The Bachelor of Arts in Writing degree educates students in the art and craft of written communication, combining liberal arts ideals with practical, real-world applications. Students in the program can concentrate on creative writing (fiction, poetry, and other imaginative forms), professional writing (journalism, public relations, advertising, and information design for technical communication), and writing for the media. Students have the opportunity of working on a one-on-one basis with professors who integrate research and publishing in their courses. Students also have publishing opportunities with four student publications: The Minaret, the University of Tampa's student newspaper, Neon, the student literary magazine, The Moroccan, the student yearbook, and Splice Journal, student journal focusing on communication, art and culture. Students can earn credit for working on the newspaper staff and for editorial positions on the other two publications. The Department of English and Writing sponsors a Writers at the University series in which writers such as Derek Walcott, Margaret Atwood and Li-Young Lee have visited the campus for public readings and guest appearances in classes. The department also hosts a Scholars Symposium series to which nationally and internationally recognized scholars are invited to lecture in their particular fields of expertise.