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Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing

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Program Code: CP411
CIP Code: 23.1302
Credential: Honours Degree
Start Dates: September
Program Length: 8 semesters
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Program Overview

Do you love words? Do you dream of telling stories or helping others tell theirs? The Honours Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing helps you transform your passion for writing into a fulfilling career. As you develop creative writing skills that stimulate your imagination and storytelling abilities, you learn to write clearly and convincingly across evolving genres, platforms and venues. Practise your craft independently and collaboratively in a variety of settings, from the traditional classroom experience to the creative writing workshop. In your final semester, benefit from one-on-one mentorship through our Capstone Manuscript course, where you develop a book-length project with the guidance of an author. 

Courses

Work Experience - SEM 6C

BCPW 3506: Field Experience


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Work-Integrated Learning  

Work-Integrated Learning courses serve as the vital link between academic learning and real-world application. Within this framework, students actively participate in the Professional Practice course, equipping you with the necessary skills and confidence to secure your own field experience. Throughout this journey, a dedicated career & work-integrated learning advisor offers personalized guidance and support. 

In the summer semester between Years 3 and 4, students immerse themselves in the Field Experience course, committing 420 hours of practical application within the field. Whether pursuing paid or unpaid opportunities, all experiences undergo approval by your career & work-integrated learning advisor to ensure relevance.

The Humber Advantage

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Flash Fiction Contest for Ontario High School Students!

To celebrate emerging writers from across Ontario, Humber’s newish Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing (BCPW) program is hosting its annual Flash Fiction Contest. This year’s contest judges are writers David James Brock, Kathy Friedman and Meaghan Strimas.

Five winners will be selected, and prizes will be distributed as follows—the first-place winner will be awarded $750; second place, $500; third place, $350; fourth place, $250; and fifth place, $150.00. The five selected stories will also appear in a special online supplement of Arrival, the BCPW’s student-led literary and arts magazine in early June of 2025.

Ontario students in grades 9 through 12, submit your best short, short stories starting now! The deadline is May 1, 2025.

See last year’s contest winners here. For more information about the contest, please email Meaghan Strimas.

Expert Faculty

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You'll learn from a diverse and dynamic faculty of award-winning writers who are active in the fields of creative and professional writing. Our professors are committed to providing you with practical, hands-on learning opportunities that will help you achieve the career you want. 

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David James Brock

David James Brock is a screenwriter, playwright, poet, and opera librettist with national and international production history. He is a past winner of the Herman Voaden Canadian National Playwriting Award for his play Wet, which was also nominated for three Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards. His play-opera hybrid, a million billion pieces, premiered at Young People's Theatre in 2019, was nominated for five Dora Mavor Moore Awards, and is published by Playwrights Canada Press. Brock is also the author of two poetry collections, Everyone is CO2 and Ten-Headed Alien, both released by Wolsak & Wynn. He has created opera and song lyrics for over a dozen opera and new music projects. For Scottish Opera, Brock co-created with Gareth Williams Breath Cycle, a multimedia opera developed with cystic fibrosis patients. With Mike Haliechuk, Brock co-wrote Year of the Horse, an opera with Canadian hardcore legends and Polaris Award-winning band F*cked Up. Pitchfork Magazine called the Year of the Horse album "epic...intricate... dramatic..." and the project's feature length screenplay has been optioned. He also co-wrote the screenplay and songs for Mother of All Shows (with Melissa D'Agostino), which won Outstanding Narrative Feature at the 2023 Art of Brooklyn film festival.

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Eufemia Fantetti

Eufemia Fantetti began instructing at Humber in 2014 and has taught creative writing through the University of Guelph-Humber, the International Women’s Writing Guild, the Association of Italian Canadian Writers, Toronto Public Library, The Writer’s Studio at SFU and the University of Guelph’s Open Learning program. 

Her short fiction collection, A Recipe for Disaster & Other Unlikely Tales of Love (Mother Tongue Publishing) was runner up for the 2013 Danuta Gleed Literary Award and won the 2014 Bressani Prize for Short Fiction. Her second book, My Father, Fortune-tellers & Me: A Memoir, was released in 2019. She recently co-edited the award-winning anthology Tongues: On Longing and Belonging Through Language (Book*hug, 2021) with Leonarda Carranza and Ayelet Tsabari. She is a winner of Event Magazine’s Creative Nonfiction contest, a two-time finalist in the Canadian National Playwriting competition, and a three-time winner of Accenti Magazine’s annual contest. Her writing was listed as Notable Essay through The Best American Essays Series and received Highly Commended in the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association’s Short Story Competition. Her work can be found in various anthologies including Beyond Crazy, Conspicuous AccentsEmails from IndiaExploring Voices, Love Me True and Body & Soul: Stories for Skeptics and Seekers.

Eufemia holds an MFA in Creative Writing. As the lone writer in a family of mathematicians, and a descendant of many who were never given the opportunity to learn to read and write, she is secure in her belief about the potency of the written word as a tool to empower individuals, establish community and enlarge empathy.

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Kathy Friedman

Prior to working at Humber, Kathy Friedman taught creative writing for nearly a decade in the University of Guelph's Open Learning program, and through community organizations such as CAMH, The 519, NISA/Northern Institute for Social Action, Workman Arts, Progress Place, and the Toronto Public Library.

Kathy's debut collection of short stories, All the Shining People (House of Anansi, 2022), was a finalist for the Trillium Book Award, Danuta Gleed Literary Award, and the ReLit Award for Short Fiction. She has been a finalist for the Writers' Trust Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers, and her work has appeared in publications such as GrainGeistPRISM internationalThe New QuarterlyHumber Literary Review, and Canadian Notes & Queries. She holds an MFA and a BFA in creative writing.

Kathy has also worked as a freelance editor and as the artistic director of InkWell Workshops, which she co-founded. Led by industry professionals with lived experience, InkWell delivers free literary programming to people with mental health and addiction issues. Kathy published four literary anthologies with the imprint InkWell Books, and she edited a fifth InkWell anthology called Brilliance Is the Clothing I Wear (Dundurn Press, 2021).

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Leanne Milech

Leanne Milech has been a professor at Humber since 2016, where she is fortunate to serve as Essays Editor of The Humber Literary Review. Leanne also teaches creative writing at the University of Guelph-Humber and has previously co-facilitated creative writing workshops at CAMH and the Toronto Public Library. 

Before joining Humber, Leanne worked as a corporate lawyer on Bay Street, an estate planning lawyer at a boutique law firm, a cross-border wealth strategist, a legal writer, a ghostwriter of legal texts, and a freelance arts journalist. She was also the co-founder of a children’s book publishing company, Picture It Picture Books, which sold a series of children’s books that Leanne co-wrote. The books were sold in stores across Canada, including Indigo and Mastermind. 

Leanne holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph, where she wrote a short story that went on to win the top $10,000 prize in ELQ/Exile’s Carter V. Cooper Short Fiction Competition in the Emerging Writer category. Leanne’s work has appeared in The New York TimesO, The Oprah MagazineThe Globe and MailEXILE: The Literary Quarterly; and The Humber Literary Review. She has been shortlisted for Room’s Creative Non-Fiction prize, and as an undergraduate student at Queen’s University, she published short stories in The Queen’s JournalUltraviolet, and Other Voices. Before attending law school, Leanne won The Writers’ Union of Canada’s Postcard Story competition and read her piece on CBC’s The Sunday Edition.  

Leanne is currently working on a screenplay and a novel. She lives in Toronto with her fiancée Shannon Alexandra.

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Angelo Muredda

Angelo Muredda is a Toronto-based teacher and film critic. His writing has appeared in outlets such as Cinema Scope, The National Post, The Walrus, SHARP Magazine, and Film Freak Central, and he is a member of the Toronto Film Critics Association. He holds a Ph.D. in English on representations of disability in Canadian literature and film from the University of Toronto. He teaches in the Department of English at Humber College, where he is also Reviews Editor for the Humber Literary Review. 

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Meaghan Strimas

Meaghan Strimas is an award-winning educator, writer and editor who joined Humber as a faculty member in 2012. Before accepting her exciting role in the Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing program, she served as the program co-ordinator for the college’s graduate certificate in Professional Writing & Communications.

Meaghan worked at Quill & Quire magazine for several years as a marketing manager and at the University of Guelph as the program administrator for its Creative Writing MFA. In addition to her work as a professor and co-ordinator, Meaghan works as a freelance proofreader, copy editor and project manager, and is interviews editor at the Humber Literary Review, a magazine she co-founded in 2014. She is co-lead of the HLR Spotlight project, an experiential learning opportunity that is funded by Humber’s Office of Research & Innovation.

Meaghan is the author of three collections of poetry and the editor of The Selected Gwendolyn MacEwen. Her most recent collection, Yes or Nope, was the winner of the Trillium Book Award for Poetry. In the fall of 2018, she released the Another Dysfunctional Cancer Poem Anthology, which she co-edited with the late Priscila Uppal. Meaghan is at work on a novel and a new collection of poetry, and she has an essay forthcoming in the anthology Good Mom on Paper (edited by Jen Sookfong Lee and Stacey May Fowles).

Meaghan holds a MA in Creative Writing. She believes that writing programs are essential because they cultivate confidence, teach technique and craft, offer mentorship and, perhaps most importantly, provide a space for artistic collaboration and community.

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Nathan Whitlock

Nathan Whitlock is the author of three novels, including his most recent, Lump (Rare Machines/Dundurn Press, 2023). His work has appeared in the New York Review of BooksThe Walrus, the Globe and MailToronto StarToronto LifeBest Canadian Essays, and elsewhere. He is the host of the author podcast What Happened Next and is the program coordinator for Humber's Creative Book Publishing postgraduate program.

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Jessica Wolfe

Jessica Duffin Wolfe teaches interactive design and digital storytelling in the Digital Communications, Journalism, and Film degree programs at Humber’s Lakeshore campus. Before joining Humber, she completed a PhD in English, Book History, and Print Culture, and worked as a critic, magazine editor, and web developer. She’s taught previously at OCAD University and the University of Toronto, and is working to develop Humber’s immersive storytelling capacity. You can learn more about her writing and projects at her website: https://jessicaduffinwolfe.com

Study Abroad

We offer many global opportunities for you to explore during your time at Humber! We live in a very interconnected world and by participating in a global opportunity, not only will you gain new skills, but you may also be eligible for academic credits and/or co-curricular record (CCR). Some of the global opportunities at Humber include Summer Abroad, Semester Exchange, faculty-led trips, Humber Global Summer School and many others! To learn more, please visit Humber Global Opportunities.

Your Career

Students graduate as highly skilled, adaptable communicators equipped with in-demand knowledge and the creative, responsive mindset that today’s shifting employment landscape requires. A sixth-semester field experience provides hands-on opportunities for students to further develop their industry connections, media literacy and written and verbal communication skills. Our program’s versatile curriculum also includes information design (graphic, photo, video), accessible communication strategies, research best practices and project management skills so that graduates are primed to be well-rounded team members/colleagues. The professional possibilities of the communications and writing fields are wide ranging and graduates are ideally positioned to embark on careers as: 

  • brand and marketing assistants/managers
  • communications assistants/specialists 
  • content marketers/creators
  • editorial, publicity and public-relations assistants
  • freelance writers/journalists
  • grant, proposal, report and ghost/speech writers 
  • published authors/storytellers
  • social and digital media assistants/strategists

Moreover, those graduates who wish to undertake further study can progress to master’s level programs in creative writing, communications, media, humanities, English and related fields. 

Program Availability

Start dates between Sept 2025 - Aug 2026
START DELIVERY LOCATION STATUS
Sep 2025 Condensed Week Lakeshore Open
Start dates between Sept 2025 - Aug 2026
START DELIVERY LOCATION STATUS
Sep 2025 Condensed Week Lakeshore Open

Humber is a publicly funded institution. International students graduating from a PGWP Eligible program at Humber are eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

International students in Canada could be eligible for an automatic scholarship*.  Apply now!

Check out the step-by-step Admissions Road Map for helpful information and additional resources.

Start dates between Sept 2025 - Aug 2026
START DELIVERY LOCATION STATUS
Sep 2025 Condensed Week Lakeshore Open

Humber is a publicly funded institution. International students graduating from a PGWP Eligible program at Humber are eligible to apply for a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

International applicants outside of Canada can apply through Humber International. Check out the step-by-step Admissions Road Map for helpful information and additional resources.

Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing at Humber College

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Emerging Writers Dazzle in Flash Fiction Contest

Emerging Writers Dazzle in Flash Fiction Contest

School for Writers

Thu, July 18, 2024

The winners of the Bachelor of Creative and Professional Writing’s (BCPW) annual Flash Fiction Contest have been announced.

Read More

No news at this time.

Ministry Consent

Humber College has been granted a consent by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities to offer this applied degree for a seven-year term starting June 21, 2021. Humber College shall ensure that all students admitted to this above-named program during the period of consent will have the opportunity to complete the program within a reasonable time frame.

Every attempt is made to ensure that information contained on this website is current and accurate. Humber Polytechnic reserves the right to correct any error or omission, modify or cancel any course, program, fee, timetable or campus location at any time without prior notice or liability to users or any other Person.

GET YOUR $125 APPLICATION FEE BACK*

Apply On Us This September!

Apply through OCAS between June 14 - July 19, 2024 and be registered full-time on Tuesday, September 17, 2024 and receive a $125 credit equal to the domestic application fee.

To qualify, get started by filling out the APPLY ON US form.

*This promotion is open to domestic applications for the September 2024 program intakes only. Offer not valid for existing applicants or applications.

International Students with a valid Study Permit or Letter of Introduction (LOI)* can receive a Waiver Code to cover the $100 September 2024 application fee.

Bringing You Our A-Game

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How to Apply

Domestic Students

Applications to Humber are made through ontariocolleges.ca. Be sure to submit your application by July 15, 2024 to receive your Application Fee Credit. Applications for September will remain open as long as the program availability status shows Open.

To check program availability refer to the Campus/Availability listing on Humber’s program pages, search by availability, or ontariocolleges.ca.

To see where you are in the admissions process, visit the Admissions Road Map.

International Students

If you’re an international student, you can apply directly to Humber via our International Centre.

Contact Us

Admissions Questions

General Enquiries

Call 416-675-3111 or email enquiry@humber.ca. If you have already applied, be sure to check your application status on myhumber.ca.

Domestic Applicants Enquiries

Domestic applicants can book a one-on-one advising appointment with an admissions representative.

International Applicants Enquiries

Contact the International Centre for information about full-time programs (including the International Graduate School), how to apply and to follow up on your submitted application.

Program-Specific Questions

Speak to the Program Co-ordinator about the course curriculum, projects and career options.

Meaghan Strimas, program co-ordinator 
416.675.6622 ext. 75489
meaghan.strimas@humber.ca

Campus Information

Book a campus tour to take a closer look at what it's like to be a student at Humber.

Want More Info?

Find out more about the student experience and everything that Humber has to offer Future Students.

for more info on Humber, including programs, special events and more!

How To Become An Apprentice

Becoming an Apprentice

Find an employer willing to sponsor you as an apprentice.

Contact the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development to register as an apprentice.

Work with your employer approximately one year before attending Humber.

View Instructions 

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP)

If you’re in high school – grade 11 or 12 – you can earn co-op education credits through work placements in some skilled trades.

Visit OYAP 

How to Apply

Domestic Students

Applications to Humber are made through ontariocolleges.ca. Be sure to submit your application by the equal consideration deadline of February 1. You may apply after February 1, however, post-February 1 applications will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis depending on the availability of the space in the program.

To check program availability refer to the Campus/Availability listing on Humber’s program pages, search by availability, or ontariocolleges.ca.

To see where you are in the admissions process, visit the Admissions Road Map.

International Students

If you’re an international student, you can apply directly to Humber via our International Centre.

Need Advice?

Program Advising Appointments

Get help narrowing down your program options or book a one-on-one pre-enrolment advising appointment with one of our Recruitment Officers.

Transfer & Pathway Advising

Book a virtual appointment with a Student Mobility Advisor learn more about getting Transfer Credit(s) for previous post-secondary experience, Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), and Pathways options.

Admission Requirements

Admission selection is based on the academic criteria indicated. Meeting minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee admission.

Admission selection is based on the following three requirements:

  • Academic

    To be eligible for admission, you must possess the following: 

    Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) or equivalent including these required courses: 

     Grade 12 English (ENG4U or equivalent) minimum 65 per cent 

    • Five Grade 12 U or M courses in addition to those listed above 
    • Overall minimum grade point average (GPA) 65 per cent  

    or 

    or 

     

    All applicants whose first language is not English must meet Humber’s English Language Proficiency Policy. 

     

    Selection: Admission selection is based on the academic criteria indicated. Meeting minimum eligibility requirements does not guarantee admission 

    Mature Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a mature applicant if they have not completed secondary school or other postsecondary school, and will be 19 or older as of the first day of classes. Humber will invite you for testing to demonstrate that you meet all listed course requirements.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a mature applicant if they have not completed secondary school or attended postsecondary studies, and will be 21 or older as of the first day of classes. Mature applicants for degree programs will be required to meet course requirements at the U/M level or equivalent.

    College Transfer Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a college transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a college-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or college courses and grades to determine program eligibility.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a college transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a college-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or college courses and grades to determine program eligibility. Applicants must have an overall minimum grade point average (GPA) of 65 per cent in the program. Applicants are required to disclose and provide academic transcripts for all course work completed at the postsecondary level.

    University Transfer Applicants

    Diplomas and Certificates

    An applicant is considered a university transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a university-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or university courses and grades to determine program eligibility.

    Degrees

    An applicant is considered a university transfer applicant if they have completed some or all of a university-level credential. Humber may use a combination of secondary school and/or university courses and grades to determine program eligibility. Applicants are required to disclose and provide academic transcripts for all course work completed at the postsecondary level.

  • English Language Proficiency

    All applicants whose first language is not English must meet Humber’s English Language Proficiency Policy.

  • International Credit Evaluation

    Canadian citizens or permanent residents with international education are required to provide a credential evaluation. Note, for international High school education course by course evaluations, ICAS must be used. For international post-secondary education, a WES evaluation must be provided. In situations where you expect to apply for transfer credit, it is recommended that a course by course WES evaluation is completed.

International Academic Equivalency

Admission equivalencies for Humber depend on your country of study. Please enter your location or choose detect my location to see the requirements for your country below.

Post-Admission Requirements

Once you have been accepted, and have confirmed your offer, you may need to complete a further set of requirements related to your program (Post-Admission Requirements).

Equipment & Device Requirements

Fees & Financial Aid

The 2024/2025 fee for two semesters was:

  • domestic: $7,440.86
  • international: $20,464.90

Fees are subject to change.

Fees by Semester

Domestic Fees International Fees

Financial Aid, Scholarships and Bursaries

Understand the costs associated with coming to Humber and explore resources available from first year to your final year on Student Fees and Financial Resources.

Scholarships

Humber Degree Scholarships

Humber awards degree scholarships automatically to graduating high school students based on academic achievement. See this following chart for details. Some of the scholarships are renewable each year if you maintain an average of 80 per cent or more.

95%+ $4,000 renewable
90 - 94.9% $3,500 renewable
85 - 89.9% $3,000 renewable
80 - 84.9% $2,000 renewable
75 - 79.9% $1,500 one time

Degree Transfer Scholarships ($1,500 - $2,500)

Humber automatically awards degree transfer scholarships to students entering any Humber degree program who have completed a one-year Ontario college certificate* or a two- or three-year diploma with a GPA of 80 per cent or more from a publicly-funded college. Students who have achieved a program GPA of 80 per cent or more will be awarded a one-time scholarship of $1,500 for a certificate program or $2,500 for a diploma program in recognition of their academic achievement. Certificates and diplomas do not have to be related to the degree program of choice and are not tied to the eligibility for advanced standing or transfer credit. No application is required

80%+ Certificate | $1,500

One Time 80%+ Diploma | $2,500

Humber Scholarships

Find out more about scholarships and bursaries that you may be eligible for, visit Student Scholarships. International students can visit International Student Scholarships.

Humber Bursaries

Bursaries are available for Certificate, Diploma and Degree programs primarily based on financial need, visit Humber Bursaries.

External Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships

Find out more information about external scholarships and bursaries, visit External Awards.

Indigenous Student Awards, Bursaries & Scholarships

Humber offers a variety of bursaries and scholarships for Indigenous students, visit Indigenous Student Awards.

Explore Opportunities through Humber Pathways

Humber Pathways include:

  • Opportunities to build on your college education and complete your diploma or degree at Humber.
  • Degree and graduate study opportunities at other institutions in Ontario, Canada and abroad.
View Pathways Into This Program  
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