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The 10 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in the US
The talent is there.
But the next generation of great American writers needs a collegial place to hone their craft.
They need a place to explore the writer’s role in a wider community.
They really need guidance about how and when to publish.
All these things can be found in a solid Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree program. This degree offers access to mentors, to colleagues, and to a future in the writing world.
A good MFA program gives new writers a precious few years to focus completely on their work, an ideal space away from the noise and pressure of the fast-paced modern world.
We’ve found ten of the best ones, all of which provide the support, the creative stimulation, and the tranquility necessary to foster a mature writer.
We looked at graduate departments from all regions, public and private, all sizes, searching for the ten most inspiring Creative Writing MFA programs.
Each of these ten institutions has assembled stellar faculties, developed student-focused paths of study, and provide robust support for writers accepted into their degree programs.
To be considered for inclusion in this list, these MFA programs all must be fully-funded degrees, as recognized by Read The Workshop .
Creative Writing education has broadened and expanded over recent years, and no single method or plan fits for all students.
Today, MFA programs across the country give budding short story writers and poets a variety of options for study. For future novelists, screenwriters – even viral bloggers – the search for the perfect setting for their next phase of development starts with these outstanding institutions, all of which have developed thoughtful and particular approaches to study.
So where will the next Salinger scribble his stories on the steps of the student center, or the next Angelou reading her poems in the local bookstore’s student-run poetry night? At one of these ten programs.
Here are 10 of the best creative writing MFA programs in the US.
University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)
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-one instruction in the English college system.
Oregon’s MFA embraces its reputation for rigor. Besides attending workshops and tutorials, students take classes in more formal poetics and literature.
A classic college town, Eugene provides an ideal backdrop for the writers’ community within Oregon’s MFA students and faculty.
Tsunami Books , a local bookseller with national caché, hosts student-run readings featuring writers from the program.
Graduates garner an impressive range of critical acclaim; Yale Younger Poet winner Brigit Pegeen Kelly, Cave Canem Prize winner and Guggenheim fellow Major Jackson, and PEN-Hemingway Award winner Chang-Rae Lee are noteworthy alumni.
With its appealing setting and impressive reputation, Oregon’s MFA program attracts top writers as visiting faculty, including recent guests Elizabeth McCracken, David Mura, and Li-young Lee.
The individual approach defines the Oregon MFA experience; a key feature of the program’s first year is the customized reading list each MFA student creates with their faculty guide.
Weekly meetings focus not only on the student’s writing, but also on the extended discovery of voice through directed reading.
Accepting only ten new students a year—five in poetry and five in fiction— the University of Oregon’s MFA ensures a close-knit community with plenty of individual coaching and guidance.
Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)
Cornell University’s MFA program takes the long view on life as a writer, incorporating practical editorial training and teaching experience into its two-year program.
Incoming MFA students choose their own faculty committee of at least two faculty members, providing consistent advice as they move through a mixture of workshop and literature classes.
Students in the program’s first year benefit from editorial training as readers and editors for Epoch , the program’s prestigious literary journal.
Teaching experience grounds the Cornell program. MFA students design and teach writing-centered undergraduate seminars on a variety of topics, and they remain in Ithaca during the summer to teach in programs for undergraduates.
Cornell even allows MFA graduates to stay on as lecturers at Cornell for a period of time while they are on the job search. Cornell also offers a joint MFA/Ph.D. program through the Creative Writing and English departments.
Endowments fund several acclaimed reading series, drawing internationally known authors to campus for workshops and work sessions with MFA students.
Recent visiting readers include Salman Rushdie, Sandra Cisneros, Billy Collins, Margaret Atwood, Ada Limón, and others.
Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)
Arizona State’s MFA in Creative Writing spans three years, giving students ample time to practice their craft, develop a voice, and begin to find a place in the post-graduation literary world.
Coursework balances writing and literature classes equally, with courses in craft and one-on-one mentoring alongside courses in literature, theory, or even electives in topics like fine press printing, bookmaking, or publishing.
While students follow a path in either poetry or fiction, they are encouraged to take courses across the genres.
Teaching is also a focus in Arizona State’s MFA program, with funding coming from teaching assistantships in the school’s English department. Other exciting teaching opportunities include teaching abroad in locations around the world, funded through grants and internships.
The Virginia C. Piper Center for Creative Writing, affiliated with the program, offers Arizona State MFA students professional development in formal and informal ways.
The Distinguished Writers Series and Desert Nights, Rising Stars Conference bring world-class writers to campus, allowing students to interact with some of the greatest in the profession. Acclaimed writer and poet Alberto Ríos directs the Piper Center.
Arizona State transitions students to the world after graduation through internships with publishers like Four Way Books.
Its commitment to the student experience and its history of producing acclaimed writers—recent examples include Tayari Jones (Oprah’s Book Club, 2018; Women’s Prize for Fiction, 2019), Venita Blackburn ( Prairie Schooner Book Prize, 2018), and Hugh Martin ( Iowa Review Jeff Sharlet Award for Veterans)—make Arizona State University’s MFA a consistent leader among degree programs.
University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
The University of Texas at Austin’s MFA program, the Michener Center for Writers, maintains one of the most vibrant, exciting, active literary faculties of any MFA program.
Denis Johnson D.A. Powell, Geoff Dyer, Natasha Trethewey, Margot Livesey, Ben Fountain: the list of recent guest faculty boasts some of the biggest names in current literature.
This three-year program fully funds candidates without teaching fellowships or assistantships; the goal is for students to focus entirely on their writing.
More genre tracks at the Michener Center mean students can choose two focus areas, a primary and secondary, from Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting, and Playwriting.
The Michener Center for Writers plays a prominent role in contemporary writing of all kinds.
The hip, student-edited Bat City Review accepts work of all genres, visual art, cross genres, collaborative, and experimental pieces.
Recent events for illustrious alumni include New Yorker publications, an Oprah Book Club selection, a screenwriting prize, and a 2021 Pulitzer (for visiting faculty member Mitchell Jackson).
In this program, students are right in the middle of all the action of contemporary American literature.
Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)
The MFA in Creative Writing at Washington University in St. Louis is a program on the move: applicants have almost doubled here in the last five years.
Maybe this sudden growth of interest comes from recent rising star alumni on the literary scene, like Paul Tran, Miranda Popkey, and National Book Award winner Justin Phillip Reed.
Or maybe it’s the high profile Washington University’s MFA program commands, with its rotating faculty post through the Hurst Visiting Professor program and its active distinguished reader series.
Superstar figures like Alison Bechdel and George Saunders have recently held visiting professorships, maintaining an energetic atmosphere program-wide.
Washington University’s MFA program sustains a reputation for the quality of the mentorship experience.
With only five new students in each genre annually, MFA candidates form close cohorts among their peers and enjoy attentive support and mentorship from an engaged and vigorous faculty.
Three genre tracks are available to students: fiction, poetry, and the increasingly relevant and popular creative nonfiction.
Another attractive feature of this program: first-year students are fully funded, but not expected to take on a teaching role until their second year.
A generous stipend, coupled with St. Louis’s low cost of living, gives MFA candidates at Washington University the space to develop in a low-stress but stimulating creative environment.
Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)
It’s one of the first and biggest choices students face when choosing an MFA program: two-year or three-year?
Indiana University makes a compelling case for its three-year program, in which the third year of support allows students an extended period of time to focus on the thesis, usually a novel or book-length collection.
One of the older programs on the list, Indiana’s MFA dates back to 1948.
Its past instructors and alumni read like the index to an American Literature textbook.
How many places can you take classes in the same place Robert Frost once taught, not to mention the program that granted its first creative writing Master’s degree to David Wagoner? Even today, the program’s integrity and reputation draw faculty like Ross Gay and Kevin Young.
Indiana’s Creative Writing program houses two more literary institutions, the Indiana Review, and the Indiana University Writers’ Conference.
Students make up the editorial staff of this lauded literary magazine, in some cases for course credit or a stipend. An MFA candidate serves each year as assistant director of the much-celebrated and highly attended conference .
These two facets of Indiana’s program give graduate students access to visiting writers, professional experience, and a taste of the writing life beyond academia.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)
The University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program cultivates its students with a combination of workshop-driven course work and vigorous programming on and off-campus. Inventive new voices in fiction and poetry consistently emerge from this two-year program.
The campus hosts multiple readings, events, and contests, anchored by the Zell Visiting Writers Series. The Hopgood Awards offer annual prize money to Michigan creative writing students .
The department cultivates relationships with organizations and events around Detroit, so whether it’s introducing writers at Literati bookstore or organizing writing retreats in conjunction with local arts organizations, MFA candidates find opportunities to cultivate a community role and public persona as a writer.
What happens after graduation tells the big story of this program. Michigan produces heavy hitters in the literary world, like Celeste Ng, Jesmyn Ward, Elizabeth Kostova, Nate Marshall, Paisley Rekdal, and Laura Kasischke.
Their alumni place their works with venerable houses like Penguin and Harper Collins, longtime literary favorites Graywolf and Copper Canyon, and the new vanguard like McSweeney’s, Fence, and Ugly Duckling Presse.
University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)
Structure combined with personal attention and mentorship characterizes the University of Minnesota’s Creative Writing MFA, starting with its unique program requirements.
In addition to course work and a final thesis, Minnesota’s MFA candidates assemble a book list of personally significant works on literary craft, compose a long-form essay on their writing process, and defend their thesis works with reading in front of an audience.
Literary journal Great River Review and events like the First Book reading series and Mill City Reading series do their part to expand the student experience beyond the focus on the internal.
The Edelstein-Keller Visiting Writer Series draws exceptional, culturally relevant writers like Chuck Klosterman and Claudia Rankine for readings and student conversations.
Writer and retired University of Minnesota instructor Charles Baxter established the program’s Hunger Relief benefit , aiding Minnesota’s Second Harvest Heartland organization.
Emblematic of the program’s vision of the writer in service to humanity, this annual contest and reading bring together distinguished writers, students, faculty, and community members in favor of a greater goal.
Brown University (Providence, RI)
One of the top institutions on any list, Brown University features an elegantly-constructed Literary Arts Program, with students choosing one workshop and one elective per semester.
The electives can be taken from any department at Brown; especially popular choices include Studio Art and other coursework through the affiliated Rhode Island School of Design. The final semester consists of thesis construction under the supervision of the candidate’s faculty advisor.
Brown is the only MFA program to feature, in addition to poetry and fiction tracks, the Digital/Cross Disciplinary track .
This track attracts multidisciplinary writers who need the support offered by Brown’s collaboration among music, visual art, computer science, theater and performance studies, and other departments.
The interaction with the Rhode Island School of Design also allows those artists interested in new forms of media to explore and develop their practice, inventing new forms of art and communication.
Brown’s Literary Arts Program focuses on creating an atmosphere where students can refine their artistic visions, supported by like-minded faculty who provide the time and materials necessary to innovate.
Not only has the program produced trailblazing writers like Percival Everett and Otessa Moshfegh, but works composed by alumni incorporating dance, music, media, and theater have been performed around the world, from the stage at Kennedy Center to National Public Radio.
University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)
When most people hear “MFA in Creative Writing,” it’s the Iowa Writers’ Workshop they imagine.
The informal name of the University of Iowa’s Program in Creative Writing, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop was the first to offer an MFA, back in 1936.
One of the first diplomas went to renowned writer Wallace Stegner, who later founded the MFA program at Stanford.
It’s hard to argue with seventeen Pulitzer Prize winners and six U.S. Poets Laureate. The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is the root system of the MFA tree.
The two-year program balances writing courses with coursework in other graduate departments at the university. In addition to the book-length thesis, a written exam is part of the student’s last semester.
Because the program represents the quintessential idea of a writing program, it attracts its faculty positions, reading series, events, and workshops the brightest lights of the literary world.
The program’s flagship literary magazine, the Iowa Review , is a lofty goal for writers at all stages of their career.
At the Writers’ Workshop, tracks include not only fiction, poetry, playwriting, and nonfiction, but also Spanish creative writing and literary translation. Their reading series in association with Prairie Lights bookstore streams online and is heard around the world.
Iowa’s program came into being in answer to the central question posed to each one of these schools: can writing be taught?
The answer for a group of intrepid, creative souls in 1936 was, actually, “maybe not.”
But they believed it could be cultivated; each one of these institutions proves it can be, in many ways, for those willing to commit the time and imagination.
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2023-24 Bulletin
Creative writing.
The School of Continuing & Professional Studies offers a 16-unit Certificate in Creative Writing for those who want to explore in depth and achieve significant mastery of the art of writing fiction or creative nonfiction.
Instructors in this program are experienced professional writers, most of whom are associated with the Washington University Graduate Writing Program and the Department of English. All of the craft courses are taught using the workshop model, with open discussion and detailed, constructive criticism of each student's writing.
Contact Info
| Contact: | Pat Matthews |
| Email: | |
| Website: |
Certificate in Creative Writing
Students may specialize in fiction or creative nonfiction. Each student will take five 3-credit, advanced-level (300 or higher) courses, including three courses devoted to mastering the craft of writing in the chosen specialty genre, one course primarily in the reading and analysis of the literature in that genre, and one course in a second genre.
The student's final course in the program will be taken for 4 credits rather than the usual 3, and it will include a 1-credit meta-commentary assignment. This assignment requires students to step back from the particular course and describe (in 1500 words) what they have learned about the differences between and similarities among the genres investigated and how these have affected their choice of genre. Students should look at the strategies they have chosen in their writing and explain why they chose them for a particular purpose. The goals of this assignment are for students to demonstrate the skills that they have learned during the course of their certificate studies as they think about the genres they have examined and to show how these skills govern their approach to creative writing.
Students with little previous experience in creative writing are encouraged to begin with a 200-level writing course or workshop as a foundation for the more advanced courses that will count toward the certificate.
Sample Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Poetry Writing | 3 | |
| Fiction Writing: The Moral of the Story: Writing Fiction about Ethics, Philosophy, and Morality | 3 | |
| Fiction Seminar (Prerequisite: or one published work) | 3 | |
| Nonfiction: Reading and Writing the Memoir | 3 | |
| Creative Nonfiction: Writing Ourselves, Writing the World | 3 | |
| The Art of the Personal Essay | 3 |
Visit online course listings to view semester offerings for U11 EComp .
U11 EComp 310 Genre Writing
This course is a creative writing workshop dedicated to genre fiction. With a primary focus on the contemporary genre story, the course will cover new and classic science fiction, fantasy, crime writing, and much more. Through a series of readings and writing workshops, we will discuss the craft of genre writing from the traditional to the contemporary, including long-standing genre conventions, recent cross-genre trends, and the current role of genre fiction in the literary landscape. This course can count toward the major in English for day students.
Credit 3 units. UColl : OLI
U11 EComp 313 Creative Nonfiction
This is a workshop for students interested in writing creative nonfiction and the personal essay. We examine the narrative techniques that writers use to shape their life experiences and observations. Students experiment with different approaches to writing process and have opportunities to complete work in various modes, such as memoir and the lyrical essay. We will also read published nonfiction essays that illuminate various aspects of style and craft.
U11 EComp 3151 Nonfiction: Reading and Writing the Memoir
This is a workshop for students interested in writing a memoir. We examine the narrative techniques that memoir writers use to craft stories based on life experience. Students gain practice in the form by completing a series of assigned short exercises and by writing two longer pieces that are read and discussed by the class. We also read several published memoirs chosen to illuminate various aspects of style and craft.
Credit 3 units.
U11 EComp 3153 Creative Nonfiction: Writing Ourselves, Writing the World
In this course, we will explore memoirs, essay collections, and individual articles in which the writers have merged their observations and research of the natural world with their own personal experiences or philosophical inquiries. We will consider biologist David George Haskell's The Forest Unseen alongside essay collections by nonfiction writer Amy Leach (Things that Are), fiction writer Michael Martone (The Flatness and Other Landscapes), and poet Mary Oliver (Long Life), as well as excerpts from books by Eula Biss, Bill Holm, Barbara Hurd, Robin Wall Kimmerer, and Lawrence Weschler. From these writers, we will learn how one might offer a view of the self through the lens of environment, place, biography, history, and reflection. Each student will also work on a manuscript of similar variety from idea to finished product.
U11 EComp 316 Poetry Writing
This course is an open-level poetry workshop for writers interested in exploring the craft of poetry. We will discuss uses of imagery, language, and rhythm in the context of creating experience and meaning in poetic form. Students will share original work--often generated from class activities and exercises--for discussion with the class. This course can count toward the major in English for day students.
U11 EComp 317 Fiction Writing: The Moral of the Story: Writing Fiction about Ethics, Philosophy, and Morality
Why do stories matter? How do stories help us grow? How do they challenge us? And how do they help us explore issues and ideas both new and old? This course is a fiction writing workshop with a focus on stories that deal in complex and meaningful ways with the world we live in. We read, write, and discuss stories that complicate the way we think and open new doors for considering what we believe, value, desire, and fear. In addition to reading a diverse group of authors with varying perspectives and styles, including queer writers, Latinx writers, and writers of color, our main goals are to write and share new original fiction writing and to discuss how elements of craft can help reveal the issues and ideas that our stories explore.
U11 EComp 3171 Long-Form Fiction Writing: The Short Novel and the Long Short Story
This course will explore the process of writing longer-form narratives, building on the knowledge of the craft and structure of the short story gained in Fiction Writing. We will introduce and practice strategies for plotting, researching, and developing story ideas into feasible long-term projects, rather than producing a finished full-length manuscript. We will read and analyze short novels and long short stories across multiple genres and styles. The diverse range of texts include novels by Michael Ondaatje, Jenny Offill, James Baldwin, Anne Carson, and Danielle Dutton, as well as short stories by Kelly Link, Leo Tolstoy, Alice Munro, and Franz Kafka. Prerequisite: U11 317 Fiction Writing.
U11 EComp 317K Fiction Writing: Young Adult Fiction
This is a workshop in writing in the wildly popular genre of young adult (YA) fiction. Through readings in a variety of recent YA novels, we will discover how the pros negotiate the particular challenges and joys of writing for this age group. Through a series of coordinated writing exercises, we will practice crafting the building blocks of the solid YA story/novel (e.g., plot, character, setting). Through workshop discussions, students will draft and submit their own YA stories or novel sample chapters for constructive response and critique. Writers of all (or no!) levels of prior practice or accomplishment are invited.
U11 EComp 317M Fiction Writing
Online version of the course U11 317. In this course, students will write, learn how to read like a writer, and write some more. Our focus will be on short fiction, and our approach will be to explore the stages linking inspiration to the final (or nearly final) draft -- in other words, we will explore how to find a story idea and how to grow it. The course will be run as a virtual workshop, which means that students will be actively engaged in meaningful online discussions about their classmates' original works-in-progress, and they will make their own compositions available for such discussions. Students will also be prompted -- via regular weekly reading responses and writing exercises -- to examine common craft-of-fiction elements, from the basic building blocks of stories such as details, characters, and dialogue to more slippery units of narrative design such as scene, summary, point of view, and theme. Along the way, we will also read a range of published short stories, from classics to works by contemporary masters.
U11 EComp 318 Fiction Seminar
This course is designed to introduce students to the craft of horror writing. Horror is a very popular genre in both literature and film, dating back to Gothic literature in England. Readings and writing activities will focus on three units of horror as outlined in The Dark Descent and will span the last 100 years of the genre, consisting of several short stories and two novels, offering students a foundation in the many different stories published in the horror genre. Academic texts and writing exercises will discuss what makes a horror story work and will help to build students' "toolboxes" when writing horror, with a focus on plot, character development, emotional, and tension building.
U11 EComp 321 Advanced Writing
U11 EComp 322 Writing Historical Fiction
This course is for writers working on short stories or novels of all genres. We will focus on preparing fiction for publication, presentation to an agent, or as part of an application portfolio for an MFA program or grant. Through assigned readings, craft discussions, and workshopping, we will hone the writer's craft. Additionally, we learn about the current literary marketplace, including magazines, small presses, self-publication and literary agencies. Each student will receive evaluation from the instructor as well as critique from fellow students.
U11 EComp 323 The Art of the Personal Essay
In this course we will study the structures, techniques and boundaries of the personal essay in which the writer is both observer and participant. Students will read and analyze classic and new examples in this genre. They will also draft and polish their own personal essays and share them with classmates in a discussion/workshop format. The emphasis is on developing a writer´s critical faculties, capacity for self-scrutiny, and literary skills. Prerequisites: U11 101 and 203 and one course in literature, or instructor permission.
U11 EComp 324 Writing for Public Speaking
A course in organizational communications drawing upon the "means of persuasion" from classical rhetoric to PowerPoint. Practice in writing, speaking, and listening in the various formats: paper, oral presentations, and Internet. Comparative analysis of what works best with varying topics, situations, audiences, and purposes. Prerequisite: U11 203 or 203M. This course will count toward major in English for day students.
U11 EComp 327 Writing the Short-Short Story and 10-Minute Play
In this class we will concentrate on the short forms of microfiction and ten-minute plays, exploring what kinds of stories we can tell in a short space. We will examine a variety of creative writing techniques, including character development, conflict, voice, story arc, setting, images, and especially dialogue. The heart of this class is workshop, but we will read aloud and study models and examples in each genre.
U11 EComp 330 The Art of Nature and Travel Writing
In this creative nonfiction course, students will discover the art of the essay in the realm of nature and travel writing and will write their own personally voiced narratives in which "place" plays a central role. Whether your journeys take you up the road, around the world, or more deeply into an environment you have experienced over time, attending to the sensory details, landscape, culture, and history of a place provides rich material for exploration. We will read and discuss essays by some of the many great writers who have worked in this genre, including traditionally underrepresented voices. Through an active learning approach, students will generate and share new work and provide each other feedback in a supportive, collaborative workshop setting. The writers we will focus on range from Rebecca Solnit, James Baldwin, Rahawa Haile, Barry Lopez, Annie Dillard, Terry Tempest Williams, and Pico Iyer, to Colson Whitehead, Leslie Jamison, John Jeremiah Sullivan, Patricia Hampl, and Ryan Knighton.
U11 EComp 331 Technical Writing
For those whose professions require them to present complex information precisely, logically, and efficiently. Examination of the audiences for technical writing and effective methods of organizing information to meet their needs. Variety of formats: letters, memos, trip reports, progress reports, proposals, and informal reports. Prerequisite: U11 203 or 203M.
U11 EComp 332 Introduction to Screenwriting
In this screenwriting class students will learn the various components necessary for writing a motion picture screenplay. Students will conceive and write the first act of a full-length screenplay, complete a full-length story synopsis, and complete a few in-class and take-home exercises. During weekly table reads, students will read and critique each other's work. We also will view and evaluate films, and analyze excerpts from successful movie screenplays, looking closely at the elements of plot and structure, character, dialogue, theme, genre, style, and format. Previous screenwriting experience is not required. Same as U18 Film 332
U11 EComp 3321 Advanced Screenwriting
This course is intended for students who have already taken FMS 332 Introduction to Screenwriting at University College (or a comparable introductory course elsewhere). Building on past experiences, students will continue their work in the craft of screenwriting by expanding their knowledge about screenwriting techniques. Students will complete Act II (approx. 45-50 pages) & Act III (approx. 20 pages) of the feature-length script they began in the introductory course. Topics and reading will include advanced plot structure, genre conventions, story archetypes, sequencing, POV, adaptions, short & independent film, query letters, and script pitches. In particular, script rewriting will be explored. This course will not count toward requirements in the FMS major or minor. Same as U18 Film 3321
U11 EComp 337 The Long Form
This course is a seminar and workshop for students interested in writing novels, memoirs, reportage, or collections (short stories, essays, or poems). We will study published works for techniques used to create a narrative, thematic, and/or technical arc. We will workshop our own writings, with the goal of understanding their places within a larger work, from proposing and outlining a full-length manuscript to sculpting an anchor piece for the larger work. Prerequisite: a 300-level writing course or instructor's permission.
U11 EComp 338 Writing Adventure and Creating Action
This course will study and practice the techniques necessary to write active and adventurous prose, both fiction and nonfiction. Topics include writing mechanics and style with the goal of mastering the diction and syntax of action while avoiding cliché or melodrama. We also examine broader craft elements such as pacing, scenes, setting, character development, adventure archetypes, suspense, and voice. Readings include adventure writers such as Elizabeth Gilbert, Ernest Hemingway, Pam Houston, Jon Krakauer, Herman Melville, Kira Salak, Gary Shteyngart, Cheryl Strayed, Mark Twain, and Jules Verne. Students will complete exercises and three stories of varying lengths, with at least one in each mode, to be shared in a workshop setting.
U11 EComp 339 Masters of Fantasy Writing
As one of the most commonly read genres of literature, fantasy offers its readers an escape from the everyday mundane into worlds where anything is possible. For writers of fantasy, the genre is a space where no topic is off limits and where they can let their imaginations run wild. This course explores the craft of fantasy writing and the many worlds an author can create, with a focus on the short story and novella form. Weekly readings of novellas and short stories will span the masters of fantasy literature, including Stephen King, Terry Pratchett, Ursula K. LeGuin, Anne McCaffrey and many more. Academic texts and writing exercises will build on students' "writing toolboxes," with a focus on emotion, dialogue, and description. Our goals are to explore the modern trends in fantasy and what makes successful fantasy literature; to understand the different process and style of writing a short story versus a novella in fantasy; to be able to develop an idea into a polished draft of a fantasy short story or the beginnings of a novella; and to improve the workshopping skills crucial to the development and revision process in creative writing.
U11 EComp 340 The Magazine Feature: Idea to Finished Product
This course will explore the process of conceiving, reporting, drafting, revising, and placing a magazine feature story. We will read exemplary long-form magazine journalism — sometimes called literary journalism or narrative nonfiction — with an eye to process and craft. How do we find stories? What is the relationship between reporting and the published piece? How do we shed new light on common themes and approach storytelling in innovative ways? During the term, each student will develop a feature profile: securing a subject, devising a reporting strategy, incorporating research, and ultimately, exploring voice, theme, and structure through multiple drafts. The course will include literary analysis and discussion, writing exercises, workshop-style discussion of student work, and will prepare interested students to pitch their stories for publication.
U11 EComp 357 Writing Creatively for Magazine and Online Publication
This course is a writing workshop focused on a wide variety of nonfiction for both print and online venues. We will read and discuss forms of writing such as magazine feature stories, short- and long-form narrative reporting, informative personal and opinion writing, and much more. Our goal will be to produce smart, entertaining writing that can gain a reader's interest and inform readers at the same time. Whether you are interested in publishing magazine features or more informal, personal writing online, we will study and practice how to use research, storytelling, and your own original voice to make topics both fascinating and easy to read. Students will design and write their own projects, write and share a variety of short exercises, and workshop material from the class. We will also read a wide variety of published writing from different publishing venues and platforms. The course will provide a positive, engaging space for you to improve your writing skills and produce polished, high quality writing of your own.
U11 EComp 358 Multimedia Storytelling for Creative Writers
Storytelling in the 21st century is increasingly a digitized endeavor, with creators adapting their work to engage readers who seek material via electronic devices. These complementary formats may include embedded images, graphics, maps, audio or music recordings, videos, animations, twitter feeds, blog posts, and social media profiles. With an emphasis on writing fiction or nonfiction prose that can be accompanied by such media, this hybrid online course will explore and practice the many forms and techniques of transmedia storytelling. Students will propose, design, draft, and present a single transmedia narrative spanning a variety of formats. No advanced computer skills, equipment, or software are required.
U11 EComp 371 Narrative Structure and Story Development
U11 EComp 400 Independent Study
Credit variable, maximum 3 units.
U11 EComp 4012 Workshop in Composition: Adapting Writing Center Pedagogy to Elementary School
A collaborative workshop for elementary school teachers, facilitated by the Director of Washington University's Writing Center. Members will learn the art of one-to-one writing instruction and explore ways of adapting this pedagogical model to their elementary school setting. Biweekly journal, literary memoir and theory-into-practice project required. By permission only.
Credit 1 unit.
U11 EComp 494 Voices in Action
What sparks and sustains people's movements for social justice? This history and creative-writing course explores the contexts and expressions of 20th century and contemporary protest movements, ranging from labor, civil rights, the Vietnam War, ethnic people and women's movements, to contemporary social and environmental justice movements. We will explore speeches, manifestos, visual and oral texts, songs, and poetry to consider how dissent is voiced in response to specific social contexts and historic events. We will consider the role of personal expression in enacting democracy, focusing on poetry that helps articulate what is at stake in the protest movements of the 20th and 21st centuries. We will examine how language moves people, raising awareness of the facts and felt experiences of injustice, helping to fuel social movements and "call forth a public" to make change. Assignments include a mix of historical analysis, ethnographic and participatory work, creative writing, and reflection. Same as U89 AMCS 494
Credit 3 units. UColl : ACF, ACH, ACS, HUM
Washington University Fully Funded MFA in Creative Writing
Washington university.
Washington University in St. Louis, MO offers a two-year fully funded MFA in creative writing. In this MFA program, students are working toward MFA degrees in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. 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.
- Deadline: Dec 02, 2024 (Estimated)*
- Work Experience: Any
- Location: North America
- Citizenship: Any
- Residency: United States
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MFA Application Checklist
MFA in Creative Writing Application Checklist
- Meet the UW Graduate School's Minimum Admissions Requirements
Unofficial Transcripts from All Colleges or Universities Attended
- Statement of Purpose (500 - 1,000 words)
Critical Writing Sample
Creative writing sample, three letters of recommendation.
- Proof of English Language Proficiency (Non-native English Speakers Only) *We admit students to the MFA program with funding in the form of an Academic Student Employee (ASE) teaching position. Non-native English speakers must meet the requirements listed in the UW Graduate School’s Policy 5.2: Conditions of Appointment for TAs who are not Native Speakers of English in order to be eligible to teach.
For frequently asked questions, please see our MFA FAQ page.
*Effective the Autumn 2021 admissions cycle, GRE General Test scores are no longer required as a part of the application.
The application deadline is January 2. If January 2 falls on a Saturday or Sunday, then the deadline is the following Monday.
***Note: Be sure to select: Creative Writing (MFA) - English - Seattle Campus. You'll need to select either Poetry or Prose. (The UW-Bothell MFA program is independent and located at the Bothell campus.)
For questions about application procedures, please email [email protected] .
Application Materials
One copy of transcripts from each college or university attended, reflecting all graduate and undergraduate coursework is required. This copy will be considered "unofficial," but will suffice for application purposes. If admitted, you will be asked to submit official transcripts (a transcript in a sealed envelope bearing the Registrar's seal) from your degree-granting institution to the University of Washington Graduate School.
Statement of Purpose (500 - 1,000 words)
The statement of purpose is generally between one and two pages long. It indicates some of the intellectual training and background of prospective students, their fields of interest in future English graduate studies, how the program and faculty at the University of Washington is suited to their needs, and what they would hope to bring to the program.
Please address the questions below in your statement of purpose. Keep in mind that there are many ways to answer these questions. The committee is not looking for a particular response, but rather a personal reflection on the link between your background and your work as an artist.
- What are you writing and why?
- What are you passionate about reading and why?
- How has who you are and how you came to writing influenced these interests and passions?
The critical writing sample should be the applicant's best writing, often a revised essay from an undergraduate course or part of a senior project. It is ideal if the paper takes up works or issues identified as areas of interest in the personal statement. There is a great degree of flexibility in regards to the length of the critical paper. This portion of your application can be as short as 8 pages to as long as 25 pages.
A creative writing sample is required for the MFA application. Poets should send 6-10 poems; prose writers should send 10-30 pages of short stories, memoir, personal essays, or a novel.
Use the online application to provide contact information for three people who will submit letters of recommendation by providing their names and email addresses. The most useful recommendations come from college professors familiar with your work as a student. Letters from employers may be helpful if your work was directly related to writing or teaching.
Proof of English Language Proficiency (Non-native English Speakers Only)
Minimum admission requirements: Non-native English speakers must demonstrate English language proficiency in one of the ways listed on the UW Graduate School’s Policy 3.2: Graduate School English Language Proficiency Requirements .
Requirements to hold a TA-ship/ASE teaching position: MFA students interested in an Academic Student Employee (ASE) position must also demonstrate English language proficiency in one of the ways listed on the UW Graduate School’s Policy 5.2: Conditions of Appointment for TAs who are not Native Speakers of English . You must receive a score of at least 26 on the speaking section of TOEFL-iBT or a score of at least 7.0 on the speaking section of the IELTS in order to be eligible to teach.
How to submit official TOEFL scores : Contact the Educational Testing Service (ETS) to order your official TOEFL score report. TOEFL scores are valid for two years from the test date. Our institution code is: 4854. Department code: 99 (any department).
How to submit official IELTS scores : The University of Washington only accepts scores submitted electronically by the IELTS testing center. No paper Test Report Forms will be accepted. All IELTS test centers can report scores electronically. You must request from the center where you took the test that your scores be sent electronically using the IELTS system (E-TRF) to the following address: University of Washington All Campuses, Organisation ID 365, Undergrad & Graduate Admis, Box 355850, Seattle, WA, 98105, United States of America. If you have already taken the IELTS, you can go to the IELTS test center location for the email address of the IELTS Administrator to make your request. Allow a minimum of 13 working days for reporting test results to our school. IELTS scores are valid for two years from the test date.
- Newsletter
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
At a Glance
Degree Type: Master of Fine Arts
Location: Bellingham
Total Credits: 55
Program Links
Curriculum: Creative Writing, MFA
Department Website
Request More Information
Application Deadline
Program adviser.
Stefania Heim
(360) 650-3227
Program Coordinator
Erica Dean-Crawford
360-650-3232
Program Information
Western Washington University’s English Department offers a 2-year MFA program in Creative Writing within a community that values creative development and intellectual versatility. We encourage a focus on multigenre or cross-genre writing, based on our view that creative writing graduates need to be versatile in their comprehension of genre conventions and conversant in the way diverse genres inform one another. A variety of courses we offer stress either a multigenre focus or encourage experimental works that blur genre boundaries.
Creative writing practice and literary study are synergistic in our program. Students take seminars in creative writing and literature, as well as courses in rhetorical thinking and composition, digital and technical writing, film studies, and linguistics. We offer Graduate Assistantships that provide quality teacher training, as well as opportunities to gain editorial experience with the award-winning journal Bellingham Review .
The MFA program in English is designed for those who desire to prepare for:
- Life as a serious author, with an understanding of the literary marketplace and publication
- PhD programs, as well as other advanced degrees in fields such as law or teaching
- Teaching at both two- and four-year colleges and universities
- Public or private teaching (elementary, middle, secondary)
- Careers in technical writing and communication
- Careers in editing and publishing
- Careers in nonprofit and other business organizations
The Bellingham Review
A literary journal produced by Creative Writing and English graduate students, The Bellingham Review is known for innovative poetry, fiction, nonfiction and hybrid works.
Application Requirements
- All applicants must complete the Graduate School's ApplyWeb application and pay the $100 application fee.
- Within the application you will be prompted to upload an unofficial transcript from each institution attended. If admitted, you will be asked to provide official transcripts.
- Additional application materials are specified below. Applications will not be forwarded to the department for review until all required materials have been received by the Graduate School.
- International Applicants: Please review the requirements for information regarding Degree Equivalency, English Language Proficiency and student VISA requirements.
Additional Application Requirements
- Three (3) Letters of Reference
- Statement of Purpose : This 1‐2 page statement should explain your intellectual and/or creative interests, and your professional goals. Reviewers value statements that are intellectually mature, coherent, and well‐organized. If you are interested in being considered for a funded Teaching Assistantship, please include relevant experience and information that will aid us in making funding decisions.
- Two writing samples : 10-15 pages of prose (fiction or creative nonfiction); OR 10-15 pages of poetry; OR a combination of genres, 15 pages total; AND a critical writing sample of 7-12 pages of analytical work in literary study.
Testimonials
They were really good about recognizing what I was trying to do and helping me to do it better. Alyssa Quinn Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing; her thesis is to be published in the Cupboard Pamphlet, and she is a former managing editor of the Bellingham Review
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
- Professional Practica
- Paying for School
- Frequently Asked Questions
Our MFA program, established in 1978, is a two-year, full residency, studio-based program featuring intensive study of fiction and poetry. We offer a wide range of fully-funded positions in teaching, editing, and arts administration! EWU MFA candidates can gain experience in book and magazine publishing, festival promotion, and teaching both composition and creative writing.
We are committed to diversity, inclusion, and equality in the Creative Writing program. We believe that a respect for policies and practices that foster and protect diverse voices and viewpoints is essential to the success of our students and our program. To that end, our program is committed to proactively fostering diversity and inclusion throughout its curriculum, admissions, and all day-to-day practices.
As of Fall 2021, we are no longer admitting students wishing to pursue an MFA degree with a focus in creative nonfiction. We will, however, continue offering graduate workshops and form and theory classes in creative nonfiction.
Why Earn Your MFA at EWU?
We provide an intensive, two-year, pre-professional course of study with an emphasis on the practice of literature as a fine art.
Our Professional Practicum Opportunities
We place MFA students in positions throughout the community so that you get valuable hands-on experience.
Our Faculty
Each of our faculty are practicing writers with significant national book publications and are committed, passionate, and accessible teachers of writing.
Our Funding
Many of our students receive a full tuition waiver plus a monthly stipend for teaching undergraduate composition and creative writing courses.
Get to Know Us
Our location.
The Master of Fine Arts program at Eastern Washington University is located in the heart of downtown Spokane. Learn more about our community, our campus and the local literary scene.
EWU in Spokane
Our Students
We are consistently proud of the bright, dedicated, and kind students that make up our MFA cohort each year. There is a strong sense of camaraderie and respect among our students, which creates an atmosphere ideal for writing your best work. Our students range in age from people straight out of college to older, non-traditional students, some of whom have careers in other fields. Every year’s incoming class is different in its makeup.
Our MFA Alumni
From business owners to university professors, our MFA alumni have utilized their degrees to further their careers and to expand their creative work all over the world.
Chris Maccini '18
Producer | National Public Radio (NPR)
Jaime Curl '03
Director of Learning Design and Technology | Slalom Consulting, LLC
Shann Ray '05
Professor Leadership Studies | Gonzaga University
Our Alumni Work in Many Different Roles!
Maya Jewell Zeller '07 | Associate Professor of English at Central Washington University
Industry Specialists
Amy Chase ’14| Human Resources Investigation Specialist at Hobby Lobby Corporate
Legal Professionals
Rost Olsen ‘13| Lawyer at State of Nevada
Creative Leaders
Daniel Spiro '19 | Director of Communications, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah
Technical Writers
Anne Kilfoyle '17 | Instructional Designer at Pen
Publishing Editors
Lauren Hohle '17| Managing Editor The Gettysburg Review at Gettysburg College
Admissions Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited university
- A cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in the last 90 quarter or 60 semester graded post-secondary credits
What You'll Learn
The following information comes from the official EWU catalog , which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.
Curriculum & Requirements
Creative Writing, Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Gregory Spatz, Program Director 400 Catalyst 509.828.1310
The Master of Fine Arts Program is an intensive, two-year, pre-professional course of study with an emphasis on the practice of literature as a fine art. The program includes coursework in the study of literature from the vantage point of its composition and history, but the student’s principal work is done in advanced workshops and in the writing of a book-length thesis of publishable quality in fiction or poetry. The MFA is a terminal degree program.
| Required Courses | 20 | |
| GRADUATE WRITING WORKSHOP: FICTION, POETRY, LITERARY NONFICTION, DRAMA, SCRIPTWRITING OR TRANSLATION (Note: this course may be repeated for credit; students are encouraged to take one workshop from outside the major.) | ||
| Literary Form and Theory Courses | ||
| Choose one Literature course from outside the major area | 5 | |
| Choose one series–in student’s major area of study | 15 | |
| FICTION I-THE NOVEL | ||
| FICTION II-THE SHORT FORM | ||
| SELECTED TOPICS IN CRAFT | ||
| POETRY I-BACKGROUND AND THEORY | ||
| POETRY II-THE MODERNS AND MODERNISM | ||
| POETRY III-CONTEMPORARY WORLD POETRY AND POETICS | ||
| Electives in creative writing, literature and/or a secondary emphasis | 20-25 | |
| workshop and form and theory classes as well as repeat sections of or , or any class above the 400-level offered at the university, with approval. | ||
| LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN | ||
| PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS MAGAZINE, LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN | ||
| PRACTICUM: WILLOW SPRINGS BOOKS, LITERARY EDITING AND DESIGN | ||
| SPECIAL TOPICS | ||
| LITERATURE OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST | ||
| EXPERIMENTAL COURSE | ||
| PRACTICUM IN INSTRUCTION: WRITERS IN THE COMMUNITY | ||
| COMPOSITION PEDAGOGIES: THEORIES AND PRACTICES | ||
| PRACTICUM: TEACHING FIRST-YEAR COMPOSITION | ||
| Thesis–minimum is 10 credits for graduation | 10-15 | |
| THESIS | ||
| Minimum Credits Required For Graduation | 72 | |
Program Learning Outcomes
Students who earn an MFA in Creative Writing should be able to do the following, at a level of proficiency sufficient for entry into the profession:
- analyze works of literature using the technical language of the craft pertinent to their chosen genre of study (literary fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry);
- demonstrate an understanding of the contemporary literary landscape;
- produce texts that conform to the conventions specific to the genre being studied (literary fiction, literary nonfiction, poetry);
- provide constructive criticism of written works in progress;
- synthesize an understanding of the publishing process.
Newsletters
- October 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- November 2019
- October 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- October 2018
- September 2018
- February 2018
- November 2017
- October 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
Our monthly program newsletter has information not only on our MFA program, but regional literary events as well. We also include a collection of calls for submission, contests, and fellowships.
View the January 2022 Newsletter for the latest updates, or peruse our archives below for past issues.
Mailing Address
The MFA at EWU C/O Eastern Washington University CAT 400 601 East Riverside Ave. Spokane, WA 99202
We welcome comments and encourage questions from prospective and incoming students. Feel free to write, call, or email us with queries about the program, application process, or moving to Spokane (definitely check out our Frequently Asked Questions , too).
English Department
- MFA Creative Writing
Learn More...
- Financial Aid
- Graduate Courses
- Graduate Faculty
- MA English Studies
I came to Western, a newly minted English major, and soon learned the attentive and engaging faculty at WWU would help me write the future of my own writing and teaching life. With small classes, provocative assignments, and opportunities for both cross-genre study and intensive, pedagogical training, I left Western knowledgeable, confident, and empowered to forge ahead in the literary and academic world. —Julie Marie Wade, Lambda Literary Award winner and author of Wishbone: A Memoir in Fractures
In our versatile MFA program, you will gain fluency in single genre, multigenre, cross-genre, or hybrid writing, as well as an understanding of the way diverse genres can inform one another. Our creative writing courses are coupled with in-depth literary study and analysis, making you a multifaceted scholar, writer, and teacher.
You may gain teaching experience (if awarded a teaching assistantship or internship), as well as professional editing experience with scholarly and creative writing journals, such as the award-winning Bellingham Review .
Our Distinguished Alumni…
Kate Christie is the author of Gay Pride & Prejudice, Beautiful Game , and Leaving LA , published by Bella Books. She is the author of 15 titles and now writes full-time under her own imprint, Second Growth Books.
Jai Dulani was featured in Best New Poets 2020 . His work has appeared in Alaska Quarterly Review , The Offing , and Waxwing . He has received fellowships from Kundiman, VONA/Voices, and the Asian American Writers’ Workshop. He is co-editor of The Revolution Starts at Home: Confronting Intimate Violence in Activist Communities .
Spencer Ellsworth is the author of the Starfire Trilogy , which begins with Starfire: A Red Peace , published by TOR, Macmillan’s science fiction division.
Julie Marie Wade is the author of Wishbone: A Memoir in Fractures , winner of the Colgate University Press Nonfiction Book Award and the Lambda Literary Award. Her latest book, Catechism: A Love Story , was selected by C.D. Wright as the winner of the AROHO/To the Lighthouse Prize in Poetry.
Caroline Van Hemert is the author The Sun is a Compass , published by Little Brown Spark, which won the Banff Mountain Book Award for Adventure Travel and was cited as one of the best outdoor books of 2019 by Outside, Bustle , and Forbes . Her writing has been featured in the New York Times, Audubon, Outside, Washington Post , and others.
Soham Patel is a Kundiman fellow and an assistant editor at Fence and The Georgia Review . She is the author of four chapbooks of poetry including ever really hear it , winner of the 2017 Subito Prize.
Dayna Patterson is the author of If Mother Braids a Waterfall (Signature Books, 2020), and the founding editor of Psaltery & Lyre , an online literary journal dedicated to publishing literature at the intersection of faith and doubt.
Urban Waite is the author of The Terror of Living , The Carrion Birds, and Sometimes the Wolf (Harper Collins), which have been named to various Best Book of the Year lists, such as E squire, The Boston Globe, LitReactor, and Booklist. His novels have been translated into nine languages.
Program Requirements: 55 credits
Core courses: (20 credits total, each course is 5 credits) in creative writing to be taken in at least two different genres from the following:.
- English 502: Seminar in the Writing of Fiction (repeatable)
- English 504: Seminar in the Writing of Poetry (repeatable)
- English 505: Seminar in the Writing of Nonfiction (repeatable)
- English 506: Seminar in Creative Writing: Multigenre (repeatable)
- English 520: Studies in Poetry (repeatable)*
- English 525: Studies in Fiction (repeatable)*
- English 535: Studies in Nonfiction (repeatable)*
*These courses may be taken as either creative writing or literature credits, depending on the nature of your final project. To use them as part of the creative writing core requirement, you must take them as creative writing courses.
ELECTIVES: (20 credits total, each course is 5 credits) in literature, composition/rhetoric, pedagogy, or critical theory, to be taken from the following:
- English 500: Directed Independent Study
- English 513: Teaching Composition (required for Graduate Teaching Assistants)
- English 509: Internship in Writing, Editing and Production (repeatable)
- English 510: Seminar: Topics in Rhetoric (repeatable)
- English 515: Studies in Literary and Critical Theory (repeatable)
- English 540: Studies in Global Literatures (repeatable)
- English 550: Studies in American Literatures (repeatable)
- English 560: Studies in British Literature (repeatable)
- English 570: Topics in Cultural Studies (repeatable)
- English 575: Studies in Women’s Literature (repeatable)
- English 580: Studies in Film (repeatable)
- English 594: Practicum in Teaching
- English 598: Research in the Teaching of English (repeatable)
English 520, 525, and 535 (see creative writing courses) may also be used for literature credit, depending on the nature of the final project. The same class may not be used for both literature and creative writing credit.
THESIS: (10 credits granted upon program completion)
- English 690 Thesis Writing
Note: A student may, with permission, take up to 5 credits in approved 400-level courses. A student may have only 10 credits total/combined 400-level and/or 500 (Independent Study) credits. Students are encouraged to fill out their two years of study with electives that stress creative writing, pedagogy, editing/publishing, literature, or rhetoric, as dictated by the student’s interests and career goals. Must be enrolled each quarter for a minimum of 8 credits as a TA (Teaching Assistant) or 10 credits for Financial Aid.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
- A successful creative thesis, with a critical preface, approved by the student’s Creative Writing Thesis Committee and the Graduate School.
| some policy information may not be finalized. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Washington University | |||||||||||||||||||||
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IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Learn about the two-year MFA program in fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction at Washington University in St. Louis. Find out about admissions, financial support, faculty, alumni, events and more.
The Mentored Teaching Experience allows our MFA students to learn through mentorship, teaching and gain valuable experience as instructors in the creative writing classroom. The MTE begins in the spring of the first year with a required one-week pedagogy workshop during which students will draft a syllabus, compile reading lists and exercises ...
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Course Requirements. 55 credits, a creative manuscript, and a critical essay. The program should be completed within six full-time quarters. 1) Creative Manuscript: a minimum of 30 poems, or 100 pages of 5 short stories and/or personal essays, or 150 pages of a novel or book-length essay.
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a two year program offering a degree in either Poetry or Prose, and is a part of the English Department's Creative Writing Program. Founded in 1947 by Theodore Roethke, the Creative Writing Program's tradition of transformative workshops continues with our current faculty: David Bosworth, David ...
Learn about the MFA program in writing at Washington University, one of the most competitive and popular graduate programs at the university. Meet the faculty, students, and alumni who create, publish, and celebrate literature at WashU.
The Writing program offers a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Writing in three genres: creative nonfiction, fiction and poetry. Applicants must apply to each genre separately and will be enrolled in only one. ... Washington University in St. Louis Women's Building, Suite 10 One Brookings Drive, MSC 1143-0156-0B St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 314-935-5959 ...
Writing. The MFA Program at Washington University in St. Louis is a two-year program focused on MFA degrees in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Each year our reading series brings a diverse group of poets, fiction writers, and nonfiction writers to the department.
The Creative Writing program at WUSTL is one of the premier programs in the country. As undergraduate concentrators, students can pursue their interest in creative writing, and specialize in one of three workshop genres: fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry. The program also offers a wide array of electives in the craft of poetry, fiction ...
Many MFA programs are unfunded or require students to take on a heavy teaching load while studying for their degree. WashU's program has a generous funding package that allows students to focus on their writing. Each year, 15 students are admitted, five each in the individual fields of fiction, poetry, and creative non-fiction.
The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in creative writing at Washington University in St. Louis is one of the finest in the country, with a renowned lineup of instructors, alums and students. ... Washington University in St. Louis. Office of the Dean. MSC 1064-134-1001. 1 Brookings Drive. St. Louis, MO 63130-4899 . Request Information. Facebook ...
Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO) Doc2129, WashU Bryan Hall, CC BY-SA 4.0. The MFA in Creative Writing at Washington University in St. Louis is a program on the move: applicants have almost doubled here in the last five years.
Pinned Tweet. WashU MFA. @MFA_WUSTL. ·. Nov 8, 2022. MFA application season is here! Come to St. Louis and write with us! artsci.wustl.edu. A powerhouse of a program: The MFA in writing.
Certificate in Creative Writing. Students may specialize in fiction or creative nonfiction. Each student will take five 3-credit, advanced-level (300 or higher) courses, including three courses devoted to mastering the craft of writing in the chosen specialty genre, one course primarily in the reading and analysis of the literature in that genre, and one course in a second genre.
Washington University in St. Louis, MO offers a two-year fully funded MFA in creative writing. In this MFA program, students are working toward MFA degrees in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. 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 ...
The University of Washington English Department's Creative Writing Program offers a BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing and a two-year Master of Fine Arts degrees in Poetry and Prose.. Founded in 1947 by Theodore Roethke, the Creative Writing Program's tradition of transformative workshops continues with our current faculty: David Bosworth, Nikki David Crouse, Rae Paris ...
This program will support incoming PhD and MFA students with the promise of exceptional academic distinction; with a demonstrated interest to advance the public good; and who will contribute to the diversity and intellectual vitality of our university community. The primary intent of the program is to support the recruitment of outstanding ...
Allow a minimum of 13 working days for reporting test results to our school. IELTS scores are valid for two years from the test date. MFA in Creative Writing Application Checklist Meet the UW Graduate School's Minimum Admissions Requirements Unofficial Transcripts from All Colleges or Universities Attended Statement of Purpose (500 - 1,000 ...
Program Information. Western Washington University's English Department offers a 2-year MFA program in Creative Writing within a community that values creative development and intellectual versatility. We encourage a focus on multigenre or cross-genre writing, based on our view that creative writing graduates need to be versatile in their ...
We offer a wide range of fully-funded positions in teaching, editing, and arts administration! EWU MFA candidates can gain experience in book and magazine publishing, festival promotion, and teaching both composition and creative writing. We are committed to diversity, inclusion, and equality in the Creative Writing program.
In our versatile MFA program, you will gain fluency in single genre, multigenre, cross-genre, or hybrid writing, as well as an understanding of the way diverse genres can inform one another. Our creative writing courses are coupled with in-depth literary study and analysis, making you a multifaceted scholar, writer, and teacher.
2024-25 Western Washington University Catalog ... 2024-25 Western Washington University Catalog Creative Writing, MFA Location(s): WWU - Bellingham. ... Araki-Kawaguchi, Kiik, MFA, long form fiction, speculative fiction. Bridges, D'Angelo, PhD, rhetoric and composition, ...
Creative Writing Faculty. Graduate Faculty. Director of Graduate Studies. Director of Undergraduate Studies. Current Faculty. Affiliated Faculty. Emeritus Faculty. Staff. Graduate Students.
Graduate Program Coordinator, MFA Program in Creative Writing [email protected] (530) 752-2281 Pronouns: she/her . Admissions and Online Application. Faculty. Events, Prizes, and Resources . 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 ...
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 ...
Co-Director, Center for the Literary Arts Pronouns: she/her. Kathleen . Finneran