One workshop in a different genre
One workshop in any genre
In spring quarter of the second year, with advising and mentoring by the faculty, each student will complete the MA Capstone Essay.
In year three, students will be almost wholly dedicated to their creative thesis manuscripts. Third-year students will take three quarters of the MFA Thesis Workshop/Tutorial.
Some students will complete their MFA thesis manuscript by the end of this year; others will wish to take more time. The Graduate School permits students to submit the culminating project for the MFA at the end of full-time enrollment, or afterward.
In all three years, students will be mentored by the faculty in the practice of their writing, the design of their projects, and regarding artistic and intellectual resources for their work. In the teaching of creative writing and, through summer editorial work at TriQuarterly.org , students will get first-hand experience in editing a literary journal.
Visiting writers (including some anglophone international writers) will bring new perspectives to artistic practice, the three genres, and cross-genre or multi-genre work.
Students will pursue their work on our beautiful Evanston campus, amid artists, filmmakers, scholars and public intellectuals, with easy access to the vibrant literary arts scene of Chicago.
Each year, the MFA+MA program admits in all three genres. Information on the application process can be found here .
This article offers a comprehensive guide to the top Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs in the U.S., tailored for aspiring writers aiming to refine their craft in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Highlighting the importance of faculty expertise, alumni success, curriculum diversity, financial support, and location, it delves into what makes each program stand out. Featured programs include the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, known for its prestigious alumni and faculty; the University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program, offering generous funding; and the Columbia University School of the Arts, with its unparalleled access to the New York literary scene. These programs are evaluated on their ability to provide a nurturing environment for writers to develop their voice and style, alongside offering practical advice on navigating the literary world.
Think about the stories of women that have influenced you the most. How do these narratives shape your own writing? Write about how you plan to contribute to the landscape of female narratives within the literary world through your work.
Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts (MFA) programs play an important part in shaping the careers of aspiring writers, offering them a structured environment to hone their craft. The evaluation of these programs hinges on several key factors: the expertise and reputation of the faculty, the success and influence of alumni, the rigor and diversity of the curriculum, the availability of financial support, and the geographical location which can influence literary connections and opportunities. In this article, we will provide an in-depth analysis of the leading Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States, scrutinizing each of these criteria to guide prospective students in making informed decisions about their educational and professional trajectories in the field of creative writing. Whether you seek a poetry MFA program or one in creative nonfiction, read on to learn about the best MFA programs for creative writing students below.
MFA programs in Creative Writing fundamentally contribute to a writer’s development by providing a structured and rigorous academic environment. These programs are designed to immerse students in a world of literary critique and craft, offering dedicated time for writing, reflection, and improvement.
Through workshops, seminars, and individual mentoring, students gain critical feedback on their work, learn to refine their voice, and explore various genres and techniques. This intensive focus on writing, combined with exposure to a breadth of literary styles and theories, equips aspiring writers with the skills and knowledge necessary to advance their craft and develop a unique literary style.
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Community and networking opportunities in mfa programs.
MFA programs offer significant community and networking opportunities, serving as a nexus for like-minded individuals passionate about writing. These programs foster a sense of community through collaborative workshops, readings, and group discussions, creating an environment conducive to sharing ideas and experiences.
Networking opportunities with established writers, publishers, and literary agents are often facilitated by the program, providing students with valuable industry connections. Alumni networks further extend these opportunities, allowing graduates to remain connected to a supportive literary community that can play a crucial role in their professional development and success in the literary world.
The coursework for a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing is designed to provide students with a comprehensive and immersive experience in writing, critical analysis, and literary theory. While specific course offerings and structures can vary by program, there are several common elements found across most MFA programs that graduate students can expect. These include the following.
Writing Workshops : These are the cornerstone of most MFA programs. Workshops focus on the student’s own writing, providing a space for peer review and critical feedback. Students typically submit their work—be it poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or another genre—and the class discusses each piece in detail, offering constructive critiques. These workshops are often led by experienced visiting writers and faculty members who can help guide the writing process as you pursue your graduate degree.
Literature Classes : Literature courses are a staple of many MFA programs. They offer a study of literary works from various genres, periods, and cultures. These courses are designed to give students a deeper understanding of literary traditions, styles, and techniques, which can then be applied to their own writing.
Craft Classes : Focusing on specific aspects of writing, such as narrative structure, character development, or dialogue, craft classes help students refine their skills in particular areas of writing. These might also include studies in genre-specific writing, like mystery, fantasy, or memoir.
Electives : Many programs offer elective courses that allow students to explore areas outside of their primary genre or delve into specialized topics like screenwriting, children’s literature, or digital storytelling.
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Thesis or Capstone Project : Most MFA programs culminate in a thesis or capstone project. This typically involves creating a substantial body of work, such as a novel, a collection of short stories or poems, or a nonfiction manuscript. The project is usually completed under the guidance of a faculty advisor.
Professional Development : Courses or workshops focused on the business side of writing, such as publishing, literary agent representation, and marketing, are also common. These are designed to prepare students for the practical aspects of a writing career.
Guest Lectures and Readings : Many programs bring in established writers, editors, and literary agents to speak with students, providing insights into the literary world and opportunities for networking.
Teaching Opportunities : Some programs offer teaching assistantships, where MFA students teach undergraduate writing courses. A graduate teaching assistantship provides valuable teaching experience and often helps with funding. Low residency programs in particular offer these opportunities.
The United States boasts a range of top-tier Creative Writing MFA programs, each with its unique strengths and focus. Many are low-residency MFA programs with both incredible tenured professors and amazing visiting faculty. Let’s take a look at a few creative writing programs.
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa, a pioneer in the field, is known for its tradition of producing distinguished writers. Columbia University’s program in New York City stands out for its comprehensive approach and proximity to the publishing world.
The Helen Zell Writers’ Program at the University of Michigan offers an intimate setting with a strong emphasis on community and craft. The Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin distinguishes itself with its interdisciplinary approach and generous funding.
Other notable programs include those at New York University, Brown University, the University of Virginia, and Johns Hopkins University, each offering a blend of rigorous coursework, accomplished faculty, and a supportive writing community. Let’s delve deeper into these and a few more of the top graduate creative writing programs below. Bear in mind that the following MFA creative writing programs are not listed in any particular order.
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa stands as one of the most prestigious Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States. Renowned for its history of nurturing successful writers, the program has been a seminal influence in the literary world. Incoming MFA students will walk in the footsteps of incredible writers like John Irving and Flannery O’Connor.
The workshop model of teaching, which fosters peer review and close interaction with faculty, has been instrumental in shaping the skills of budding writers. The program’s alumni include numerous Pulitzer Prize winners and acclaimed authors, underlining its significant impact on the literary landscape.
The Iowa Writers’ Workshop at the University of Iowa is renowned for its impressive roster of alumni, many of whom have achieved significant acclaim in the literary world. Some well-known alumni include the following.
Flannery O’Connor: An American novelist and short story writer known for her sardonic, Southern Gothic style and often grotesque characters.
John Irving: A bestselling novelist and screenwriter, famous for works such as “The World According to Garp” and “A Prayer for Owen Meany.”
Jane Smiley: A Pulitzer Prize-winning author, recognized for her novel “A Thousand Acres,” which is a modernized retelling of Shakespeare’s “King Lear.”
Michael Cunningham: Known for his novel “The Hours,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the PEN/Faulkner Award.
T.C. Boyle: A prolific writer known for his novels and short stories that often reflect on contemporary society and the human condition.
Marilynne Robinson: Celebrated for her novel “Gilead,” which won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; she is also known for her essays and teaching at the Workshop.
Columbia University’s School of the Arts offers a Creative Writing MFA program known for its rigorous approach and outstanding faculty. Located in the heart of New York City, the program provides students with an immersive experience in one of the world’s most dynamic literary communities.
The curriculum emphasizes not only creative writing skills but also a critical understanding of literary theory and history, supported by a faculty comprising some of the most distinguished writers and intellectuals in the field.
The University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program is celebrated for its unique blend of academic rigor and creative flexibility. This program distinguishes itself by offering a supportive and collaborative environment where students can explore a wide range of writing styles and genres.
The faculty, composed of esteemed writers, provides personalized guidance, ensuring a rich learning experience that fosters both technical skill and artistic expression.
Located in the vibrant literary heart of New York, New York University’s creative writing program is notable for its distinguished faculty and diverse student body. The program offers unparalleled access to the city’s rich cultural life, including readings, workshops, and networking events with industry professionals.
This urban setting, combined with the program’s strong focus on mentorship and development, creates an ideal environment for MFA students to flourish.
The Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin is known for its interdisciplinary approach and generous funding opportunities for students. The program stands out for its emphasis on cross-genre exploration, allowing students to delve into various forms of writing. With its robust funding, the center attracts a diverse group of talented writers, creating a dynamic and supportive community.
Brown University’s MFA program in Creative Writing is recognized for its innovative approach and strong emphasis on the literary arts. The program encourages experimental and boundary-pushing work, supported by a faculty renowned for their artistic contributions.
Brown’s emphasis on a wide range of literary styles and mediums provides students with a broad and enriching educational experience.
University of virginia.
The University of Virginia’s MFA program in Creative Writing boasts a high-quality faculty and a strong alumni network. Known for its selective admissions and intimate class sizes, the program offers personalized attention and mentorship to each student. The alumni success stories speak to the program’s effectiveness in fostering literary talent and career development.
Johns Hopkins University offers a Creative Writing MFA program known for its tight-knit community and focus on craft and theory. The program emphasizes intensive writing workshops coupled with critical analysis, fostering a deep understanding of literary craft. This approach, along with the supportive environment of peers and faculty, makes it an ideal place for writers committed to honing their craft.
The University of California, Irvine’s MFA program is distinguished by its strong emphasis on both critical skills and creative work. The program blends rigorous writing workshops with a theoretical understanding of the craft, offering a comprehensive approach to literary study. This balance ensures that graduate students are well-equipped both as writers and critical thinkers in the literary field.
Boston University’s Creative Writing MFA program is renowned for its intensive one-year curriculum and close mentorship. The program offers a fast-paced, deeply immersive educational experience, with a strong emphasis on completing a substantial body of work. The faculty’s close guidance helps students rapidly develop their skills and prepare for a professional writing career.
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Cornell University’s MFA program offers a diverse range of creative writing courses, supported by an experienced and accomplished faculty. The program is designed to cater to a wide array of interests and styles, allowing students to explore various aspects of creative writing. Cornell’s commitment to literary scholarship and creative excellence makes it a nurturing environment for aspiring writers.
The University of Massachusetts, Amherst, features a supportive Creative Writing MFA program that focuses on personal growth as a writer. The program is characterized by its welcoming community and emphasis on individual development. Students are encouraged to find their unique voice and explore their creative potential in a nurturing environment.
The University of Wisconsin, Madison, offers a comprehensive Creative Writing MFA program with a vibrant writing community. The curriculum covers a wide range of genres and styles, providing students with a broad understanding of literary forms and practices. The program’s engaged community and comprehensive approach make it an ideal place for writers seeking both breadth and depth in their literary education.
Stanford University’s Creative Writing MFA program is notable for its unique fellowships and focus on creative innovation. The program offers significant financial support and resources, allowing writers to fully immerse themselves in their craft, whether that be fiction, poetry, or another form of creative writing. Stanford’s commitment to creative experimentation and innovation provides an ideal environment for writers looking to push the boundaries of their work.
The University of Oregon’s MFA program is committed to teaching excellence and provides a supportive learning environment for aspiring writers. The program emphasizes both the artistic and professional aspects of writing, preparing students for a career in the literary world. With a focus on mentorship and development, the University of Oregon offers a nurturing space for writers to grow and succeed.
Below is a selection of additional notable programs to give creative writing students a broader sense of the options available. Keep in mind this is not exhaustive but includes a range of well-regarded programs.
Syracuse University’s MFA in Creative Writing is renowned for its rigorous, supportive atmosphere and a strong emphasis on teaching. The program is celebrated for its distinguished faculty and has produced a number of successful writers, such as George Saunders, a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and author of several acclaimed books, including “Lincoln in the Bardo.”
Vanderbilt’s MFA program is known for its selective nature and intimate workshop environment, focusing primarily on literary fiction. Alumni include Beth Bachmann, a poet whose work has received significant recognition, including the Kate Tufts Discovery Award for her book “Temper.”
The MFA program at the University of Pittsburgh offers a balance of creative writing and academic study. Among its alumni is poet Terrance Hayes, a National Book Award winner and MacArthur Fellow, known for his innovative use of language and exploration of identity.
UNCG’s MFA program is notable for its strong faculty-student relationships and emphasis on personal growth. Notable alumni include Craig Nova, an award-winning author known for his novels, including “The Good Son.”
The University of Florida’s MFA program emphasizes a balance between creative writing and critical analysis. Alumni include Padgett Powell, known for his novel “Edisto,” which was nominated for the American Book Award.
Indiana University’s MFA program is celebrated for its nurturing environment and community of writers. Notable alumni include poet Ross Gay, whose book “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude” won the National Book Critics Circle Award.
The MFA program at the University of Maryland offers a diverse range of courses and workshops. Notably, it has produced alumni like Michael Collier, a poet and former director of the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference.
The University of Alabama’s MFA program is diverse in its genre offerings, from traditional literary forms to experimental writing. Its alumni include Alina Stefanescu, a Romanian-American poet and author noted for her unique prose style.
Temple University’s MFA program is distinctive for its interdisciplinary opportunities, allowing students to engage with various forms of writing and media. A notable alumnus is Liz Moore, author of the acclaimed novel “Heft.”
The University of Arizona’s MFA program is known for its strong faculty and commitment to student development. Alumni include Ander Monson, a versatile writer known for his essays, poetry, and fiction.
George Mason University’s MFA program offers a well-rounded approach with a diverse faculty. Notable alumni include Jennifer Atkinson, a poet whose work has been widely published and praised.
LSU’s MFA program places a strong focus on literary craft and theory. Among its alumni is Moira Crone, a novelist and short story writer recognized for her narrative craftsmanship.
UNLV’s MFA program stands out for its international emphasis, offering students a global perspective on literature. Notable alumni include Claire Vaye Watkins, author of “Battleborn,” which received critical acclaim.
OSU’s MFA program is distinct for its emphasis on community outreach and engagement, preparing students for a career in writing and teaching. Alumni include Marjorie Sandor, an award-winning author known for her short stories and essays.
UNH’s MFA program is recognized for its supportive faculty and commitment to student development. Notable alumni include Tom Barbash, known for his novel “The Last Good Chance.”
The financial aspect of pursuing a Creative Writing MFA can be significant, with tuition costs varying widely among programs. Many students will require some form of financial aid. Top-tier programs often have higher tuition fees, reflecting their prestigious faculty and comprehensive resources.
However, many of these programs offer a range of scholarships and fellowships to alleviate the financial burden. Scholarships may be merit-based, recognizing exceptional writing talent, while fellowships often provide a stipend for living expenses in addition to tuition waivers.
Some programs, like the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas, are known for offering generous funding packages to all students. A few are fully-funded MFA programs. Prospective students should thoroughly research the funding opportunities available at each program to understand the financial commitment required.
Financing an MFA in Creative Writing requires careful planning and exploration of various funding sources. Applicants should start by seeking information on scholarships and fellowships directly from the programs they are interested in, as these can significantly reduce the cost. Additionally, teaching assistantships, where students teach undergraduate classes, can provide a salary and tuition remission.
External scholarships and grants, available through literary organizations and foundations, are also worth exploring. Students should also consider federal and private student loans, though these should be approached cautiously due to the long-term financial commitment they entail. Lastly, maintaining part-time employment or freelance writing during the program can offer financial support and practical experience in the field.
Graduates of Creative Writing MFA programs have a diverse array of career paths available to them, reflecting the versatile skills they acquire during their studies. Many pursue traditional literary careers as novelists, poets, or short story writers, often securing book deals and publishing contracts.
Others find success in related fields such as journalism, publishing, and editing, leveraging their strong writing and critical thinking skills. The digital age has expanded opportunities in content creation, copywriting, and writing for online platforms. Additionally, an MFA degree can lead to academic careers, with graduates taking up roles as educators and professors in universities and colleges.
The broad skill set developed in MFA programs also enables graduates to work in fields like public relations, advertising, and communications, where effective writing and storytelling are highly valued.
The success stories of MFA alumni highlight the potential for diverse and fulfilling careers in writing and academia. Numerous alumni have achieved critical and commercial success as authors, with their works published by prestigious publishing houses and translated into multiple languages.
For instance, alumni from programs like the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Columbia University have gone on to win major literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. In the academic realm, many MFA graduates hold faculty positions at universities, contributing to literary scholarship and nurturing the next generation of writers.
Success is also evident in the digital space, with graduates excelling as content creators, bloggers, and digital marketing professionals.
Admission to Creative Writing MFA programs typically involves several key components. Foremost are writing samples, which are the most critical part of the application. These samples, either in the form of poetry, fiction, or non-fiction, should showcase the applicant’s unique voice and skill. Letters of recommendation are also required, generally from individuals familiar with the applicant’s writing and academic abilities, like former professors or mentors.
A statement of purpose or personal essay is another crucial element, where applicants articulate their reasons for pursuing an MFA, their literary influences, and their career aspirations. Additionally, most programs require transcripts from previous academic institutions to assess the applicant’s academic background. Some programs may also request a resume or CV, highlighting relevant experiences and achievements.
If you are pursuing a terminal degree in creative writing, you might need to provide further information.
To prepare a strong application for a Creative Writing MFA program, candidates should focus foremost on their writing samples. These should be carefully selected and refined to reflect the applicant’s best work, showcasing originality, technical skill, and a clear artistic vision.
Letters of recommendation should come from individuals who can speak to the candidate’s potential as a writer and commitment to the craft. The statement of purpose needs to be well-crafted and thoughtful, clearly conveying the applicant’s goals and reasons for choosing the specific program. It’s beneficial for candidates to familiarize themselves with the faculty and ethos of the program to tailor their application accordingly.
Lastly, applicants should ensure all components of their application, including transcripts and resumes, are complete, accurate, and presented professionally, adhering to each program’s specific requirements and deadlines.
The landscape of creative writing education, particularly within MFA programs, is continually evolving with emerging trends that reflect broader cultural and technological shifts. A notable trend is the increasing emphasis on diverse voices and global perspectives in writing, encouraging inclusivity and representation in literary works.
Additionally, there is a growing focus on interdisciplinary approaches, where students explore the intersection of writing with other art forms like digital media, film, and visual arts. Environmental and social justice themes are also becoming more prevalent, as writers engage with pressing contemporary issues. Furthermore, the rise of genre fiction, such as fantasy and science fiction, marks a departure from traditional literary norms, expanding the scope of creative exploration within these programs.
Digital media and online learning platforms are significantly impacting MFA programs, transforming how writing is taught, shared, and published. Online platforms have made MFA programs more accessible, allowing for a broader range of participants, including those who may not be able to attend in-person due to geographical or financial constraints.
These platforms facilitate a more collaborative and interactive learning environment where students can easily share work and receive feedback. The rise of digital media also encourages writers to explore new forms of storytelling, such as interactive fiction and digital narratives. However, this shift poses challenges, including the need to adapt teaching methods for the digital realm and ensuring that the depth and quality of mentorship and peer interaction are maintained in an online setting.
Pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing in the U.S. presents a unique opportunity for individuals to refine their writing craft, connect with a community of like-minded peers, and launch a successful career in the literary world. The value of these programs extends beyond technical skill development. They serve as incubators for creativity, thought leadership, and cultural contribution.
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I found this article timely and enlightening. I will be entering an MFA Creative Writing program at Belmont University in Nashville in 2024 and the article opened my mind about ways in which I might maximize the experience. Thank you for the inspiration!
We are so happy to hear that you gained useful information from this article. Please keep us posted on your journey! Best of luck in your program.
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The Creative Writing Program offers the MFA degree, with a concentration in either poetry or fiction. MFA students pursue intensive study with distinguished faculty committed to creative and intellectual achievement.
Each year the department enrolls only eight MFA students, four in each concentration. Our small size allows us to offer a generous financial support package that fully funds every student. We also offer a large and diverse graduate faculty with competence in a wide range of literary, theoretical and cultural fields. Every student chooses a special committee of two faculty members who work closely alongside the student to design a course of study within the broad framework established by the department.
Students participate in a graduate writing workshop each semester and take six additional one-semester courses for credit, at least four of them in English or American literature, comparative literature, literature in the modern or Classical languages or cultural studies (two per semester during the first year and one per semester during the second year). First-year students receive practical training as editorial assistants for Epoch, a periodical of prose and poetry published by the creative writing program. Second-year students participate as teaching assistants for the university-wide first-year writing program. The most significant requirement of the MFA degree is the completion of a book-length manuscript: a collection of poems or short stories, or a novel, to be closely edited and refined with the assistance of the student’s special committee.
MFA program specifics can be viewed here: MFA Timeline Procedural Guide
Every graduate student selects a special committee of faculty advisors who works intensively with the student in selecting courses and preparing and revising the thesis. The committee is comprised of two Cornell creative writing faculty members: a chair and one minor member. An additional member may be added to represent an interdisciplinary field. The university system of special committees allows students to design their own courses of study within a broad framework established by the department, and it encourages a close working relationship between professors and students, promoting freedom and flexibility in the pursuit of the graduate degree. The special committee for each student guides and supervises all academic work and assesses progress in a series of meetings with the students.
At Cornell, teaching is considered an integral part of training for a career in writing. The field requires a carefully supervised teaching experience of at least one year for every MFA candidate as part of the program requirements. The Department of English, in conjunction with the First-Year Writing Program, offers excellent training for beginning teachers and varied and interesting teaching in this university-wide program. These are not conventional freshman composition courses, but full-fledged academic seminars, often designed by graduate students themselves. The courses are writing-intensive and may fall under such general rubrics as “Portraits of the Self,” “American Literature and Culture,” “Shakespeare” and “Cultural Studies,” among others. A graduate student may also serve as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate lecture course taught by a member of the Department of Literatures in English faculty.
All MFA degree candidates are guaranteed two years of funding (including a stipend , a full tuition fellowship and student health insurance).
Optional MFA Lecturer Appointments Degree recipients who are actively seeking outside funding/employment are eligible to apply to teach for one or two years as a lecturer. These positions are made possible by an endowment established by the late Philip H. Freund ’29 and a bequest from the Truman Capote Literary Trust.
The application for Fall 2025 admission will open on September 1, 2024 and will close on December 1, 2024 at 11:59pm EST. Please note that staff support is available M-F 9am-4pm.
Eligibility: Applicants must currently have, or expect to have, at least a BA or BS (or the equivalent) in any field before matriculation. International students, please verify degree equivalency here . Applicants are not required to take the GRE test or meet a specified GPA minimum.
To Apply: All applications and supplemental materials must be submitted on-line through the Graduate School application system . While completing your application, you may save and edit your data. Once you click “submit,” your application will be closed for changes. Please proofread your materials carefully. Once you pay and click submit, you will not be able to make any changes or revisions.
DEADLINE: Dec. 1, 11:59 p.m. EST . This deadline is firm. No applications, additional materials or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.
MFA Program Application Requirements Checklist
General Information for All Applicants
Application Fee: Visit the Graduate School for information regarding application fees , payment options, and fee waivers . Please do not send inquires regarding fee waivers.
Document Identification: Please do not put your social security number on any documents.
Status Inquiries: Once you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email. You will also be able to check the completion status of your application in your account. If vital sections of your application are missing, we will notify you via email after the Dec. 1 deadline and allow you ample time to provide the missing materials. Please do not inquire about the status of your application.
Credential/Application Assessments: The admission review committee members are unable to review application materials or applicant credentials prior to official application submission. Once the committee has reviewed the applications and made admissions decisions, they will not discuss the results or make any recommendations for improving the strength of an applicant’s credentials. Applicants looking for feedback are advised to consult with their undergraduate advisor or someone else who knows them and their work.
Review Process: Application review begins after the submission deadline. Notification of admissions decisions will be made by email or by telephone by the end of February.
Connecting with Faculty and/or Students: Unfortunately, due to the volume of inquiries we receive, faculty and current students are not available to correspond with potential applicants prior to an offer of admission. Applicants who are offered admission will have the opportunity to meet faculty and students to have their questions answered prior to accepting. Staff and faculty are also not able to pre-assess potential applicant’s work outside of the formal application process. Please email [email protected] instead, if you have questions.
Visiting: The department does not offer pre-admission visits or interviews. Admitted applicants will be invited to visit the department, attend graduate seminars and meet with faculty and students before making the decision to enroll.
Transfer Credits: Transfer credits are not available toward the MFA program.
Admissions FAQ
Contact [email protected]
On this page:, at a glance: program details.
Degree Awarded: MFA Creative Writing
The MFA in creative writing at ASU has always been an unswervingly student-first program. Through small classes, intimate workshops and one-to-one mentoring, the centuries-old apprenticeship model thrives within the New American University. Poets and fiction writers work with outstanding faculty who have published more than 80 books and garnered national and international attention through awards and honors that include:
Additionally, in concert with the Master of Fine Arts program, several campus entities contribute to the MFA experience: the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing offers students a wide range of fellowships, support for professional development, and other teaching and leadership opportunities including a Community Outreach Graduate Assistantship. The Center for Imagination in the Borderlands brings writers and other artists for intensive workshops, classes and public events, and offers an artistic development and teaching assistant fellowship and two research assistantships. The Master of Fine Arts program also hosts a newly inaugurated series of craft lectures and an alumni reading series.
Furthermore, students have access to a variety of additional professional development opportunities, including serving on the editorial board of an international literary journal Hayden's Ferry Review, translation experience through the Thousand Languages Project and internships with award-winning independent literary press Four Way Books.
Sally Ball , Director of Creative Writing, Professor
Justin Petropoulos , Program Manager
Faculty in Creative Writing
Curriculum plan options.
Coursework (39 credit hours)
Other Requirement (6 credit hours) ENG 592 Research (6)
Culminating Experience (3 credit hours) ENG 593 Applied Project (3)
Additional Curriculum Information The creative writing program requires 48 credit hours of study evenly divided between writing courses and literature courses designed to inform that writing.
While students are expected to satisfy these requirements in the genre in which they were accepted, the program encourages cross-genre study, and electives can include courses taken outside of the creative writing program or even outside of the English department.
A written comprehensive exam and an applied project are required.
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants should have an undergraduate major in English or creative writing; however, exceptional students who do not have either of these undergraduate majors may be admitted on the basis of writing excellence.
Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.
All applicants must submit:
Additional Application Information An applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of current residency) and has not graduated from an institution of higher learning in the United States must provide proof of English proficiency . Applications will not be processed without valid proof of English proficiency. Please note that official scores must be sent to ASU in order for the application to be processed.
The personal statement should include the applicant's writing background, intended area of specialization and a brief self-evaluation of recent work (double-spaced, up to three pages or 750 words). The creative manuscript should be up to 20 pages of poetry or up to 30 pages of prose (prose should be double-spaced). Students applying for a teaching assistantship must submit a statement of teaching philosophy and an academic writing sample.
Learn about our programs, apply to a program, visit our campus, application deadlines, learning outcomes.
A Master of Fine Arts in creative writing graduate is prepared primarily for the professional creation of new art, including fiction, poetry and other written forms. In addition to working as novelists, poets and short story writers, graduates go on to careers in education, arts administration, media and entertainment, and in political and community organizations. Career examples include:
Global experience.
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As part of our series How to Fully Fund Your Master’s Degree , here is a list of universities that have fully funded MFA programs in creative writing. A Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing can lead to a career as a professional writer, in academia, and more.
Fully funded MFA programs in Creative Writing offer a financial aid package for full-time students that includes full tuition remission as well as an annual stipend or salary during the entire program, which for Master’s degrees is usually 1-2 years. Funding usually comes with the expectation that students will teach or complete research in their field of study. Not all universities fully fund their Master’s students, which is why researching the financial aid offerings of many different programs, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, is essential.
In addition to listing fully funded Master’s and PhD programs, the ProFellow fellowships database also includes external funding opportunities for graduate school, including fellowships for dissertation research, fieldwork, language study, study abroad, summer work experiences, and professional development.
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University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL): Students admitted to the MFA Program are guaranteed full financial support for up to 4-years. Assistantships include a stipend paid over nine months (currently $14,125), and full payment of up to 15 credit hours of graduate tuition.
University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ): All accepted MFA students receive full funding through a graduate teaching assistantship for 3 years. This package includes tuition remission, health insurance, and a modest stipend (in 2018 it was about $16,100 per academic year).
Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ): 3-year program. All students admitted to the MFA program who submit a complete and approved teaching assistantship application are awarded a TA by the Department of English. Each assistantship carries a three-course per year load and includes a tuition waiver and health insurance in addition to the TA stipend ($18,564 per year). In addition, students have diverse opportunities for additional financial and professional support.
University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR): Four-year program. Teaching assistantships currently carry an annual stipend of $13,500 for students with a BA. TAs also receive a waiver of all tuition costs and teach two courses each semester. Nearly all of our accepted students receive TAs. Additionally, the students compete each year for several fellowships.
Boise State University (Boise, Idaho): 3-year fully funded MFA program dedicated to poetry and fiction. All students receive a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a Teaching Assistantship with a stipend of $11,450 per year.
Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH): 2-year program, graduate assistantships (including stipend and scholarship) are available for all eligible face-to-face students. 100% tuition scholarship. Graduate stipend (the 2020-21 stipend is $11,500).
Brown University (Providence, RI): All incoming MFA students received full funding. All graduate students receive a fellowship that pays a monthly stipend and provides tuition remission, the health fee, and health insurance. The stipend for the 2020-2021 academic year is $29,926. Also, students in good standing receive a summer stipend of $2,993.
Boston University (Boston, MA): Tuition costs will be covered for every admitted student for the MFA degree in the BU Creative Writing Program. In addition, admitted students will receive university health insurance while they are enrolled, and all admitted students will receive stipend support of roughly $16,000 for the academic year.
Cornell University (Ithaca, NY): All MFA degree candidates are guaranteed 2 years of funding (including a stipend, a full-tuition fellowship, and student health insurance).
University of California Irvine (Irvine, CA): 3-year program. The Department is committed to providing 3 full years of financial support to all domestic students in the MFA Programs in Writing. Financial support for MFA students is given in the form of Teaching Assistantships providing full tuition coverage as well as University health insurance. Students will earn an estimated $22,569 for the academic year.
University of California San Diego (La Jolla, CA): MFA in Writing students are eligible for financial support if they study full-time, maintain good academic standing and make timely progress toward the degree. All students are eligible for full funding, including international students provided they meet the English language certification requirement for teaching assistants.
University of California Riverside (Riverside, CA): All incoming students are granted a full fellowship and stipend for their first year. After the first year, students receive full tuition and a salary through teaching assistantships.
Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL): 3-year program. All of the MFA students qualify for a position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. The GTA position comes with a tuition waiver and a stipend. The standard stipend is $9,000, but some enhanced stipends are available. The Graduate College offers several fellowships for current graduate students.
Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL): The majority of students receive support in the form of a teaching assistantship and are provided with a stipend, a tuition waiver, and a health-insurance subsidy. MFA students receive a three-year assistantship. For 2022-23, MA/MFA stipends will be $16,400, and typically these amounts go up each year. Also, The FSU Graduate School offers several fellowships and awards.
Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville, GA): The MFA Program offers workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and students take cross-genre workshops. All students admitted to the MFA program receive a Graduate Assistantship for all 3 years that includes a stipend and tuition remission.
University of Houston (Houston, TX): MFA students can receive a teaching assistantship for 3 years. Starting salary for MFAs is $17,935/9 months. Students in the Creative. As part of the assistantship, students are awarded either a Graduate Tuition Fellowship, which remits tuition, or a Creative Writing Program Fellowship, which covers the cost of tuition.
University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho): All English Teaching Assistants (TA’s) are offered full tuition waivers. Teaching Assistants are given a stipend of $14,000 per year. Also offers three scholarships and three outstanding fellowships to support qualified MFA, graduate students.
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL): Three-year MFA program. Students accepted into the MFA program will receive full tuition waivers, guaranteed teaching assistantships.
Indiana University (Bloomington, IN): M.F.A. programs offer a generous teaching package to creative writing students. All applicants receive consideration for appropriate fellowships that will carry a stipend of about $19,000, plus tuition and fee-remission that covers roughly 90% of the cost of enrollment.
Iowa State University (Ames, IA): 3-year MFA program. Starting half-time 20 hours per week teaching assistantships for MFA students total $19,250 over 10 months and also receive a full-tuition waiver scholarship (approximate value $10,140) and health insurance coverage. The department has several resources available through which to offer fellowships and scholarships to qualifying new students.
University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA): 2-year residency program. Financial assistance is available for all students enrolled in the program, in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. Most fellowships and assistantships provide either tuition scholarships or full tuition remission.
John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD): 2-year program. All students receive full tuition, health insurance, and a generous teaching fellowship, currently set at $30,500 per year. Some students work as assistant editors on The Hopkins Review. They often win prizes such as Stegner Fellowships or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.
University of Maryland (College Park, MD): This 3-year program accepts 8 applicants who are fully funded by Teaching Assistantships for up to three years of graduate study. Our aid packages include a stipend of about $20,000 per academic year and 60 credit hours of tuition remission.
Miami University (Oxford, OH): All students admitted to the MFA program in Creative Writing hold generous Graduate Assistantships (which include a summer stipend). Non-teaching assistantships may also be available.
University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL): An intensive two-year study with a third year option. The James Michener Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships support all our graduate students. Awards include a full tuition waiver and annual stipend of $18,915.
University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI): All MFA students accepted into the program are offered a full tuition waiver, a stipend of $23,000/yearly as well as $5,000 in summer funding, and health care benefits. Additionally, various fellowships and prizes are awarded each year to MFA students.
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN): All admitted MFAs receive full funding, in the form of teaching assistantships or fellowships. Teaching assistantships carry a full tuition waiver, health benefits, and a stipend of about $18,600. Also, a variety of fellowships are available for graduate students.
University of Mississippi (University, MS): All of our students are fully funded. We offer two main sources of funding, the Grisham Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships.
University of Nevada Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV): 3-year program. All MFA students admitted to the Creative Writing International program at UNLV are offered Graduate Assistantship funding of $15,000 per year (which includes in-state tuition and provisions for health insurance).
Northwestern University (Evanston, IL): Funding is provided for 3 full years, summers included. Tuition is covered by a tuition scholarship during any quarter in which you are receiving a stipend.
University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN): Every student admitted to the MFA receives a full-tuition scholarship, a fellowship that carries a full stipend of $16,000 per year and access to a 100% health insurance subsidy.
North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC): A two-year, fully-funded program, They accept only about a dozen students each year and offer full funding in the form of a graduate teaching assistantship to all eligible admitted applicants.
Ohio State University (Columbus, OH): All admitted students are fully funded for our 3-year MFA program in Creative Writing. In addition, all students receive either a graduate teaching associateship, a Graduate School fellowship or a combination of the two. For graduate teaching associateships, the student receives a stipend of at least $17,000 for the nine-month academic year.
University of Oregon (Eugene OR): A two-year residency MFA program. All incoming MFA students funded with a teaching appointment. Student instructors receive tuition remission, monthly stipends of approximately $18,000.
Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR): All students admitted to the MFA program will automatically receive a standard teaching Graduate Teaching Assistantship contract, which provides full tuition remission and stipend of approximately $12,800 per year to cover living expenses. In addition to tuition remission, all graduate students have the option to receive 89% coverage of health insurance costs for themselves and their dependents.
University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA): 3-year MFA program. All students admitted to the program will receive Teaching Assistantships for two or three years. All Teaching Assistantships include salary, medical benefits, and tuition remission.
Rutgers University–Newark (Newark, NJ): Each full-time incoming student receives in-state Tuition Remission and a Chancellor’s Stipend of 15K per year. Students are also eligible for Teaching Assistantships, and Part-Time Lectureships teaching Comp or Creative Writing. Teaching Assistantships are $25,969 (approximate) plus health benefits.
University of South Florida (Tampa, FL): 3-year program. MFA students receive a tuition waiver, a teaching assistantship that comes with a stipend, and enrollment in group health insurance.
Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL): Almost all MFA students hold graduate assistantships, which provide stipends for the academic year and full remission of tuition. The annual stipend, which comes with tuition remission, ranges from $13,000 to $14,500.
Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY): Three-Year M.F.A. in Creative Writing. All students are fully funded. Each student admitted receives a full-tuition scholarship in addition to an annual stipend of $17,500.
University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC): 3-year MFA program. The MFA at Carolina is pleased to provide fellowship and/or assistantship funding to all accepted students, earning our program the designation of “fully funded” from Poets and Writers.
University of Tennessee — Knoxville (Knoxville, TN): There is no cost to apply to the MFA program. All of our PhD candidates and MFA students are fully funded, with generous opportunities for additional financial support.
University of Texas in Austin (Austin, TX): All students in the New Writers Project receive three years of full funding through a combination of teaching assistantships (TA), assistant instructorships (AI), and fellowship support. The complete package includes full tuition remission, health insurance, and a salary.
University of Texas James Michener Center (Austin, TX): A three-year, fully funded residency MFA program that provides full and equal funding to every writer. All admitted students receive a fellowship of $29,500 per academic year, plus total coverage of tuition.
Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN): Each year a small, select class of talented writers of fiction and poetry enroll in Vanderbilt’s three-year, fully-funded MFA Program in Creative Writing. The University Fellowship provides full-tuition benefits, health insurance, and a stipend of $30,000/yearly. In 2nd year and third-year students have the opportunity to teach for one semester.
University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA): Three-year MFA program. Students will receive fellowship support and/or teaching income in the amount of $20,000 each academic year, as well as full funding of your tuition, enrollment fees, and the health insurance premium for single-person coverage through the university.
Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA): Three-year MFA degree offers tracks in Poetry and Fiction, and all students are fully and equally funded via GTA-ships of more than $20,000 per year.
Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO): Because of selectivity and size they are able to offer all the new students full and equal financial aid for both years in the program in the form of a University Fellowship, which provides a complete tuition waiver plus a stipend sufficient for students to live comfortably in our relatively inexpensive city. All MFA students receive health insurance through Washington University.
Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY): Three-year, fully-funded, residential MFA program in creative writing offering generous assistantships, which will allow MFA students to gain valuable experience tutoring and teaching.
West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV): A three-year program. All Master of Fine Arts students receive a full tuition waiver and an assistantship, which includes a stipend valued at $16,750.
Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas): Most of the MFA students are GTAs who teach two composition classes each semester. They pay no tuition, receive $4,250 each semester and may buy discounted health insurance. The MFA program also awards two $12,500 fellowships each year.
University of Wisconsin–Madison (Madison, WI): All accepted MFA candidates receive tuition remissions, teaching assistantships, generous health insurance, and other financial support. In addition to the approximately $14,680 paid to each MFA annually in exchange for teaching, every MFA candidate will receive another $9,320 in scholarships each year.
University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY): All of our full-time MFA students are fully funded with two-year graduate assistantships. Currently, assistantships include a stipend of $12,330 per academic year, a tuition and fees waiver, and student health insurance. Students also receive summer stipends of up to $2,000 for the summer.
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Once few and far between, master’s degrees aimed specifically at teaching creative writing have ballooned to meet demand in recent years. As of 2022, there were more than 300 of them.
Each MFA offers a distinctive experience and comes with its own theories and techniques for fanning the creative spark in students.
It’s nice to have choices, but having choices also means making hard decisions. We’re here to help take some of the pain out of that process by presenting our own select choices for the very best universities offering MFA Creative Writing programs today.
Schools that only teach creative writing at the master’s level have made a conscious choice to focus on a high level of training in the craft of writing. It’s completely appropriate to hold them to high standards.
It’s notoriously difficult to weigh any kind of artistic education program against another, however. Every writer is different. The process and program that you will get the most out of may be completely different from what the next author would benefit from.
So we look at the kinds of factors these degrees deliver that don’t revolve around process. Regardless of how an advanced level of creative writing is being taught, there are just some things that offer a better education no matter how they are applied. In our view, those include:
There’s no substitute for professors who have been there and done that in creative writing. Competition for top writers to teach at creative writing MFA programs is intense, and for good reason: when you are trying to master the muse, you want to hear about it from someone who already has.
But literary success is no guarantor of teaching ability. You wouldn’t want to be in a class taught by brilliant sci-fi author Harlan Ellison, for example, who has a whole section on his Wikipedia entry titled “Temperament.” Mentoring and the gentle art of delivering critical feedback to boost and not hinder students are key skills.
So, the best MFA in creative writing degrees employ professors with the rare combination of literary and academic talent—which is what you will find at each of the schools on this list.
Writers only float in a sea of ideas. The top MFA programs in creative writing have the resources to fill that ocean:
Although not all these programs will check every one of those boxes, each of them has a wealth of different resources to offer to help get students off the ground in both their creative exercises and their publishing careers.
Most MFA programs are quick to acknowledge that you can’t teach talent—but you can foster and hone it.
That leads to demonstrable results in the form of graduates who have attracted top-dollar publishing deals, industry awards and recognition, and who have gone on to critical acclaim or even become instructors themselves.
This kind of reputation is golden in the literary world and all of these schools will have people sitting up and taking note when their name pops up in your author bio.
When you produce successful writers and hire well-known authors to instruct classes, important industry connections are an asset included in the deal. Those industry ties prove to be among the most important characteristics of the best creative writing MFA programs.
Each of these programs has developed connections to major publishers, agencies, and trade groups that help lay the groundwork for you to launch your writing career. There is fierce competition to land book deals in the publishing industry today. Every editor receives stacks and stacks of submissions and query letters; even the best authors have trouble making it out of the slush piles without a recommendation or introduction.
These schools have the kind of connections that will help get you introduced to decision-makers in big agencies and book publishers. Who you know still isn’t as important as how good your writing is, but with these programs, you’ll get the best of both worlds.
A Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing puts a clear stamp on your work. It’s designed to get the best out of your native skill and polish it to the finest shine.
That means both ironing out the fundamentals of the writing craft and developing new and advanced skills. All of these degrees have a wide range of courses and workshops that offer a deep background in the knowledge and skills required for solid plotting, character development, and essential technical expertise as a writer. But they also go far beyond those to help you seek new sources of inspiration and experience. Exploring the poetry of science fiction; diving into post-apocalyptic writing; focusing on the art of telling a joke; comparing Western and Eastern literary forms and storytelling… all these kinds of classes and more offer you an edge in taking your writing to the next level with a degree from these schools.
All those features are what make these programs the best. But the real question you need to answer is which one will actually be the best for you ?
We can help you figure that out, too. Although each of these schools comes in on top of the pack of master’s-level creative writing programs in the country in general, each also has unique features that will determine how they fit in with your personal goals and style.
So for each listing, we give you plenty of additional information to help you make your decision. That includes data on:
You’ll also get a thumbnail sketch of what makes the school a great one, outlining many of the supporting facts behind the criteria we evaluated them on. But you’ll also get some of the highlights, the things that really make them stand out, such as:
It’s easy access to the kind of information that will help make your decision easy… all in one place.
Competition to get into these elite MFA creative writing programs can be stiff. But if you are determined to get the finest graduate education in creative writing available today, then choosing from among these schools offers your best chances.
Connecticut.
District of Columbia
Mississippi, new hampshire, north carolina, pennsylvania, rhode island, south carolina, university of arizona (public).
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Fully funded through graduate teaching assistantships
Also offers: BA in Creative Writing (on-campus)
The University of Arizona offers a BA and MFA in Creative Writing, both of which are part of one the top-ranked creative writing programs in the nation! Choose the BA in Creative Writing and you’ll learn from award-winning writers as you refine your skillset in writing, research, critical thinking, and literary analysis and explore the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry (you’ll choose one genre as a focus after your first year of study). You’ll also be encouraged to take a variety of courses in professional and technical writing, the study of literature, writing and publishing, writing and community, and language, making this a truly well-rounded course of undergraduate study. The University of Arizona’s MFA in Creative Writing has been producing award-winning writers for 50 years and is regarded as one of the top programs of its kind in the nation. This fully funded, three-year program features your choice of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction concentration and a dynamic classroom experience that includes a world-class faculty and small, workshop-style courses.
FULBRIGHT COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Fayetteville, AR
Fully funded MFA with absolutely no tuition costs for students accepted into the program
The University of Arkansas’ MFA in Creative Writing & Translation is a unique course of graduate study that’s personalized with your choice of concentration in poetry, fiction, or literary translation. This program is among the nation’s oldest MFA programs, yet never fails to impress with its dynamic, forward-thinking curriculum. In fact, it was named among the “Top Five Most Innovative” programs of its kind by Atlantic Monthly ! For more than 50 years, the university’s MFA in Creative Writing & Translation has produced some of the country’s top writers – and it’s little wonder why. The robust curriculum of this program is built on a solid foundation of coursework in craft and literary studies and complemented with a superb, student-centered learning environment that boasts small class sizes and a dedicated faculty.
COLLEGE OF LETTERS AND SCIENCES
Also offers: BA in English-Creative Writing emphasis (on-campus)
The University of California – Davis offers both an undergraduate and graduate program in creative writing that are designed to inspire the emerging or established writer! Focused on the mastery of craft with a solid foundation in literary traditions, the BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis is designed to expand your knowledge and refine your writing skills in preparation for a variety of careers in areas like publishing, marketing, journalism, advertising, and more. The innovative Creative Writing MFA program features a nice blend of studio and literature courses in your choice of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, or multi-genre. In the second year, you’ll teach creative writing courses to undergrad students as you prepare to become a successful practitioner in your own right. All students of the MFA are guaranteed full funding in their second year!
SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES
Full funding available through graduate teaching assistantships
The University of California – Irvine is home to the esteemed MFA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis, an exciting course of graduate study that allows students to explore poetry or fiction through dynamic workshops and seminars. Designed to bring together a talented group of writers with plans on a writing-intensive career, the MFA program is rich in close mentorship from accomplished visiting writers. This highly selective program admits just 12 new students each year to ensure one-on-one guidance and support from the program’s faculty. This program is built on the Graduate Writers’ Workshop, a group that meets each quarter to share and critique one another’s writing. Throughout the course of the program, students participate in the Graduate Writers’ Workshop and attend graduate-level seminars.
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS
San Diego, CA
San Diego State University’s MFA in Creative Writing offers is innovative, personalized, and designed to arouse your creative skillset. As one of the oldest MFA Creative Writing programs in the nation, this course of graduate study enjoys a long history of producing skilled, inspired writers. But don’t expect a stale, rote curriculum. Instead, you’ll immerse yourself in a dynamic program that includes your choice of concentration in fiction, poetry, or cross-genre as you work toward producing a manuscript of your original work. Students of this program also enjoy studying under internationally acclaimed visiting writers from around the world, and many students receive Fulbright Fellowships to study in places like Austria, Brazil, and Poland.
San Francisco, CA
Also offers: BA in Writing and Literature (on-campus)
For aspiring and emerging writers, the California College of the Arts offers a BA in Writing and Literature and an MFA in Writing! The BA offers a foundation in literature and critical inquiry and dynamic workshops in prose, poetry, drama, screenwriting, graphic novels, improvisation, and more. You’ll refine your skills in literary journalism, hybrid narratives, lyric essays, and much more as you conduct close readings and analyses of writing across time. BA students learn from acclaimed authors through the HearSay Reading Series… they contribute their talents to Humble Pie , the undergraduate journal… and they enjoy outstanding internship experiences with Bay Area literary organizations. The MFA program is offered at the Writers’ Studio, where students participate in workshops, readings, and craft talks and learn from accomplished authors through the famed Tuesdays Talk series. Here students explore nonfiction, fiction, and poetry in a close, supportive atmosphere that naturally elicits creativity and inspiration.
SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS
Also offers: BA in English – Creative Writing (on-campus)
Saint Mary’s College offers both undergraduate and graduate programs for the creative writer in a supportive private school setting that’s heralded for its academic rigor and plentiful hands-on learning experiences. The BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis offers a foundation in the creative writing process and options to focus on a specific genre of creative writing like poetry, fiction, nonfiction, dramatic writing, or screenwriting. All students of this program also participate in the Creative Writing Reading Series, which includes attending events and meeting with visiting writers. On-campus internship opportunities include working with the Office of Marketing and Communications or the Center for Writing Across the Curriculum and contributing to riverrun , the undergraduate literary journal, while off-campus internship opportunities include organizations and publications like Counterpoint Press, Diablo Magazine , No Starch Press, Sierra Magazine , and more! The MFA in Creative Writing is a two-year course of study that features an award-winning faculty (including visiting writers in residence); opportunities to contribute to the MFA journal, MARY: A Journal of New Writing ; and your choice concentration in creative nonfiction, fiction, or poetry. Students may also complete a third year in an additional genre or take a fifth semester Book Manuscript Intensive course.
COMMUNICATION ARTS, LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE (CALL) DEPARTMENT
Gunnison, CO
Western Colorado University is home to not one, but two creative writing programs that are designed to meet you wherever you are in your career. The BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis is ideally designed for emerging writers who seek a comprehensive course of study delivered within a supportive community. Students of this program enjoy a strong foundation in English literature traditions, theory, and criticism with advanced courses in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and scripts. You’ll also enjoy flexing your creative skills by contributing to WordHorde, the Creative Writing student organization, and lending help to other students through the Writing Center. Before you graduate, you’ll edit a book published by Western Press Books and prepare your own work for submission. The MFA Creative Writing program here provides an advanced course of study in one of five genres: nature writing, genre fiction, poetry, publishing, or screenwriting. This program comes complete with a dedicated faculty of award-winning writers and a low-residency model that delivers outstanding convenience and flexibility.
MACRICOSTAS SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Danbury, CT
Western Connecticut State University offers the MFA in Creative and Professional Writing, which comes complete with a dynamic curriculum that’s delivered in a low-residency model for outstanding convenience and flexibility. We love this program because it offers a comprehensive graduate course of study in multiple genres (students here take workshops and course in all genres and styles), thereby preparing students as well-rounded, versatile writers who find success in both creative and professional writing fields. We also love this program’s exciting residency opportunities that now include options to study in Dublin, Ireland (during the Bram Stoker Festival) and at the Highlights Foundation Retreat Center in the Poconos!
COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Fairfield, CT
Also offers: Major in English-Creative Writing concentration (on-campus)
Fairfield University’s MFA in Creative Writing offers your choice of focus in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or screenwriting and a low-residency model that’s sure to fit well into your busy schedule. The program’s flexible and challenging curriculum is ideally designed to allow students to design a course of study that best aligns with their professional goals and personal interests. It’s also home to the CT Writing Project, which is home to outstanding opportunities to learn from visiting writers; attend writers’ retreats; and more. Choose Fairfield for your creative writing master’s program and you’ll enjoy opportunities to complete an internship in journalism, public relations, business writing, publishing, and more.
American university (private).
Washington, DC
American University’s MFA in Creative Writing has been producing the next generation of creative writers for more than 30 years! The only program of its kind in our nation’s capital, the MFA in Creative Writing is your opportunity to explore the art and craft of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The flexible design of this program allows students to pursue a single genre or multiple genres, and the tightknit, supportive learning environment encourages superb guidance and feedback from peers and faculty. Students of this program contribute to Folio , the College of Arts and Sciences’ nationally recognized literary journal and Café MFA , the online journal of the Creative Writing program.
Tallahassee, FL
Also offers: Major in Creative Writing (on-campus)
Florida State University offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing within one of the top writing programs in the country! Just some of the reasons why emerging creative writers flock to FSU include an award-winning faculty (many are recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, the Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship and more)… opportunities to complete a teaching apprenticeship program through graduate teaching assistantships… and an Editing Internship, your chance to gain valuable, hands-on experiences with a magazine, newspaper, publishing house, television station, marketing firm, nonprofit organization, and more. FSU’s English Department is also home to the Southeast Review , a national literary magazine, and The Kudzu Review , the undergraduate literary magazine, both of which are great sources of hands-on learning experiences.
ARTS, SCIENCES, AND EDUATION
North Miami, FL
Florida International University’s MFA in Creative Writing is where you’ll advance your understanding of professional standards and expectations as you hone your creative skillset in your chosen genre. Ideal for future endeavors in teaching, editing, publishing, the arts, and more, this illustrious program of study comes complete with an intimate learning environment; a curriculum of seminar-style courses, workshops, and form and theory courses; outstanding, one-on-one mentoring; and a dedicated faculty of award-winning, working writers. As you progress throughout the program, you’ll work toward the completion of a publishable, book-length creative thesis.
Stetson University’s MFA in Creative Writing offers an outstanding course of graduate study that’s delivered in a low-residency format to accommodate your busy schedule. Choose this program and you’ll enjoy intensive, dynamic mentorship and engagement marked by small workshop groups, individual mentoring sessions, craft lectures, translation workshops, and more. This program is innovative and dynamic, allowing students to explore the many political, social, aesthetic, and cultural factors that are reflective of your work. The low-residency model features online courses that are complemented with two, ten-day residencies where students gather to learn from accomplished writers and exchange their work with faculty mentors. Residencies are held at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, and at various international locations! Past residencies were held in Buenos Aires, Argentina and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!
Atlanta, GA
Also offers: BA in English-Creative Writing (on-campus)
Two creative writing programs, one world-class university—Georgia State University is where emerging writers head for outstanding instruction and inspiration! Choose the BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration and you’ll complete undergraduate study in British and American literature and culture alongside courses focused on the craft and art of creative writing and the poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction genres. The MA/MFA in English with a Creative Writing concentration features your choice of focus on poetry or fiction and a superb curriculum that prepares students for further study at the PhD level or for careers in a variety of writing-intensive fields. We love the English Department’s award-winning faculty of poets, and authors and the exciting opportunities to hone your craft by contributing to the award-winning Five Points: A Journal of Literature and Art and the student-edited literary magazine, New South .
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
The University of Idaho’s creative writing programs are part of the Department of English’s vibrant community where you can always find inspiration in the form of literary readings, scholarly lectures, conferences, student gatherings, and more. The BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis boasts engaging courses in fiction, creative fiction, and poetry; esteemed professors who offer one-on-one mentorship; and outstanding opportunities to flex your creative writing skillset and gain valuable, hands-on experiences. The MFA offers a fully funded, three-year course of graduate study in nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. We love the mix of genre workshops, technique studios, and traditional seminars that provide students with an outstanding blend of study in the craft. And the practicum in literary magazine and editing production provides students with an expanded skillset upon graduation.
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
Fully funded program
Also offers: BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences-Creative Writing (on-campus)
Two creative writing programs at one nationally renowned university – the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is where you want to be! The undergraduate creative writing major, which is one of the oldest programs of its kind in the country, is built on small, workshop-style courses in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that are ideally designed to prepare students for exciting careers in a number of fields or for future graduate study. Students of this program edit and publish the Montage Arts Journal , the university’s undergraduate literary arts journal, which offers outstanding, hands-on learning experiences. The MFA Creative Writing program is a three-year, rigorous course of study in creative writing and literature that offers students the option of specializing in fiction or poetry. You’ll study under the program’s distinguished and dedicated graduate faculty as you take four workshops in your chosen genre and work toward producing a book-length, publishable manuscript. You’ll also receive extensive, hands-on experience in literary editing and publishing in this fully funded graduate program!
WEINBERG COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
Evanston, IL
Fully funded through fellowships and graduate assistantships
Northwestern University’s creative writing programs are home to an accomplished faculty of award-winning authors and offered in a supportive, creative community where inspiration naturally flourishes. The Creative Writing major enjoys an outstanding record of graduate success and a reputation as one of the finest undergraduate programs of its kind in the nation. Through this program, you’ll explore poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, as well as other courses that explore hybrid genres. Students of this program enjoy a lively curriculum that includes learning from guest writers-in-residence through the Annual Writers’ Festival; participating in the Undergraduate English Association; and contributing their talents to the award-winning student literary magazines, Helicon and Prompt. The MFA + MA in Creative Writing and English program is a unique dual graduate program that provides students with the opportunity to pursue both creative and critical writing. This program boasts intimate classes; close mentorship from a renowned faculty of writers; and a variety of writing workshops in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. And while students of this program are admitted in one genre, they enjoy opportunities to explore a second genre. This program is fully funded through fellowships and graduate assistantships. During the program’s two funded summers, students serve as part-time editorial assistantships for the prestigious online literary journal, TriQuarterly !
Chicago, IL
Also offers: BFA in Writing (on-campus)
Whether the BFA or MFA is what you seek, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has what you need! The BFA features a dynamic course of study that emphasizes writing across genres, including interdisciplinary and hybrid genres, and producing a creative project of your choice. Students also enjoy the many immersive, hands-on learning experiences available here that include contributing to Mouth , the student-run literary journal and F newsmagazine , the award-winning student newspaper; attending readings and workshops through the Visiting Writer and Artist Lectures; and attending Publishing Panel presentations. The low-residency MFA is a three-year program that’s designed for 21 st century artists and writers. This flexible program engages students and prepares them across various teaching platforms, with much of the curriculum focused on writing and studying other artists’ writings. The low-residency model features online study complemented with three, consecutive summer residencies where you’ll connect with your peers on campus to create and critique work.
Bloomington, IN
Fully funded program through fellowships and teaching assistantships
Indiana University – Bloomington’s MFA in Creative Writing features three years of fully funded graduate study at IU’s flagship campus! This dynamic program is focused on honing craft concepts and workshopping original student poetry and fiction under an award-winning faculty as you work toward the completion a book-length manuscript in the genre of your choice. This highly selective program enrolls just eight new students each year (four in fiction, four in poetry) to ensure an intimate learning environment of top emerging writers.
Notre Dame, IN
Fully funded through tuition scholarships and fellowships
The University of Notre Dame offers both an undergraduate and graduate program in creative writing – your opportunity to explore and refine your craft within a world-renowned university. The Major in English with a Creative Writing concentration allows students to study the many ways in which literature shapes the human experience. Through small class sizes (just 15-17 students), students here connect with one another and engage with the distinguished faculty while honing their critical thinking, public speaking, and writing skills. The creative writing faculty, which is ranked among the best in the nation, teaches 15-20 creative writing classes ranging from fiction to poetry to nonfiction prose to playwriting/screenwriting. Students here often round out their undergraduate experience by engaging in internship, service learning, and study abroad experiences and by contributing to the university’s student-run publications. Notre Dame’s MFA in Creative Writing boasts a two-year, fully funded course of study that’s marked by a rigorous, self-directed learning experience and a diverse, international body of students. All students of this program gain teaching, editorial, and publication experience; participate in outreach programs with community partners; engage with visiting writers and artists; and conduct their own reading series.
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
Overland Parks, KS
Also offers: BA, BGS (Bachelor of General Studies) Literature, Language and Writing-option to earn a Creative and Analytical Writing certificate (on-campus)
The University of Kansas boasts both undergraduate and graduate programs for the creative writer! The innovative BA/BGS in Literature, Language and Writing provides students with a versatile foundation in technical writing, editing, marketing, writing, and authoring, while the Creative and Analytical Writing certificate provides a deep dive into the craft of creative writing. Just some of the highlights of the BA/BGS in Literature, Language and Writing include an outstanding selection of afternoon, evening, online, and hybrid courses… an experienced, published faculty… and unmatched student engagement and mentorship. The MFA program features a three-year course of study and options to focus on fiction, poetry, or playwriting. You’re sure to love learning from the widely published faculty here that have been recipients of distinctions like the Hugo Award, the Gertrude Stein Award, the Nebula Award, and more. The MFA is ideally positioned within a university that’s home to esteemed centers like the J. Wayne & Elsie M. Gunn Center for the Study of Science Fiction (dedicated to research and education in science fiction) and the Project on the History of Black Writing (research unit focused on literary recovery work in black studies).
POTTER COLLEGE OF ARTS AND LETTERS
Bowling Green, KY
Western Kentucky University offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing to meet students wherever they are in their academic and professional journey! The undergraduate Creative Writing program features a curriculum that’s grounded in the study of literature and marked by an exciting blend of courses in creative nonfiction, fiction, play/screenwriting, and poetry. Learning outside of the classroom is also standard fare here. You’ll find students learning from esteemed, visiting writers through the Readers Series; contributing to Zephyrus , the school’s literary publication; connecting with their peers through the English Club, the annual Senior Reading, and through the many open-mic nights and coffeehouse gatherings; and attending the annual Undergraduate Conference on Literature, Language, and Culture. The MFA in Creative Writing features a three-year course of study; tracks in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and scriptwriting; and secondary areas in literature, composition & rhetoric, or teaching English as a second language.
COLLEGE OF LETTERS, ARTS, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Richmond, KY
Eastern Kentucky University’s MFA in Creative Writing – Bluegrass Writers Studio features a low-residency model that’s designed with flexibility and convenience in mind. Students of this program study in a close-knit, supportive community alongside other emerging writers in both literary and genre-writing. The Bluegrass Writers Studio is an innovative program that offers students an optimal blend of online courses and workshops complemented with intensive residency workshops and unparalleled international literary and cultural experiences. The program’s Domestic Summer Residencies, which are held in Richmond and in Lisbon, Portugal, are rich in intensive workshops, lectures, and readings and focused on individual writing.
Lake Charles, LA
Also offers: BA in English-Writing (on-campus)
McNeese State University offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing, making it a sure bet for emerging writers like you! The BA in English with a Writing concentration offers a firm foundation in classic and contemporary literature alongside courses and hands-on learning experiences designed to hone your creative writing skills and elevate your knowledge and skills in the areas of editing, rhetorical writing, and technical writing . Students of this program enjoy small class sizes and a highly engaging learning environment that’s marked by high-quality instruction from a widely published, dedicated faculty. The MFA in Creative Writing is the oldest programs of its kind in Louisiana and among the oldest in the southeast! Offering outstanding, hands-on instruction through a host of creative writing programs, this program is where poetry and fiction writers flock to elevate their creative writing skills and produce a book-length manuscript. McNeese’s MFA is one of the only programs in the country to offer students the opportunity to concurrently earn an MA in English without adding any additional hours or costs!
YALE GORDON COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Baltimore, MD
The University of Baltimore’s MFA in Creative Writing is one of the top programs of its kind in the nation and a dynamic, inspiring hub for emerging writers in the genres of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students of this program hone their creative voice and elevate their skillset in writing , editing, and publishing as they gain valuable, hands-on experience through internships and student teaching opportunities. Just some of the places where students here intern include the Baltimore City Paper , Baltimore Magazine , Baltimore Jewish Times , and Baltimore Style Magazine !
KRIEGER SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Fully funded through teaching fellowships
Also offers: Major in Writing Seminars-Creative Writing concentration (on-campus)
John Hopkins University offers both an undergraduate and graduate program in their famed Writing Seminars program! Undergraduate students here enjoy a solid liberal arts framework that’s complemented with courses in fiction and poetry and seminars on literature and the history and technique of poetry and prose. The Writing Seminar’s MFA program offers an advanced exploration of fiction and poetry. This program boasts a nationally and internationally renowned faculty; acclaimed visiting writers; and a curriculum that’s rich in intensive literary seminars and small workshops. Students complete a first-year portfolio and then round out their graduate course of study with a second-year thesis. This highly selective, fully funded program includes a generous teaching fellowship!
Amherst, MA
Hampshire College offers no less than three, outstanding creative writing programs for emerging and practicing writers alike! The Major in Creative Writing offers a well-rounded exploration of fiction, literary journalism, and poetry through dynamic, workshop-style courses that feature intensive writing, active reading, and constructive feedback. Students of this program enjoy engaging with their peers and sharing ideas through writers’ coffeehouses; learning from acclaimed visiting writers; and flexing their creative skillset through one of the school’s publications. The low-residency MFA in Writing for Film and Television offers a convenient and flexible blend of online courses with week-long residencies at the Boston or Los Angeles campus at the beginning of each semester. This program features an esteemed faculty of filmmakers, producers, and screenwriters and the opportunity to produce a professional-caliber portfolio of original feature, pilot, and short screenplay samples. The Creative Writing MFA program is one of the longest-running programs of its kind in the nation. Some of the highlights of this program include an esteemed, published faculty; two award-winning literary journals; and close ties with the Boston publishing community.
Boston University’s MFA in Creative Writing is built on the university’s legacy of academic excellence and the Creative Writing Program’s reputation as one of most prestigious programs of its kind in the country! This program features your choice of fiction or poetry and a one-year course of study that’s highlighted by creative writing workshops and literature courses. It’s designed in small cohorts that accept just ten fiction writers and eight poets annually, and it’s fully funded, covering all tuition costs and offering a stipend for all students. All students of this program teach at least one course and fulfill a foreign language requirement during their MFA. Students are also eligible to receive a Global Fellowship for travel and study anywhere outside of the U.S. upon successful completion of their coursework and submission of their thesis.
RESIDENTIAL COLLEGE
Ann Arbor, MI
Also offers: Major in Creative Writing and Literature (on-campus)
Whether you’re interested in pursuing undergraduate or graduate study in creative writing, the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor has what you’re looking for! Undergraduate students in the Creative Writing and Literature program study fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction (and choose a focus on fiction/creative nonfiction, poetry, or digital storytelling) in a student-centered learning environment that features dedicated faculty mentors and small, engaging writing seminars. Whether your plans include graduate study or a career in an area like education, editing, journalism, publishing, or beyond, this program is designed with you in mind! The fully funded Creative Writing MFA program features two years of study and options to focus on fiction or poetry. We love the program’s esteemed faculty of published poets and fiction writers and the many opportunities to learn from acclaimed writers through the Zell Visiting Writers Series. This highly selective program accepts just nine poets and nine fiction writers annually.
Kalamazoo, MI
Also offers: BA in English-Creative Writing option (on-campus)
Western Michigan University is home to both BA and MFA programs in creative writing for the emerging writer! The BA in English with a Creative Writing option is built on a foundation in British and American literature and the English language and complemented with dynamic, creative writing workshops that vary from introductory to advanced. Students of this program explore writing poetry, plays, fiction, and creative nonfiction alongside focused study in news, feature, and professional writing. The MFA in Creative Writing program offers a streamlined path to writing-intensive careers in poetry, fiction, or drama or future PhD study within prestigious programs.
Minneapolis, MN
The University of Minnesota – Twin Cities offers an esteemed MFA in Creative Writing – a three-year course of graduate study that features a dynamic deep dive into writing, language, and literature, along with study in a related field. This exciting program, which has long been ranked among the top ten graduate creative writing programs nationally, offers a well-rounded exploration of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In fact, students of this program are encouraged to experiment and write across genres as they work toward honing their own creative voice. Housed within the flagship institution of the University of Minnesota System, which enjoys a reputation as being among the most prestigious public research universities in the nation, this program comes with full funding for all MFA students and exciting opportunities to conduct research, intern with major corporations and organizations, and study abroad.
Saint Paul, MN
Also offers: BFA in Creative Writing (on-campus)
Hamline University is home to three different creative writing programs that are designed to meet you wherever you are in your career! Offering two undergraduate creative writing programs – one in creative writing and the other in English with a creative writing concentration, Hamline offers students the opportunity to hone their creative writing skillset and prepare for exciting careers in publishing, journalism, marketing, business, education, and beyond! The BFA in Creative Writing provides students with a well-rounded exploration of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, literary traditions, textual analysis, and the opportunity to refine your skillset in any number of genres. The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration offers a journey in literature as you explore the process of writing a novel, script, or other creative work. We love their undergraduate creative writing programs here because they come complete with exciting opportunities to participate in faculty-led research; contribute to one of the many student-led publications like Runestone , the award-winning undergraduate online literary magazine; and complete internships with major names like Graywolf Press, the Minnesota Historical Society, and the Loft Literary Center. The MFA in Creative Writing boasts an in-depth course of study that’s marked by your choice of focus in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction; an esteemed faculty of accomplished writers; and a curriculum that prepares you for in-demand teaching and publishing careers.
DIVISION OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Augsburg University’s undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing are exactly what emerging and practicing writers are looking for! The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration offers a nice blend of both English literature and the creative writing process. Through this course of study, students explore the craft under the guidance of a dedicated faculty of working writers. Students also enjoy plenty of opportunities to flex their creative skillset outside of the classroom, with opportunities to participate in the Many Voice Project – a series that brings together students, professors, and staff to explore successful communication among diverse readers and writers; contribute to Thó Win Magazine , the campus literary, visual, and musical arts publication; and study abroad to Denmark and Iceland. The low-residency Creative Writing MFA program offers students a deep dive into writing in multiple genres and features a convenient and flexible format that blends online study with summer residencies. Students of this program hone their skillset in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and playwriting over the course of three years to prepare for exciting careers in fields like teaching, publishing, and translation. Are you an undergraduate creative writing student with future graduate study in your sights? You may qualify for the MFA Masterclass option, which allows undergrad students to enroll in a single summer residency that includes a creative writing workshop.
University, MS
Creative writing is part of the fabric of the University of Mississippi, and it shows! The BA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis boasts a curriculum that brings together study in literature from all time periods and through diverse perspectives, along with a close examination and exploration of the craft of creative writing. The MFA in English, which has been consistently ranked among the top programs of its kind in the nation, offers your choice of concentration in poetry & fiction or creative nonfiction. This highly selective program (accepting between 6-8 students each year) is supportive, engaging, and fully funded!
St. Louis, MO
Fully funded program available through fellowships
Also offers: BA in English-Creative Writing concentration (on-campus)
Regardless of where you are in your academic journey or your career, Washington University in St. Louis has the creative writing program for you! The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration brings together emerging writers in a small, student-centered learning environment that boasts engaging poetry and fiction writing workshops. Small, first-year seminars of 15 students or less transition nicely to second semester workshops that take students to the next level in their writing journey and guide them to become outstanding readers and critics of literature. Interested in adding an international dimension to your undergraduate creative writing program? Many students study abroad at some of the top universities like Oxford, Edinburg, Trinity College in Dublin, the King’s College in London, and the University of Sydney. The Creative Writing MFA is a two-year program that allows students to refine their craft in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. A distinguished, world-renowned faculty oversees dynamic and engaging workshops and craft courses, while the school’s reading series brings some of the most acclaimed authors and poets to the department for unmatched learning opportunities.
Manchester, NH
New England College offers both a BA and MFA in Creative Writing to meet students wherever they are in their academic journey and career path! The BA in Creative Writing is supported by a dedicated faculty of published writers who are committed to providing students with close mentorship and support, while the program’s focus on individual transformation encourages students to explore many areas and genres. Through this program, students complete genre workshops in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction and courses focused on literary movements for a well-rounded course of study. The Creative Writing MFA is offered in a low-residency model that combines convenient and flexible online study with lively residencies at the beginning of each semester. Students here pursue a highly individualized program that features close mentorship by an award-winning faculty of writers and their choice of track in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, writing for stage and screen, or dual genre. Students may also pursue additional study in areas like translation, editing & publishing, new media, performance, or cross-genre/hybrid forms.
GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Rutgers University – Camden offers an MFA in Creative Writing that features an in-depth exploration of the theory and practice of writing for poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers. This dynamic course of graduate study allows students to focus their work on a single genre yet still explore other genres. An outstanding faculty of esteemed writers and poets guides this esteemed program. Students here enjoy superb inspiration from a host of visiting writers and poets; they contribute to the university’s award-winning literary magazine, StoryQuarterly ; and they participate in inspiring writing residencies at the Rutgers University Pinelands Field Station. And if your academic goals include an international experience, you’ll be pleased to know that students here often study abroad in Europe, Asia, and South America.
SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Rutgers University – Newark offers an established, dynamic, and nationally ranked MFA in Creative Writing that features your choice of fiction or poetry writing track. We love the many connections this program has to big names like the Newark Museum, the New Jersey Historical Society, and the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, all of which offer students unique opportunities for hands-on learning experiences. This fully funded course of study provides students with an unmatched opportunity to explore their craft, while the esteemed, award-winning faculty (many of whom are the recipients of awards like the Guggenheim, the National Endowment of the Arts, National Book Awards, and more) ensure outstanding support and mentorship.
THE WAYNE D. MCMURRAY SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
West Long Branch, NJ
Whether you’re seeking an undergraduate or graduate creative writing program, Monmouth University has what you need! The BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing features a well-rounded liberal arts core alongside an in-depth exploration of creative writing, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Students of this program enjoy studying under esteemed visiting writers; contributing to The Monmouth Review ; and completing exciting internship opportunities with big names like Penguin, Random House, and St. Martin’s Press, and with organizations like the National Geographic Society and the Monmouth County SPCA. The MA/MFA is an innovative and unique dual degree in Creative Writing that boasts a published, award-winning faculty; outstanding course options in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; and exciting options to explore themes like thrillers, romance, and fantasy. Students of this program begin by completing the 30-credit MA in English with a Creative Writing concentration and then complete an additional 18 credits of intensive creative writing study that culminate in a book-length creative thesis.
SCHOOL OF THE ARTS
New York, NY
Columbia University in the City of New York is where you’ll find both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing! These outstanding courses of study are housed in the famed School of the Arts, which enjoys a legacy of unmatched literary creation. Did you know that J.D. Salinger enrolled in a short story course here in 1939? Choose the Major in Creative Writing and you’ll study under an acclaimed, world-class faculty as you elevate your creative skillset in poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or multi-genre (combination of two genres). This program comes complete with writing workshops at all levels and exciting seminars that are sure to inspire and excite. The esteemed MFA Writing program is renowned for its faculty of acclaimed writers and editors; its focus on literary instruction; and its artistic and literary diversity. Students of this program choose a concentration in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. They study in intimate workshops (just 7 to 12 students) and regularly present their work, receive constructive feedback from their peers, and meet with faculty for one-on-one conferences.
Bronxville, NY
Also offers: Major in Writing (on-campus)
Whether you’re interested in an undergraduate or graduate degree in creative writing, Sarah Lawrence College has what you need to prepare for an exciting career or future graduate school! One of the first things you’ll notice is the vibrant artistic and writing community at Sarah Lawrence. It’s home to one of the largest writing faculties in the country; an outstanding selection of courses in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; and engaging workshop-style courses that offer unmatched support and guidance. Thanks to a prime location near NYC, creative writing students enjoy access to opportunities in a vibrant, second-to-none arts and culture scene. The MFA program here boasts a dedicated faculty of distinguished writers; concentrations in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or speculative fiction; and a versatile curriculum that allows students to explore writing that transcends genres. Some of the features of the MFA we’re particularly fond of include frequent meetings with faculty; small, intimate classes; and exciting graduate teaching and research opportunities.
Syracuse, NY
Syracuse University offers a BA and MFA in Creative Writing and a storied legacy of producing acclaimed writers. From Stephen Crane to Joyce Carol Oates, Syracuse has long been where emerging and practicing writers flock for intensive study and unmatched inspiration! The BA program offers a balanced blend of literary study, workshop-style writing courses, and craft classes in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. The renowned MFA in Creative Writing program is a three-year, highly selective course of graduate study that admits just six poets and six fiction writers each year.
SCHOOL OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SCIENCES
Brooklyn, NY
Pratt University boasts a BFA and MFA in Writing – your pathway to outstanding careers in publishing, editing, journalism, marketing, business, education, and beyond! Undergraduate creative writing students here study in a studio-based learning environment that includes specializing in fiction, poetry, or nonfiction and exploring contemporary genres like playwriting, screenwriting, children’s book writing, and young adult writing. The MFA in Writing program offers a highly rigorous, engaging program of study that’s built to address the needs of today’s contemporary writer in changing times. Some of the features of this program that you’re sure to love include The Writing Studio, a weekly critiquing forum; outstanding, one-on-one faculty mentoring; and guided fieldwork residencies with an outside community organization, nonprofit, or activist group.
COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Raleigh, NC
North Carolina State University at Raleigh is home to both an undergraduate and graduate degree in creative writing! The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration features a solid English foundation alongside courses in several genres, including fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and screenwriting. Intensive writing workshops here are designed to create an engaging, tightknit learning environment where students are encouraged to hone their creative voice. The MFA in Creative Writing boasts a two-year intensive course of graduate study that’s rich in workshops and interdisciplinary coursework and culminates in a final thesis of your original work. Students of this graduate course of study apprentice under master writers and learn from an experienced faculty of working writers and poets.
THE MFA PROGRAM FOR WRITERS AT WARREN WILSON COLLEGE
Asheville, NC
The MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College enjoys a national reputation as a top-ranked MFA program and features a prime learning environment that’s marked by extensive one-one-one exchanges between faculty mentor and student as well as on-campus residencies every six months. Well regarded for its craft-based rigor as well as its fostering of a supportive and noncompetitive environment, the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College prepares its graduates for a lifetime of writing.
Warren Wilson College’s undergraduate program in Creative Writing is designed to allow students to focus their undergraduate course of study on two genres (choose from fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry). It’s also home to the Writing Studio, a place where students hone their creative voice and explore new ideas and techniques. Outstanding student and faculty feedback and exciting opportunities to engage in hands-on learning round out this comprehensive course of study.
The undergraduate program benefits from presence of Warren Wilson’s highly-regarded MFA program through twice-yearly visits by MFA Writers in Residence: faculty members who provide a class and reading. They also have the opportunity to attend January residency lectures and readings and work with MFA Mentors as part of an undergraduate “Residency Class.”
Miami University – Oxford is home to both a BA and MFA in Creative Writing – your opportunity to refine your creative skillset and become a successful writer in any number of fields! The BA program boasts a full-time creative faculty of eight award-winning writers who provide unmatched learning opportunities for a select group of students (usually between 20-25) in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting. Intensive, engaging workshop-style courses ensure outstanding collaboration, communication, and constructive feedback, while visiting authors offer readings and craft talks that are guaranteed to inspire. The MFA brings some of the most talented, emerging writers from across the country to participate in a close-knit, rigorous course of study in creative nonfiction, poetry, fiction, multimedia, and performance writing. Some of the highlights of this program include four, practice-oriented workshops and seminars in literature; close mentorship from faculty; and the opportunity to create a publishable, full-length work of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction by the end of the program. This fully funded program provides graduate teaching assistantships to all MFA students; non-teaching assistantships may also be available. And each year, two MFA students are awarded creative writing internships in China!
Kent State University’s Northern Ohio MFA in Creative Writing (NEOMFA) offers a superb course of graduate study for the emerging creative writer! This program is a consortium program between Kent State, the University of Akron, Cleveland State University, and Youngstown State University. It boasts an award-winning faculty of fifteen and unmatched opportunities to hone your craft in plays, poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. This program brings together a diverse group of students for superb instruction, hands-on learning, faculty mentorship, and individual attention. Students here enjoy access to exciting programs and events like the Juniper Institute of Massachusetts, the Imagination Writers Conference in Cleveland, and the annual Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference.
DODGE FAMILY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
The University of Oklahoma Norman is home to the esteemed MA in English with a Creative Writing emphasis – a superb graduate course of study for those with a love of creating the written word! We love the flexible and versatile design of this program that gives students the freedom to choose courses that best reflect their personal interests and professional goals. As a student of this program, you’ll work alongside a departmental advisor to design a personalized program of study. You’re also sure to appreciate the tightknit, engaging academic environment here that features small, seminar and pro-seminar courses and close mentorship from an internationally recognized faculty. You’ll also enjoy the option of rounding out your creative writing graduate program by creating a thesis of your original work in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction.
COLLEGE OF ARTS, HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
La Grande, OR
Also offers: BA/BS in English-Writing (on-campus, online)
Eastern Oregon University is where emerging creative writers flock for unmatched academic opportunities at the undergraduate and graduate level! The BA/BS in English – Creative Writing program boasts small class sizes; superb support from a dedicated faculty; and an opportunity to complete your degree 100% online! The online program features a fully online course delivery and options to study on a part- or full-time basis for outstanding convenience and flexibility. The MFA in Creative and Environmental Writing offers an in-depth exploration of the craft; a low-residency curriculum model that ensures superb convenience for working adults; genre focus options in fiction, poetry, or young adult literature; and a superb opportunity to specialize your program through the one-of-a-kind Wilderness, Ecology, and Community program, which connects students to the Pacific Northwest’s rich tradition of writers such as Gary Snyder, William O. Douglas, Kathleen Dean Moore, Annie Dillard, Robert Michael Pyle, and more.
DIVISION OF GRADUATE STUDIES
Each MFA student is offered a teaching appointment in return for a full tuition waiver and stipend.
The University of Oregon’s MFA in Creative Writing features two years of study; your choice of focus in poetry or fiction; and a rich curriculum that’s highlighted by engaging, workshop-style courses and craft seminars. This rigorous course of study, which is one of the oldest and most distinguished programs of its kind in the nation, boasts unmatched opportunities to hone your craft and enjoy career success in a variety of fields. This highly selective program admits just 10 applicants each year (five in fiction and five in poetry) to ensure an intimate, highly engaging graduate experience.
KENNETH P. DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Pittsburgh, PA
Also offers: BA in Writing (Fiction, Poetry, Nonfiction) (on-campus)
The University of Pittsburgh is home to a BA in Writing and an MFA in Writing, both of which are housed in the university’s famed Writing Program – a large and diverse community of artists who explore both traditional and emerging media. It’s where you’ll find students lending their talents to esteemed literary journals and digital publications and where visiting writers come to educate and inspire through the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers Series. At the graduate level, the Writing Program admits nine students across the genres each year for a fully funded course of study in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. We love the many exciting opportunities to expand your college experience through internships and study abroad experiences to places like London, Sydney, Berlin, Dublin, Paris, and Madrid.
DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY, LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE
Allentown, PA
Cedar Crest is where you’ll find a superb course of graduate study in creative writing that comes complete with your choice of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or travel writing focus… a low-residency model that delivers outstanding flexibility and convenience… and an unmatched opportunity to be inspired as you travel across Europe! The MFA in Creative Writing features an in-depth exploration of the craft of creative writing that culminates in the creation of your own original work of literature. Choose a focus (or two) and learn to refine your skillset under the guidance of an award-winning faculty of writers. This truly unique course of study brings together talented writers from around the world for three, 15-day intensive workshops held in superb European locations that are sure to spark your creativity. Residencies here are held in July and rotate between Dublin, Ireland; Barcelona, Spain; and Vienna, Australia. You’ll complete the rest of your program requirements through convenient online study.
THE COLLEGE
Providence, RI
Also offers: BA in Literary Arts (on-campus)
Brown University’s undergraduate and graduate programs in Literary Arts offer a deep dive into the craft of writing. Choose the undergraduate program and you’ll develop your skills in one or more genres through four creative writing workshops and six, reading-intensive courses. This unique course of undergraduate study (it’s one of just a few in the nation) is where emerging writers in fiction, poetry, electronic writing (hypertext), and mixed media gather to elevate and refine their creative skillset. The MFA program welcomes just 12 graduate student writers annually for an in-depth exploration of creative writing and a choice of focus in fiction, poetry, or digital-cross-disciplinary. This innovative program is focused on student-centered learning and features a rigorous curriculum that’s delivered by a faculty of internationally acclaimed writers.
Columbia, SC
Also offers: BA in English-Writing concentration (on-campus)
The University of South Carolina – Columbia’s BA and MFA programs are designed to inspire the emerging writer for an exciting pathway to careers in publishing, journalism, editing, marketing, business, and beyond! The BA in English with a Creative Writing concentration features a core of literature courses that are complemented with creative writing courses. Under the guidance of a faculty advisor, you’ll create a personalized course of study that best matches your personal interests and professional goals. We love the small class sizes and the superb faculty that’s dedicated to your success. The fully funded MFA program here is chocked full of features that are sure to align with your career goals. You’ll appreciate the intimate learning environment that comes complete with an award-winning faculty of writers, world-class visiting writers, and plenty of exciting opportunities to flex your creative skillset through hands-on experiences. The highly selective Creative Writing MFA accepts just four poets and four fiction writers each year and caps workshops at just 12 students for a truly engaging, dynamic program of study. Interested in pursuing education after you graduate? You’ll love the MFA program’s signature writing outreach program, Split P, which allows MFA students to hone their teaching skills in local public elementary schools.
Nashville, TN
Vanderbilt University offers emerging and practicing writers their choice of an undergraduate or graduate-focused course of study in creative writing, both of which are built on the university’s longstanding reputation as a world-renowned institution. Both programs are delivered in small, seminar-style classes that encourage creativity, collaboration, and outstanding constructive feedback. The Creative Writing MFA program, which has been part of Vanderbilt’s fabric for nearly a century, features a three-year, fully funded course of graduate study that brings together emerging writers of fiction and poetry. This highly selective program is home to just 18 students at any time (nine in poetry and nine in prose), which ensures a truly tightknit, supportive learning environment. Just some of the unique opportunities available to students of the MFA include serving on the editorial board of the Nashville Review ; studying under distinguished, visiting writers-in-residence; and teaching introductory creative writing workshops.
Michener center for writers – mfa in writing (on-campus).
*Both MFA options are fully funded with absolutely no tuition costs for students accepted into the programs
The University of Texas at Austin plays host to both undergraduate and graduate programs in creative writing that are expertly designed to inspire and prepare emerging writers for a host of outstanding professional opportunities in fields like marketing, publishing, business, editing, education, and beyond! The Major in English with a Creative Writing concentration features a solid foundation in British, American, and world literature alongside focused courses in the art and craft of creative writing. The New Writer’s Project – MFA in Creative Writing and the Michener Center for Writers – MFA in Writing boast fully funded programs of study that are delivered in tightknit learning environments under close faculty mentorship. The three-year studio MFA in Creative Writing program features opportunities to study and practice fiction and poetry and connect with students and faculty of its partner MFA program, the Michener Center for Writers. This MFA in Writing program features a three-year program of study that admits writers in a primary genre (fiction, poetry, playwriting, or screenwriting) yet also provides them with ample opportunities to study a second genre. While the MFA in Creative Writing offers teaching experiences, the MFA in Writing funds students through fellowships alone, thereby requiring no teaching requirements.
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND HUMAN SCIENCES
Blacksburg, VA
Virginia Tech is home to both a BA and MFA in Creative Writing and a rich learning environment that opens the door to a superb exploration of your creative interests. The BA program features an examination of major writers and literary traditions and a faculty of published writers that provide unmatched support and guidance as you work toward producing a portfolio of your own creative work. Explore your interests by choosing among the program’s more than 100 English courses (you’ll have 36 credits of free electives to personalize your course of study); study modern and contemporary literature; and dive deep into playwriting, nonfiction, or writing fiction for young people! The three-year, fully funded MFA features your choice of focus in poetry or fiction, a faculty of esteemed, published writers and scholars, and plenty of opportunities to explore your craft across genres.
JACKSON CENTER FOR CREATIVE WRITING
Roanoke, VA
Also offers:
Hollins University’s Jackson Center for Creative Writing is where you’ll find exciting pathways to rewarding, writing-intensive careers in a variety of fields! Hollins’ multi-genre approach allows students to study and explore their craft in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction while also gaining a valuable foundation of knowledge in literature. Creative writing here is supported by a faculty of esteemed, award-winning writers and scholars and marked by outstanding, hands-on learning experiences both within and outside the walls of the classroom. At the undergraduate level, you’ll choose from a Major in Creative Writing or an English Major with a concentration in Creative Writing, while at the graduate level, you’ll have the opportunity to pursue the two-year MFA program, which is home to a versatile and personalized curriculum and the type of support that creates the most successful writers. This small program enrolls just 20-24 students at any given time, thereby keeping the learning environment small and highly engaging. This program includes funding opportunities that include travel and research funding.
Seattle, WA
Creative writing is part of the fabric of the University of Washington – Seattle’s English Department, long offering outstanding courses of undergraduate and graduate study to produce competent, talented writers with skills that transcend career fields. The English major with a Creative Writing option is your opportunity to grow as a communicator and artist! This program features a small, student-centered learning environment that’s marked by writing workshops that are designed to spark your creativity and hone your skills. The MFA in Creative Writing is a two-year program of poetry and prose that boasts an outstanding faculty of award-winning writers (many of whom have been awarded fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts). This highly selective, fully funded course of study admits just 8-10 students each year, thereby ensuring outstanding support and collaboration. Students here participate in literary seminars and workshops and round out their graduate study by completing a creative manuscript of original work.
SCHOOL OF INTERDISCIPLINARY ARTS AND SCIENCES
Bothell, WA
The University of Washington (Bothell campus) offers an esteemed MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics – a program rich in exploration and discovery. This uniquely structured program is structured according to areas of inquiry instead of genres, which allows students to explore and experiment across genres. You’re free to hone your craft here as you see fit, with experimentation with hybrid genres encouraged. Each year, students meet at the Fall Convergence, which brings together internationally renowned writers and artists. And the school year closes with the Spring Festival, a place for students to share their thesis work and get inspired by a student-nominated speaker. This program features evening courses that are designed to accommodate the busy lives of working students.
Now in its fifth decade, the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College , established in 1976 by master poet and teacher Ellen Bryant Voigt, continues to set the standard for the innovative model it pioneered. This rigorous, nurturing, and highly-selective four – semester graduate program, with study tracks in fiction and poetry, combines ten-day residencies on campus each January and July with five-month nonresident semesters in which students work individually with the country’s finest fiction writers and poets.
Our nationally-recognized MFA faculty encompass a range of aesthetics, and include Pulitzer and National Book Award winners, national and state poets laureate, and NEA, Guggenheim, Fulbright, and MacArthur fellows. Residency lectures and readings are free and open to the public.
Our diverse and close-knit student body come from all over the world, and from a variety of disciplines and occupations. MFA program alumni have won countless major awards and have published well over a thousand books . Application deadlines are March 1 and September 1 via Submittable on the MFA program website .
I am grateful for what the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson offers all its students: the knowledge that allows us to become better and more ambitious readers and writers, and the connection to a community of other writers who will help us continue pursuing our interests throughout our lives. Rose McLarney (Warren Wilson BA, 2003; MFA 2010; Beebe Fellow 2010-11)
Creative Writing majors at the undergraduate level benefit from the opportunity to attend January residency lectures and readings and to work with graduate-student mentors.
And each academic year, an MFA faculty member is in residence on the Warren Wilson campus for a week to teach undergraduate classes, present a workshop and a reading, and to meet with senior creative majors one-on-one.
Learn More About the MFA Program Requirements
Rose McLarney (BA ’03; MFA ’10; Beebe Fellow 2010-11), pictured with Matthew Olzmann (MFA ’09; 2012-13 Beebe Fellow) in Pew Library on the Warren Wilson campus
I am honored to serve as Director of the MFA Program for Writers, which has such an illustrious history and has launched the careers of so many talented writers worldwide, and which offers a vibrant, world-class education focused on artistry, rigor, community, and the possibilities of the imagination.
Gary Hawkins is a 1995 alumnus of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Dr. Hawkins writes poems, writes on modern and contemporary poetry, and writes and presents on the scholarship of teaching and learning. His debut book of poems, Worker, was published in 2016.
The Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing at The Ohio State University is designed to help graduate students develop to the fullest their talents and abilities as writers of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction. Creative writing classes are conducted as workshops or tutorials, and there are numerous opportunities for related study both within and beyond the Department of English. All students are fully funded for three years in a program that is well known for its sense of community and a faculty that is as committed to teaching as to their own writing.
Approximately 36 graduate students are taught by tenure track, visiting and affiliated (Film Studies) faculty, who also teach in the undergraduate program. Graduate student TAs teach introductory and intermediate special topics undergraduate creative writing courses, undergraduate literary publishing, as well as first-year and second-year writing (required courses for all Ohio State undergraduates). TAs teach two classes a year, one in autumn and one in spring. In addition, they have the opportunity to work as editors of Ohio State's prize-winning, nationally distributed literary magazine, The Journal , and to serve on the editorial staff of our two annual book prizes, one in poetry and one in prose.
Course offerings are varied and numerous. Special topics graduate workshops (in the long poem, in characterization, in literary translation, in humor writing, and so on) ensure that, in addition to "regular" workshops, opportunities abound for experimentation. Our graduate program includes coursework designed for "crossing over," such as, poetry workshops for MFA fiction writers or essayists with little experience writing poems; and "forms" classes in prosody, the novel, the memoir, novellas, for example.
Screenwriting for MFAs is offered regularly, and many students also elect to study playwriting or writing for performance as an elective. Some MFAs choose to pursue the Graduate Interdisciplinary Specialization in the Fine Arts (GISFA), which allows them to take graduate courses in other arts disciplines. Indeed, Ohio State's size and breadth offer our students the chance to explore many disciplines that enrich their study and practice of creative writing.
Core faculty.
Marcus Jackson is the director of the Creative Writing Program. He earned a BA from the University of Toledo and continued his poetry studies at New York University (NYU) and as a Cave Canem fellow. His poems have appeared in such publications as The American Poetry Review , The New Yorker and Tin House . His first collection of poetry, Neighborhood Register , was released in 2011, and his second collection, Pardon My Heart (Northwestern University Press/TriQuarterly Books) came out in 2019. Please visit Marcus Jackson's website . Email: [email protected]
Kathy Fagan Grandinetti is the author of five books of poems: Sycamore (Milkweed Editions, 2017); The Raft , a National Poetry Series Award Winner; MOVING & ST RAGE , winner of the 1998 Vassar Miller Prize for Poetry; The Charm (2002); and LIP (2009). Her poems have been widely anthologized and her work has appeared in such publications as Poetry , The Paris Review , FIELD , The Kenyon Review , Slate , Ploughshares , The New Republic and Blackbird . She is the recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), the Ingram Merrill Foundation, The Frost Place and the Ohio Arts Council. Director of the Creative Writing Program, she continues to serve as advisor to The Journal , for which she and Michelle Herman were awarded the 2004 Ohioana Award for Editorial Excellence. Fagan is also series editor for The Ohio State University Press/ The Journal Wheeler Poetry Prize. Please visit Kathy Fagan's website . Email: [email protected]
Lee Martin is the author of the novels The Bright Forever ( a finalist for the 2006 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction); River of Heaven ; Quakertown ; Break the Skin ; and Late One Night . He has also published three memoirs: From Our House , Turning Bones and Such a Life . His first book was the short story collection, The Least You Need To Know , and a new collection, The Mutual UFO Network , was published in 2018. His craft book, Telling Stories: The Craft of Narrative and the Writing Life , came out in 2017. He is the co-editor of Passing the Word: Writers on Their Mentors. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in such places as Harper's, Ms., Creative Nonfiction, The Georgia Review, The Kenyon Review, Fourth Genre, River Teeth, The Southern Review, Prairie Schooner, Glimmer Train, The Best American Mystery Stories and The Best American Essays . He is the winner of the Mary McCarthy Prize in Short Fiction and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Ohio Arts Council. He was the winner of the 2006 Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching from Ohio State, where he is a College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of English. Please visit Lee Martin's website . Email: [email protected]
Elissa Washuta is a member of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and a writer of personal essays and memoir. She is the author of three books: Starvation Mode, My Body Is a Book of Rules , named a finalist for the Washington State Book Award, and White Magic , named a finalist for the 2022 PEN Open Book Award. With Theresa Warburton, she is co-editor of the anthology Exquisite Vessel: Shapes of Native Nonfiction, forthcoming from University of Washington Press. Her work has appeared in Salon , The Chronicle of Higher Education , BuzzFeed and elsewhere. She has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, Artist Trust, 4Culture, Potlatch Fund and Hugo House. Please visit Elissa Washuta's website . Email: [email protected]
Nick White is the author of the story collection Sweet and Low and the novel How to Survive a Summer. His fiction and essays have appeared in The Kenyon Review, The Literary Review, Indiana Review, Guernica and elsewhere. A native of Mississippi, he earned a PhD in English and creative writing from The University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Please visit Nick White's website . Email: [email protected]
Angus Fletcher is the Black List and Nicholl award-winning screenwriter of MIDDLE EARTH (produced by Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne, directed by Michel Apted), WEE FREE MEN (produced by Allison Thomas and Gary Ross, based on the novel by Terry Pratchett), and VARIABLE MAN (produced by Isa Dick and Electric Shepherd, based on the novella by Philip K. Dick). He earned his PhD from Yale and has published articles on dramatic ethics and practice in Critical Inquiry, New Literary History, The Journal of the History of Philosophy, and a dozen other academic journals. His book Evolving Hamlet appeared on Palgrave in 2011, and his research and writing has been supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation. Prior to coming to Ohio State, he taught at USC, Stanford and Teach for America. Email: [email protected]
Alumni of the MFA Program in Creative Writing have had their fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction appear in The Best American Essays, The Best New American Voices, The Best American Travel Writing, Tin House, Southern Review, Kenyon Review, Gettysburg Review, Glimmer Train, Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, River Teeth, The Yale Review, Poetry, American Poetry Review, New Criterion, Field, Iowa Review, The Paris Review, Prairie Schooner, North American Review, Ploughshares, The Washington Post Magazine, The New York Times Magazine, Quarterly West, Epoch, Five Points , and other notable venues.
Below are just a few of these outstanding alumni poets and writers.
Maggie Smith is the author of Weep Up (Tupelo Press, forthcoming 2018); The Well Speaks of Its Own Poison (Tupelo Press 2015), winner of the Dorset Prize and the 2016 Independent Publisher Book Awards Gold Medal in Poetry Lamp of the Body (Red Hen Press 2005), winner of the Benjamin Saltman Award; and three prizewinning chapbooks. Her poems regularly appear in journals such as The Paris Review, The Southern Review, The Gettysburg Review, Plume, Virginia Quarterly Review, and Guernica . The recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Ohio Arts Council, the Sustainable Arts Foundation, and elsewhere, Smith is a freelance writer and editor in Bexley, Ohio, and she serves as a consulting editor to the Kenyon Review . (MFA, 2003) Maggie Smith's website .
Photo credit: Lauren Powell
Claire Vaye Watkins (MFA, 2011) is the author of the novel Gold, Fame, Citrus (2015) and Battleborn , a collection of stories (2012). Battleborn was awarded The Story Prize and the 2013 Dylan Thomas Prize and listed by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the Best Books of 2012. Watkins was awarded an American Academy Arts & Letters Prize in 2012 and has received fellowships from the Writers’ Conferences at Sewanee and Bread Loaf. Her stories and essays have appeared in Granta , One Story, The Paris Review , Ploughshares , Glimmer Train , Best of the West 2011 , and Best of the Southwest 2013. Watkins is an assistant professor at Bucknell University and the co-director, with Derek Palacio, of the Mojave School, a non-profit creative writing workshop for teenagers in rural Nevada.
For more information about Watkins, her work, and the Mojave School, visit her website .
Photo credit: Heike Steinweg
Donald Ray Pollock (MFA, 2009) is the author of the novel The Devil All the TIme (2011) and Knockemstiff (2008), a collection of stories. Pollock grew up in southern Ohio. At 17, He dropped out of high school to work in a meatpacking plant and then spent 32 years employed in a paper mill in Chillicothe, Ohio. Knockemstiff won the 2009 PEN/Robert Bingham Fellowship, and The Devil All the Time was listed by Esquire as one of the Three Books Every Man Should Read. Pollock's work has appeared in Third Coast, The Journal , Sou’wester , Chiron Review , River Styx , Boulevard , Folio, Granta , The New York Times Book Review , Washington Square , and The Berkeley Fiction Review . He is the 2012 recipient of the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, the most prestigious award for crime and detectives novels in France.
For more information about Pollock and his work, visit his website .
Yona Harvey (MFA, 2001) is a literary artist living in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is the author of the poetry collection Hemming the Water (Four Way Books: New York), which won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award from Claremont Graduate University.
She is also the recipient of an Individual Artist Grant in literary nonfiction from The Pittsburgh Foundation. Her poems can be found in jubilat, Gulf Coast, Callaloo, West Branch, and various journals and anthologies, including A Poet’s Craft: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Sharing Your Poetry (Ed. Annie Finch). She lives not far from where jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams grew up. Williams married the spiritual to the secular in her music, and is a regular muse in Yona’s writing. She is an assistant professor in the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh.
Friday, September 22, 2023, at 5 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
John Murillo is the author of the poetry collections Up Jump the Boogie (Cypher 2010, Four Way Books 2020), finalist for both the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Pen Open Book Award and Kontemporary Amerikan Poetry (Four Way 2020), winner of the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award and the Poetry Society of Virginia’s North American Book Award and finalist for the PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry, Believer Poetry Award, Maya Angelou Book Award, Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award and the NAACP Image Award. His other honors include the Four Quartets Prize from the T.S. Eliot Foundation and the Poetry Society of America, two Larry Neal Writers Awards, a pair of Pushcart Prizes, the J Howard and Barbara MJ Wood Prize from the Poetry Foundation, an NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bread Loaf Writers Conference, Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Cave Canem Foundation and the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing.
Friday, November 3, 2023, at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Melissa Faliveno is the author of the debut essay collection TOMBOYLAND , named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR, New York Public Library, Oprah Magazine and Electric Literature and recipient of a 2021 Award for Outstanding Literary Achievement from the Wisconsin Library Association. Her essays, interviews and reviews have appeared in Esquire, Paris Review, Bitch, Literary Hub, Ms Magazine, Brooklyn Rail and Prairie Schooner , among others, and in the anthology SEX AND THE SINGLE WOMAN: 24 WRITERS REIMAGINE HELEN GURLEY BROWN’S CULT CLASSIC (Harper Perennial, 2022). Melissa is the Fall 2022 Distinguished Visiting Writer in the MFA program at UNC–Wilmington, was the 2020-21 Kenan Visiting Writer at UNC–Chapel Hill, and has also taught creative writing at Kenyon College, Sarah Lawrence College, Catapult and to incarcerated men, high school students and adults in and around New York City.
Friday, February 23, 2024, at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Thao Thai is a writer based out of Ohio, whose work has been published or is forthcoming in the Los Angeles Review of Books, WIRED, Real Simple, Catapult, The Sunday Long Read, Cup of Jo and other publications. Thao’s debut novel, Banyan Moon , is set to come out in June of 2023 (Mariner|HarperCollins). The novel has already been selected as an Indie Next pick, Indies Introduce Title, Book of the Month pick and the HarperCollins Lead Read of Summer 2023. Thao received her MFA in Creative Writing from the Ohio State University in 2012.
Friday, October 28, 2022 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Daisy Hernández is the author of The Kissing Bug: A True Story of a Family, an Insect, and a Nation’s Neglect of a Deadly Disease (Tin House, 2021), which won the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award and was selected as an inaugural title for the National Book Foundation’s Science + Literature Program. The Kissing Bug was named a top 10 nonfiction book of 2021 by Time magazine and was a finalist for the New American Voices Award. Daisy is also the author of the award-winning memoir, A Cup of Water Under My Bed (Beacon Press, 2014), and co-editor of the classic feminist anthology, Colonize This! Young Women of Color on Today’s Feminism (Seal Press, 2002). Her essays and fiction have appeared in numerous publications, and she has reported for National Geographic, The Atlantic, The New York Times and Slate .
Friday, November 18, 2022 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Yona Harvey is the author of the poetry collections You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love (Four Way Books, 2020), which won the Believer Book Award for Poetry, and Hemming the Water (Four Way Books, 2013), which won the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. She co-wrote Marvel’s World of Wakanda with Roxane Gay, as well as Black Panther & the Crew with Ta-Nehisi Coates. Yona has worked with teenagers writing about mental health issues in collaboration with Creative Nonfiction magazine and is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow. She is also a 2001 alumna of the Ohio State University’s MFA in Creative Writing Program.
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Jamel Brinkley is the author of A Lucky Man: Stories (Graywolf Press, 2018), which was a finalist for the National Book Award, the Story Prize, the John Leonard Prize, the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award; and winner of a PEN Oakland Award and the Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence. Jamel’s writing has appeared in A Public Space, The Paris Review, Ploughshares, Gulf Coast, The Threepenny Review, Glimmer Train, American Short Fiction, The Believer and Tin House , and it has been anthologized twice in The Best American Short Stories . Jamel was also the 2016-2017 Carol Houck Smith Fellow at the Wisconsin Institute for Creative Writing, a 2018-2020 Wallace Stegner Fellow at Stanford University, and he has been awarded a 2021 O. Henry Prize.
Friday, October 1, 2021 at 4 p.m. virtually.
Laura van den Berg was born and raised in Florida. Her most recent collection of stories, I Hold a Wolf by the Ears , was published by FSG in July and named a “best summer read” by The New York Times, Time Magazine, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar and Entertainment Weekly , among others. She is the author of two previous collections, The Isle of Youth (FSG, 2013) and What the World Will Look Like When All the Water Leaves Us (Dzanc Books, 2009) and the novels Find Me (FSG, 2015) and The Third Hotel (FSG, 2018). The Third Hotel was a finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award, an IndieNext Pick, a Powell’s Books Indispensable Pick and named a “best book of 2018” by over a dozen publications. Laura’s honors include the Rosenthal Family Foundation Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters, the Bard Fiction Prize, a MacDowell Colony Fellowship, a Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, an O. Henry Award and the Jeannette Haien Ballard Writer’s Prize.
Friday, November 5, 2021 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
McQueen’s novel When the Reckoning Comes was published with Harper Perennial , an imprint of HarperCollins . She’s also the author of And It Begins Like This , an essay collection. She received her MFA from Emerson College, her PhD from the University of Missouri, was the 2017-2018 Robert P. Dana Emerging Writer Fellow at Cornell College and is currently an Assistant Professor of English and Creative Writing at Coe College. She writes both fiction and nonfiction and has been published in Carve Magazine, Passages North, Bennington Review, Fugue, Ninth Letter, Grist, The Florida Review, Black Warrior Review, Fourteen Hills, New Orleans Review, Nimrod, New South and Booth . She’s won the Disquiet Literary Prize and the Walker Percy Prize in Fiction.
Friday, March 4, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Ilya Kaminsky was born in Odessa, former Soviet Union in 1977, and arrived to the United States in 1993, when his family was granted asylum by the American government. He is the author of Deaf Republic (Graywolf Press) and Dancing In Odessa (Tupelo Press) and co-editor and co-translated many other books, including Ecco Anthology of International Poetry (Harper Collins) and Dark Elderberry Branch: Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva (Alice James Books). His work won The Los Angeles Times Book Award, The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, The National Jewish Book Award, the Guggenheim Fellowship, The Whiting Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Metcalf Award, Lannan Fellowship, Academy of American Poets’ Fellowship, NEA Fellowship, Poetry magazine's Levinson Prize, and was also shortlisted for the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award, Neustadt International Literature Prize and T.S. Eliot Prize (UK).
Friday, March 26, 2021, at 4 p.m. on Zoom
Aimee Nezhukumatathil is the author of the New York Times best selling illustrated collection of nature essays and Kirkus Prize finalist, World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments (2020, Milkweed Editions), which was chosen as Barnes and Noble’s Book of the Year. She has four previous poetry collections: Oceanic (Copper Canyon Press, 2018), Lucky Fish (2011), At the Drive-In Volcano (2007) and Miracle Fruit (2003), the last three from Tupelo Press. Her most recent chapbook is Lace & Pyrite , a collaboration of garden poems with the poet Ross Gay. Her writing appears twice in the Best American Poetry Series , The New York Times Magazine , ESPN , Ploughshares , American Poetry Review and Tin House .
Friday, September 13, 2019 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Liza Wieland is the author of eight works of fiction and a volume of poems. She has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Christopher Isherwood Foundation and the North Carolina Arts Council. She is the 2017 winner of the Robert Penn Warren Prize from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Her novel, A Watch of Nightingales , won the 2008 Michigan Literary Fiction Award and her previous novel, Land of Enchantment , was a longlist finalist for the 2016 Chautauqua Prize. She lives in Oriental, North Carolina, and she teaches at East Carolina University.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Billy-Ray Belcourt (he/him) is a writer and academic from the Driftpile Cree nation. He is a PhD candidate and 2018 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta; his doctoral project is a creative-theoretical one called "The Conspiracy of NDN Joy." He is also a 2016 Rhodes Scholar and holds an MSt in women's studies from the University of Oxford and Wadham College. In the First Nations Youth category, Belcourt was awarded a 2019 Indspire Award, which is the highest honor the Indigenous community bestows on its own leaders. In January 2020, he will be an assistant professor of Indigenous creative writing at the University of British Columbia.
Friday, October 18, 2019 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311 MFA Workshop: Saturday, October 19 in Denney Hall 311
Born in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands and raised in Apopka, Florida, Nicole Sealey is the author of Ordinary Beast , finalist for the PEN Open Book and Hurston/Wright Legacy Awards, and The Animal After Whom Other Animals Are Named , winner of the Drinking Gourd Chapbook Poetry Prize. Her other honors include a 2019 Rome Prize, the Stanley Kunitz Memorial Prize from The American Poetry Review, the Poetry International Prize and a Daniel Varoujan Award, grants from the Elizabeth George and Jerome Foundations, as well as fellowships from the Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, CantoMundo, Cave Canem, MacDowell Colony and the Poetry Project. Her work has appeared in The New Yorke r and elsewhere. Sealey holds an MLA in Africana studies from the University of South Florida and an MFA in creative writing from New York University. Formerly the executive director at Cave Canem Foundation, she is a 2019-2020 Hodder Fellow at Princeton University.
Friday, January 10, 2020 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311
Robert W. Fieseler is the 2019 National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association "Journalist of the Year" and the acclaimed debut author of Tinderbox: The Untold Story of the Up Stairs Lounge Fire and the Rise of Gay Liberation , winner of the Edgar Award in Best Fact Crime and Lambda Literary's Judith A. Markowitz Award for Emerging Writers. He graduated co-valedictorian from the Columbia Journalism School and lives with his husband and dog in New Orleans.
Friday, January 24, 2020 at 4 p.m. in Denney Hall 311 MFA Workshop: Saturday, January 25 in Denney Hall 311
Dan Kois is the author of How to Be a Family and the co-author of The World Only Spins Forward .
Wednesday, September 12 at 4:30 p.m. at the Wexner Center for the Arts Bookstore
Amy Fusselman is a writer, artist and publisher based in New York City. She is the author of three books of nonfiction: Savage Park: A Meditation on Play, Space and Risk for Americans Who Are Nervous, Distracted and Afraid to Die (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015); The Pharmacist’s Mate (McSweeney’s, 2013); and 8 (McSweeney’s, 2013). Her new book, Idiophone , was released from Coffee House Press on July 3rd, 2018. Her writing has appeared in ARTnews, Ms., The New York Times, Artnet, The Believer, McSweeney’s Internet Tendency, and The Atlantic , among other places. Fusselman is the publisher at Ohio Edit , a digital art and literary journal that offers 99-cent downloadable essays on thought-provoking topics.
Reading: Friday, September 14 at 4:30 p.m. in 311 Denney Hall. MFA Student Workshop: Saturday, September 15.
Danez Smith is a Black, queer, poz writer and performer from St. Paul, MN. Danez is the author of Don’t Call Us Dead (Graywolf Press, 2017), a finalist for the National Book Award, and [insert] boy (YesYes Books, 2014), winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. Danez is also the author of two chapbooks, hands on your knees (2013, Penmanship Books) and black movie (2015, Button Poetry), winner of the Button Poetry Prize. They are the recipient of fellowships from the Poetry Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and is a 2017 National Endowment for the Arts Fellow. Danez's work has been featured widely including in/on Buzzfeed, The New York Times, PBS NewsHour, Best American Poetry, Poetry Magazine, and on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Danez is a member of the Dark Noise Collective and is the co-host of VS with Franny Choi, a podcast sponsored by the Poetry Foundation and Postloudness.
Reading: Friday, September 28 at 4:30 p.m. in 311 Denney Hall. MFA Student Workshop: Saturday, September 29.
Alice McDermott ’s first novel, A Bigamists' Daughter , was published to wide acclaim in 1982. That Night (1987), her second novel, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. At Weddings and Wakes (1992), her third novel, became a New York Times bestseller. Charming Billy (1998), won the National Book Award. Ms. McDermott's other books include Child of My Heart and After This . Ms. McDermott received her BA from the State University of New York at Oswego, and her MA from the University of New Hampshire. She has taught at the University of California at San Diego and American University, has been a writer-in-residence at Lynchburg and Hollins Colleges in Virginia, and was lecturer in English at the University of New Hampshire. Her short stories have appeared in Ms., Redbook, Mademoiselle and Seventeen . The recipient of a Whiting Writers Award, Ms. McDermott is currently writer-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Reading: Friday, March 1 in 311 Denney Hall. Time: 4 p.m. MFA Student Workshop: Saturday, March 2.
Melissa Febos is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir, Whip Smart (St. Martin’s Press 2010) and the essay collection, Abandon Me (Bloomsbury 2017), which The New Yorker called “mesmerizing,” and was an Indie Next Pick and named a Best Book of 2017 by Esquire, Book Riot, The Cut, Electric Literature, The Brooklyn Rail, Bustle, Refinery29, Salon , and The Rumpus . The recipient of an MFA from Sarah Lawrence College, she is currently Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Monmouth University. She serves on the Board of Directors of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts, the PEN America Membership Committee, and co-curated the Manhattan reading and music series, Mixer, for ten years. She curates literary events, teaches workshops, and speaks widely. The daughter of a sea captain and a psychotherapist, she was raised on Cape Cod and lives in Brooklyn.
Friday, April 13, 2018 at 4 p.m. in Denney 311
Tommy “Teebs” Pico is the founder and editor-in-chief of birdsong, an antiracist/queer-positive collective, small press and zine that publishes art and writing. The author of absentMINDR (VERBALVISUAL, 2014)—the first chapbook APP published for iOS mobile/tablet devices—Pico was a Queer/Art/Mentors inaugural fellow and a 2013 Lambda Literary fellow in poetry and has published poems in BOMB, Guernica, [PANK] and elsewhere. Originally from the Viejas Indian reservation of the Kumeyaay nation, he now lives in Brooklyn, where he co-curates the reading series Poets With Attitude (PWA) with Morgan Parker.
Friday, April 6, 2018 at 4 p.m. in Denney 238
Columbus native Gabe Habash comes back to read from his debut novel, Stephen Florida . Hanya Yanagihara, author of A Little Life , says, "In Stephen Florida , Gabe Habash has created a coming-of-age story with its own, often explosive, rhythm and velocity. Habash has a canny sense of how young men speak and behave, and in Stephen, he's created a singular character: funny, ambitious, affecting, but also deeply troubled, vulnerable and compellingly strange. This is a shape-shifter of a book, both a dark ode to the mysteries and landscapes of the American West and a complex and convincing character study." Gabe is currently the fiction reviews editor for Publishers Weekly . He holds an MFA from New York University.
Friday, February 23, 2018 at 4 p.m. in Denney 311 MFA Student Workshop: Saturday, February 24
Lina María Ferreira Cabeza-Vanegas received a 2016 Writer’s Award from the Rona Jaffe Foundation. Her nonfiction book, Don’t Come Back , was released in 2017 from Mad River Books, an imprint of the Ohio State Press. She has MFA degrees in both creative nonfiction and literary translation, both from the University of Iowa. She is also the author of Drown Sever Sing .
Reading: Monday, November 13, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. in 311 Denney Hall
Toni Jensen ’s first story collection, From the Hilltop , was published through the Native Storiers Series at the University of Nebraska Press. Her stories have been published in journals such as Ecotone , Denver Quarterly , and Fiction International and have been anthologized in New Stories from the South , Best of the Southwest , and Best of the West: Stories from the Wide Side of the Missouri . She’s working on a collection-in-progress, called Cowboyistan , about fracking and the sex trafficking of Indigenous women. She teaches in the Programs in Creative Writing and Translation at the University of Arkansas. She is Métis.
Reading: Saturday, November 4, 2017 at 5 p.m. in 311 Denney Hall MFA Student Workshop: Saturday, November 4, 2017
Garth Greenwell is the author of What Belongs to You , which won the British Book Award for Debut of the Year, was longlisted for the National Book Award, and was a finalist for six other awards, including the PEN/Faulkner Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice, it was named a Best Book of 2016 by over fifty publications in nine countries, and is being translated into eleven languages. His short fiction has appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review , A Public Space , and VICE , and he has written criticism for The New Yorker , the London Review of Books , and the New York Times Book Review , among others. He lives in Iowa City.
Reading: Tuesday, October 24, 2017 at 4 p.m. in 311 Denney Hall
Molly Patterson was born in St. Louis and lived in China for several years. Her work has appeared in several magazines, including The Atlantic Monthly and The Iowa Review . She was the 2012-2013 Writer-in-Residence at St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., and is the recipient of a Pushcart Prize. Her debut novel, Rebellion , was published by Harper (HarperCollins) in August 2017.
Reading: Friday, October 20, 2017 at 4:30 p.m. in 311 Denney Hall MFA Student Workshop: Saturday, October 21, 2017
Bangladeshi American poet Tarfia Faizullah grew up in Midland, Texas. She earned an MFA from the Virginia Commonwealth University program in creative writing. Her first book, Seam (2014), won the Crab Orchard Series in Poetry First Book Award. Faizullah’s honors and awards include an Associated Writers Program Intro Journals Award, a Dorothy Sargent Rosenberg Prize, a Copper Nickel Poetry Prize, a Ploughshares’Cohen Award, and a Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference Margaret Bridgman Scholarship in Poetry. A Kundiman fellow, she lives in Detroit where she teaches at the University of Michigan and is an editor for the Asian American Literary Review and Organic Weapon Arts Chapbook Series. Her second book is Registers of Illuminated Villages (Graywolf Press, 2018).
Co-sponsored by project narrative.
Panel Discussion "A Conversation about Camille Dungy's Writing": Tuesday, September 19 at 4 p.m. in 311 Denney Hall Reading: Wednesday, September 20, 2017 at 11 a.m. in 311 Denney Hall
Camille T. Dungy is the author of four collections of poetry: Trophic Cascade (Wesleyan UP, 2017), Smith Blue (Southern Illinois UP, 2011), Suck on the Marrow (Red Hen Press, 2010), and What to Eat, What to Drink, What to Leave for Poison (Red Hen Press, 2006). Her debut collection of personal essays is Guidebook to Relative Strangers (W. W. Norton, 2017). Dungy’s honors include an American Book Award, two Northern California Book Awards, two NAACP Image Award nominations, and a California Book Award silver medal. Her poems and essays have been published in Best American Poetry, The 100 Best African American Poems, nearly thirty other anthologies, and over one hundred print and online journals.
April 7-9, 2017
Lia Purpura is the author of three collections of essays ( Rough Likeness, On Looking, and Increase ) in addition to a collection of translations and three books of poems. A Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award (for On Looking ), she has also been awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, an NEA Fellowship, a Fulbright Foundation Fellowship (Translation, Warsaw, Poland), and three Pushcart Prizes. Lia Purpura is Writer in Residence at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in Baltimore, MD and teaches at the Rainier Writing Workshop in Tacoma, WA. Recently, she has served as Bedell Visiting Writer at the University of Iowa’s MFA Program in Nonfiction. www.liapurpura.com
October 22-23, 2016
Carl Phillips is the author of numerous books of poetry, including Reconnaissance , Silverchest , Double Shadow , Quiver of Arrows: Selected Poems 1986-2006 , and Riding Westward . His honors include the 2006 Academy of American Poets Fellowship, an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Pushcart Prize, the Academy of American Poets Prize, induction into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the Library of Congress. Phillips served as a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets from 2006 to 2012. He is Professor of English and of African and African American Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also teaches in the Creative Writing Program.
September 23-25, 2016
Benjamin Percy is the author of three novels, the most recent among them The Dead Lands (Grand Central/Hachette, April 2015), a post apocalyptic reimagining of the Lewis and Clark saga. He is also the author of Red Moon (Grand Central/Hachette, May 2013) and The Wilding (Graywolf Press, 2010), as well as two books of short stories, Refresh, Refresh (Graywolf Press, 2007) and The Language of Elk (Grand Central/Hachette, 2012; Carnegie Mellon University Press, 2006). His craft book — Thrill Me: Essays on Fiction — will be published by Graywolf Press in October of 2016. And his next novel, The Dark Net , is due out in 2017 with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. He also writes the Green Arrow and Teen Titans series at DC Comics. His honors include a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Whiting Writers’ Award, two Pushcart Prizes, the Plimpton Prize, and inclusion in Best American Short Stories and Best American Comics. He is a member of the WGA screenwriters’ guild and has sold scripts to FOX and Starz. He currently has several film and TV projects in development.
November 20-22, 2015
Stuart Dybek is the author of three books of fiction: I Sailed With Magellan , The Coast of Chicago , and Childhood and Other Neighborhoods . Both I Sailed With Magellan and The Coast of Chicago were New York Times Notable Books, and The Coast of Chicago was a One Book One Chicago selection. Among Dybek’s numerous awards are a PEN/Malamud Prize “for distinguished achievement in the short story,” a Lannan Award, a Whiting Writers Award, an Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, several O.Henry Prizes, and fellowships from the NEA and the Guggenheim Foundation.
January 29-31, 2016
Meghan Daum is the author of four books, most recently the collection of original essays The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion . She is also the editor of Selfish, Shallow and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not To Have Kids . Her other books include the essay collection My Misspent Youth , the novel The Quality of Life Report , and Life Would Be Perfect If I Lived In That House , a memoir. Since 2005, Meghan has been an opinion columnist at The Los Angeles Times, covering cultural and political topics. She is the recipient of a 2015 Guggenheim Fellowship and is currently an adjunct associate professor in the M.F.A. Writing Program at Columbia University's School of the Arts.
February 19-21, 2016
Natalie Diaz was born in the Fort Mojave Indian Village in Needles, California. She is Mojave and an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian community. She is the author of the poetry collection When My Brother Was an Aztec (2012). Her honors and awards include the Nimrod/Hardman Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry, the Louis Untermeyer Scholarship in Poetry from Bread Loaf, the Narrative Poetry Prize, and a Lannan Literary Fellowship. Diaz lives in Mohave Valley, Arizona, where she works with the last speakers of Mojave and directs a language revitalization program.
Thursday, March 26, 2015, Denney Hall 311 Food Writing Panel at 3 p.m. Reading at 4 p.m. Cooking Class (off-campus) at 6 p.m. (more details below and on this flyer [pdf] )
Organized like a cookbook, Books that Cook: The Making of a Literary Meal is a collection of American literature written on the theme of food. The literary works within each section are an extension of these cookbooks, while the cookbook excerpts in turn become pieces of literature — forms of storytelling and memory-making all their own. Each section offers a delectable assortment of poetry, prose and essays, and the selections all include at least one tempting recipe to entice readers to cook this book. Edited by OSU alumni Jennifer Cognard-Black and Melissa A. Goldthwaite , and including work by OSU creative writing professor Kathy Fagan .
Melissa Goldthwaite , Editor, Books that Cook Jennifer Cognard-Black , Editor, Books that Cook Colleen Leonardi , Managing Editor, Edible Columbus Mike Bierschenk , Food Writer, Optional Kitchen Nancy Yan , Lecturer, The Ohio State University Newark Jonathan Buehl , Associate Professor, Ohio State English
Jennifer Cognard-Black , Editor, Books that Cook Melissa Goldthwaite , Editor, Books that Cook Kathy Fagan , Poet and Professor, MFA Faculty, OSU
with Sarah Lagrotteria , Cooking Instructor and Recipe Editor for Edible Columbus at The Seasoned Farmhouse Cooking School in Clintonville
Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 8 p.m. OSU Bookstore - Barnes & Noble Event Space, Second Floor 1598 N. High Street
Gail Caldwell was the chief book critic for The Boston Globe and the winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Her work was noted for “her insightful observations on contemporary life and literature.” She wrote A Strong West Wind: A Memoir (2006) about her native Texas, and Let's Take the Long Way Home (2010), a memoir of her friendship with author Caroline Knapp. Her latest book, New Life, No Instructions, was released in April 2014. She has a Samoyed named Tula.
Thursday, November 13, 2014 Mershon Auditorium/Wexner Center for the Arts 1871 N. High Street 5 p.m.
As of 2012, Zadie Smith has published four novels, all of which have received substantial critical praise. In 2003, she was included on Granta's list of 20 best young authors, and was also included in the 2013 list.[ She joined New York University's Creative Writing Program as a tenured professor on September 1, 2010. Smith has won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2006 and her novel White Teeth was included in Time magazine's TIME: 100 Best English-language Novels from 1923 to 2005 list.
Presented by the President and Provost's Diversity Lecture and Cultural Arts Series, with co-host The Humanities Institute.
Friday, January 16, 2015 at 7 p.m. OSU Bookstore - Barnes & Noble Event Space, Second Floor 1598 N. High Street
Jamaal May is a poet, editor and educator from Detroit, where he taught poetry in public schools and worked as a freelance audio engineer and touring performer. He is the author of Hum (2013), winner of the Beatrice Hawley Award, and two poetry chapbooks ( The God Engine and The Whetting of Teeth ). A graduate of Warren Wilson's MFA program for writers, Jamaal teaches in the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA program.
Friday, February 6, 2015 at 8 p.m. OSU Bookstore - Barnes & Noble Event Space, Second Floor 1598 N. High Street
Sarah Shun-lien Bynum is the author of two novels, Ms. Hempel Chronicles , a finalist for the 2009 PEN/Faulkner Award, and Madeleine Is Sleeping , a finalist for the 2004 National Book Award and winner of the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize. The recipient of a Whiting Writers’ Award and an NEA Fellowship, she was named one of “20 Under 40” fiction writers by the New Yorker. She lives in Los Angeles and teaches in the Graduate Writing Program at Otis College of Art and Design.
January 25, 2014 OSU Bookstore - Barnes & Noble Event Space, Second Floor 1598 N. High Street 8 p.m.
Dan Chaon is the acclaimed author of Among the Missing , which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and You Remind Me of Me , which was named one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post , Chicago Tribune , San Francisco Chronicle , The Christian Science Monitor , and Entertainment Weekly , among other publications. Chaon’s fiction has appeared in many journals and anthologies, including The Best American Short Stories , Pushcart Prize , and The O. Henry Prize Stories . He has been a finalist for the National Magazine Award in Fiction, and he was the recipient of the 2006 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Chaon lives in Cleveland, Ohio, and teaches at Oberlin College, where he is the Pauline M. Delaney Professor of Creative Writing.
November 25, 2013 311 Denney Hall 164 W. 17th Avenue 3 p.m.
Born in Miami, Joy Castro is the author of the novel Hell or High Water and the memoir The Truth Book . She teaches literature, creative writing, and Latino studies at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and her work has appeared in Fourth Genre , Seneca Review and The New York Times Magazine .
November 16, 2013 OSU Bookstore - Barnes & Noble Event Space, Second Floor 1598 N. High Street 7:30 p.m.
Terrance Hayes was born in Columbia, South Carolina in 1971. He received a BA from Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina, and an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh writing program. He is the author of Lighthead (Penguin, 2010), which won the National Book Award for Poetry; Wind in a Box (2006); Hip Logic (2002), which won the 2001 National Poetry Series and was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award; and Muscular Music (1999), winner of the Kate Tufts Discovery Award. He has received many honors and awards, including a Whiting Writers Award, a Pushcart Prize, three Best American Poetry selections, as well as fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship and the Guggenheim Foundation. He is professor of creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh.
October 20, 2013 OSU Bookstore - Barnes & Noble Event Space, Second Floor 1598 N. High Street 4 p.m.
Hope Edelman holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master's degree in writing from the University of Iowa. She is the author of six nonfiction books: the international bestseller Motherless Daughters (1994), which was published in sixteen countries and translated into eleven languages; Letters from Motherless Daughters (1995), an edited collection of letters from readers; Mother of My Mother (1999), which looks at the depth and influence of the grandmother-granddaughter relationship; Motherless Mothers (2006), about the experience of being a mother when you don't have one; and The Possibility of Everything (2009), her first book-length memoir, set in Topanga Canyon, California, and Belize. In 2012 she collaborated with actors and filmmakers Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez to help them write their father-son memoir, Along the Way .
To find dates, times and locations for these events, check the event calendar.
Epilog is an annual public performance which showcases creative work by third-year students in the MFA Program in Creative Writing. Epilog is an opportunity for the public to discover the prose and poetry that is being created by current MFA students. Following brief introductions by creative writing faculty, participating students give readings of their poetry, essays and stories in a formal, gala-like atmosphere. Chapbooks including selections from each of the presenting students are available at the event. This event is sponsored by the Writer's Guild.
Each Ohio State University MFA candidate is a member of Writers Guild, an organization dedicated to enhancing student life and the university community through fundraisers, social activities, industry panels and recognition of graduating classmates. Its board serves as a liaison between graduate students and faculty to discuss developments and communicate news.
The English Graduate Organization is a professional development, networking and advocacy group for all graduate students in the English department. EGO allows graduate students to have a tangible impact on departmental decisions and policies. Elected to specific committees, EGO officers coordinate academic and social events, serve on faculty committees and act as liaisons between graduate students and administration, providing a crucial voice in discussions that affect students’ day-to-day lives and future careers. In addition to promoting the interests of a dynamic graduate student body, EGO offers a valuable opportunity for its officers to prepare for service responsibilities in a profession that thrives on self-governance. EGO officers can vote at monthly English Department Council meetings, which all graduate students can attend.
The award-winning literary journal of The Ohio State University, The Journal contributes significantly toward the literary landscape of Ohio and the nation. The Journal seeks to identify and encourage emerging writers while also attracting the work of established writers to create a diverse and compelling magazine.
The Young Writers Workshop is a week-long summer program for high school students in Columbus City Schools, charter schools in the City of Columbus, South-Western City Schools, and Reynoldsburg City Schools. Each year, the Ohio State creative writing faculty choose 30 students from the application pool to come live on campus and study writing with writers from around the country, including current students in and alumni of the Department of English's MFA Program in Creative Writing. Students are selected based on the promise of their writing — we don’t ask for grades or letters of recommendation, just a statement of intent and writing samples. The program is entirely funded by a generous donor, and all participating students receive full scholarships.
Students attend daily workshops and courses taught by Ohio State faculty, graduate alumni and graduate students and have time to work on their own writing every day as well as attend readings, sessions with visiting writers in various fields, and other events, and participate in an open mic reading of their own work. The program concludes with a capstone event honoring the students and their families.
The deadline for all awards is Wednesday, February 21, 2024, at 11:59 pm EST . Please open the attachment below for award information, submission links and instructions.
To view a list of award winners, visit the Graduate Student Awards page.
Students in the MFA program must complete 39 semester hours of graduate-level course work, including:
All admitted students are fully funded for our three-year MFA program in Creative Writing. In addition, all students receive either a graduate teaching associateship, a Graduate School fellowship or a combination of the two. Funding is renewed on a yearly basis as long as the student maintains satisfactory academic progress.
The Graduate Admissions Committee for the Department of English will accept applications to the MFA program from students with an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university.
The Graduate School requires that those admitted have an undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 on a scale of 4 (where 4.0=A) and at least a 3.0 on all previous graduate work. Our departmental criteria are higher: A GPA of at least 3.2 overall is preferred. Coursework in a foreign language is not required for admission.
If you have already earned an MFA in creative writing or are in the process of completing an MFA program in creative writing, you are not eligible for admission to our program.
Submit all following items through the Graduate Admissions Office :
Please note: As of autumn 2018, the Department of English at Ohio State no longer requires GRE scores for applications to its PhD or MFA programs.
Incomplete applications will not be considered.
If your native language is not English:
You can read more about the university's proof of English proficiency requirements here .
All admissions to the MFA program are made for the autumn semester only; the application portal for autumn 2025 will open on September 1, 2024. The application deadline for domestic applicants is December 2, 2024, and the application deadline for international applicants is November 25, 2024
Students must apply online and submit all materials (Graduate Admissions and Department requirements) electronically through the Office of Graduate Admissions . Please note that your recommenders will receive an email from the university 1-3 days after you submit your application and they should follow the instructions in that email for uploading their letters.
For questions that can't be answered by the information above, the Creative Writing Program can be reached by email or by phone ( 614-247-9670 ).
[pdf] - Some links on this page are to Adobe .pdf files requiring the use of Adobe Reader. If you need these files in a more accessible format, please contact [email protected] .
The University of Virginia's Creative Writing Program offers a master of fine arts in poetry and fiction writing, undergraduate English concentrations in poetry and literary prose, and elective coursework at the undergraduate and graduate levels. If you are just beginning, we have 2000-level classes in our undergraduate curriculum that are open enrollment (though some sections are restricted to first- and second-year students). Intermediate and advanced writers can take courses from our full-time faculty by instructor permission, and citizen scholars can also apply. See our undergraduate page for more information.
At the graduate level, we offer one of the best MFA programs in the country with award-winning faculty and alumni whose poetry and prose is in print or forthcoming from some of the top houses and prizes.
A late afternoon of contemplative soundscapes crafted from poetry, piano, electronics, and saxophone by poet and performer JJJJJerome Ellis. Ellis comes to UVA as a Rea Writer in Poetry.
UVA's newest poetry faculty member, Sumita Chakraborty, reads from her work.
Laleh Khadivi reads from her work as part of her time at UVA as a Rea Visitor. Khadivi was born in Esfahan, Iran. Her debut novel, The Age of Orphans, received the Whiting Award for Fiction.
We are pleased to announce that 2024 MFA in poetry graduate MaKshya Tolbert has been selected for the National Poetry Series. Her first collection, Shade Is a Place , will be released by Penguin in 2025. For details see this press release .
In 2024–25, our MFA students will receive an increase of three percent to their fellowship income and teaching wages, which means students will receive up to $31,518 in their first and second years, and up to $25,214 in their third year. The first- and second-year amounts are higher because those
Congratulations to poetry faculty member Brian Teare on his new book, Poem Bitten by a Man , and this review on The Poetry Foundation website .
Ranking graduate creative writing programs is a fraught process because we're all so different. But here's a site that tries to do so by quantitatively scoring alumni publications in publications like Best American Short Stories , Best American Poetry , The Pushcart Prize , etc. UVA stacks up well
This is an attempt at creating an objective ranking of graduate creative writing programs.
For further and more detailed information on how the scores are generated see the methodology page.
Program | Overall score | Fiction score | Poetry score | CNF score | Genres | Degrees | State |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
11475 | 10600 | 9350 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | MD | |
9225 | 10350 | 8100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | IN | |
8484 | 7900 | 7100 | 12100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | OH | |
8400 | 9100 | 7700 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | VA | |
8300 | 10580 | 4350 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | IA | |
7183 | 8350 | 2600 | 10350 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | AZ | |
7016 | 5850 | 1933 | 183 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | TX | |
6988 | 9850 | 4350 | 6100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | PhD | OH | |
6850 | 2600 | 3350 | 1100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama | MFA, PhD | FL | |
5600 | 100 | 100 | 5600 | CNF | MFA, PhD | IA | |
5475 | 3100 | 1850 | 1412 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA, PhD | TX | |
5350 | 3850 | 1475 | 225 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | IN | |
5266 | 5600 | 3350 | 6850 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | MN | |
5183 | 6766 | 2100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | NY | |
5100 | 6100 | 4100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | NC | |
4600 | 3475 | 1225 | 475 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | AZ | |
4544 | 5100 | 3350 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama | MFA | MA | |
4500 | 3100 | 2100 | 9100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | PA | |
4366 | 3877 | 5100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | NC | |
4266 | 6100 | 2433 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | PhD | CA | |
4266 | 3600 | 766 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama | MFA | WI | |
4145 | 2781 | 1372 | 190 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | MI | |
4100 | 1766 | 4433 | 6100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | ID | |
3975 | 1433 | 5100 | 5766 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, PhD | OH | |
3933 | 2683 | 1433 | 183 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | CA | |
3645 | 6300 | 1433 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | FL | |
3266 | 4433 | 2100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | TN | |
3100 | 1946 | 946 | 407 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Multimedia | MFA | RI | |
2933 | 1711 | 988 | 433 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA, PhD | NY | |
2918 | 3814 | 1350 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MA, PhD | MS | |
2900 | 4100 | 1700 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | OH | |
2850 | 850 | 850 | 1350 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NM | |
2833 | 2242 | 2300 | 5100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | MT | |
2725 | 475 | 2100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | MD | |
2655 | 3350 | 1766 | 2600 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | FL | |
2600 | 1400 | 1300 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | OR | |
2500 | 2544 | 2200 | 4100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | MA | |
2475 | 1600 | 600 | 725 | MA, PhD | NE | ||
2475 | 100 | 4600 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | MS | |
2447 | 3946 | 300 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama | MFA | NY | |
2350 | 2100 | 2350 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | IN | |
2300 | 1300 | 1100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | MO | |
2266 | 5100 | 3100 | 4600 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | MI | |
2225 | 1350 | 3100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | IL | |
2225 | 2500 | 100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | CO | |
2166 | 616 | 333 | 1500 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA | MFA | VT | |
2100 | 766 | 4766 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | VA | |
2080 | 1000 | 320 | 960 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | VT | |
2016 | 1600 | 350 | 350 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | VA | |
2016 | 1016 | 916 | 316 | Fiction, Poetry | MA, MFA | NY | |
2000 | 1200 | 600 | 1400 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama | MFA | IA | |
1975 | 558 | 1058 | 975 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA, PhD | UT | |
1850 | 800 | 650 | 750 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | AL | |
1766 | 1600 | 266 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | FL | |
1766 | 100 | 1300 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | VA | |
1766 | 2600 | 850 | 2433 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | LA | |
1683 | 1100 | 183 | 600 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, MFA | CO | |
1600 | 700 | 900 | 400 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | WA | |
1600 | 1475 | 225 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | LA | |
1600 | 3100 | 100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | SC | |
1544 | 1544 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | WY | |
1529 | 744 | 529 | 462 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NY | |
1463 | 1766 | 1350 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA, PhD | NV | |
1433 | 2766 | 100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | ID | |
1385 | 385 | 528 | 671 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | AK | |
1385 | 1242 | 242 | 171 | Fiction, Poetry, Translation | MFA | AR | |
1372 | 100 | 100 | 3600 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | CA | |
1360 | 885 | 850 | 3100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA, Drama, Screenwriting | MA, MFA | KY | |
1350 | 766 | 516 | 266 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA, PhD | MI | |
1340 | 1016 | 725 | 2500 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | VA | |
1330 | 510 | 612 | 356 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, PhD | MO | |
1300 | 544 | 100 | 855 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | MA | |
1300 | 1200 | 200 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | TX | |
1266 | 1266 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | IL | |
1262 | 748 | 370 | 289 | Fiction, Poetry | MA, MFA | CA | |
1260 | 1683 | 600 | 1100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | LA | |
1242 | 671 | 671 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | TX | |
1242 | 600 | 100 | 742 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | OR | |
1233 | 1385 | 766 | 1300 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NH | |
1211 | 1475 | 957 | 1100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | WA | |
1100 | 433 | 683 | 266 | Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting | MFA | DC | |
1100 | 513 | 341 | 651 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, PhD | TX | |
1100 | 516 | 683 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MA | CA | |
1100 | 1100 | 100 | 1100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Screenwriting | MFA | KY | |
1100 | 100 | 1100 | 2100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | WV | |
1100 | 350 | 1600 | 1766 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | WA | |
1044 | 988 | 100 | 155 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NY | |
1016 | 100 | 1766 | 3100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | IN | |
1000 | 1900 | 100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | MO | |
1000 | 1000 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MA, MFA | NM | |
1000 | 100 | 600 | 500 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | UT | |
988 | 433 | 488 | 266 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | CA | |
975 | 2433 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | OH | |
957 | 1300 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | FL | |
933 | 100 | 100 | 272 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama | MA | ON | |
933 | 933 | 100 | 1766 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NJ | |
900 | 546 | 376 | 176 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NY | |
900 | 500 | 100 | 500 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, MFA | IL | |
877 | 2433 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Graphic Novel | MFA | FL | |
839 | 100 | 1100 | 3433 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Popular Fiction | MFA | ME | |
833 | 633 | 100 | 300 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | NC | |
827 | 100 | 100 | 827 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NC | |
822 | 488 | 100 | 433 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | MN | |
787 | 725 | 162 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | NJ | |
725 | 725 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | CA | |
700 | 100 | 100 | 500 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | OH | |
700 | 1350 | 100 | 433 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | GA | |
671 | 1100 | 100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | PA | |
671 | 457 | 314 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | FL | |
671 | 528 | 814 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | NC | |
651 | 444 | 272 | 134 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | PhD | CO | |
633 | 633 | 100 | 366 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA, PhD | GA | |
625 | 175 | 200 | 450 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | WA | |
600 | 600 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama | MFA, PhD | KS | |
600 | 100 | 600 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | TX | |
566 | 366 | 300 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA, PhD | TN | |
548 | 548 | 100 | 203 | Fiction, CNF | MFA, PhD | GA | |
544 | 1100 | 100 | 0 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Translation | MFA | NY | |
533 | 333 | 100 | 300 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Screenwriting | MFA | NM | |
520 | 300 | 180 | 240 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | OR | |
520 | 273 | 372 | 975 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA | MFA | CA | |
500 | 100 | 100 | 500 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NV | |
500 | 100 | 100 | 500 | CNF | MFA | MD | |
479 | 203 | 410 | 134 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA | MA, PhD | NY | |
477 | 233 | 166 | 366 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, PhD | TX | |
475 | 100 | 100 | 475 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | SC | |
461 | 127 | 100 | 350 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | IL | |
433 | 100 | 100 | 433 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | WA | |
433 | 700 | 1600 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | VA | |
433 | 133 | 166 | 266 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA, Drama, Screenwriting, Graphic Novel | MFA | VT | |
400 | 100 | 100 | 400 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | IL | |
400 | 400 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | NY | |
400 | 220 | 220 | 160 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, PhD | WI | |
400 | 150 | 250 | 200 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Multimedia | MFA | CA | |
400 | 233 | 200 | 166 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, PhD | IL | |
390 | 172 | 100 | 318 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA, Drama, Screenwriting, Translation, Lyric and libretto, Radio drama, Graphic Novel | MFA | BC | |
375 | 100 | 375 | 100 | CA | |||
341 | 237 | 168 | 134 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | PA | |
340 | 100 | 220 | 220 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA | MFA | MN | |
340 | 180 | 180 | 340 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA, Translation | MFA | NJ | |
340 | 340 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | OR | |
330 | 100 | 100 | 1100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA | AZ | |
306 | 100 | 100 | 306 | MA, PhD | LA | ||
306 | 100 | 306 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, MFA | CO | |
300 | 300 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | KS | |
300 | 100 | 100 | 300 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | OH | |
300 | 100 | 300 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | NH | |
276 | 100 | 100 | 276 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | CA | |
273 | 100 | 100 | 600 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | CT | |
272 | 272 | 100 | 100 | ||||
272 | 272 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama | MA | Québec | |
272 | 272 | 100 | 272 | MA | MO | ||
272 | 100 | 272 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, Multimedia | MFA | NY | |
272 | 100 | 100 | 272 | ||||
260 | 260 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | NY | |
242 | 100 | 100 | 242 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | SK | |
242 | 242 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | CA | |
240 | 450 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA, PhD | OK | |
237 | 237 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama | MFA | Ontario | |
237 | 100 | 134 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama | MFA | CA | |
237 | 100 | 237 | 100 | ||||
237 | 100 | 237 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MA | MS | |
227 | 188 | 139 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | NY | |
203 | 203 | 100 | 100 | MN | |||
203 | 203 | 100 | 203 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA | RI | |
203 | 203 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, Drama | MA, PhD | New Brunswick | |
200 | 150 | 150 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | CA | |
180 | 140 | 100 | 140 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | IL | |
168 | 168 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA | TX | |
168 | 168 | 100 | 168 | ||||
166 | 100 | 100 | 166 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA | OK | |
166 | 166 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | CA | |
134 | 134 | 100 | 100 | MA | Ontario | ||
134 | 100 | 100 | 134 | CT | |||
112 | 100 | 100 | 112 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA, MFA | PA | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | CA | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | TN | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | SC | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | MA, PhD | HI | ||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | MA | CA | ||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA | MI | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MFA | KY | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | MA, PhD | NY | ||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | ||||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | ||||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | ||||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | MA | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA | NY | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | MFA | MO | ||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | ||||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Screenwriting | MFA | MO | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama, Screenwriting | MFA | LA | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Drama, Screenwriting | MA, PhD | CT | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, CYA, Graphic Novel | MFA | MA | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF | MA | NE | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | CNF | MFA | GA | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry, CNF, Translation | MFA | CO | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Poetry | MFA | NJ | |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | TX | |||
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | Fiction, Poetry | MFA | MA |
Lists of authors without graduate creative writing degrees or whose degree status is unknown are available. Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected] .
Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories , Best American Essays , Best American Poetry , The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology .
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Creative writing is a career chased by those who have a passion and talent for writing. Whether your medium is fictional stories, poetry, screenwriting, or non-fictional stories, creative writing allows you to express yourself through your work. If you think this is what you want to do with your life, you should pursue a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.
Entertainment is one of the most commonly overlooked necessities in life. Everyone you speak to throughout your day will be looking forward to some form of entertainment. Most often, people go home at night to watch movies, TV shows, or read books. As a creative writer, you could help provide a steady stream of entertainment, making your job surprisingly vital to society. For anyone wanting a creative job, creative writing is a fantastic option.
Before we get to the best MFA in Creative Writing programs, let’s explore the difference between an MFA and Master’s Degree in Creative Writing.
Chances are you have already completed an undergraduate degree in creative writing or a similar field. Assuming this is the case, you’re likely trying to decide your next step. With the two most common paths at this point being so similar, choosing MFA or a master’s degree can be a difficult decision. So what sets them apart and which one should you choose?
An MFA is often considered to be the highest-level academic degree you can earn for certain fine arts specializations, including creative writing. In a master’s of fine arts program , there is more of a focus on writing and preparing you to become a writer. It does require more credit hours than a master’s degree program, but if you want to be a writer, this path gives you the best education and preparation.
A Master’s Degree in Creative Writing, on the other hand, most often allows for a concentration in creative writing instead of a specialization. With a master’s degree, you would receive an education more focused on analyzing and studying literature rather than writing and composing. While a master’s degree is the quicker option, due to fewer required credit hours, it may not be the best if you plan to become a writer.
In either degree program, there are options for concentrations within creative writing. The most common are fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry, genre fiction, and at some schools, screenwriting. These are pretty self-explanatory; fiction focuses on writing fictional works, nonfiction focuses on nonfictional writing, poetry focuses on writing poems, genre fiction allows you to focus on one genre of fiction like romance or horror, and screenwriting focuses on writing scripts for movies, plays, and TV shows.
Attending a school with a great MFA in Creative Writing program is essential to receiving the best education. While many schools offer these programs, you will want to be fully prepared for your career as a writer upon graduating, and not every school can promise you will be. Applying to one of the following 11 schools, which are ranked as some of the absolute best for MFA in Creative Writing programs, is a great way to secure your future writing career.
In Omaha, Nebraska, you can enroll in the University of Nebraska’s MFA in Creative Writing program. Students of this program will complete 60 credit hours of coursework in various genres while focusing on one genre based on the student’s specialization. The program is made up of four 16-week long writing seminars and five 10-day long residency workshops. Both the seminars and the workshops are designed to help prepare you as a writer.
To enroll in this program, applicants will need to provide their official transcripts, a resume, two letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and a writing sample that consists of 15 to 40 pages in their genre. As with all MFA programs, you will also need to have completed a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing or a similar subject.
The Queens University of Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina, offers a low-residency MFA in Creative Writing. This program ensures there are never more than four students per teacher, which helps students get the quality education they need. Students of this program will have opportunities to write for the school’s literary journal or start an internship to help get their work published.
Requirements to apply to this program include submitting a resume, official transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and a 25-page writing portfolio. There is no requirement as to the genre the writing portfolio must be in, though you should focus on the genre you wish to pursue in your career.
At Lindenwood University in Saint Charles, Missouri, students can enroll in an MFA in Creative Writing. This program consists of 48 required credit hours that can be completed entirely online or on-campus. For both paths, no residency is required. Students of this program can take courses designed for both creative writers and those interested in journalism and editing. Most of the courses are taught by experienced authors and journalists, giving students a unique perspective.
Many opportunities are available to you at Lindenwood University, including being an editorial assistant for the school’s literary journal. To enroll in this program, you will need to submit a sample of your reactive writing as well as your official transcripts.
For those who wish to complete an online master’s degree , National University in San Diego, California, offers a completely online MFA in Creative Writing with no residency required. This program offers online workshops and seminars to provide students with an interactive online learning experience.
Students of this program will be required to complete elective courses. Many of these courses are unique and can help customize your degree, like film and directing courses or literary studies courses.
In El Paso, Texas, students can enroll in a unique bilingual MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas. In fact, this is the only bilingual MFA program available in the world, providing students with a classroom experience in which English and Spanish coexist. While this program is on-campus, the university also offers an online MFA in Creative Writing program that can be completed from anywhere in the world.
The programs at this university require students to complete 48 credit hours made up of 42 credit hours of workshops and six for thesis work. To enroll, students must provide official undergraduate transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose and either eight to 10 pages of poetry or 20 pages of fictional writing.
At the Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, Kentucky, students can enroll in a low-residency MFA in Creative Writing program that is primarily online. The program requires students to attend at least 12 credit hours of residencies which are available in the winter in Lexington, Kentucky and in the summer in Lisbon, Portugal. Students can choose which residencies to attend, providing freedom of scheduling and the ability to travel.
To apply to the program at Eastern Kentucky University, students will need to provide GRE scores, undergraduate transcripts, a well-written resume , multiple letters of recommendation, and a writing portfolio. Students must also have completed an undergraduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Oregon State University offers an on-campus MFA in Creative Writing program at its Corvallis, Oregon, location as well as an online MFA in Creative Writing through its campus in Bend, Oregon. This university is known for having many successful graduates from the MFA program and currently has the highest cumulative GPA of any college in the state of Oregon.
These programs consist of many different focuses, from spiritual writing to physical geography writing, and take around two years to complete. After completion, students will be considered for external GTA positions by the school, helping students find employment right away. To enroll, you will need to submit a resume highlighting achievements and awards, a writing portfolio, transcripts, and a statement of objectives.
Bay Path University in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, offers a fully online MFA in Nonfiction Writing with no required residencies. There is also an option for students to study abroad in Ireland through this program. This is a great option for anyone who is unable to attend residencies and other on-campus activities but still wishes to earn a degree. The program here consists of 39 required credit hours and is designed for students at all levels of their writing careers.
To be accepted into this program, you will need to have maintained a GPA of 3.0 or higher and submit official transcripts with a 250-word essay, 10 pages of writing samples, and two letters of recommendation.
In Monticello, Arkansas, you can enroll in the University of Arkansas’ non-residency MFA in Creative Writing program. This program consists of 48 required credit hours in one of three genres: poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Students of this program will be able to learn at their own pace, with allowances of anywhere between three and 12 credit hours per semester.
To apply to the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s MFA in Creative Writing, you will need to apply with official transcripts showing a GPA of 3.0 or higher, a manuscript, a personal essay, a critical writing analysis, and three letters of recommendation.
The University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, offers both online and on-campus versions of their MFA in Creative Writing program. Both programs take students around three years to complete and allow for focuses in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Students of these programs will also have the opportunity to study abroad in Ireland or Italy over the summers.
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To enroll in one of these programs, students need to apply with GRE scores, official transcripts, and other documentation such as a resume and writing portfolio. Students do need to maintain at least a B in all classes to stay in the program once accepted.
In Boston, Massachusetts, you can attend Emerson College and enroll in its MFA in Popular Fiction Writing. This program is taught by award-winning faculty members and offers a concentration in all sorts of genres. Some of the more popular choices include mystery, horror, and young adult writing. The program requires students to complete 36 credit hours, 16 of which are workshops and four of which must be spent on a thesis.
Emerson College focuses on teaching students that writing is both a professional career and a form of art. They strive to help students learn about the history of their chosen genre, and help them to develop their own unique voice as a writer.
Creative writing is a great way to express yourself and your own interests in a way that benefits your career. Whether you wish to be a fiction writer, poet, or journalist, creative writing is a great skill to have. Being able to write unique works ensures an interested audience, which helps you become more successful.
While it is possible to land creative jobs without a degree , earning an MFA in Creative Writing is one of the best ways to turn your passion into a career. With plenty of job opportunities and a societal demand for constant entertainment, you are sure to make a decent living.
Attending one of the best 11 schools listed above is the best way to make sure your education is tailored to your needs. With options for online and on-campus degrees, you can’t go wrong with any of the best MFA in Creative Writing programs mentioned above.
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Students complete a degree path inspired by Sewanee's literary traditions and one that works with their schedule.
Students at the School of Letters take three summers of residential study at Sewanee, supplemented by an independent study and then a thesis semester. Most students complete the program in three years, though there are options for condensing or extending this timeline if desired. The MFA is awarded upon completion of 30 credit hours and successful submission of a creative thesis.
Each summer, students enroll in a workshop and a forms course, as well as the Craft and Practice colloquium (see below) for a total of seven (7) credits per summer. While most students take classes in the track they chose when applying to Sewanee (fiction, poetry, or nonfiction) they are allowed to take classes in any genre they like. It is common for students to have a primary and secondary genre interest, or to try a little bit of everything. Forms courses are essentially literature seminars, though their focus is on developing creative practice and critical reading skills rather than on scholarly writing or theory-driven analysis. Forms courses change topic and instructor from summer to summer, and so may be repeated for credit.
This is a one (1) credit colloquium focused on professional development, publishing opportunities, craft talks, submit-a-thons, meetings with visiting authors/editors/agents, and anything else that falls under the broad rubric of “the writing life.” The School of Letters offers a robust and varied series of public programs, class visits, panel discussions, and informal gatherings during the six-week summer session. Students are expected to attend these events and produce short-form responses detailing what they have learned and how they intend to apply it in their own writing and publishing practice. Students are automatically registered for this class during their first and second summers. During the third summer, students are invited to all School of Letters events but are not registered for the class and need not submit responses to events they attend.
During the calendar year between the second and third summers, students are strongly encouraged to take a one-semester independent study for four (4) credit hours. The student proposes an independent study project to the Director, who will pair them with a faculty member to serve as one-on-one mentor. Students have considerable latitude in proposing independent studies. Some use the time to do a deep dive into the work of a particular author, topic, or research question; some take the opportunity to explore a secondary genre interest; some use the time to do preparatory work for their thesis. The student and her mentor work together to develop a reading list, define the scope and nature of the work, and set a schedule.
When the student has twenty-four (24) credit hours, they are eligible to begin their thesis work. Most students hit this benchmark at the end of their third summer of study. The thesis is a mandatory, one-semester project worth six (6) credits. Upon approval of the thesis proposal, the student is invited to choose their own advisor. The advisor will provide detailed editorial feedback as well as general guidance, but thesis work is primarily self-directed and more intensive than the independent study. It is expected that the student will enter the thesis process with a substantial body of material already drafted, so that the thesis semester can be primarily focused on revision and, ideally, completion of a full-length creative manuscript such as a novel, a memoir, or a collection of poems, essays, or short stories. Students may choose to embark upon their thesis semester immediately after they finish their third summer, or wait until the following spring.
First summer - Workshop, Forms, Craft and Practice - 7 credits
Second summer - Workshop, Forms, Craft and Practice - 14 credits total
Between summers two and three - Independent study - 18 credits total
Third summer - Workshop and Forms course - 24 credits total
After third summer - Thesis - 30 credits total
Students who wish to hasten their degree progress may request additional independent studies. Such requests are granted at the Director’s discretion and may be limited based on faculty availability. Students who wish to slow their degree progress–either to extend their time at Sewanee or to accommodate changes in their personal lives–have the option of registering as half-time students over the summer (i.e. only taking one class) or declining to take an independent study. Declining the independent study is not recommended, as may result in paying for extra credits. The thesis is required to graduate.
Our writing workshops are designed to challenge and develop writing skills and knowledge of literary traditions. Our faculty members are renowned writers eager to encourage emerging literary artists.
Our students have gone on to do some pretty amazing things. Our MFA graduates are now actors, published writers, workshop leaders, and more.
At the end of each summer, our MA and MFA students participate in WRITERS READ, where students share their written work with the Sewanee community.
By Terry Helms | April 19, 2011
All of these programs (with the exception of University of Arkansas and Ohio State) will need to spend much more time on their online promotional materials in order to make the jump from this list to the bigger one: the Top 50 national rankings, as published by Poets & Writers. Applicants to these (and, really, all) programs need to know precisely what percentage of incoming students receive the equivalent of a full tuition waiver and a livable stipend, as well as see some hard data on how selective their target programs are. Until that happens, most of these programs will continue to be unjustly underrated rather than justly highly-ranked. And, not for nothing, nearly all of these programs (with a few notable exceptions: Florida State, Iowa State, Ohio State, University of Arkansas, University of Miami, and University of Texas at Austin, all fully funded programs) could do with even more full-funding packages for incoming students.
For those keeping count, this is the second year this list has been compiled. Last year’s list can be found here . Feel free to discuss these and other programs in the comments section below.
Source: Huffington Post, HUFFPOST COLLEGE, The Top 25 Underrated Creative Writing MFA Programs (2011-2012) . Posted: 04/18/11 11:23 AM ET, by Seth Abramson.
A graduate of Dartmouth College, Harvard Law School and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Seth Abramson is the author of two collections of poetry, Northerners (Western Michigan University Press, 2011), winner of the 2010 Green Rose Prize, and The Suburban Ecstasies (Ghost Road Press, 2009). Presently a doctoral candidate in English at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he is also the co-author of the forthcoming third edition of The Creative Writing MFA Handbook (Continuum, 2012).
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Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.
Find a home for your poems, stories, essays, and reviews by researching the publications vetted by our editorial staff. In the Literary Magazines database you’ll find editorial policies, submission guidelines, contact information—everything you need to know before submitting your work to the publications that share your vision for your work.
Whether you’re pursuing the publication of your first book or your fifth, use the Small Presses database to research potential publishers, including submission guidelines, tips from the editors, contact information, and more.
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Every week a new publishing professional shares advice, anecdotes, insights, and new ways of thinking about writing and the business of books.
Find publishers ready to read your work now with our Open Reading Periods page, a continually updated resource listing all the literary magazines and small presses currently open for submissions.
Since our founding in 1970, Poets & Writers has served as an information clearinghouse of all matters related to writing. While the range of inquiries has been broad, common themes have emerged over time. Our Top Topics for Writers addresses the most popular and pressing issues, including literary agents, copyright, MFA programs, and self-publishing.
Our series of subject-based handbooks (PDF format; $4.99 each) provide information and advice from authors, literary agents, editors, and publishers. Now available: The Poets & Writers Guide to Publicity and Promotion, The Poets & Writers Guide to the Book Deal, The Poets & Writers Guide to Literary Agents, The Poets & Writers Guide to MFA Programs, and The Poets & Writers Guide to Writing Contests.
Find a home for your work by consulting our searchable databases of writing contests, literary magazines, small presses, literary agents, and more.
Poets & Writers lists readings, workshops, and other literary events held in cities across the country. Whether you are an author on book tour or the curator of a reading series, the Literary Events Calendar can help you find your audience.
Get the Word Out is a new publicity incubator for debut fiction writers and poets.
Research newspapers, magazines, websites, and other publications that consistently publish book reviews using the Review Outlets database, which includes information about publishing schedules, submission guidelines, fees, and more.
Well over ten thousand poets and writers maintain listings in this essential resource for writers interested in connecting with their peers, as well as editors, agents, and reading series coordinators looking for authors. Apply today to join the growing community of writers who stay in touch and informed using the Poets & Writers Directory.
Let the world know about your work by posting your events on our literary events calendar, apply to be included in our directory of writers, and more.
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jelhai replied on October 14, 2009 - 11:08pm Permalink
Seth Abramson wrote: "Generally speaking, low-residency programs do not offer much if any financial aid, cannot offer teaching opportunities to students,...are less likely to be gauged on the basis of their locales (as applicants only spend the briefest of periods on campus), and, because their faculties are part-time, are more likely to feature star-studded faculty rosters."
Given that hundreds, surely thousands, of people DO apply to low-residency programs each year, doesn't that suggest that many of the qualities measured in these rankings are unimportant to a significant number of students? And what is the basis for asserting that low-residency faculties are more star-studded than others? Even if it were true, how would it matter?
Finally, don't rankings merely offer a lazy short cut to school selection, perpetuating the myth that some programs are inherently better than others, when prospective students would benefit most by finding the program that is best suited to their individual aims and needs? You may not intentionally provide these rankings as a template for school selection, but you can bet that many people will foolishly use them that way, just as people use the US News & World Report rankings.
Seth Abramson replied on October 15, 2009 - 11:46am Permalink
Hi Jelhai, You're absolutely right that the hundreds (not thousands; the national total is under 2,000) of aspiring poets and fiction-writers who apply to low-residency programs annually are, generally speaking, a very different demographic than those who apply to full-residency programs: they tend to be older, they are more likely to be married and/or have children, they are more likely to be professionals (i.e. have a career rather than a job), they are more likely to be (only relatively speaking) financially stable, they are more likely to have strong personal, financial, or logistical ties to their current location (hence the decision to apply to low-res programs, which require minimal travel and no moving). That's the reason this article did not contemplate low-res programs, in additional to the reasons already stated in the article. So when the article makes claims about MFA applicants, yes, it is referring to full-residency MFA applicants. Assessing low-residency programs and their applicants would be an entirely different project, requiring a different assessment rubric as well as--as the article implicitly acknowledges--a different series of first principles about applicant values. As to the rankings that are here, keep in mind that what you're seeing is an abbreviated version. The full version, available either in the upcoming print edition or as an e-book (available for purchase on this site), includes data categories for each school: duration, size, funding scheme, cost of living, teaching load, curriculum focus (studio or academic). These are some of the most important "individual aims and needs" the hundreds and hundreds of MFA applicants I've spoken with over the past three years have referenced. Indeed, I've even done polling (the first-ever polling of its kind) to ask applicants what they value most in making their matriculation decision: in a recent poll of 325 MFA applicants (where applicants could list more than one top choice), 59% said funding was most important, 44% said reputation (e.g. ranking) was most important, 34% said location, 19% said faculty, and much smaller percentages said "curriculum" and "selectivity." These rankings (and the article above) specifically urge applicants to make their own decisions about location, but provide ample information about funding, reputation, curriculum, and selectivity--four of applicants' top six matriculation considerations. Needless to say, many applicants will have "individual aims and needs" that they need to consider in making their matriculation decision, and I always urge them to look to those needs with the same fervor they consider (as they do) funding, reputation, location, and so on. But to imply these rankings haven't done the necessary footwork to ask applicants what their primary aims and needs are is simply incorrect. In fact, in the poll referenced above applicants were given the opportunity to vote for "none of the above"--meaning, they were invited to say that their top consideration in choosing a school was something other than the six categories referenced above. Only 1% of poll respondents chose this option. So when we speak casually of "individual aims and needs," I think we need to remember that these aims and needs are no longer as unknowable as they once were--largely due to efforts like the one that produced these rankings. And again, for those who don't see their own aims and needs reflected in the data chart that accompanies this ranking (and which you haven't seen yet), I say--as I always say--that these rankings and this data should be used only as a starting point for making an intensely personal and particularized decision. Take care, Seth
Seth Abramson replied on October 15, 2009 - 12:01pm Permalink
P.S. I should say, too, that the poll I mentioned above is just one of many. Another poll (of 371 applicants, where applicants could pick more than one first choice), showed that 57% of applicants have as their top "aim" getting funded "time to write," 42% say employability (i.e. the degree itself), 36% say mentoring (which causes them to primarily consider program size, as program size helps determine student-to-faculty ratio), 34% say "community" (which again causes applicants to consider program size, though it pushes many of these applicants to consider larger programs, i.e. larger communities), 19% say "the credential" (again, as represented by the degree itself, though this also pushes such applicants to favor shorter programs, with a lower time-to-degree), and much smaller percentages said that they wanted an MFA to validate themselves as writers or to avoid full-time employment (very similar to wanting "time to write," per the above, just as "validation" is intimately related to "mentoring" and "the credential"). Again, these polls were not intended to be exhaustive, though it's noteworthy that 0% of poll respondents chose "none of the above."
clairels replied on October 15, 2009 - 1:42pm Permalink
A graduate of Harvard Law School and the Iowa Writers' Workshop I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but you have to realize how suspicious this looks.
Seth Abramson replied on October 15, 2009 - 4:08pm Permalink
Hi Clairels, I'd respond to your comment, but honestly I have absolutely no idea what you mean to imply or what your concern is. I attended both those programs (J.D., 2001; M.F.A. 2009), and certainly don't regret either experience. Take care, S.
Seth Abramson replied on October 15, 2009 - 4:17pm Permalink
P.S. I think it was the reference to HLS that threw me. If you're talking about my IWW affiliation (as I now see you might be), I don't know what to tell you except to say that you won't find a single person who's well-versed in the field of creative writing who's surprised by Iowa's placement in the poll--a poll that was taken publicly and with full transparency, and whose results are echoed in/by the 2007 poll, the 2008 poll, the (ongoing) 2011 poll, USNWR's 1996 poll, and the 2007 MFA research conducted by The Atlantic. Iowa has been regarded as the top MFA program in the United States since the Roosevelt Administration (1936). In three years of running MFA polls I'll say that I think you're the first person to suggest to me (even indirectly) that Iowa might have finished first in the poll for any reason other than that it finished first in the poll (to no one's surprise). So no, I can't say that I see my affiliation with the IWW--an affiliation I share with thousands of poets (Iowa graduates 250 poets every decade) is "suspicious." --S.
sweetjane replied on October 20, 2009 - 4:03pm Permalink
Seth_Abramson replied on October 20, 2009 - 6:24pm Permalink
J Thomas Lore replied on October 23, 2009 - 9:00pm Permalink
J Thomas Lore replied on October 23, 2009 - 9:02pm Permalink
Seth Abramson replied on October 24, 2009 - 6:48pm Permalink
sweetjane replied on October 25, 2009 - 10:19am Permalink
Seth_Abramson replied on October 25, 2009 - 5:02pm Permalink
sstgermain replied on October 27, 2009 - 3:57pm Permalink
Seth_Abramson replied on October 27, 2009 - 11:46pm Permalink
ewjunc replied on November 9, 2009 - 11:24am Permalink
sethabramson replied on November 12, 2009 - 4:01pm Permalink
OKevin replied on December 4, 2009 - 1:38pm Permalink
sethabramson replied on December 4, 2009 - 9:20pm Permalink
illingworthl replied on April 27, 2010 - 10:13am Permalink
sashanaomi replied on September 13, 2010 - 5:54pm Permalink
Since Seth Abramson is considering cost of living and funding, I think he should consider another, really huge factor: Does the school offer health insurance? There are some very highly ranked CUNY programs. Yes, CUNY is cheap, but there is no health insurance. If you really want to commit to a writing program, you don't really have time for a full-time job with health benefits. Health insurance was a big factor in my selection, and I'm sure it is for many others as well.
For the love of books
Find your write path to success and enjoy the flexibility of studying from anywhere in the world with a 100% online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree. Writing has never been more global!
A Master of Fine Arts degree, also referred to as MFA, is a graduate degree in an artistic craft that demonstrates that a person has achieved the highest level of training and skill in that discipline. Like with a doctorate, an MFA is a terminal degree, which permits you to teach courses at the graduate level. If you want to grow as a writer, an MFA in Creative Writing can help you hone your writing skills in genres like fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, and professional writing. These types of programs typically take around eighteen months to three years to complete. In today’s digital age, pursuing a creative writing degree has never been more accessible or rewarding.
Whether you’re looking to break into the publishing industry, enhance your storytelling, or simply explore your creative potential, an online creative writing degree can open doors to endless possibilities. If you’re new to this topic, have no fear! I’ll explain everything. Here are all the things we’ll cover in this blog post:
What the journey looks like, what you can do with an mfa in creative writing.
A good MFA in Creative Writing program will offer you the opportunity to explore and tailor your studies to your specific interests and strengths. The following are some of the most popular genres you can study:
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Fiction: Writing novels, short stories, and flash fiction. There are many subgenres of fiction to explore — like the ever-popular science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, horror, romance, thriller, and mystery categories.
Poetry: Learning to craft various forms of poetry, like free verse, sonnets, and haikus.
Creative Nonfiction: Writing memoirs, personal essays, and literary journalism.
Playwriting/Screenwriting/Scriptwriting: Writing scripts for films, television, radio, podcasts, video games, and all other audio-based platforms.
Children’s Literature: Writing books and stories for children and young adults.
Graphic Novels and Comics: Writing scripts and plots for illustrated storytelling.
The journey to earning an MFA in Creative Writing is a transformative experience that hones your craft, expands your creative horizons, and connects you with other peers. This path is filled with enriching activities that strengthen your unique writing voice, all leading to your creative thesis at the end. No matter what school you choose, these are the four components of an MFA that you are sure to experience.
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Writer’s Workshops: These are the kinds of workshops where you share your work with peers and experts and then give and receive critical feedback.
Seminars: These classes cover literary theory, writing and storytelling techniques, and the close study of genres and styles. Experts in the field always deliver these.
Thesis Capstone Projects: It should come as no surprise that you will be required to complete a significant piece of creative work — a novel, an anthology of short stories, a screenplay, or a poetry collection. For some schools, it might be a fully polished and complete manuscript.
Interacting with Peers and Experts: As you can see, learning on an online campus does not mean you will be isolated from the community of writers. You are still a vital part of it, in fact, and access all the same support systems, networking opportunities, and lifelong bonds.
Whether you’re dreaming of becoming a published author, a screenwriter, or a literary critic, an MFA equips you with the skills and confidence to pursue a multitude of writing careers. In this section, we’ll explore some of the opportunities awaiting MFA graduates that open doors to exciting and fulfilling professional endeavors.
@the.third.person picking your school! #mfa #creativewriting #writertok #writingtips #gradschool ♬ Chill Vibes – Tollan Kim
Author: Of course, right? Write and publish your work equipped with the skills, knowledge, and experience gained from an MFA degree.
Professor: With an MFA, you can teach creative writing at any level — from middle school to graduate school. Plus, you can also be a director of a writing center.
Editor: This is a person you can find working for publishing houses, magazines, online publications, and any other creative studios you can think of.
Content Creator: Creating content for websites, social media platforms, and marketing campaigns. This could be articles, blogs, scripts, you name it!
Copywriter: They write advertising and marketing materials for all sorts of businesses and agencies out there. In addition to articles and blogs, they also create engaging captions, summaries, and emailers.
Screenwriter/Playwright/Scriptwriter: If it’s a script or a play — whether for screen, stage, or game — no one will write it better than these pros.
Journalist: This person writes articles, features, and reports for newspapers, magazines, and online news outlets.
Public Relations/Communication Specialist: This is a professional who crafts press releases, speeches, and other communications for organizations and government bodies.
Grant Writer: This writer uses their skills to secure funding for nonprofit organizations and research institutions by writing proposals.
Literary Agent: These bookish professionals represent authors and help them get their work published.
Many reputable institutions now offer online degrees, and that number rises every year. Their online programs are designed to provide the same rigorous education as their on-campus counterparts but with the flexibility to work on your studies from anywhere at a pace that works around even the busiest of lifestyles and schedules. Plus, there is no need to relocate. Institutions that used to be geographically out of reach are now right at your fingertips. It’s more cost-effective, too. Usually, you don’t pay any of the fees associated with campus activity, and you also eliminate any cost of commuting there every day.
@sav.fs Peace out school 📚🎓😙✌🏼💻 #school #gradschool #onlineschool #lsu #masters #mastersdegree #relatable ♬ Paper Planes – FULL SONGS
There are nearly 280,000 degrees available online in the US right now, coming from more than 422 postsecondary degree-granting institutions. A large number of these are MFAs in Creative Writing. Don’t worry. I know none of us have the time or attention span to read about all of them in one blog, so I have curated a short list of highly reputable schools to consider.
Southern New Hampshire University : With SNHU’s Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing, students not only graduate from the program with a completed 50,000-word novel — in a contemporary, young adult, romance, or speculative genre — but they also learn about the business side of creative writing to prepare them to market their work. This program also includes two embedded certificates in online teaching and professional writing. SNHU knows there’s more to a successful career in writing than becoming a great writer, so this program also strongly focuses on all the practical skills needed to thrive in the industry and get your work into readers’ hands.
University of New Orleans : Their Creative Writing MFA program for fiction writing, nonfiction writing, and poetry writing is taught by the same award-winning faculty of writers as the campus program. In many distance learning MFA programs, students are paired with a single faculty member for the duration of their studies. Still, UNO’s Online MFA is organized to provide students the benefit of exposure to a variety of professors in each genre over the course of their studies. Plus, you’d get the opportunity to write and edit for Bayou Magazine .
Liberty University : Designed to build writing skills through workshops for fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting, Liberty’s MFA ensures students gain comprehensive and in-depth exposure to writing, literature, editing, layout, publishing, and a myriad of other professional writing skills that employers want to see. This program also prepares students for teaching at every level of education. And by the by, LU has TWO literary magazines. LAMP Literary Magazine publishes all kinds of poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, art, and photography from former and current students and faculty. Lamplight Literary and Fine Arts Magazine, meanwhile, focuses on the positivity of Christianity through the creative arts.
The University of Texas at El Paso : UTEP’s main mission is to prepare serious writers for publishing and teaching careers. While their MFA is workshop-heavy, they also believe in the necessity of a strong background in theory and form. By the end of the program, students will have in their hands a complete and publishable manuscript in either poetry or fiction. UTEP is traditionally known as a multilingual border school, and that extends to the online campus as well. This means the classes and discussions are held in English, but students can always opt to submit their creative writing assignments in Spanish.
Lindenwood University : An award-winning MFA in Writing program that focuses on the study and practice of the creative writing craft by offering a giant range of courses in small class settings, which allows personalized attention from faculty who are respected and published authors, journalists, and editors. With the addition of professional courses focused on publishing, teaching, and writing-related work, students are also equipped to serve as editorial assistants for The Lindenwood Review literary journal. We’re talking literary fiction, genre fiction, novels, short stories, poetry, prose poetry, creative nonfiction, young adult, middle grade, and even more specialized focus areas beyond that in writing and teaching composition. Students also have the opportunity to serve as editorial assistants on The Lindenwood Review .
Our Lady of the Lake University : What a powerful collaboration! Their combined Master and Master of Fine Arts (MA-MFA) in Literature, Creative Writing, and Social Justice prepare writers to become active and socially aware scholars, writers, educators, and professionals. This nationally unique program is designed for individuals who want to combine creativity with social justice – whether for their own work, to help their communities, or to build a professional practice. OLLU’s combined MA-MFA degrees, with a social justice project and a critical-creative thesis, takes at least three years to complete.
Concordia University – Saint Paul: Their Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is designed to hone skills in writing fiction and reading literature. The aim is to prepare you for professional writing careers with a combination of theoretical inquiry and practical application. The workshops, literature courses, and craft courses are all led by esteemed, published faculty and cover a wide range of genres and subjects of creative writing. Students will possess a completed book-length manuscript of their own creative work by the time they reach the end of the program. French studies are also available to pair with this program, with opportunities to visit Montreal.
Bay Path University : Are you compelled by the stories of others (or yourself), always yearning to figure out just what happened and what makes people do the things they do? Bay Path’s MFA in Creative Nonfiction will help you reveal, unravel, and give expression to the true stories you already know — and the true stories still waiting to be uncovered. This school is dedicated to diversity and inclusion, evident in the wide range of identities, cultures, and lived experiences found in the faculty and student body — resulting in vibrant storytelling. While studying creative nonfiction, students are offered a choice of professional tracks in publishing, teaching creative writing, or narrative medicine. Bay Path also runs its own literary journal, Multiplicity Magazine, published annually and curated by MFA faculty and students.
@titsmgee77 I have an MFA. 💙 #snhu #snhucelebrate @SNHU #foryou #fyp #education #mfa #writertok #writer #writersoftiktok ♬ where is my mind (piano version) – your movie soundtrack
Try to watch that video of a 46-year-old mother finishing her MFA in Creative Writing without crying. I dare you! Then, imagine what your own video might look like down the road.
In an ever-evolving modern landscape of education, online MFA degrees in creative writing provide a unique blend of flexibility and academic rigor. Aspiring writers can hone their craft from anywhere in the world, working from wherever they are most comfortable. Plus, these programs are more than just a pathway to a degree; they are a journey of self-discovery and artistic growth. Through virtual classrooms, writers connect with mentors and peers who inspire and challenge them, fostering a vibrant community of creativity and support – just as they do on physical campuses. As you continue your writing journey, remember that the stories you create have the power to change the world.
Get a deeper look at lucrative career options for professional writers by clicking here .
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Learn why this program is best suited to the goals and needs of writers.
Genres: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, travel writing, or a dual-genre Residencies: Three 15-day residencies, which each take place in the summer at a different European locale Distance learning: Fall and spring semester learning—between the residencies—takes place in the student’s own home Total credit hours: 48 total credits
During three 15-day summer residencies, students participate in workshops, seminars, field experiences, and face-to-face classroom instruction from faculty. From September through May, students work individually with a faculty member in continual online communication, creating and submitting work and receiving feedback from their faculty mentor.
During this program, you will:
Convenient low-residency requirements. This MFA program provides three residencies, all of which take place in Europe during the first two weeks of July. Throughout the rest of the year, no on-campus coursework is required. You participate in writing mentorships on your own time, in your own home.
The first pan-European program. This Creative Writing MFA program is the first graduate-level writer’s program offered by an American college that includes residencies that take place exclusively in Europe.
Award-winning, internationally acclaimed faculty-writers. Our faculty consists of highly acclaimed and published writers of poetry, nonfiction, fiction, screenplays, radio plays, oratorios, libretti, and collaborative projects. All are dedicated to mentoring students throughout the MFA program, providing valuable insight and instruction.
Local settings, artistic awareness. Like most MFA programs in creative writing, the curriculum of this program will be craft-based, with genre-specific writing workshops and craft seminars comprising the residencies. A unique feature of this program, however, will be its focus on creative writing as it relates to a sense of place. Residencies are specifically designed to inform and inspire writing through a study of the society, history, arts—in short, the culture—of each respective locale.
The Cedar Crest College Low-Residency, Pan-European MFA in Creative Writing combines European cultural studies with master’s level coursework in creative writing of poetry, fiction, nonfiction, or travel writing, provided by award-winning faculty-writers. The program enables students to earn their MFA by guiding them toward the completion of a publishable-level work.
The Cedar Crest College MFA in Creative Writing is designed to assist you in the following:
For students who start at a summer residency, the MFA program can be completed in a little over two years:
Year One: The program begins with an initial 15-day summer residency in Europe—in Dublin, Barcelona, or Vienna—followed by two consecutive semesters of distance mentorship (Sept.-Dec. and Feb.-May.). The locale of the European residency will rotate each year, allowing each student to experience all three locales during the course of study.
Year Two: Year two also begins with a 15-day summer residency in Europe, followed by two more semesters of distance mentorship. The program ends in the third summer with a 15-day graduating residency and the presentation of both a creative thesis and a critical essay.
For students who begin with a fall or spring semester distance mentorship, the program can be completed within three years:
Year One: The program begins with one or two semesters of distance mentorship (Sept.-Dec. and Feb.-May.) that culminates with a 15-day summer residency in Europe—in Dublin, Barcelona, or Vienna.
Year Two: The second year includes two more semesters of distance learning followed by a 15-day summer residency in Europe. The locale of the European residency will rotate each year, allowing each student to experience all three locales during the course of study.
Year Three: Year three includes work on the creative thesis and critical essay (and, for students who began in a spring term, one semester of distance mentorship) that are then presented at the graduating 15-day summer residency.
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Are you looking to unleash your creative writing talent and make your mark on the world of storytelling? If so, Liberty University’s online Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Script and Screenwriting – Feature Film program may be right for you! Through this online MFA degree, you can join an academic community where creativity knows no bounds, and storytelling takes center stage – all while being guided by accomplished, industry-proven faculty.
This program seeks to equip competent professional storytellers who can model standards of morality and ethics in the film industry. As you progress through your courses, you can explore how to craft scripts that challenge the mainstream entertainment world, fuel public interest in biblically grounded films, and represent Christian values – without compromising excellent storytelling. By pursuing the feature film specialization, you can learn specifically about the nuances of writing scripts for full-length films in a way that captivates audiences.
Immerse yourself in a dynamic learning experience as you delve into character development, dialogue crafting, and plot construction. Our comprehensive curriculum teaches a wide variety of practical skills applicable to the film industry. Fuel your passion, expand your horizons, and forge connections as you explore the opportunities and challenges of writing for film in our MFA in Script and Screenwriting – Feature Film degree online.
Ranked in the Top 10% of Niche.com’s Best Online Schools in America
As a student in our MFA in Script and Screenwriting – Feature Film master’s degree, you can pursue opportunities to submit your scripts to festivals and competitions where industry professionals will offer critique and feedback on your writing. Our faculty will guide and evaluate your script development according to industry standards for content, format, presentation, and execution. By taking advantage of opportunities to have your work seen, you can further hone your craft and potentially expand your network.
Maybe you’re interested in pursuing your script and screenwriting master’s degree but are worried about the commitment of balancing school with your work or family life. That’s where our online MFA comes in! With our 100% online courses, you can complete your coursework on your schedule (as long as you adhere to assignment deadlines and course end dates).
Additionally, Liberty is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges ( SACSCOC ), demonstrating our commitment to academic excellence. The professors in our MFA in Script and Screenwriting degree online have extensive experience both in academia and in the film industry, so they can provide valuable insights into pursuing a career in this competitive field.
Our MFA in Script and Screenwriting – Feature Film degree online is broken down into 3 main sections: core courses, feature film courses, and elective courses. This well-rounded assortment of classes can help you build your expertise as you learn how to translate your ideas into compelling written content for the big screen.
Within the core courses, you’ll explore how to draw on your convictions, emotional life experiences, and passions to create riveting story ideas. You’ll also study visual storytelling, the use of theology in cinema, methods for examining the worldview behind a film, the interpretation of films from a philosophical perspective, and the fundamentals of story and character development. Additionally, you’ll have the opportunity to analyze the business side of the film industry – such as developing elevator pitches and building your brand – as well as study great screenplays that have stood the test of time.
As you complete the feature film specialization, you’ll delve into writing for both short and full-length films. Through a sequence of workshops and projects, you will watch a variety of films, read several screenplays, and write your own screenplays using what you’ve learned in the program. You’ll also receive feedback and critique from your professors and peers, with the goal of helping you grow as a writer and develop a professional, polished finished product.
Looking to customize your studies to match your interests? Our script and screenwriting master’s degree allows you to mix and match various film elective courses, so you can expand your skill set and explore your passions. You’ll be able to pick from courses in topics such as documentary writing, animation storytelling, writing for network/cable, book-to-film adaptations, and screenplay coverage writing.
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1) Johns Hopkins University, MFA in Fiction/Poetry. This two-year program offers an incredibly generous funding package: $39,000 teaching fellowships each year. Not to mention, it offers that sweet, sweet health insurance, mind-boggling faculty, and the option to apply for a lecture position after graduation.
University of Oregon (Eugene, OR) Visitor7, Knight Library, CC BY-SA 3.0. Starting off the list is one of the oldest and most venerated Creative Writing programs in the country, the MFA at the University of Oregon. Longtime mentor, teacher, and award-winning poet Garrett Hongo directs the program, modeling its studio-based approach to one-on ...
Its Master of Fine Arts program is one of the best MFA creative writing programs in the country, exposing students to various approaches to the craft. While studying under award-winning poets and writers, students may specialize in either poetry or fiction. 3. University of Texas at Austin - New Writers Project.
Our list of 255 MFA programs for creative writers includes essential information about low-residency and full-residency graduate creative writing programs in the United States and other English-speaking countries to help you decide where to apply. It also includes MA programs and PhD programs.
MFA in Writing. The Michener Center for Writers is the only Creative Writing M.F.A. program in the world that provides full and equal funding to every writer—yet it is our extraordinary faculty and sense of community that most distinguishes us. Our program is a three-year, fully-funded residency M.F.A. with a unique multi-disciplinary focus.
The Litowitz MFA+MA Program is the highest-funded graduate creative writing program in the country, providing a full three years of funding and free tuition, as well as health insurance and conference funding. Our faculty includes Natasha Trethewey, Chris Abani, Charif Shanahan, Juan Martinez, Daisy Hernández, and Sarah Schulman.
MFA in Creative Writing Program Guide. Whether focusing on poetry, fiction, or nonfiction, a creative writing degree prepares students for a multitude of career options. Spanning two years, a master of fine arts (MFA) program trains you to become a skilled writer, communicator, and editor who can receive and apply feedback effectively.
The 2019 MFA Index provides the basic specs of a program as well as some application information to help you stay on schedule, but many of the most important and unquantifiable aspects of a program—faculty, curriculum, precise funding structure, and so on—require more research. Much of this information can be found in the Poets & Writers ...
Iowa Writers' Workshop, University of Iowa. The Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa stands as one of the most prestigious Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States. Renowned for its history of nurturing successful writers, the program has been a seminal influence in the literary world.
The Creative Writing Program offers the MFA degree, with a concentration in either poetry or fiction. MFA students pursue intensive study with distinguished faculty committed to creative and intellectual achievement. Each year the department enrolls only eight MFA students, four in each concentration. Our small size allows us to offer a ...
In late 2019 I applied to around 15 of the best Creative Writing MFA's in the United States. All of these programs have less than a 3% acceptance rate--the most competitive among them less than 1% (yes, they received over 1000 applicants and accepted less than 10).
The MFA in creative writing at ASU has always been an unswervingly student-first program. Through small classes, intimate workshops and one-to-one mentoring, the centuries-old apprenticeship model thrives within the New American University. Poets and fiction writers work with outstanding faculty who have published more than 80 books and ...
Here is the list of 53 universities that offer fully-funded MFA programs (Master's of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing. University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL): Students admitted to the MFA Program are guaranteed full financial support for up to 4-years. Assistantships include a stipend paid over nine months (currently $14,125), and full payment ...
MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics (on-campus) Versatile and flexible MFA encourages writing across the genres and exploring hybrid genres. Evening courses accommodate the lives of today's busy, working students. Lively, on-campus gatherings bring together students, faculty, and renowned writers and artists.
December 1 — MFA Round 1 applications due January 15 — MFA Round 2 applications due. The MFA degree in Creative Writing provides a combination studio/academic course of study. Students receive critical feedback on their poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction in writing workshops, scrutinize aspects of genre in special topics classes and investigate larger theoretical and historical ...
Dr. Gary Hawkins(MFA, 1995) is a 1995 alumnus of the MFA Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College. Dr. Hawkins writes poems, writes on modern and contemporary poetry, and writes and presents on the scholarship of teaching and learning. His debut book of poems, Worker, was published in 2016.
MFA Program Requirements. Students in the MFA program must complete 39 semester hours of graduate-level course work, including: Fifteen (15) hours of graduate creative writing workshops (we encourage, but do not require, 3 hours in a genre other than the student's declared major genre). Workshops are repeatable.
The M.F.A. fiction specialization at Brooklyn College is a two-year course that maintains an enrollment of 30 students. While every member of the ongoing and visiting faculty works according to their methods, we are united in our conviction that newer writers need a balance of encouragement and serious, thoroughly considered feedback.
At a Glance. The University of Virginia's Creative Writing Program offers a master of fine arts in poetry and fiction writing, undergraduate English concentrations in poetry and literary prose, and elective coursework at the undergraduate and graduate levels. If you are just beginning, we have 2000-level classes in our undergraduate curriculum ...
Since our founding in 1970, Poets & Writers has served as an information clearinghouse of all matters related to writing. While the range of inquiries has been broad, common themes have emerged over time. Our Top Topics for Writers addresses the most popular and pressing issues, including literary agents, copyright, MFA programs, and self ...
Lists of authors without graduate creative writing degrees or whose degree status is unknown are available. Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected].. Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories, Best American Essays, Best ...
University of New Orleans. The University of New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, offers both online and on-campus versions of their MFA in Creative Writing program. Both programs take students around three years to complete and allow for focuses in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Students of these programs will also have the ...
The MFA is awarded upon completion of 30 credit hours and successful submission of a creative thesis. WRITING WORKSHOPS AND FORMS COURSES Each summer, students enroll in a workshop and a forms course, as well as the Craft and Practice colloquium (see below) for a total of seven (7) credits per summer.
Three years in an AIER-rated Top 15 "mid-size metro" with a strong faculty, a reasonable teaching load, and a vibrant university community deserves a close look from any serious MFA applicant. Every year OSU is outside the Top 25 (especially in poetry), something is grievously wrong with the national MFA picture. University of Miami.
For the latest rankings of the top fifty MFA programs in creative writing, read "2011 MFA Rankings: The Top Fifty." For a ranking of low-residency programs, read "2011 MFA Rankings: The Top Ten Low-Residency Programs.". None of the data used for the rankings that follow was subjective, nor were any of the specific categories devised and employed for the rankings based on factors particular to ...
Southern New Hampshire University: With SNHU's Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing, students not only graduate from the program with a completed 50,000-word novel — in a contemporary, young adult, romance, or speculative genre — but they also learn about the business side of creative writing to prepare them to market their work ...
About the MFA. Learn why this program is best suited to the goals and needs of writers. Genres: Poetry, fiction, nonfiction, travel writing, or a dual-genre Residencies: Three 15-day residencies, which each take place in the summer at a different European locale Distance learning: Fall and spring semester learning—between the residencies—takes place in the student's own home
Our MFA in Script and Screenwriting - Feature Film degree online is broken down into 3 main sections: core courses, feature film courses, and elective courses.