uofa creative writing masters

MFA Creative Writing

Master of Fine Arts

Creative Writing

MFA Creative Writing Program

for creative nonfiction by Poets & Writers

World-Class

Work with award-winning authors in fiction, nonfiction, & poetry

Full Funding

Up to 3 years of funding for MFA graduate students

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Get full funding to develop your writing in fiction, poetry, or nonfiction and work with our world-class faculty in small workshops.

About the MFA Program

• A fully funded (at $21,750/year) three-year program in three genres (poetry, fiction, and nonfiction) with active encouragement to work across and between them.
• Funding via Graduate Teaching Assistantship positions (typical teaching load: 1-2, 2-1, 2-1), with opportunities to teach creative writing workshops.
• An active prose and poetry series of visiting writers and editors.
• Excellent student-teacher ratio.
• A challenging, supportive, and dynamic atmosphere in a super-literary, culturally vibrant, and progressive border city.
• An extremely active and critically acclaimed faculty.
• Additional funding opportunities for research and travel
• MFA thesis defense that may include outside readers. Past outside readers have included such writers as Jenny Boully, Brandon Shimoda, Gary Paul Nabhan, Steven Church, Luís Alberto Urrea, and Kim Stanley Robinson.
• Opportunities to work on nationally- and internationally-known literary magazines, websites, and presses
• Opportunities to engage in writing and research on the US-Mexico border through the Southwest Field Studies in Writing Program
• The lushest desert in the world with mountains all around.

Since 1972, the University of Arizona has offered one of the preeminent MFA programs in the country for the study of creative writing. With workshops and craft seminars in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, we offer intensive instruction in literary craft and the study of literature from a writer’s perspective, as well as opportunities to strengthen professional skills and flourish as a writer. The program requires three years in residence, the completion of 42 academic units. A student’s studies culminate in the production of an aesthetic statement and a thesis manuscript.

Full Funding for Students

The program is fully funded, with teaching assistantships offered to all incoming MFA students. Students have the opportunity to apply to teach creative writing. Assistantships include salary, health insurance, and a complete tuition waiver.

Additional funding opportunities for research and travel are available from the departmental English Graduate Union, the Graduate and Professional Student Council, and the Confluence Center, among other organizations.

Supportive Literary Environment

A writer engages in the world. With this in mind, we invite students to develop a course of study parallel to the page, whether it is in the University, the city of Tucson, the Sonoran desert, or beyond. You have the chance to volunteer with and/or have a for-credit internship with such organizations as the UA Poetry Center , Sonora Review ,  Fairy Tale Review ,  Diagram ,  New Michigan Press ,  terrain.org ,  Spork Press ,  Kore Press , and the poetry collective  POG .

The literary community here is strong. Please look into the offerings at the Poetry Center, our partner in many adventures. In addition to the Poetry Center Readings & Lectures Series , the creative writing faculty curates the Distinguished Visitors in Creative Writing Series , which brings in prose and poetry writers for public readings and visits with MFA students.. MFA students run the Works-in-Progress (WIP) Reading Series, and Infuse, a cooperative reading and art series between creative-writing and visual-arts MFA students. The University of Arizona is the home to the Sonora Review , one of the oldest student-run literary magazines in the country.

Inspiring Setting

You'll have the opportunity to live, work, and write in the lushest desert in the world with mountains all around. Tucson is a a super-literary, culturally vibrant, progressive border city.

For more on Tucson literary happenings, read  Poets & Writers  overview of our literary city  and check out MFA alumna Eshani Surya's piece entitled  5 Reasons a Writer Should Move to Tucson .

For general information about the program, please contact Stephanie Mao.

Department of English 1423 E. University Blvd. Rm. 445 Tucson, AZ 85721-0067 U.S.A.

Specific inquires can be directed to Farid Matuk ( [email protected] ) 

• UC Berkeley
• Letters & Science

Creative Writing Minor

Graduate programs, university of california, berkeley graduate admissions office.

http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/prospective/

The University of California, Berkeley does not offer a graduate program in Creative Writing. Below is a list of selected Creative Writing graduate programs offered by other colleges and universities:

Creative Writing graduate programs

ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY – Los Angeles, California – Creative Writing M.F.A. at AULA ARIZONA STATE – Tempe, Arizona – Creative Writing M.F.A. at ASU BOSTON UNIVERSITY – Boston, Massachusetts – Creative Writing M.F.A. at BU BROOKLYN COLLEGE – Brooklyn, New York – Creative Writing M.F.A. at BC COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – New York, New York – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Columbia CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY – Montreal, Quebec, Canada – M.A. in English (Creative Writing Option) at Concordia GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Fairfax, Virginia – Creative Writing M.F.A. at GMU GODDARD COLLEGE – Plainfield, Vermont – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Goddard INDIANA UNIVERSITY – Bloomington, Indiana – Creative Writing M.F.A. at IU NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – New York, New York –  Creative Writing M.F.A. at NYU or M.A. in English with Concentration in Creative Writing at NYU SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA – Moraga, California – Creative Writing M.F.A. at SMC SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – San Francisco, California – Creative Writing M.A. and M.F.A. at SFSU TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY – San Marcos, Texas – Creative Writing M.F.A. at Texas State STANFORD UNIVERSITY Stegner Fellowship – Palo Alto, California UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Birmingham, Alabama – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Alabama UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Tucson, Arizona –  Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Arizona UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Fayetteville, Arkansas – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Arkansas UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA – Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada – Creative Writing M.F.A. Options at UBC UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS – Davis, California – English M.A. with an Emphasis in Creative Writing at UCD UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE – Irvine, California – English M.F.A. in Writing at UCI UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE – Riverside, California – M.F.A. in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts at UCR UNIVERSITY OF EAST ANGLIA – Norwich, United Kingdom – Creative Writing M.A. at UEA UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA – Gainesville, Florida – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UF UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Houston, Texas – M.A. and Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing and M.F.A. in English: Creative Writing at UH UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Moscow, Idaho – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Idaho UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Iowa City, Iowa – Creative Writing M.F.A. in English at U of Iowa and M.F.A. in Nonfiction Writing at U of Iowa UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – College Park, Maryland – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Maryland UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN – Ann Arbor, Michigan – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Michigan UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA – Missoula, Montana – Creative Writing M.F.A. at U of Montana UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA – Las Vegas, Nevada – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UNLV UNIVERSITY OF OREGON – Eugene, Oregon – Creative Writing M.F.A. at UO WARREN WILSON COLLEGE – Asheville, North Carolina – MFA Program for Writers at WWC

Announcements

• Fall 2024 Course List
• Summer 2024 Course List
• Spring 2024 Course List
• Berkeley Holloway Poetry Series – Spring 2024
• UC Berkeley Lunch Poems 2023-24
• Minor Declaration Form – Must declare no later than term before EGT.

Creative Writing, MFA

On this page:, at a glance: program details.

• Location: Tempe campus
• Second Language Requirement: No

Program Description

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:

• Guggenheim, Howard Foundation, Lannan Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and United Artists fellowships
• international Griffin Poetry Prize and Whiting Award
• multiple Pulitzer Prizes
• two medals of achievement from the National Society of Arts and Letters
• two Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets
• Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets

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

The ASU MFA in Creative Writing is and 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. Creative writing has been a part of the department of English since the 1930s. With the inception of the MFA degree in 1985, creative writing became an ascendant unit; the program was ranked within the top 20 MFA programs in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.

ASU Creative Writing is distinguished by an outstanding faculty that has garnered national and international attention: Guggenheim and NEA fellowships, a Pulitzer Prize and several Pulitzer nominations, two Flannery O’Connor Awards, the Western States Book Award, PEN/Faulkner finalist recognition, the Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets, a Lannan Literary Fellowship, the International Griffin Poetry Prize, the Western Literature Association Distinguished Achievement Award, and two Medals of Achievement from the National Society of Arts and Letters.

The program's alumni are equally impressive, having won the Iowa Short Fiction Award, the Pen Southwest Book Award, the Prairie Schooner Book Prize, the May Swenson Poetry Award, the Hurston/Wright Foundation Legacy Award, and numerous Pushcart Prizes. They are the recipients of grants from the NEA and Fulbright and Stegner Fellowships.

Currently, 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 ($24,586 per year) . Graduate students with assistantships must enroll in a minimum of six credit hours each semester.

In addition, students have diverse opportunities for additional financial and professional support via The Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing, including:

• Graduate Assistantships in arts education and community programming (providing stipends and tuition remission)
• Creative Research Fellowships and other funding and scholarship opportunities
• Travel Funding to support tabling and presenting during the annual AWP Conference
• A robust visiting writer event series , with exclusive opportunities to learn from and engage with highly acclaimed authors
• Free admission to the annual Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference
• Opportunities to moderate author panels and read creative work during the Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference and other events
• A professional development program series for creative writing students, with a focus on creative lives, careers, and opportunities during and after graduation

The program requirements include 48 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, even outside the English department. Courses such as “Creative Writing and the Professions” and “Internship for Community Outreach” encourage students to envision life beyond graduation. The Creative Writing Program at ASU has been able consistently to offer MFA students among the best funding packages in the nation through teaching and research assistantships, which are renewable for each of the program's three years. Additionally, in concert with the CWP, the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing offers a variety of graduate assistantships, international writing and teaching scholarships, and thesis fellowships to continuing students. Students who accept the TA offer are required to take the TA seminar, a pedagogy and training course designed to assist graduate students during their first year. TA seminar is credited as a literature elective. Successful TAs have the opportunity to teach introductory creative writing to undergraduates, under the supervision of one of the program faculty. In the second year students assemble their thesis committees and identify a committee chair. The second year is also when one-on-one mentorship begins. In the spring of the third year, students typically focus on completing the thesis manuscript with their committee chair.

Degree Requirements

48 credit hours including a written comprehensive exam and the required applied project course (ENG 593)

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.

Admission Requirements

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:

• graduate admission application and application fee
• official transcripts
• statement of purpose
• resume or curriculum vitae
• three letters of recommendation
• creative manuscript
• proof of English proficiency

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.

Courses and Electives

Mfa course requirements - fiction.

A 48-hour Program of Study

For additional information please contact Justin Petropoulos , Program Manager of Creative Writing

WRITING COURSES (24 hours)

Students are expected to satisfy the degree requirements in the genre in which they are accepted. Exceptions must be approved by the director of creative writing, the chair of the student’s supervisory committee, the dean of the Graduate College, and the instructor. Electives may be taken out of genre, with the permission of the instructor.

Required (15 hours)

• ENG 592 Research (Fiction) (6 hours)*
• ENG 593 Applied Project (Fiction) (3 hours)
• ENG 594 Conference and Workshop (Fiction) (3 hours)
• ENG 563 Forms of Fiction (3 hours)

*Research Hours are dedicated the development of a student's creative thesis with the support of their committee.

Electives (choose 9 hours)

• ENG 505 Writing Workshops (Special Topics)(3 hours)
• ENG 591 Seminar, Selected Topics* (3 hours)
• ENG 594 Conference and Workshop (Fiction) (3-6 hours)
• ENG 663 Fiction Genres* (3 hours)
• ENG 680 First Book Seminar (3 hours)

LITERATURE COURSES (24 hours)

Required (9 hours).

• ENG 538 Studies in Modern and Contemporary American Literature (3 hours)
• ENG 539 Studies in Modernist and Postmodern Literature and Theory (fiction topics, 3 hours)
• ENG 665 Creative Methods, Fiction (3 hours)

Electives (choose 15 hours)

Any 400, 500, or 600 level English course relevant to the student’s program of study, and up to six hours of credit in class work outside the department of English (for example, courses at the 400, 500, or 600 level in theater, music, dance, photography, fine printing and bookbinding, papermaking, or editing and publishing), subject to the approval of the director of creative writing, the chair of the student’s supervisory committee (if designated), and the dean of the Graduate College.   Possible English courses include:

• ENG 537 Studies in Modern and Contemporary British Literature (3 hours)
• ENG 543 Studies in Anglophone Literatures (3 hours)
• ENG 545 Studies in Women’s Literature (3 hours)
• ENG 550 Translation (3 hours)
• ENG 584 Internship* (3-6 hours)
• ENG 591 Seminar (Selected Topics, 3 hours)
• ENG 593 Pedagogy (3 hours)
• ENG 594 Conference and Workshop (TA Seminar) (4 hours)
• ENG 598 Special Topics* (3 hours)
• ENG 667 Writing for the Professions (3 hours)

 *May be repeated for credit if topics are distinct.

MFA COURSE REQUIREMENTS - POETRY

For information about the program please contact Justin Petropoulos , Program Manager of Creative Writing

• ENG 592 Research Hours (6hours)*
• ENG 593 Applied Project (3 hours)
• ENG 594 Graduate Poetry Workshop (3 hours)
• ENG 562 Forms of Poetry (3 hours)

 *Research Hours are dedicated the development of a student's creative thesis with the support of their committee.

• ENG 505 Writing Workshop (3 hours)
• ENG 594 Conference and Workshop (Poetry) (3-6 hours)
• ENG 662 Poetic Genres* (3 hours)
• ENG 539 Studies in Modernist and Postmodern Literature and Theory (poetry topics, 3 hours)
• ENG 665 Creative Methods, Poetry (3 hours)

Any 400, 500, or 600 level English course relevant to the student’s program of study, and up to six hours of credit in class work outside the department of English (for example, courses at the 400, 500, or 600 level in theater, music, dance, photography, fine printing and bookbinding, papermaking, or editing and publishing), subject to the approval of the director of creative writing, the chair of the student’s supervisory committee (if designated), and the dean of the Graduate College.   Possible English courses might include:

Next Steps to attend ASU

Learn about our programs, apply to a program, visit our campus, application deadlines, learning outcomes.

• Analyze and critique the writing of other creative writers.
• Explicate their creative works articulately.
• Create original fiction or poetry that incorporates theoretical and foundational literary knowledge.

Career Opportunities

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:

• book designer or marketer
• book or magazine editor
• creative writing professor
• essayist or journalist
• grant writer and developer
• literary or events coordinator
• nonprofit administrator
• public relations and communications manager
• screenwriter
• secondary education teacher

Global Opportunities

Global experience.

With over 250 programs in more than 65 countries (ranging from one week to one year), study abroad is possible for all ASU students wishing to gain global skills and knowledge in preparation for a 21st-century career. Students earn ASU credit for completed courses, while staying on track for graduation, and may apply financial aid and scholarships toward program costs. https://mystudyabroad.asu.edu

Program Contact Information

If you have questions related to admission, please click here to request information and an admission specialist will reach out to you directly. For questions regarding faculty or courses, please use the contact information below.

• [email protected]
• 480/965-3168

• English Department

MFA in Creative Writing

The MFA in Creative Writing at NAU is an interdisciplinary, full-time, two-year program in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid forms. Students participate in writing workshops, undertake coursework in literature, and study critical theory. MFA candidates present a creative thesis of between 45 to 200 pages, depending on genre. Our program’s vibrant literary culture includes the annual literary journal  Thin Air and the biweekly Cinder Skies Reading Series. Typically the program cohort comprises 30 and 35 students who hail from every region of the U.S., as well as Fulbright scholars, most recently from Lebanon, Lesotho, Iraq, and Russia.

 MODALITY Accordion Closed

Since our founding, we have been primarily a residential, in-person program. Currently we remain primarily in-person and do not offer a fully remote option.

 TO APPLY Accordion Closed

The deadline to apply for admission with funding is February 1. Applications after that date may still be considered for admission, but cannot be considered for tuition waivers or graduate teaching assistantships. 

The most important part of the application is the writing sample. Your writing sample should be 10 pages for poetry and 20 pages for prose or a multi-genre application. Poetry should be single-spaced; prose should be double-spaced. Submitting a longer sample is acceptable, but the committee might not read beyond the 10- or 20-page minimum—basically, it will neither hurt nor help your chances.

Submit strong, fresh work that best represents your writerly voice and current artistic interests and impulses. It may be in a single genre or multiple. Your application will also include a personal statement, which is typically one to two pages, and at least two letters of recommendation, along with the regular requirements for NAU graduate admission (transcripts, etc.) Recommendations can be uploaded directly from recommenders, or you can use a dossier service such as Interfolio (have them sent to [email protected] and we will get them added to your file). Most people solicit one or both of their recommendations from former professors and teachers, but we are flexible and open to a wide range of life experiences that may draw upon other sources of recommendation who can speak accurately to your intellectual curiosity, your character, and your work ethic. If you are applying for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship, be sure your recommender comments on your ability or potential for teaching.

Information and the link to apply can be found here: https://nau.edu/graduate-college/admissions/ . 

 THE MFA PROGRAM FACULTY Accordion Closed

Our core faculty of award-winning writers and teachers are all tenured or tenure-track, and we deeply value the art of teaching and mentorship alongside writing and publishing our own ongoing work.

SHERWIN BITSUI ( [email protected] ) teaches poetry and poetics. He is the author of three collections of poetry,  Dissolve (Copper Canyon, 2018) , Flood Song (Copper Canyon, 2009), and  Shapeshift (University of Arizona Press, 2003). He is the recipient of a Whiting Award, an American Book Award, and the PEN Open Book Award. His poems have appeared in Narrative, Black Renaissance Noir, American Poet, The Iowa Review, LIT , and elsewhere. He is Diné of the Todí­ch’ii’nii (Bitter Water Clan), born for the Tlizí­laaní­ (Many Goats Clan), and has received fellowships from the Lannan Foundation and the Native Arts & Culture Foundation. blueflowerarts.com/artist/sherwin-bitsui

CHELSEY JOHNSON ( [email protected] ) teaches fiction and writing for television. She is the author of the novel  Stray City  (Custom House/HarperCollins, 2018), and her writing has appeared in  Ploughshares ,  One Story, Gulf Coast, The New York Times, Elle, and NPR’s  Selected Shorts,  among others. She is the recipient of a Stegner Fellowship from Stanford as well as fellowships to MacDowell, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and Signal Fire Arts. www.chelseyjohnson.com

LAWRENCE LENHART ( [email protected] ) teaches creative nonfiction, editing and publishing, and climate science writing. He is the author of the essay collections  The Well-Stocked and Gilded Cage  (Outpost19, 2017) and  Of No Ground: Small Island/Big Ocean Contingencies  (West Virginia University Press, forthcoming), and a book-length essay about the black-footed ferret (University of Georgia Press, forthcoming). His prose appears in  Creative Nonfiction, Fourth Genre, Gulf Coast, Passages North, Prairie Schooner,  and elsewhere. He is a founding editor of  Carbon Copy  and the reviews editor of  DIAGRAM . www.lawrencelenhart.com

KT THOMPSON ( [email protected] ) teaches creative nonfiction, critical theory, and climate science writing. KT is the author of Blanket (Bloomsbury, 2018) and Contingent Love, Unsettled Futures (Duke University Press, forthcoming.) The recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, their creative nonfiction has appeared in Tin House, LitHub, and The Atlantic online, and their scholarly articles have appeared in Social Text, ISLE, Avidly, and The Philosophical Salon. KT is the creative nonfiction editor of ISLE: International Studies in Literature and the Environment. www.k-thompson.com

NICOLE WALKER , MFA program founder ( [email protected] ), teaches poetry, creative nonfiction, and climate science writing. She is the author of, most recently,  The After-Normal: Brief, Alphabetical Essays on a Changing Planet  (Rose Metal Press, 2019) and the Nautilus Award–winning Sustainability: A Love Story  (Mad Creek Books/The Ohio State University Press, 2018) .  Her previous books include  Where the Tiny Things Are ,  Egg ,  Micrograms, Quench Your Thirst with Salt,  and  This Noisy Egg.  Her work has been published  in Orion, Boston Review, Creative Nonfiction, Brevity, The Normal School  and other places. A recipient of a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and noted in multiple editions of Best American Essays , she is the nonfiction editor at Diagram and co-director of the biannual NonfictionNow conference. www.nikwalk.com

THE MFA PROGRAM OF STUDY Accordion Closed

Our program balances writing workshops with literary study to build well-rounded writers and readers. The MFA program of study consists of the following 36 units of credit: •  Four graduate workshops —500- and 600-level creative writing courses (which may be repeated up to three times) (12 units of credit total) • Two courses in literature, critical theory, and/or readings in creative writing (6 units) • Four electives —additional workshops, lit courses, and other graduate courses across the university—chosen with your advisor’s approval (12 units) • Two course blocks of thesis hours (ENG 699) for the research, writing and revision of your thesis (6 units; most people take all 6 in the spring of their second year, but some split it 3-3 between fall and spring)

THE MFA THESIS is a creative work of substantial depth and focus that typically spans anywhere from 40 pages (for a poetry collection) to upward of 200 pages (for a long-form prose manuscript.) An accumulation of what you’ve experienced throughout your MFA, the thesis may include new work as well as writing that has benefitted from the workshop experience. It may take the form of a novel, a memoir, an extended nonfiction narrative, a story collection, an essay collection, a poetry collection, or a multi-genre collection.

 TUITION AND FEES Accordion Closed

In 2022-23, annual tuition and fees for Arizona residents cost $12,640. For non-residents, tuition and fees cost $27,940. Typically, almost all MFA students receive partial or full funding, and we in the program will do everything we can to help you cover tuition costs.

 FINANCIAL AID AND OTHER WAYS TO FUND YOUR STUDIES Accordion Closed

Here are some of the ways our students fund their lives and studies, both within the university system and outside of it. For full information, see https://nau.edu/graduate-college/graduate-assistantships-tuition-waivers/ .

• Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTAs) may be awarded for the first and/or second year of the program. In the first year of teaching, GTAs teach one section of the composition class ENG 105 per semester and work a weekly six-hour tutoring shift in the university writing center. The current GTA stipend is $16,000 per academic year. You must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to apply for a GTA. Full details at https://nau.edu/english/resources/graduate-assistantships/ .

In the second year of teaching, GTAs may continue with the 105 + writing center load; or, with approval from the Director of Composition, they may teach two sections of composition per semester, one 105 and one 205; or they may apply to teach introductory creative writing courses. Creative writing teaching positions are limited and competitive.

• At-Large Graduate Assistantships are non-teaching positions offered throughout the university. This is an excellent option for those who do not apply for or receive a GTA. They come with full or partial tuition waivers, benefits, and stipends that vary by office, job duties, and degree-level. Positions are regularly updated at nau.edu/graduate-college/graduate-assistantships-tuition-waivers/

Tuition waivers: A limited number of tuition waivers are available to out-of-state or in-state students who can demonstrate financial need. To present yourself as a candidate for one of these awards, please download the English Department tuition waiver form .

• • If you’re an Arizona resident, apply for a waiver of resident tuition; these waivers cover the cost of in-state tuition for fall and/or spring semester.
• If you are not an Arizona resident, apply for non-resident waivers; these waivers cover only the out-of-state portion of University tuition for fall and/or spring semester. If you are awarded a non-resident waiver, you will still be responsible for paying the in-state portion of tuition.
• Veterans are automatically eligible for in-state tuition, and active-duty military receive Department of Defense tuition assistance. For more info: https://nau.edu/graduate-college/veterans-educational-benefits/
• Full-time employees of NAU and their families receive a full tuition benefit and can take graduate classes at no cost. More here: https://nau.edu/office-of-scholarships-and-financial-aid/employee-tuition-reduction/
• Jobs in Flagstaff: And, of course, graduate students work in the community beyond NAU. Current and recent students hold jobs at bookstores, coffee shops, restaurants, nonprofits, county offices, Grand Canyon river guiding, and more.

THE CREATIVE WRITING CERTIFICATE IN ENVIRONMENTAL NARRATIVE Accordion Closed

Some MFA students choose to incorporate this new certificate into their studies (or even stay a third year to complete it). It can also be taken independently from the MFA as a standalone certificate and/or in conjunction with other graduate programs at NAU.

This new eighteen-credit certificate program trains students to write literary fiction and nonfiction that incorporates scientific inquiry and place-based narratives in order to publish work that speaks to a wide audience interested in ecology, sustainability, and climate change and solutions. Students may work in a wide range of genres, including realism, speculative fiction, nature writing, longform nonfiction, and lyric, braided, and poetic forms. The certificate incorporates writing workshops, literary study, science-centered courses, and field work, and culminates in a capstone writing project.  

Note : Although the MFA program can’t offer GTA funding beyond two years, students who begin the GTA in their second year can continue for a third, and environmental certificate students can apply for at-large GA positions and tuition waivers.

 WHERE WE ARE Accordion Closed

Writing about place is intrinsic to the practice of many of us in the program, faculty and students alike, and northern Arizona is a unique, complex, and beautiful place in which to live and write. Known as Kinłání in the Diné (Navajo) language, present-day Flagstaff was founded in 1882; Northern Arizona University was founded in 1899, and Arizona was declared a state of the U.S. in 1912. Long before and ever since these settler establishments, this land and its surroundings are the homelands of Diné, Hopis, Apaches, Yavapais, Hualapais, and many other Indigenous people who have always lived and continue to live here, and whose practices and spiritualities have always been tied to the land and continue to develop in relationship to the land and its other inhabitants today. Cultural humility, conscientiousness, and respect are paramount for those of us who are guests in this land.

Located at 7,000 feet, Flagstaff today is a complex and multicultural city of mountains, forests, extensive trails, observatories, independent bookstores, coffee shops, excellent public libraries, craft breweries, a strong and supportive arts community, small theater companies, readings and spoken word series, Indigenous activism, historic Route 66, elite athlete training, and astonishing geological diversity. The temperate four-season climate, proximity to the Grand Canyon, walkable historic downtown, and abundant natural beauty contribute to a substantial summer-resident and tourist population—and thus a fairly high cost of living. A detailed and ever-growing list of community resources, arts organizations, recreation, and volunteer opportunities is compiled in our MFA Student Handbook and is available upon request.

Additional questions? Contact the MFA program director at [email protected] or any of the other faculty members listed above.

Department of English

Mailing address.

Earning A Master’s In Creative Writing: What To Know

Updated: Nov 1, 2023, 1:51pm

Do you want to create written work that ignites a reader’s imagination and even changes their worldview? With a master’s in creative writing, you can develop strong storytelling and character development skills, equipping you to achieve your writing goals.

If you’re ready to strengthen your writing chops and you enjoy writing original works to inspire others, tell interesting stories and share valuable information, earning a master’s in creative writing may be the next step on your career journey.

The skills learned in a creative writing master’s program qualify you to write your own literary works, teach others creative writing principles or pursue various other careers.

This article explores master’s degrees in creative writing, including common courses and concentrations, admission requirements and careers that use creative writing skills. Read on to learn more about earning a master’s degree in creative writing.

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What Is a Master’s in Creative Writing?

A master’s in creative writing is an advanced degree that helps you develop the skills to write your own novel, poetry, screenplay or nonfiction book. This degree can also prepare you for a career in business, publishing, education, marketing or communications.

In a creative writing master’s degree program, you can expect to analyze literature, explore historical contexts of literary works, master techniques for revising and editing, engage in class workshops and peer critiques, and write your own original work.

Creative writing master’s programs usually require a thesis project, which should be well-written, polished and ready to publish. Typical examples of thesis projects include poetry collections, memoirs, essay collections, short story collections and novels.

A master’s in creative writing typically requires about 36 credits and takes two years to complete. Credit requirements and timelines vary by program, so you may be able to finish your degree quicker.

Specializations for a Master’s in Creative Writing

Below are a few common concentrations for creative writing master’s programs. These vary by school, so your program’s offerings may look different.

This concentration helps you develop fiction writing skills, such as plot development, character creation and world-building. A fiction concentration is a good option if you plan to write short stories, novels or other types of fiction.

A nonfiction concentration focuses on the mechanics of writing nonfiction narratives. If you plan to write memoirs, travel pieces, magazine articles, technical documents or nonfiction books, this concentration may suit you.

Explore the imagery, tone, rhythm and structure of poetry with a poetry concentration. With this concentration, you can expect to develop your poetry writing skills and learn to curate poetry for journals and magazines.

Screenwriting

Screenwriting is an excellent concentration to explore if you enjoy creating characters and telling stories to make them come alive for television or film. This specialization covers how to write shorts, episodic serials, documentaries and feature-length film scripts.

Admission Requirements for a Master’s in Creative Writing

Below are some typical admission requirements for master’s in creative writing degree programs. These requirements vary, so check with your program to ensure you’ve met the appropriate requirements.

• Application for admission
• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
• Transcripts from previous education
• Writing samples
• Letters of recommendation
• Personal statement or essay

Common Courses in a Master’s in Creative Writing

Story and concept.

This course focuses on conceptualizing, planning and developing stories on a structural level. Learners study how to generate ideas, develop interesting plots, create outlines, draft plot arcs, engage in world-building and create well-rounded characters who move their stories forward.

Graduate Studies in English Literature

Understanding literature is essential to building a career in creative writing. This course prepares you to teach, study literature or write professionally. Expect to discuss topics such as phonology, semantics, dialects, syntax and the history of the English language.

Workshop in Creative Nonfiction

You’ll study classic and contemporary creative nonfiction in this course. Workshops in creative nonfiction explore how different genres have emerged throughout history and how previous works influence new works. In some programs, this course focuses on a specific theme.

Foundations in Fiction

In this course, you’ll explore how the novel has developed throughout literary history and how the short story emerged as an art form. Coursework includes reading classic and contemporary works, writing response essays and crafting critical analyses.

MA in Creative Writing vs. MFA in Creative Writing: What’s the Difference?

While the degrees are similar, a master of arts in creative writing is different from a master of fine arts in creative writing. An MA in creative writing teaches creative writing competencies, building analytical skills through studying literature, literary theory and related topics. This lets you explore storytelling along with a more profound knowledge of literature and literary theory.

If you want your education to take a more academic perspective so you can build a career in one of many fields related to writing, an MA in creative writing may be right for you.

An MFA prepares you to work as a professional writer or novelist. MFA students graduate with a completed manuscript that is ready for publishing. Coursework highlights subjects related to the business of writing, such as digital publishing, the importance of building a platform on social media , marketing, freelancing and teaching. An MA in creative writing also takes less time and requires fewer credits than an MFA.

If you want to understand the business of writing and work as a professional author or novelist, earning an MFA in creative writing might be your best option.

What Can You Do With a Master’s in Creative Writing?

Below are several careers you can pursue with a master’s in creative writing. We sourced salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Postsecondary Creative Writing Teacher

Median Annual Salary: $74,280 Minimum Required Education: Ph.D. or another doctoral degree; master’s degree may be accepted at some schools and community colleges Job Overview: Postsecondary teachers, also known as professors or faculty, teach students at the college level. They plan lessons, advise students, serve on committees, conduct research, publish original research, supervise graduate teaching assistants, apply for grants for their research and teach subjects in their areas of expertise.

Median Annual Salary: $73,080 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in English or a related field Job Overview: Editors plan, revise and edit written materials for publication. They work for newspapers, magazines, book publishers, advertising agencies, media networks, and motion picture and video production companies. Editors work closely with writers to ensure their written work is accurate, grammatically correct and written in the appropriate style for the medium.

Median Annual Salary: $55,960 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree in journalism or a related field Job Overview: Journalists research and write stories about local, regional, national and global current events and other newsworthy subjects. Journalists need strong interviewing, editing, analytical and writing skills. Some journalists specialize in a subject, such as sports or politics, and some are generalists. They work for news organizations, magazines and online publications, and some work as freelancers.

Writer or Author

Median Annual Salary: $73,150 Minimum Required Education: None; bachelor’s degree in creative writing or a related field sometimes preferred Job Overview: Writers and authors write fiction or nonfiction content for magazines, plays, blogs, books, television scripts and other forms of media. Novelists, biographers, copywriters, screenwriters and playwrights all fall into this job classification. Writers may work for advertising agencies, news platforms, book publishers and other organizations; some work as freelancers.

Technical Writer

Median Annual Salary: $79,960 Minimum Required Education: Bachelor’s degree Job Overview: Technical writers craft technical documents, such as training manuals and how-to guides. They are adept at simplifying technical information so lay people can easily understand it. Technical writers may work with technical staff, graphic designers, computer support specialists and software developers to create user-friendly finished pieces.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About a Master's in Creative Writing

Is a master’s in creative writing useful.

If your goal is to launch a career as a writer, then yes, a master’s in creative writing is useful. An MA in creative writing is a versatile degree that prepares you for various jobs requiring excellent writing skills.

Is an MFA better than an MA for creative writing?

One is not better than the other; you should choose the one that best equips you for the career you want. An MFA prepares you to build a career as a professional writer or novelist. An MA prepares you for various jobs demanding high-level writing skills.

What kind of jobs can you get with a creative writing degree?

A creative writing degree prepares you for many types of writing jobs. It helps you build your skills and gain expertise to work as an editor, writer, author, technical writer or journalist. This degree is also essential if you plan to teach writing classes at the college level.

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Sheryl Grey is a freelance writer who specializes in creating content related to education, aging and senior living, and real estate. She is also a copywriter who helps businesses grow through expert website copywriting, branding and content creation. Sheryl holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communications from Indiana University South Bend, and she received her teacher certification training through Bethel University’s Transition to Teaching program.

Creative Writing, MFA

• Program description
• At a glance
• Degree requirements
• Admission requirements
• Tuition information
• Application deadlines
• Program learning outcomes
• Career opportunities
• Contact information

english, literature, poetry, prose, story

ASU's creative writing program, distinguished by an outstanding faculty whose works have received major national and international recognition, is consistently ranked among top-tier programs in poetry and fiction. The program's curricular strengths, community outreach and close mentorship combine to advance pragmatic, effective outcomes for students, graduates and artist-citizens.

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:

• Guggenheim, Howard Foundation, Lannan Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, and United Artists fellowships
• international Griffin Poetry Prize and Whiting Award
• multiple Pulitzer Prizes
• two medals of achievement from the National Society of Arts and Letters
• two Chancellors of the Academy of American Poets
• Walt Whitman Award from the Academy of American Poets

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.

• College/school: The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Location: Tempe

48 credit hours including a written comprehensive exam and the required applied project course (ENG 593)

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:

• graduate admission application and application fee
• official transcripts
• statement of purpose
• resume or curriculum vitae
• three letters of recommendation
• creative manuscript
• proof of English proficiency

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.

Program learning outcomes identify what a student will learn or be able to do upon completion of their program. This program has the following program outcomes:

• Create original fiction or poetry that incorporates theoretical and foundational literary knowledge.
• Explicate their creative works articulately.
• Analyze and critique the writing of other creative writers.

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:

• book designer or marketer
• book or magazine editor
• creative writing professor
• essayist or journalist
• grant writer and developer
• literary or events coordinator
• nonprofit administrator
• public relations and communications manager
• screenwriter
• secondary education teacher

Department of English | RBHL 170 [email protected] 480-965-3168 Admission deadlines

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Department of English

M.f.a. creative writing.

English Department

Physical Address: 200 Brink Hall

Mailing Address: English Department University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, Idaho 83844-1102

Phone: 208-885-6156

Email: [email protected]

Web: English

About the M.F.A. in Creative Writing

Career information is not specific to degree level. Some career options may require an advanced degree.

Current Job Openings and Salary Range

in ID, WA, OR, MT and HI

Entry-Level

Senior-Level

• Career Options
• Advertising and Promotions Manager
• English Language and Literature Teacher, Postsecondary
• Public Relations Specialist
• Technical Writer
• Writer or Author
• Poet, Lyricist or Creative Writer

Regional Employment Trends

Employment trends and projected job growth in ID, WA, OR, MT & HI

*Job data is collected from national, state and private sources. For more information, visit EMSI's data sources page .

• Degree Prep

Our students arrive as accomplished writers and readers, and while many have not yet published their stories, poems and essays, most will do so during their time in the program. An undergraduate English degree is not mandatory — our students come from diverse cultural, geographical, and artistic backgrounds, and at different times in their professional and personal lives. If you’re ready to write, apply now .

• Degree Roadmap

Ours is a three-year program, over the course of which each student works toward assembling a manuscript of publishable quality. In addition to regular workshops in a student's given genre, our program requires 18 credits of literature courses and traditions seminars be completed during the program. Some recent offerings:

• Genre-Crossing
• Women and Poetry
• Geographies of Nonfiction
• The Raptures of Research in Fiction Writing
• Traditions of Lifewriting
• Independence and Inquiry: A Nonfiction Techniques Studio
• Scholarships

The College of Letters, Arts and Social Sciences provides annual scholarship awards totaling approximately $1,600,000. For information on specific scholarships, please email  [email protected] .

You can find general need- and merit-based scholarships on the Financial Aid Office's scholarships page.

Teaching Assistantships carry value up to $26,000; other departmental scholarships can supplement this by $2,000 or more annually. 

To learn more about FAFSA deadlines and processes, available scholarships, and financial aid program types and eligibility requirements, please visit the University of Idaho  Financial Aid Office .

• Hands-On Learning

Teaching assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis. The program also offers fellowships for summer workshops and writing retreats.

• Job Openings and Salary Range
• Employment Trends

Mastering the Art of Creativity

Polish your craft and develop your voice as a professional writer in a program that features intensive theoretical and practical training across genres. Enjoy a supportive learning environment with an award-winning faculty and benefit from opportunities to be published and mentored through the Distinguished Visiting Writers Program.

• Our M.F.A. program is three years. We offer full and equitable funding for all students through Teaching Assistantships and tuition waivers.
• We admit two to four students per genre each year (nine students per cohort, on average). Our program is small by design, ensuring that community and mentorship are central to the experience of our degree candidates.
• All admitted students gain real-world skills through classroom teaching.
• We offer flexible degree paths in Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction, and encourage cross- and multi-genre study or single-genre study, depending on a student’s artist goals.
• Our faculty value student-centered classroom spaces where mentoring, community, and reciprocity are tightly held values. All classes are taught by working writers who have a passion for teaching.
• The Distinguished Visiting Writers Series brings field-leading authors to campus to read from their work, interface with students and the community, and lead MFA seminars.
• Fellowship opportunities include participating in Writing in the Wild at Taylor Ranch in the Frank Church Wilderness Area; University Fellowships at the Centrum Writers Conference; the Hemingway Fellowship for fiction writers; and the Academy of American Poets University Prize.
• Students have the opportunity to serve as editors for our esteemed national literary journal Fugue.
• Over the past three decades, our distinguished alumni have published over 100 books with our country’s finest trade, independent, and university presses. Students and alumni are the lifeblood of our storied MFA program.

Meet Our Faculty

M.F.A. English Faculty

Meet Our Students

M.F.A English Students

Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

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The Online Writing Lab (the Purdue OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects. Teachers and trainers may use this material for in-class and out-of-class instruction.

The On-Campus and Online versions of Purdue OWL assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue OWL serves the Purdue West Lafayette and Indianapolis campuses and coordinates with local literacy initiatives. The Purdue OWL offers global support through online reference materials and services.

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All Main Library and Weaver Library doors lock 15 minutes before closing.

Call for proposals: Reclaiming the Border Narrative Digital Archive creative reuse

Are you interested in art, politics, experience and/or cultural production around the US-Mexico borderlands and migration?  

University Libraries and the C onfluencenter for Creative Inquiry are accepting proposals for creative reuse of the Reclaiming the Border Narrative (RBN) Digital Archive. RBN archive houses contemporary projects of dozens of journalists, activists, culture bearers, storytellers and artists whose work aims to reclaim the border narrative, advance migrant justice, and address gaps in the archival record.

• Three recipients will each receive a $6,000 grant to complete their project in July and August that analyzes, contextualizes, or builds upon the materials in the archive.
• See more details and apply now. The deadline to apply is June 24, 12pm MST. 
• Awardees will be notified via email by June 28.

Eligibility 

• Community-based artists, community members, practitioners, students, and academic professionals based in Southern Arizona, including people who are or are not affiliated with University of Arizona.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States.
• Previous recipients of Confluencenter funding are eligible.

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Do you love writing to express yourself? As a creative writing student at Austin College, you will learn how to craft effective stories and poems, build new worlds, and connect to your audience in powerful ways. You will enjoy small workshop classes, hands-on feedback from expert instructors, and opportunities to explore the landscape of publishing. Come and join our vibrant community of writers. Everyone has a story to tell. 

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Student Literary Works

Not Desi Enough

Sonia Charales

Honors Thesis: Poetry Collection

to tell, for the sake of the birds

Carrie Johnson

Honors Thesis: Poetry and Nonfiction Collection

“Build That Wall"? The Price of a Part-Time Citizenship

Larry Ramirez-Quintana

Honors Thesis: Poetry and Prose Collection

The Secret I Was

Leslie Erwin

Honors Thesis: YA Novel

Finish in Four* with the skills to launch your career  Being a great writer is about joining a community, publishing your work, and learning how to think critically about your own writing. Your four-year academic experience will strengthen and refine your skills in communication, critical thinking, and collaboration. With a degree in creative writing studies, upon graduation you will be prepared to:  act as a responsible and valuable member of a community of readers and writers  express yourself in writing for a variety of contexts and audiences    explore ideas from a variety of perspectives with empathy and intellectual curiosity   engage in effective revision of your ideas  write in a wide range of genres and styles  Explore our  Graduate Outcomes  to learn more about what are graduates are doing today. 

Program Highlights

The Lemuel Scarbrough Center for Writing supports a culture of writing at Austin College. The Center for Writing provides free peer writing assistance, writing workshops and resources, and support for the teaching of writing across campus. 

Our Professionalism and the Humanities (PATH) program helps you build career-ready skills, explore the real-world career paths of successful recent alumni, and incorporate project-based learning into your courses that allow you to work with community organizations, develop exhibitions, and learn about the publishing process. 

Suspension is Austin College’s entirely student-led literary magazine. Published once a year in print, Suspension highlights poetry, prose, and art created by Austin College students. Editorial staff are involved in every step of the publication process, from advertising open submissions, judging contest entries, selecting works for publication, and creating the final magazine layout. 

Meet our Faculty

Dr. Alex Garganigo

Dr. Greg Kinzer

Dr. Tom Blake Jr.

Dr. Lisha Storey

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• Fiction Writing 
• Poetry Writing 
• Craft and the Writing Community 
• Creative Nonfiction 
• Form and Theory of Writing 
• Screenwriting  
• Script Writing   

See the Bulletin for full requirements 

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Syracuse University
2024-2025 Graduate Course Catalog Mona Awad, Chanelle Benz, Jonathan Dee, Matt Grzecki, Sarah Harwell, Brooks Haxton, Mary Karr, Christopher Kennedy, George Saunders, Bruce Smith, Dana Spiotta The MFA program in Creative Writing at Syracuse has long been regarded as one of the best in the country. Each year six students are admitted in poetry and six in fiction to work closely in small workshops with an accomplished group of writers. Coursework includes a strong emphasis on the study of literature. Six semesters are usually needed to complete the M.F.A. Applicants must upload a sample of fiction or poetry with their online application through CollegeNet no later than December 15, as well as complete the online graduate application for graduate study.  Admission is based primarily on the writing sample, but also upon the academic record. Thus, letters of recommendation should address not only the student’s creative work, but also his or her general preparedness for advanced graduate study. Likewise, in their personal statements on the application for graduate study, students should state their reasons for pursuing an M.F.A. in creative writing as well as describe their own backgrounds as writers. Submit online Graduate Application via ApplyWeb by DECEMBER 15th.  FICTION APPLICANTS: UPLOAD your 20 page maximum writing sample with your CollegeNet application by DECEMBER 15. POETRY APPLICANTS: UPLOAD your 10-12 POEMS with CollegeNet application by December 15 . Do NOT mail in your poetry writing sample. Candidates must complete 48 credits of coursework, which includes 9 credits of workshop, a minimum of 9 credits in forms courses, a 3-credit second-year essay seminar, 12 to 15 credits in other English department courses, 6 to 9 credits of electives outside the department, and 6 credits for the preparation of the thesis (a collection of poems or stories or a novel). For more information about our graduate programs, visit our department web site at english.syr.edu . Student Learning Outcomes 1. Writing, editing and revision in student’s primary literary genre, leading to a creative manuscript of publishable quality 2. Reading in ways that contribute to a student’s writing 3. Analyzing and writing with care about literary texts 4. Responding thoughtfully and critically to work by other MFA students 5. Demonstrate writerly discipline by accepting criticism from professionals and rewriting accordingly, writing regularly, and developing a life-long reading list 6. Place their own work in the context of a broad range of issues and activities associated with a literary writer and the communities in which the writer lives and works 7. Teach composition and research writing to undergraduates and conduct one-on-one tutoring sessions in a Writing Center MFA Graduate Awards First year MFAs come in on a Creative Writing Fellowship award which carries no teaching duties. The award comes with a stipend and a 24 credit hour tuition scholarship. Second and third year students are funded by teaching assistantships. Teaching assistantships include a 24 credit hour tuition scholarship and a stipend of $20,000. Second year TAs will have full responsibility for teaching/consulting in the department of Writing Studies, Rhetoric, and Composition. They are expected to attend regular staff meetings and workshops and participate in a mentoring group. There is a review of each teaching assistant’s performance as a teacher. Third year students will teach in the English Department, courses to be determined on an as needed basis. Admissions - MFA in Creative Writing The 2023-2024 Graduate Admissions Application is now OPEN! https://grad.ucdavis.edu/apply   The deadline to apply to our program is January 5, 2024 Graduate Studies'  Applications Page  covers most campus-level admissions questions, but feel free to contact our graduate program staff for more details and specific guidance. Applications are reviewed once all supporting materials have been received. For more information about your application status, please check online or contact our graduate program staff. Application Requirements: Writing sample Statement of Purpose Personal History & Diversity Statement Three letters of recommendation TOEFL or IELTS scores, if applicable Copies of transcripts Application Fee (2023-2024 cycle): $135 for U.S. and $155 for international applicants Admissions Requirements and Eligibility  as set by UC Davis Graduate Studies Writing sample in your preferred genre  Either ten to twelve poems or up to thirty pages (double-spaced) of prose. Hybrid-form work must not exceed thirty pages. To apply for admission to our Creative Writing MFA program, you are encouraged to include, as a writing sample, your very best creative writing.  Typically, two—or at the most three—genres exist in a graduate Creative Writing program: Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction.  At UCD, we think of genre as a useful thing to consider… but we do not think of the various genres—however many you would like to list—as necessarily unmixable modes.     For us, the value of a piece of writing is better gauged directly—by what it says to its readers, and by what that saying does to those readers—rather than by its successful or unsuccessful identification with one or another of the historically certified genres.  This is not to say that we don't believe in genre, or in the usefulness of plumbing each purported genre's history; it is to say, rather, or  to notice…  that the border between one genre and another is not so much a Great Wall as a small fence. Please highlight your academic preparation and motivation; interests, specialization and career goals; and fit for pursuing graduate study at UC Davis. Personal History and Diversity Statement The University of California Davis, a public institution, is committed to supporting the diversity of the graduate student body and promoting equal opportunity in higher education. This commitment furthers the educational mission to serve the increasingly diverse population and educational needs of California and the nation. Both the Vice Provost of Graduate Education/Dean of Graduate Studies and the University of California affirm that diversity is critical to promoting lively intellectual exchange and the variety of ideas and perspectives essential to advancing higher education and research. Our graduate students contribute to the global pool of future scholars and academic leaders, thus high value is placed on achieving a diverse graduate student body to support the University of California’s academic excellence. We invite you to include in this statement how you may contribute to the diversification of graduate education and the UC Davis community. The purpose of this essay is to get to know you as an individual and potential graduate student. Please describe how your personal background informs your decision to pursue a graduate degree. You may include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, community service, outreach activities, residency and citizenship, first-generation college status, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field; or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and underserved segments of society with your graduate education.   This essay should complement but not duplicate the content in the Statement of Purpose. Your Personal History and Diversity Statement must be entered directly into a text box in the application, and has a 4,000 character limit including spaces. Three letters of recommendations Letters should be from professors or other persons situated to speak about your potential for graduate Creative Writing study. You might also think of potential letter-writers in terms of their ability to speak to your participation in a dedicated community. Applicants must submit TOEFL/IELTS/Duolingo scores unless they have earned or will be earning a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral degree from either a regionally accredited or foreign college/university which provides instruction solely in English. See the  English Language Requirement  section for details.  Transcripts Transcripts are required from each post-secondary institution you have attended.   Copies or unofficial transcripts are allowed. If admitted, you’ll be required to send official transcripts for every institution listed on your application. Application fee The application fee is set by the UC Davis Office of Graduate Studies. The application fee for the 2023-2024 cycle is $135 for domestic students and $155 for international students, payable online. Waivers of this fee are only available to participants in  one of several graduate preparatory programs .  The MFA program has no ability to grant application fee waivers.  Application FAQs :  https://grad.ucdavis.edu/admissions-process-overview We aim for a class of 10 to 12 writers, hoping for a balance between genres. The writing sample is the most important part of your application; the committee is looking for high quality work in the applicant’s genre of choice.  All students in the MFA program at UC Davis take at least one workshop outside their primary genre, so you need not apply to a second genre in order to have access to it as a student. The committee makes admissions and financial aid decisions simultaneously.  We offer a limited number of first-year funding packages; all second year students have access to full funding. For the Fall 2021 cohort, we received 137 applications, admitted 16 (13 initial applicants and 3 waitlisted applicants), and 11 of those students will be joining us in the Fall. Funding your MFA At UC Davis, we offer you the ability to fund your MFA. In fact, all students admitted to the program are guaranteed full funding in the second year of study, when students serve as teachers of Introduction to Creative Writing (English 5) and receive, in exchange, tuition and health insurance remission as well as a monthly stipend (second year students who come to Davis from out of state are expected to establish residency during their first year). We have a more limited amount of resources – teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and out of state tuition wavers – allocated to us for first year students, but in recent years, we’ve had excellent luck funding our accepted first years. We help students who do not receive English department funding help themselves by posting job announcements from other departments during the spring and summer leading up to their arrival. We are proud to say that over the course of the last twenty years, nearly every incoming student has wound up with at least partial funding (including a tuition waiver and health insurance coverage) by the time classes begin in the fall. We have other resources for students, too – like the Miller Fund, which supports attendance for our writers at any single writer’s workshop or conference. Students have used these funds to attend well-known conferences like AWP, Writing By Writers, and the Tin House Conference. The Davis Humanities Institute offers a fellowship that first year students can apply for to fund their writing projects. Admitted students are also considered for University-wide fellowships For additional information, please contact: Sarah Yunus [email protected] Department of English Graduate Program Coordinator for the MFA Program in Creative Writing (530) 752-2281 -->     University of Maryland, Baltimore County       Jun 11, 2024   2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog     2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog Offered by English . The Creative Writing Minor at UMBC is appropriate for students of any major who are interested in creative writing as a form of expression. Students study the craft of writing across genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. They learn to read critically, produce and revise their own creative work, and share feedback on their peers’ writing in a supportive workshop setting. Beyond the classroom, they engage with the wider creative community, attending campus literary events and exploring publishing opportunities. By cultivating the habits of productive writers, students grow as self-editors and are able to continue creative pursuits after their undergraduate studies. Minor Requirements Minimum of 21 credits Minimum grade of ‘C’ in courses applied to the minor ENGL 203    must be completed in residence at UMBC Other creative writing courses may be transferred in, if equivalency is determined for them Up to 6 credits from the minor may be counted as part of the English, B.A.   Course Requirements Required course (3 credits). Complete the following: ENGL 203 - Creative Writing Study and Practice (3) Elective Courses (18 credits) Complete 18 credits of ENGL courses including a minimum of 12 credits at the 300-level and 3 credits at the 400-level. 200-level Creative Writing Students may complete one additional 200-level course from the following: ENGL 271 - Introduction to Creative Writing - Fiction (3) ENGL 272 - Introduction to Creative Writing-Scriptwriting (3) ENGL 273 - Introduction to Creative Writing - Poetry (3) ENGL 291 - Introduction to Writing Creative Essays (3) 300-level Creative Writing Complete a minimum of two 300-level Creative Writing courses from the following: ENGL 303 - The Art of the Essay (3) ENGL 371 - Creative Writing-Fiction (3) ENGL 372 - Creative Writing: Scriptwriting (3) ENGL 373 - Creative Writing-Poetry (3) ENGL 375 - Topics in Creative Writing (3) 300-level Literature and Culture Complete a minimum of two 300-level Literature and Culture courses from the following: ENGL 304 - British Literature: Medieval and Renaissance (3) ENGL 305 - British Literature: Restoration to Romantic (3) ENGL 306 - British Literature: Victorian and Modern (3) ENGL 307 - American Literature: from New World Contact to the Civil War (3) ENGL 308 - American Literature: The Civil War to 1945 (3) ENGL 310 - Topics in Poetry (3) ENGL 312 - Topics in Fiction (3) ENGL 314 - Topics in Drama (3) ENGL 315 - Studies in World Literature (3) ENGL 316 - Literature and the Other Arts (3) ENGL 317 - Literature and the Sciences (3) ENGL 318 - Myth and Literature (3) ENGL 331 - Contemporary British Literature (3) ENGL 332 - Contemporary American Literature (3) ENGL 334 - Medieval Literature (3) ENGL 336 - Medieval and Early Modern Drama (3) ENGL 339 - Early Modern Literature (3) ENGL 340 - Major Literary Traditions and Movements (3) ENGL 344 - Topics in Textual Studies (3) ENGL 345 - Topics in Literature and History (3) ENGL 346 - Literary Themes (3) ENGL 347 - Contemporary Developments in Literature & Culture (3) ENGL 348 - Literature and Culture (3) ENGL 349 - The Bible and Literature (3) ENGL 350 - Major British and American Writers (3) ENGL 351 - Studies in Shakespeare (3) ENGL 360 - The Literature of Minorities (3) ENGL 361 - Studies in Black Drama (3) ENGL 362 - Studies in Black Poetry (3) ENGL 364 - Perspectives on Women in Literature (3) ENGL 366 - World Literature Written in English (3) ENGL 369 - Race and Ethnicity in U.S. Literature (3) 400-level Creative Writing Complete a minimum of one 400-level course from the following: ENGL 403 - Advanced Creative Writing: Non-Fiction (3) ENGL 471 - Advanced Creative Writing-Fiction (3) ENGL 473 - Advanced Creative Writing-Poetry (3) ENGL 475 - Special Studies in Creative Writing (3) ENGL 495 - Internship (1-4) 226 COMMENTS MFA Creative Writing Department of English P.O. Box 210067, Modern Languages 445 University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721. Contact Us [email protected] 520-621-9771. Studenthub Creative Writing and the WRITE Program We offer a minor in Creative Writing for undergraduate students (please see the University of Alberta Calendar for more information) and graduate students have the unique and exciting opportunity to take either our course-based Masters of Arts or our Master of Arts thesis option.. In the course-based Master of Arts, students can submit an original creative project for the completion of their ... Creative Writing, Master The Creative Writing degree offered is by The University of Arizona. The program requires three years in residence, the completion of 42 academic units, including four workshops in one genre and four craft courses. A student's studies culminate in the production of an aesthetic statement and a thesis manuscript. Graduate Programs Below is a list of selected Creative Writing graduate programs offered by other colleges and universities: Creative Writing graduate programs. ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY - Los Angeles, California - Creative Writing M.F.A. at AULA ARIZONA STATE - Tempe, Arizona - Creative Writing M.F.A. at ASU BOSTON UNIVERSITY - Boston, Massachusetts ... | The University of Arizona Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O'odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service. Creative Writing, MFA The ASU MFA in Creative Writing is and 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. Creative writing has been a part of the department of English since the 1930s. MFA Creative Writing Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6032. Mailing Address. P.O. Box 6032. Flagstaff, AZ 86011-6032. Email. [email protected]. 928-523-4911. Study fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry, take part in workshops and more, while pursuing your MFA in Creative Writing at NAU. Apply today and enroll! MFA in Creative Writing The MFA in Creative Writing at NAU is an interdisciplinary, full-time, two-year program in fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid forms. ... language, present-day Flagstaff was founded in 1882; Northern Arizona University was founded in 1899, and Arizona was declared a state of the U.S. in 1912. Long before and ever since these ... Earning A Master's In Creative Writing: What To Know Postsecondary Creative Writing Teacher. Median Annual Salary: $74,280. Minimum Required Education: Ph.D. or another doctoral degree; master's degree may be accepted at some schools and community ... M.F.A. Creative Writing For more information about the MFA program, please contact us at: [email protected]. Department of English. University of Idaho. 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102. Moscow, ID 83844-1102. 208-885-6156. The Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing program at the University of Idaho is an intense, three-year course of study that focuses on the ... Creative Writing, MFA [email protected]. 480-965-3168. Admission deadlines. ASU's creative writing program, distinguished by an outstanding faculty whose works have received major national and international recognition, is consistently ranked among top-tier programs in poetry and fiction. The program's curricular strengths, community outreach and close mentorship ... About the M.F.A. in Creative Writing Our M.F.A. program is three years. We offer full and equitable funding for all students through Teaching Assistantships and tuition waivers. We admit two to four students per genre each year (nine students per cohort, on average). Our program is small by design, ensuring that community and mentorship are central to the experience of our degree ... Welcome to the Purdue Online Writing Lab Mission. The Purdue On-Campus Writing Lab and Purdue Online Writing Lab assist clients in their development as writers—no matter what their skill level—with on-campus consultations, online participation, and community engagement. The Purdue Writing Lab serves the Purdue, West Lafayette, campus and coordinates with local literacy initiatives. Call for proposals: Reclaiming the Border Narrative Digital Archive Are you interested in art, politics, experience and/or cultural production around the US-Mexico borderlands and migration? University Libraries and the C onfluencenter for Creative Inquiry are accepting proposals for creative reuse of the Reclaiming the Border Narrative (RBN) Digital Archive. RBN archive houses contemporary projects of dozens of journalists, activists, culture bearers ... Creative Writing As a creative writing student at Austin College, you will learn how to craft effective stories and poems, build new worlds, and connect to your audience in powerful ways. You will enjoy small workshop classes, hands-on feedback from expert instructors, and opportunities to explore the landscape of publishing. Come and join our vibrant community ... Program: Creative Writing, MFA First year MFAs come in on a Creative Writing Fellowship award which carries no teaching duties. The award comes with a stipend and a 24 credit hour tuition scholarship. Second and third year students are funded by teaching assistantships. Teaching assistantships include a 24 credit hour tuition scholarship and a stipend of $20,000. Admissions Hybrid-form work must not exceed thirty pages. To apply for admission to our Creative Writing MFA program, you are encouraged to include, as a writing sample, your very best creative writing. Typically, two—or at the most three—genres exist in a graduate Creative Writing program: Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction. Online Master's Degrees from Top Universities Earn a Master's degree from a top-ranked university at an affordable price. Study on your own schedule with 100% online degree programs and receive the same university graduate degree as students who attend class on campus. Program: Creative Writing Minor Creative Writing Minor. Offered by English. The Creative Writing Minor at UMBC is appropriate for students of any major who are interested in creative writing as a form of expression. Students study the craft of writing across genres, including fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. They learn to read critically, produce and revise their own ... Adobe Creative Cloud for students and teachers Students and Teachers. 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