The name of a degree reveals less than its course plan. One creative-writing program may require advanced workshops and a final manuscript. Another may place most of its weight on literature, with only a short writing sequence. A useful college list needs to show that difference.

This guide compares 12 Texas schools that offer a bachelor's path in creative writing. The path may be a major, concentration, or formal specialization. Graduate-only programs, certificates, and minors are outside the scope. Official university pages and catalogs were reviewed on August 26, 2026.

How the programs were compared

The ranking weighs five features that applicants can verify before enrolling:

Writing depth: How much required study is devoted to creative writing?

Workshop progression: Does the plan move from an introduction into advanced work?

Genre choice: Can students work in fiction, poetry, nonfiction, screenwriting, or other forms?

Work beyond a class grade: Does the program include a manuscript, portfolio, internship, literary journal, or senior project?

Degree flexibility: Is there room for a minor, second subject, or career-focused electives?

The order reflects the best balance of those features for a broad range of undergraduates. It does not measure institutional prestige, admission difficulty, or future earnings. Those questions require different data, and no program wins every category.

BA or BFA: Which structure fits your goals?

A Bachelor of Fine Arts usually gives more of the degree to workshop and studio practice. A Bachelor of Arts often leaves more room for other study. That may include literature, language courses, a minor, or free electives. The requirements matter more than the label.

ArtDaily's discussion of atelier and art-school training describes a similar choice between focused practice and a wider academic setting. A BFA may suit a student who wants writing at the center of most semesters. A BA can make more sense for a writer who also wants to study history, media, education, business, or another subject.

Texas creative-writing bachelor's programs at a glance

Rank

School and degree

What stands out

Best fit

1

Texas A&M University-Victoria, BA

The major takes 30 hours. Workshops take 12 hours and cover four genres. The plan leaves 39 hours for electives or a minor.

You want workshop choice and room to shape the degree.

2

University of Texas at El Paso, BA

Students take two foundation courses, pick five upper-level classes, and finish with a senior seminar. Options include literary translation. A minor is required.

You want a standalone BA with many genre options.

3

Houston Christian University, BFA

The major takes 58 hours. An internship and junior and senior portfolios are required.

You want a BFA with clear career steps.

4

Stephen F. Austin State University, BFA

The original creative-writing BFA in Texas includes playwriting, screenwriting, and publishing. The school also runs student writing awards.

You want deep creative study and scriptwriting.

5

Rice University, English BA concentration

Creative writing takes 15 to 16 hours. The plan offers upper-level genre and publishing work. It ends with a year-long capstone.

You want a strong mix of craft and critical study.

6

University of Houston, English BA concentration

Workshops are capped at 20. Students can work in four genre areas and on a literary journal. The plan ends with a senior writing project.

You want a large literary community in Houston.

7

Austin College, BA major

The school lists small workshops, several forms, honors work, and a student-run magazine.

You want a small liberal-arts setting.

8

University of North Texas, English BA concentration

Workshop size is limited. Students can start in three genres and attend a visiting-writer series. Journal work is also available.

You want a large public school with close feedback.

9

Southern Methodist University, English BA specialization

The writing plan takes 12 hours. Students work in at least two areas and finish with a final project.

You want a short writing sequence within English.

10

Texas Tech University, English BA concentration

Students work in two genres and then take an advanced workshop. An internship is an option. The school also runs a reading series.

You want a literature-led path with an advanced finish.

11

Texas State University, English BA concentration

Students take an intro, then a fiction or poetry workshop. A senior seminar finishes the same genre path.

You are ready to focus on fiction or poetry.

12

University of Texas at Dallas, Literature BA concentration

The concentration takes 15 hours and covers at least two genres. The wider major ends with a literature capstone.

You want close reading to guide your workshop work.

1. Texas A&M University-Victoria: Best overall for flexible workshop planning

Texas A&M University-Victoria takes first place. Its Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing offers both workshop depth and room to shape the degree. The 120-credit plan assigns 30 hours to the major. Twelve of those hours come from writing workshops.

The published rotation divides the workshops by level. Students take six hours at the 3000 level and six at the 4000 level. They can choose fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting. The department plans one lower-level and one upper-level option each fall and spring. This schedule makes the path easier to review before applying.

Another 39 hours are open for electives or a minor. Professional Writing and Literature for Writers add career and craft work. This mix suits a student who wants serious workshops and room to study another field.

The tradeoff is the lack of a published undergraduate capstone or required internship on the current plan. Students who want a mandated senior manuscript may prefer Rice or SMU. Those who want a writing-heavy BFA should compare HCU and SFA.

2. The University of Texas at El Paso: Best for genre range and literary translation

UTEP's standalone BA in Creative Writing pairs literature with workshops. Students begin with two foundation courses. They then choose five upper-level classes and finish with a senior seminar.

The official catalog names fiction, poetry, essays, plays, screenplays, and literary translation. It also includes courses on narrative technique, poetics, performance, and teaching creative writing. Few Texas bachelor's pages publish a range that broad.

The degree requires a minor and six credits in one foreign-language sequence. This plan lets another field or language shape the work. The catalog lists many choices. It does not promise that every option will run each term. Ask for the last four semesters of course schedules before deciding.

3. Houston Christian University: Best for portfolios and an internship

HCU's BFA in Creative Writing totals 125 credits. The major takes 58 hours under the 2025-2026 plan. Students study poetry, fiction, and nonfiction before taking 12 hours of advanced writing. Two other courses cover work beyond the literary genres: Professional and Technical Writing and Advanced Grammar and Writing.

The career sequence sets this BFA apart. Students take Portfolio, Pitching, and Networking. They also complete an internship and build junior and senior portfolios. These steps give a student work samples and experience beyond class.

HCU's Christian liberal-arts core forms a large part of the degree. Review the theology, worship, and residency rules. They deserve the same care as the writing courses.

4. Stephen F. Austin State University: Best BFA for scriptwriting and publishing

Stephen F. Austin State University is in Nacogdoches. It offers the original BFA in Creative Writing in Texas, according to the school. Its program page lists playwriting, screenwriting, and literary publishing as well as literary genres.

The annual Literary Awards give students a set place to submit fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The school also hosts visiting writers. Its focused BFA suits a student who wants creative writing near the center of college life.

The overview page does not show how often the scriptwriting and publishing courses run. Film and theatre writers should ask for a current degree map. They should also review two years of schedules before counting on those classes.

5. Rice University: Best for a senior creative project

Rice offers a BA in English with a major concentration in Creative Writing. The 2026-2027 catalog requires five creative-writing courses, totaling 15 to 16 credits. At least three must be at the 300 level or above. One must be at the 400 level.

The course list reaches beyond the standard genres. Options include screenwriting, podcasting, literary translation, the graphic novel, and literary editing and publishing. The senior capstone is the key difference. Creative-writing students take a 400-level writing course in the fall. A Research Workshop follows in the spring. Together, the courses produce a large independent project.

Rice offers a clear route for a writer who values both craft and literary study. The concentration is only one part of the English major. Students who want more workshop credits may prefer a standalone BA or BFA.

6. University of Houston: Best for a large literary community

The University of Houston offers a BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration. Its workshops cover poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and selected topics such as playwriting. The department caps undergraduate workshops at 20 students to support close feedback.

Students can work with Glass Mountain, the undergraduate literary journal. They can also attend the Boldface Conference for Emerging Writers. Readings and writing prizes add more ways to take part outside class. The degree ends with a senior writing project in fiction, poetry, or nonfiction.

The current overview explains the student experience well. It gives less detail on the full credit plan. Ask an undergraduate adviser to confirm the degree map and entry rules.

7. Austin College: Best small liberal-arts setting

Austin College in Sherman offers a BA major in Creative Writing Studies. Its program page stresses small workshops. Popular courses cover fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting, script writing, craft, and theory.

Past honors projects include poetry collections, mixed-genre work, and a young-adult novel. The student-led magazine, Suspension, gives students experience with submissions, selection, and print layout. The Professionalism and the Humanities program also connects classroom work with projects for outside groups.

This is a private liberal-arts college. Its price and aid may differ sharply from those at public schools. Compare each aid offer instead of relying on the listed tuition alone.

8. University of North Texas: Best for close feedback at a large university

UNT's on-campus BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration combines workshops with a broad English curriculum. Beginning courses include fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The university says creative-writing class sizes are restricted to support work with peers and professors.

The Denton program also has a Visiting Writers Series. Department journals include American Literary Review. These features connect students with a wider literary community at a large public school.

Because this is an English BA, literature and criticism take up much of the plan. Count the required workshops. Then compare that total with the standalone degrees before applying.

9. Southern Methodist University: Best concise specialization with a final project

SMU offers a 120-credit BA in English. Students may add a 12-credit Creative Writing specialization. They take an intro, work in at least two workshop areas, and finish with a final project.

The plan has a clear start and finish without replacing the wider English major. It fits a student who wants deep literary study. The writing sequence is short, clear, and part of the academic plan.

Twelve credits are fewer than students complete in the writing-heavy BFA programs. Applicants should review recent workshop topics because the middle courses can vary by theme, experience, and craft.

10. Texas Tech University: Best for a literature-heavy path with an advanced workshop

Texas Tech's BA in English offers a Creative Writing concentration in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students take two sections of Creative Writing in different genres and then complete Advanced Creative Writing. An internship in literature, creative writing, and linguistics appears among the upper-level options.

The program also runs a reading series with several guests each semester. Much of the major covers British, American, and global literature. This can suit a writer who wants reading to guide the studio work.

Texas Tech also advertises a separate 100 percent online BA in English with a creative-writing path. Online applicants should confirm that the current remote sequence meets the same concentration requirements before enrolling.

11. Texas State University: Best focused fiction or poetry sequence

Texas State's BA in English includes a Creative Writing concentration with a direct genre path. Students begin with Introduction to Creative Writing. They then choose fiction or poetry and complete the matching senior seminar.

The 36-hour English major also covers literature, film and media, and rhetoric. This plan works for a student who is ready to choose fiction or poetry. The final course stays with that genre.

The required writing sequence is narrower than the other programs on this list. Students who want nonfiction, scripts, or several required workshop genres should ask which electives are open to undergraduates.

12. The University of Texas at Dallas: Best for literature-led writers

UT Dallas offers a BA in Literature with a Creative Writing concentration. The concentration totals 15 credits. It has an intro and 12 hours of upper-level workshops. Students must work in at least two genres.

Close Reading, Writing Literary Studies, and a literature capstone form part of the larger major. The two-genre rule keeps the writing work broad while the literature core develops critical reading.

This program fits students who want literary analysis to anchor their writing. The published capstone belongs to the literature major. Students who want a senior manuscript should ask if a workshop or independent project can meet that goal.

How to compare your final two or three schools

Start with the course rotation, not the list of approved electives. A catalog may show 20 interesting workshops even when only a few run each year. Ask which undergraduate workshops ran in the last four semesters. Then ask what the department plans to offer in the next two.

Then compare the final work. A senior manuscript or portfolio gives a student something to discuss after college. So does a public reading, editing role, or internship. If there is no capstone, ask what large project most majors finish.

Faculty fit also matters, but a famous name alone says little about access. Check who teaches undergraduates, how many workshop seats are available, and whether majors receive priority. Read faculty work to see whether the department supports the forms you want to write.

Finally, compare the net price after grants and scholarships. Include housing, travel, and the time required to finish a course sequence. A lower tuition rate can lose its advantage if the needed workshop is hard to schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Which Texas schools offer a standalone bachelor's degree in creative writing?

Texas A&M University-Victoria and UTEP offer standalone BA degrees in Creative Writing. HCU and SFA offer BFA degrees. Austin College offers a BA major in Creative Writing Studies. The other schools in this guide place creative writing within English or literature.

Is a BA or BFA better for creative writing?

A BFA is usually better for students who want more of the degree devoted to writing practice. A BA often works better for students who want more room in the plan. That room may go to literature, electives, a minor, or a second field. Count the workshops and final projects before choosing by degree label.

Is a creative-writing bachelor's degree worth it?

It can be worthwhile for a student who wants deadlines and close reading. It also gives time for feedback and revision. The degree is not required to publish fiction or poetry. It does not promise a book deal or a writing job. Students can use electives to study editing, media, or teaching. They can also learn about a field they hope to cover as a writer.

Can a Texas creative-writing bachelor's degree be completed online?

Texas Tech advertises a 100 percent online BA in English with a creative-writing path. Course formats can change. An online English degree may not offer every class in the campus plan. Confirm the workshop sequence, meeting format, and degree rules with the department.

Do applicants need a writing portfolio?

Most programs on this list use the university's general admissions process. A department may still ask for a writing sample before an advanced workshop or project. Check the current rules. Ask whether a portfolio controls entry to the major or only to one course.

Before accepting an offer, ask one final question: What will I have written, revised, edited, and published by graduation? A clear answer makes the differences between these programs much easier to see.