you will also develop a deeper awareness of yourself and your bond with the community, grounded in the principles of diversity, inclusion, and sustainability. Learn more about the Naropa Values.
Naropa is the first accredited university to bring contemplative education to the West, putting mindfulness at the heart of every pursuit we engage in. At Naropa, not only do we pursue academic excellence for our students and faculty alike, but we also foster community, self-reflection, and purposeful education to drive change in the world.
Academic degrees for creative writing at Naropa include the Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing and Literature, the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Poetics, and the low-residency MFA in Creative Writing.
Our creative writing degree is a Bachelor of Arts degree, with a focus on creative experimentation and reflective practice as a means to hone your craft.
Admissions Counselor
Naropa University’s unique approach values both academic excellence and the willingness to carry out introspective work. Learn more about admission requirements and application process for undergraduate students.
Students with a 3.0 GPA or Higher Applicants with a strong history of academic performance are welcome with minimal requirements. Students with Less than 3.0 GPA If your academic record hasn’t been as strong, but you wish to benefit from a Naropa education and will contribute to our growing community, we strongly encourage you to submit your application. Transfer your College Credit Present an official college transcript with 60 or more transferrable credits together with your application to apply as a transfer student. To learn more about requirements for first-time and transfer students, read our undergraduate students requirements page.
No matter where you’re from or how far you’ve traveled, you can feel at home at Naropa. Our university is built on a foundation of inclusion, diversity, and welcoming other cultures with open arms. The more diverse our student body, the stronger we are. We value your future contributions to our dynamic community. Learn more about applying to Naropa from abroad.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to pursue an education at Naropa. Take a look at our page on undergraduate costs & aid to learn more about tuition, scholarships, grants, and financial assistance available at Naropa. You can also use our Net Price Calculator to have an approximation of your expenses at Naropa (currently based on 2025/2026 data).
Scholarships are a great way to help with the costs of going to school. Naropa University offers an array of scholarship opportunities to undergraduate students. Students may be eligible to receive scholarships through their admissions application (residential students only), by applying for scholarships, or by being nominated for a scholarship. For more detailed information about the different scholarships available and how to receive them, please review our undergraduate scholarship page.
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About Naropa
Located in Boulder, Colorado, Naropa University is a Buddhist-inspired, nonsectarian liberal arts university that is recognized as the birthplace of the mindfulness movement. Naropa offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs that emphasize professional and personal growth, intellectual development, and cultivating compassion.
Academics
Contemplative education brings together the best of Western scholarship and Eastern world wisdom traditions. Therefore, your pursuit of wisdom at Naropa means learning both about academic subjects and about your own place in the world. This innovative approach places Naropa on the cutting edge of the newest and most effective methods of teaching and learning.
Admissions & Aid
If you’re seeking an education that resonates with both personal fulfillment and global impact, Naropa could be your top choice. At Naropa, you will experience a comprehensive curriculum that integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational approaches. Explore how Naropa can fuel your journey of intellectual and spiritual development.
Life at Naropa
Through its incredibly vibrant and welcoming community, “Naropa offers a home for those who aren’t willing to conform to convention—the mystic, the healer, the prophet, the rebel, the artist, the revolutionary, the oddball—those who are incredible contributors to the evolution of society and of our planet.”—Core Associate Professor Zvi Ish-Shalom
The Naropa Difference
How is Naropa different from other universities? At Naropa, a liberal arts education balances rigorous academics with powerful interpersonal skills and self-awareness to educate the whole person. Naropa’s contemplative approach is inspired by Buddhist philosophy and the conviction that we can build a diverse, contemplative, enlightened society when we have transformed education to affirm the basic goodness of every person.
Support Naropa
At a time when the value of higher education is being questioned, Naropa University stands firmly rooted in its mission to create a more just and regenerative world by nurturing insight, awareness, courage, and compassion in its students. By making a gift to Naropa, you play a pivotal role in helping to create the authentic, effective & mindful leaders that the world desperately needs.
