mfa creative writing dallas

Department of English

Creative Writing at University of North Texas

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Caitlyn Alario

Caitlyn Alario is a queer poet from Southern California. She holds an MFA in Writing from Sarah Lawrence College and a BA in Classics and Humanities from Valparaiso University. A Ph.D. candidate in English with a concentration in creative writing at the University of North Texas, she teaches literature, poetry, and First-Year Writing and is an Assistant Poetry Editor for American Literary Review. Outside of academia, she works as a ghostwriter, book coach, editor, and beta reader for both bestselling and beginning authors.

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Ashley Balcazar

Ashley Balcazar is a First-year Ph.D. student and Teaching Fellow. She earned her M.A. in Linguistics and her B.A. in Integrative Studies with foci in English, Linguistics, and Sociology and a minor in French at the University of North Texas. Ashley's research in the Master's program focused on the language of sexual violence, dialectical features of African-American English, and computational solutions for textual research. She has taught in the Linguistics department at UNT as an adjunct professor. Ashley has created and authored an online column, Dallas Salsa Examiner, about salsa dancing in North Texas and has written for the Dallas Morning News as a Community Voices columnist. She has also been a contributor for the CBS Digital Arts and Entertainment section. Her academic work has been published in American Speech. She looks forward to shifting from a concentration on the scientific study of language to the creativity of the written word.

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Cicily Bennion

Cicily Bennion is a writer and PhD candidate at the University of North Texas. Her academic and writing specializations include the essay and bibliomemoir as well as crime and spiritual writing. Her essay, "About Boredom," was recognized in Best American Essays 2020, and her work has been published in Hotel Amerika, The Journal, Under the Gum Tree, and elsewhere. Read more at cicilybennion.com .

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Anna Chotlos

Anna Chotlos's essays and poems have recently appeared in HAD, Split Lip, Hotel Amerika, Sweet Lit, and River Teeth's Beautiful Things. She holds an MA from Ohio University and now teaches and writes in Denton, Texas where she is a PhD candidate in creative writing at the University of North Texas and the editor-in-chief of American Literary Review.

Brian Czyzyk

Brian Czyzyk is a Voertman-Ardoin Fellow and Ph.D. candidate in Poetry at UNT. He is originally from Traverse City, Michigan and received his MFA at Purdue University. His work has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, Best New Poets, and recognized by the AWP Intro Journal Awards. You can find his writing in RHINO Poetry, Tampa Review, Gulf Coast, Passages North, POETRY Magazine, and elsewhere.

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Danny Daw is a Ph.D. student and Voertman-Ardoin fellow at UNT specializing in poetry. He received both his BA in English and MFA in Creative Writing from Brigham Young University. His poems, including haiku and senryu, have appeared or are forthcoming in I nscape, tsuri-dōrō, Trash Panda, Prune Juice , and others. Besides poetry and prose, secondary scholarly interests include film and television, music, and video games. Danny is married to the poet and writer, Alexandra Malouf.

Daniel DeVaughn

Daniel DeVaughn is a writer and educator from the Ridge and Valley region of Alabama. His poems appear or are forthcoming in Tupelo Quarterly, Poets.org, The Adroit Journal, Southern Humanities Review, Texas University Press's Southern Poetry Anthology, Vol. X: Alabama, and elsewhere. His work has been supported by the University of Oregon, the Vermont Studio Center, the Sewanee Writers' Conference, the Norman Mailer Writers Colony, and the Academy of American Poets. He is Poetry Editor at the American Literary Review as well as a Voertman-Ardoin Teaching Fellow at the University of North Texas where he is pursuing a PhD in creative writing.

Michelle Eshbaugh-Soha

Michelle Eshbaugh-Soha is a Ph.D. student in Creative Writing (Fiction) at UNT. She and her husband raised two boys before Michelle returned to school. She loves reading Shakespeare, teaching others about traditionally healing foods, and writing fiction that toys with reality but is grounded in the all-too-human experience. Her first accepted short story is forthcoming in Hayden's Ferry Review.

Meg McManama

Meg McManama is a Ph.D. candidate in Poetry and a Voertman-Ardoin fellow at UNT. She has an MFA from Brigham Young University where she taught writing. Her work is published and forthcoming in The Pinch, Citron Review, Cimarron Review, and Western Humanities Review and she was editor-in-chief at Inscape: a Journal of Art and Literature. She loves her road bike, garden, the beach, and being with her husband and daughters. https://www.megmcmanama.com/home

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Anthony Gabriel

Anthony Gabriel received his MFA at New Mexico State University, where he was the poetry editor of the lit magazine, Puerto Del Sol. He lives in the Texas with his wife and two sons. You can find his work in: The Shore, Red Rock Review, Swamp Ape Review, and Beaver Mag.

Jasmyn Huff

Jasmyn Huff (she/her) studies Creative Nonfiction at the Ph.D. level while also working as an IT specialist and coparenting her son. Her essays can be found in X-R-A-Y, Sweet Literary, Defunct Magazine, SugarSugarSalt, and forthcoming from Black Warrior Review. Door = Jar most recently published her poetry, but also Stone of Madness, Just Femme and Dandy, and En*gendered. In addition to one day publishing her books, she dreams of creating a safe space for queer and trans people like her.

Marcella Hunyadi

Marcella Hunyadi is an English Creative Writing Ph.D. Teaching Fellow at UNT where she was the Fiction Editor for the North Texas Review in 2020/2021. She received an MFA in fiction from Hollins University and a Stonecoast MFA in fiction/popular fiction from the University of Southern Maine, mentored by Karen Bender, Rick Bass, and Elizabeth Hand. Marcella was born and raised in Budapest, Hungary where she wrote for the country's first online literary magazine, the INteRNeTTo ; in the States, she studied screenwriting and filmmaking with Oscar nominee Sam Green and finished directing Death of a Salesman seven months pregnant. Marcella is the second-place winner of Narrative's 2019 Fall Short Story Contest and The Woven Tale Press 2019 Literary Contest, and her novel-in-progress was nominated for the Kirkwood Prize. When she is not writing or teaching, you'll find Marcella traveling with her two daughters or practicing ballroom dancing with her pro partner, Lachezar Todorov.

Tiffany Isaacs

Tiffany Isaacs teaches writing at the University of North Texas where she is a doctoral student. She is the fiction editor at American Literary Review . Her writing has been supported by the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and Environmental Writers' Conference. Her fiction and essays appear in River Teeth , the Santa Monica Review , and World Literature Today . She received her MFA from Florida State University where she served as the assistant fiction editor at the South East Review and holds a BA in philosophy from Brown University.

Parul Kaushik

Parul Kaushik is a third year Ph.D. student in Creative Writing (Fiction). She holds an MFA from Pacific University in Oregon, and her writing has been supported by the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. Her stories have been published in The Georgia Review and The Masters Review: New Voices. Her work is forthcoming in journals such as the Missouri Review. Parul is a bilingual writer who grew up in India and has been living in the US for two decades. She hosts a radio show in Dallas and has three children.

Kaili Mora-Duarte

Kaili Mora-Duarte is a MA student and Teaching Fellow at UNT and poet from the outskirts of Houston, Texas. His work has appeared in The Bayou Review and Spoon River Poetry Review. When not in the classroom, you can find him at local open mics performing 1940s ballads or his newest poems. He lives in Corinth, Texas with his cat Beans.

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Erik Moyer is a third-year creative writing Ph.D. student and Voertman-Ardoin fellow at the University of North Texas. He holds an MFA from the University of California, Irvine and a BS from the University of Virginia. His work has been featured in Berkeley Poetry Review, Cola Literary Review, Euphony, Literary Imagination, and Summerset Review, among others, and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize. Outside of school, he enjoys songwriting, chess, and playing with his cat Xena.

Brad Murff is a Voertman-Ardoin Teaching Fellow and PhD candidate in Creative Writing (Poetry) at UNT. His scholarly interests include early modern drama and Romantic poetry--especially the works of Percy Bysshe Shelley. Brad is researching Romanticism's evolution from Shakespeare to Ashbery to rock 'n' roll, hip-hop and beyond. His work has appeared in Apalachee Review.

Jarred Stewart

J.W. Stewart is a Ph.D. student in Creative Writing (Fiction) at UNT. He received his MA in history from Sam Houston State University. His short story "A Walk to Lafeyette" has appeared in Footnote 5 and was a semifinalist for the Oak Charter Award for best historical fiction. In addition to contributing to several books on baseball history, his research into children and baseball has appeared in Base Ball: History of the Early Game and was presented at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is part of the staff of the Texas Academy of Math & Sciences at UNT and lives with his husband and cat in The Colony.

Kendra Vanderlip

Kendra Vanderlip (they | she) is a queer educator and writer specializing in creative nonfiction and other forms of creative writing. They received their BA from Grand Valley State University and their MFA from University of Memphis. They are currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of North Texas, where their work focuses on the implications of violence and how pop culture influences the normalizing of violence, as well as generational trauma, mental health, and gender studies. In the classroom, they focus on creating inclusive communities and demystifying academic spaces. Their work can be found in Nimrod International Poetry, Hobart, Sidereal and Whiskey Island.

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Josh Brown is a writer from Katy, Texas. He is currently in the MA program for Creative Writing with a concentration in fiction. He enjoys stories that can make the fantastic relatable to ordinary circumstances or make the mundane feel fantastic, and his writing attempts to explore and blend the two. Outside of academia, he enjoys cooking, podcasting, and discovering new genres of music.

Lucas Jorgensen

Lucas Jorgensen is a poet from Cleveland, Ohio. He has an MFA from New York University and is currently a PhD student at the University of North Texas. His work has been recognized by the 92Y, where he was a 2023 Discovery Prize recipient. You can find his poems in publications such as Poetry, LitHub, Copper Nickel, The Massachusetts Review, and others.

Sera Harris

Sera Harris is a Fiction PhD student at the University of North Texas. Her work focuses on queerness, disability, and worlds that just don't work the way they should. She is currently on a speculative fiction spree, finding small stories in big, fantastic worlds.

Makenzie Stuart

Makenzie Stuart is a first year Master's student studying Creative Nonfiction. They earned their B.A in English with a focus in creative writing from UNT, where they were the Art Editor for the North Texas Review from 2022-2024. They have a special interest in the intersection of writing, art, and film. When they're not at UNT, they are working in communications and content creation for To Write Love On Her Arms, or enjoying movies, art museums, and spending time with their loved ones.

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Cheyenne LaRoque

Cheyenne LaRoque is a Creative Writing Ph.D. student and a Voertman-Ardoin fellow at UNT. Despite specializing in fiction, she has pushed her creative and scholarly boundaries by building proficiency in all genres. When she isn't busy with school, work, or writing, Cheyenne likes to spend her time playing Dungeons and Dragons or curling up with a good book. She earned her BA in Creative Writing and Linguistics from the University of Southern California in 2021 and her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of San Francisco in 2023.

Gabrielle Robbins

Gabrielle Robbins is a first-year Creative Writing MA student and teaching fellow from Mount Pleasant, Texas. She holds an M.Ed. from the University of North Texas and has spent the past five years teaching high school English and coaching state-winning UIL ready writers. Her focus is creative nonfiction, but she is greatly inspired by all types of writers from various genres, such as Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, and Taylor Swift. She loves stories that explore the complicated beauty of girlhood and hopes to do the same in her own work.

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Creative Writing Master's

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We're so glad you're interested in UNT! Let us know if you'd like more information and we'll get you everything you need.

Why Earn a Creative Writing Master's?

The M.A. program in Creative Writing offers training in the writing of poetry, fiction and non-fiction. Each master's student in Creative Writing divides coursework evenly between workshop and literature classes, leading to the writing of an original thesis submitted in fulfillment of the degree plan.

You'll have the opportunity both to work closely with the creative writing and literature faculties and to explore ways in which knowledge of literary traditions develops craft. The concentration in creative writing requires you to take workshops in fiction, poetry and/or creative nonfiction alongside a range of literature courses.

Many recent M.A. students have gone on to further study in elite M.F.A. or Ph.D. programs, including the Ph.D. Program at Stanford and the M.F.A. program at the University of Houston.

• Construct persuasive, evidence-based arguments
• Communicate findings clearly and concisely
• Understand historical and cultural perspectives
• Evaluate critically sources and narratives
• Prepare oral and written presentations

Creative Writing Master's Highlights

What can you do with a creative writing master's.

Students pursue the degree in order to become better writers, able to create prose and poetry that draw on a full range of the craft. On a more practical level, MFA students become better writers, which prepares them for a variety of careers: an array of jobs in technical and digital fields, marketing, public relations, journalism, arts administration, and editing.

Creative Writing Master's Courses You Could Take

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English Master's

English Creative Writing Ph.D.

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• Graduate Studies

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Publishing (MFA-CW)

Choose to specialize in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction in this one-of-a-kind, low residency MFA creative writing program.

We are a small, low-residency MFA program designed to fit your schedule. Our expert faculty offer one-on-one guidance in a genre of your choosing: poetry, novels, short stories, or creative nonfiction.

Together with these residencies, our on-line semesters help students shape their MFA degrees into a writing, teaching, or publishing career. Work with and learn from some of the finest writers in the United States, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada.

Come write your story with us!

Degree Programs

Meet your Mentors

Some of our Visiting Writers

During our home residencies, visiting writers have included award-winning and best-selling writers such as Dean Koontz, Marilyn Nelson, William Kent Kreuger, Joseph Bruchac, Jane Friedman, John Grogan, Matt Bell, Paula Yoo, Lee Upton, and Lia Purpura.

In Scotland, Ireland, and Canada, we work with many award-winning writers of the Celtic world, among them: Emma Donoghue (shortlisted for Man Booker and Orange Prizes); Kathleen Jamie (Makar or Poet Laureate of Scotland); Sue Goyette (Poet Laureate of Halifax); James Robertson (Walter Scott Award Winner); Donal Ryan (EU Literature Prize); and Vona Groarke (Brendan Behan Memorial Award).

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Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology

Literature Graduate Programs

Join our community of scholars, creative writers, and translators who share a commitment to transnational and interdisciplinary approaches to literary study and practice.

Our graduate programs in literature provide a flexible context to pursue research across a wide range of literary traditions, critical approaches, and theoretical debates. In addition to coursework in literary studies, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in creative writing and/or literary translation workshops as well as seminars in other disciplines such as film studies, philosophy, and the visual and performing arts.

View the Graduate Handbook for Literature .

View the Graduate Recruitment Brochure for Literature .

Doctor of Philosophy in Literature

Students pursuing the PhD in literature may, if their coursework supports it, submit a translation or creative writing project as part of their dissertation.

Forty-five semester credit hours of which at least 24 are taken as organized graduate-level courses in Literature (LIT).

Required Courses: 36 semester credit hours 

LIT 6300  Proseminar in Literary Studies

ARHM 6310  Team-Taught Interdisciplinary Seminar

LIT 7300  Academic Writing Workshop

18 semester credit hours of organized graduate-level  LIT  courses

9 semester credit hours of  LIT 8305  Field Exam Preparation

Elective Courses: 9 semester credit hours

Nine semester credit hours of electives in any graduate-level courses.

Students in all PhD programs in the Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology are expected to demonstrate intermediate-level reading proficiency in a foreign language (equivalent to two years of foreign-language study at the undergraduate level). Students must fulfill the language requirement before scheduling doctoral field examinations. 

As part of its approval of a dissertation proposal, the Graduate Studies Committee will consider the appropriateness of a candidate’s language preparation for the research or creative project. Faculty members chairing field examinations and dissertations should ensure that students possess the necessary language proficiency to carry out their proposed doctoral research. 

The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in a PhD program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following: 

• Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher (e.g., an undergraduate literature course in a foreign language) with a grade of B or better. 
• Completion of a graduate course taught in a foreign language or with more than 25% of its required readings in a foreign language. 
• An undergraduate major, graduate degree, or certificate in a foreign language. 
• Successful completion of graded coursework at a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English. 
• A degree in any discipline from a foreign university at which the primary language of instruction is not English. 

The requirement can be satisfied during graduate study at UT Dallas in one of the following ways: 

• Completion of a second-semester, intermediate-level foreign language course or higher at UT Dallas or elsewhere with a grade of B or better. 
• Successful completion of  LIT 6326 : Translation Workshop with a grade of B or better. 
• Successful completion of one of the following:  HUMA 6330 : French Workshop;  HUMA 6331 : Spanish Workshop;  HUMA 6333 : German Workshop with a grade of B or better.
• Passing a written translation exam in an approved foreign language at UT Dallas.

The doctoral field examination consists of two written sections and an oral defense. The examining committee, composed of three members of the faculty (at least two of whom are faculty in the Literature Program), oversees definition and preparation of the two broad examination fields. Initial committee formation must take place during the semester in which students complete thirty-six semester credit hours of coursework, which will typically be followed by nine semester credit hours of  LIT 8305 : Field Exam Preparation. Students complete their doctoral field examination ideally during the semester in which they complete 45 semester credit hours, but no later than the semester in which they complete 54 semester credit hours.

Students are formally advanced to PhD candidacy when they have successfully completed the doctoral field examinations and received final approval for dissertation topics. Students should submit a preliminary dissertation proposal for consideration during the oral section of the doctoral field examination. After that examination, a four-person supervising committee is formed, normally from the examining committee plus an additional faculty member, to oversee dissertation work. The supervising committee must then approve a formal dissertation proposal before the student submits it to the Graduate Studies Committee for final approval.

Each candidate then writes a doctoral dissertation, which is supervised and defended according to general University regulations.

PhD in Literature Fact Sheet

Robert Plant Armstrong Fellowship

Mabel H. Bremer Travel Award

Dr. Roger N. and Adrienne T. Rosenberg Graduate Fellowship

Explore Other Scholarships and Financial Aid →

Master of Arts in Literature

The MA in Literature can provide you with a flexible context to pursue research across a wide range of literary traditions, critical approaches and theoretical debates. In addition to coursework in literary studies, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in creative writing and/or literary translation workshops as well as seminars in other disciplines, such as film studies, philosophy and the visual and performing arts.

Choose between the professional option (coursework only and no foreign language requirements) and the research option (coursework with foreign language requirements plus a portfolio). If you choose the research option, you may, if your coursework supports it, submit a translation or creative writing project as part of your portfolio.

Thirty-three semester credit hours of which at least 18 semester credit hours are taken as organized graduate-level courses in Literature (LIT).

Required Courses: 21 semester credit hours 

LIT 6300 : Proseminar in Literary Studies

15 semester credit hours of organized graduate-level  LIT  courses

Free Electives: 12 semester credit hours 

Twelve semester credit hours of electives in any graduate-level courses.

Students in the professional option must complete 33 semester credit hours of coursework. They are not required to complete a portfolio or meet the foreign language requirement.

Students in the research option must complete 33 semester credit hours of coursework, fulfill a foreign language requirement, and complete a portfolio.

The research option MA degree requires demonstrated proficiency in an approved foreign language. The requirement can be satisfied upon enrollment in the MA program by demonstrating evidence of one or more of the following: 

• Successful completion of one of the following:  HUMA 6330 : French Workshop;  HUMA 6331 : Spanish Workshop;  HUMA 6333 : German Workshop with a grade of B or better. 
• Passing a written translation exam in an approved foreign language at UT Dallas. 

Two research papers or a creative project plus a scholarly essay originating in or completed for graduate courses are revised and presented in a portfolio for evaluation by a master’s committee.

MA in Literature Fact Sheet

Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing

The Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing focuses on the theory and practice of creating literary works.

The certificate consists of four graduate creative writing workshops, which can be completed in one genre or in more than one genre.

More information on this certificate can be found in the University Catalog .

Graduate Certificate in Literary Translation

The Graduate Certificate in Literary Translation focuses on the history, theory, and practice of literary translation. Students will learn to study and produce literary translations.

The certificate consists of four courses: two foundational courses in the theory and practice of translation; one of two advanced courses in translation studies; and a seminar or workshop related to the student’s area of research.

Program Highlights

Research Opportunities

Our graduate students conduct and present research national and internationally. See graduate student accomplishments.

Faculty Mentors

Our faculty members will help you gain the knowledge, skills and support you need for a rewarding career. Meet Literature faculty .

Dr. Nomi Stone

Assistant professor of literature and creative writing

“I love the hybridity and cross-pollination at UT Dallas. I’m an anthropologist and a poet — a scholar who also writes creatively — so this is just the exact right fit for me. Braiding these things together is my passion. I haven’t seen a place that does collaboration as well as this place. I see a real investment in bringing seemingly disparate things together.”

Contact Information

Dr. Charles Hatfield Associate Professor and Program Head Phone: 972-883-2780 Email:  [email protected]

Kelly Erb Graduate Academic Advisor Phone: 972-883-6176 Email:  [email protected] Office:  JO 4.508C

Graduate Advising Bass School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology The University of Texas at Dallas, JO31 800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, TX 75080-3021 Phone: 972-883-4706 Email:  [email protected]

Office of Admission and Enrollment 800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, TX 75080-3021 972-883-2270 or 1-800-889-2443 [email protected] utdallas.edu/enroll

Reach out to us  to get more information about your program of interest.

Review the Bass School’s  graduate application process and requirements.

MFA in Creative Writing

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15 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in 2024

May 15, 2024

Whether you studied at a top creative writing university or are a high school dropout who will one day become a bestselling author , you may be considering an MFA in Creative Writing. But is a writing MFA genuinely worth the time and potential costs? How do you know which program will best nurture your writing? If you’re considering an MFA, this article walks you through the best full-time, low residency, and online Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States.

What are the best Creative Writing MFA programs?

Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this article, let’s start with the basics. What is an MFA, anyway?

A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree that usually takes from two to three years to complete. Applications typically require a sample portfolio, usually 10-20 pages (and sometimes up to 30-40) of your best writing. Moreover, you can receive an MFA in a particular genre, such as Fiction or Poetry, or more broadly in Creative Writing. However, if you take the latter approach, you often have the opportunity to specialize in a single genre.

Wondering what actually goes on in a creative writing MFA beyond inspiring award-winning books and internet memes ? You enroll in workshops where you get feedback on your creative writing from your peers and a faculty member. You enroll in seminars where you get a foundation of theory and techniques. Then, you finish the degree with a thesis project. Thesis projects are typically a body of polished, publishable-quality creative work in your genre—fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

Why should I get an MFA in Creative Writing?

You don’t need an MFA to be a writer. Just look at Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison or bestselling novelist Emily St. John Mandel.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of reasons you might still want to get a creative writing MFA. The first is, unfortunately, prestige. An MFA from a top program can help you stand out in a notoriously competitive industry to be published.

The second reason: time. Many MFA programs give you protected writing time, deadlines, and maybe even a (dainty) salary.

Third, an MFA in Creative Writing is a terminal degree. This means that this degree allows you to teach writing at the university level, especially after you publish a book.

Fourth: resources. MFA programs are often staffed by brilliant, award-winning writers; offer lecture series, volunteer opportunities, and teaching positions; and run their own (usually prestigious) literary magazines. Such resources provide you with the knowledge and insight you’ll need to navigate the literary and publishing world on your own post-graduation.

But above all, the biggest reason to pursue an MFA is the community it brings you. You get to meet other writers—and share feedback, advice, and moral support—in relationships that can last for decades.

Types of Creative Writing MFA Programs

Here are the different types of programs to consider, depending on your needs:

Fully-Funded Full-Time Programs

These programs offer full-tuition scholarships and sweeten the deal by actually paying you to attend them.

• Pros: You’re paid to write (and teach).
• Cons: Uprooting your entire life to move somewhere possibly very cold.

Full-Time MFA Programs

These programs include attending in-person classes and paying tuition (though many offer need-based and merit scholarships).

• Pros: Lots of top-notch non-funded programs have more assets to attract world-class faculty and guests.
• Cons: It’s an investment that might not pay itself back.

Low-Residency MFA Programs

Low-residency programs usually meet biannually for short sessions. They also offer one-on-one support throughout the year. These MFAs are more independent, preparing you for what the writing life is actually like.

• Pros: No major life changes required. Cons: Less time dedicated to writing and less time to build relationships.

Online MFA Programs

Held 100% online. These programs have high acceptance rates and no residency requirement. That means zero travel or moving expenses.

• Pros: No major life changes required.
• Cons: These MFAs have less name recognition.

The Top 15 Creative Writing MFA Programs Ranked by Category

The following programs are selected for their balance of high funding, impressive return on investment, stellar faculty, major journal publications , and impressive alums.

FULLY FUNDED MFA PROGRAMS

1) johns hopkins university , mfa in fiction/poetry.

This two-year program offers an incredibly generous funding package: $39,000 teaching fellowships each year. Not to mention, it offers that sweet, sweet health insurance, mind-boggling faculty, and the option to apply for a lecture position after graduation. Many grads publish their first book within three years (nice). No nonfiction MFA (boo).

• Location: Baltimore, MD
• Incoming class size: 8 students (4 per genre)
• Admissions rate: 4-8%
• Alumni: Chimamanda Adichie, Jeffrey Blitz, Wes Craven, Louise Erdrich, Porochista Khakpour, Phillis Levin, ZZ Packer, Tom Sleigh, Elizabeth Spires, Rosanna Warren

2) University of Texas, James Michener Center

The only MFA that offers full and equal funding for every writer. It’s three years long, offers a generous yearly stipend of $30k, and provides full tuition plus a health insurance stipend. Fiction, poetry, playwriting, and screenwriting concentrations are available. The Michener Center is also unique because you study a primary genre and a secondary genre, and also get $4,000 for the summer.

• Location : Austin, TX
• Incoming class size : 12 students
• Acceptance rate: a bone-chilling less-than-1% in fiction; 2-3% in other genres
• Alumni: Fiona McFarlane, Brian McGreevy, Karan Mahajan, Alix Ohlin, Kevin Powers, Lara Prescott, Roger Reeves, Maria Reva, Domenica Ruta, Sam Sax, Joseph Skibell, Dominic Smith

3) University of Iowa

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a 2-year program on a residency model for fiction and poetry. This means there are low requirements, and lots of time to write groundbreaking novels or play pool at the local bar. All students receive full funding, including tuition, a living stipend, and subsidized health insurance. The Translation MFA , co-founded by Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak, is also two years long but with more intensive coursework. The Nonfiction Writing Program is a prestigious three-year MFA program and is also intensive.

• Incoming class size: 25 each for poetry and fiction; 10-12 for nonfiction and translation.
• Acceptance rate: 2.7-3.7%
• Fantastic Alumni: Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Sandra Cisneros, Joy Harjo, Garth Greenwell, Kiley Reid, Brandon Taylor, Eula Biss, Yiyun Li, Jennifer Croft

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs (Continued) 

4) university of michigan.

Anne Carson famously lives in Ann Arbor, as do the MFA students in UMichigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program. This is a big university town, which is less damaging to your social life. Plus, there’s lots to do when you have a $25,000 stipend, summer funding, and health care.

This is a 2-3-year program in either fiction or poetry, with an impressive reputation. They also have a demonstrated commitment to “ push back against the darkness of intolerance and injustice ” and have outreach programs in the community.

• Location: Ann Arbor, MI
• Incoming class size: 18 (9 in each genre)
• Acceptance rate: 2%
• Alumni: Brit Bennett, Vievee Francis, Airea D. Matthews, Celeste Ng, Chigozie Obioma, Jia Tolentino, Jesmyn Ward

5) Brown University

Brown offers an edgy, well-funded program in a place that only occasionally dips into arctic temperatures. All students are fully funded for 2 years, which includes tuition remission and a $32k yearly stipend. Students also get summer funding and—you guessed it—that sweet, sweet health insurance.

In the Brown Literary Arts MFA, students take only one workshop and one elective per semester. It’s also the only program in the country to feature a Digital/Cross Disciplinary Track.  Fiction and Poetry Tracks are offered as well.

• Location: Providence, RI
• Incoming class size: 12-13
• Acceptance rate: “highly selective”
• Alumni: Edwidge Danticat, Jaimy Gordon, Gayl Jones, Ben Lerner, Joanna Scott, Kevin Young, Ottessa Moshfegh

6) University of Arizona

This 3-year program with fiction, poetry, and nonfiction tracks has many attractive qualities. It’s in “ the lushest desert in the world, ” and was recently ranked #4 in creative writing programs, and #2 in Nonfiction. You can take classes in multiple genres, and in fact, are encouraged to do so. Plus, Arizona’s dry heat is good for arthritis.

This notoriously supportive program is fully funded. Moreover, teaching assistantships that provide a salary, health insurance, and tuition waiver are offered to all students. Tucson is home to a hopping literary scene, so it’s also possible to volunteer at multiple literary organizations and even do supported research at the US-Mexico Border.

• Location: Tucson, AZ
• Incoming class size: usually 6
• Acceptance rate: 1.2% (a refreshingly specific number after Brown’s evasiveness)
• Alumni: Francisco Cantú, Jos Charles, Tony Hoagland, Nancy Mairs, Richard Russo, Richard Siken, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, David Foster Wallace

7) Arizona State University 

With concentrations in fiction and poetry, Arizona State is a three-year funded program in arthritis-friendly dry heat. It offers small class sizes, individual mentorships, and one of the most impressive faculty rosters in the game. Moreover, it encourages cross-genre study.

Funding-wise, everyone has the option to take on a teaching assistantship position, which provides a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a yearly stipend of $25k. Other opportunities for financial support exist as well.

• Location: Tempe, AZ
• Incoming class size: 8-10
• Acceptance rate: 3% (sigh)
• Alumni: Tayari Jones, Venita Blackburn, Dorothy Chan, Adrienne Celt, Dana Diehl, Matthew Gavin Frank, Caitlin Horrocks, Allegra Hyde, Hugh Martin, Bonnie Nadzam

FULL-RESIDENCY MFAS (UNFUNDED)

8) new york university.

This two-year program is in New York City, meaning it comes with close access to literary opportunities and hot dogs. NYU also has one of the most accomplished faculty lists anywhere. Students have large cohorts (more potential friends!) and have a penchant for winning top literary prizes. Concentrations in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction are available.

• Location: New York, NY
• Incoming class size: ~60; 20-30 students accepted for each genre
• Acceptance rate: 6-9%
• Alumni: Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Ocean Vuong

9) Columbia University

Another 2-3 year private MFA program with drool-worthy permanent and visiting faculty. Columbia offers courses in fiction, poetry, translation, and nonfiction. Beyond the Ivy League education, Columbia offers close access to agents, and its students have a high record of bestsellers. Finally, teaching positions and fellowships are available to help offset the high tuition.

• Incoming class size: 110
• Acceptance rate: not publicized (boo)
• Alumni: Alexandra Kleeman, Rachel Kushner, Claudia Rankine, Rick Moody, Sigrid Nunez, Tracy K. Smith, Emma Cline, Adam Wilson, Marie Howe, Mary Jo Bang

10) Sarah Lawrence 

Sarah Lawrence offers a concentration in speculative fiction in addition to the average fiction, poetry, and nonfiction choices. Moreover, they encourage cross-genre exploration. With intimate class sizes, this program is unique because it offers biweekly one-on-one conferences with its stunning faculty. It also has a notoriously supportive atmosphere, and many teaching and funding opportunities are available.

• Location: Bronxville, NY
• Incoming class size: 30-40
• Acceptance rate: not publicized
• Alumni: Cynthia Cruz, Melissa Febos, T Kira Madden, Alex Dimitrov, Moncho Alvarado

LOW RESIDENCY

11) bennington college.

This two-year program boasts truly stellar faculty, and meets twice a year for ten days in January and June. It’s like a biannual vacation in beautiful Vermont, plus mentorship by a famous writer. The rest of the time, you’ll be spending approximately 25 hours per week on reading and writing assignments. Students have the option to concentrate in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Uniquely, they can also opt for a dual-genre focus.

The tuition is $23,468 per year, with scholarships available. Additionally, Bennington offers full-immersion teaching fellowships to MFA students, which are extremely rare in low-residency programs.

• Location: Bennington, VT
• Acceptance rate: 53%
• Incoming class: 25-35
• Alumni: Larissa Pham, Andrew Reiner, Lisa Johnson Mitchell, and others

12)  Institute for American Indian Arts

This two-year program emphasizes Native American and First Nations writing. With truly amazing faculty and visiting writers, they offer a wide range of genres, including screenwriting, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In addition, each student is matched with a faculty mentor who works with them one-on-one throughout the semester.

Students attend two eight-day residencies each year, in January and July, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At $12,000 in tuition a year, it boasts being “ one of the most affordable MFA programs in the country .”

• Location: Santa Fe, NM
• Incoming class size : 21
• Alumni: Tommy Orange, Dara Yen Elerath, Kathryn Wilder

13) Vermont College of Fine Arts

VCFA is the only graduate school on this list that focuses exclusively on the fine arts. Their MFA in Writing offers concentrations in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction; they also offer an MFA in Literary Translation and one of the few MFAs in Writing for Children and Young Adults . Students meet twice a year for nine days, in January and July, either in-person or online. Here, they receive one-on-one mentorship that continues for the rest of the semester. You can also do many travel residencies in exciting (and warm) places like Cozumel.

VCFA boasts amazing faculty and visiting writers, with individualized study options and plenty of one-on-one time. Tuition for the full two-year program is approximately $54k.

• Location : Various; 2024/25 residencies are in Colorado and California
• Incoming class size: 18-25
• Acceptance rate: 63%
• Alumnx: Lauren Markham, Mary-Kim Arnold, Cassie Beasley, Kate Beasley, Julie Berry, Bridget Birdsall, Gwenda Bond, Pablo Cartaya

ONLINE MFAS

14) university of texas at el paso.

UTEP is considered the best online MFA program, and features award-winning faculty from across the globe. Accordingly, this program is geared toward serious writers who want to pursue teaching and/or publishing. Intensive workshops allow submissions in Spanish and/or English, and genres include poetry and fiction.

No residencies are required, but an optional opportunity to connect in person is available every year. This three-year program costs about $25-30k total, depending on whether you are an in-state or out-of-state resident.

• Location: El Paso, TX
• Acceptance rate: “highly competitive”
• Alumni: Watch alumni testimonies here

15) Bay Path University

This 2-year online, no-residency program is dedicated entirely to nonfiction. Featuring a supportive, diverse community, Bay Path offers small class sizes, close mentorship, and an optional yearly field trip to Ireland.

There are many tracks, including publishing, narrative medicine, and teaching creative writing. Moreover, core courses include memoir, narrative journalism, food/travel writing, and the personal essay. Tuition is approximately $31,000 for the entire program, with scholarships available.

• Location: Longmeadow, MA
• Incoming class size: 20
• Alumni: Read alumni testimonies here

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs — Final Thoughts

Whether you’re aiming for a fully funded, low residency, or completely online MFA program, there are plenty of incredible options available—all of which will sharpen your craft while immersing you in the vibrant literary arts community.

Hoping to prepare for your MFA in advance? You might consider checking out the following:

• Best English Programs
• Best Colleges for Creative Writing
• Writing Summer Programs
• Best Writing Competitions for High School Students

Inspired to start writing? Get your pencil ready:

• 100 Creative Writing Prompts 
• 1 00 Tone Words to Express Mood in Your Writing
• 60 Senior Project Ideas
• Common App Essay Prompts

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs – References:

• https://www.pw.org/mfa
• The Creative Writing MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students , by Tom Kealey (A&C Black 2005)
• Graduate School Admissions

Julia Conrad

With a Bachelor of Arts in English and Italian from Wesleyan University as well as MFAs in both Nonfiction Writing and Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, Julia is an experienced writer, editor, educator, and a former Fulbright Fellow. Julia’s work has been featured in  The Millions ,  Asymptote , and  The Massachusetts Review , among other publications. To read more of her work, visit  www.juliaconrad.net

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DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

• Litowitz MFA+MA Program

The Litowitz MFA+MA Program in Creative Writing and English

Program faculty, the department of english is grateful to northwestern university alumna jennifer leischner litowitz ’91 and her husband, alec litowitz for helping launch and support this program..

The Litowitz MFA+MA Program in Creative Writing offers intimate classes, the opportunity to pursue both creative and critical writing, close mentorship by renowned faculty in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, and three fully supported years in which to grow as writers and complete a book-length creative project.  The Litowitz MFA+MA curriculum gives students time to deepen both their creative writing and their study of literature.  Students will receive full financial support for three academic years and two summers, a total of 33 months.  Both degrees—the MFA in Creative Writing and the MA in English—are awarded simultaneously at graduation.

Drawing on innovative scholarship, deep immersion in process, and cross-pollination between critical and creative texts, Litowitz students will complete a Capstone essay—a 20-25 page expanded version of a paper written for an English department graduate or MFA+MA seminar—by the end of their second year, and will spend their third year working on a book-length creative thesis of their own design, either within one genre or across genres.  The MFA+MA program's small size and attentive faculty will develop students' sense of literary context, the possibilities of genre, and their creative practice, while encouraging them to pursue the individual distinctiveness of their projects.

The Litowitz MFA+MA program provides significant exposure to a second genre in addition to the genre in which a student has been admitted. Students must take at least one out-of-genre workshop and have the option of taking more.

Over two years of coursework students will take:

In spring quarter of the second year, with advising and mentoring by the faculty, each student will complete the MA Capstone Essay.

In year three, students will be almost wholly dedicated to their creative thesis manuscripts.  Third-year students will take three quarters of the MFA Thesis Workshop/Tutorial.

Some students will complete their MFA thesis manuscript by the end of this year; others will wish to take more time.  The Graduate School permits students to submit the culminating project for the MFA at the end of full-time enrollment, or afterward.   

In all three years, students will be mentored by the faculty in the practice of their writing, the design of their projects, and regarding artistic and intellectual resources for their work.  In the teaching of creative writing and, through summer editorial work at TriQuarterly.org , students will get first-hand experience in editing a literary journal.

Visiting writers (including some anglophone international writers) will bring new perspectives to artistic practice, the three genres, and cross-genre or multi-genre work.

Students will pursue their work on our beautiful Evanston campus, amid artists, filmmakers, scholars and public intellectuals, with easy access to the vibrant literary arts scene of Chicago.

Admissions Cycle

Each year, the MFA+MA program admits in all three genres. Information on the application process can be found here .

Michener Center for Writers

Mfa in writing.

The Michener Center for Writers is the only Creative Writing M.F.A. program in the world that provides full and equal funding to every writer—yet it is our extraordinary faculty and sense of community that most distinguishes us. Our program is a three-year, fully-funded residency M.F.A. with a unique multi-disciplinary focus. Writers apply and are admitted in a primary genre—fiction, poetry, playwriting or screenwriting—and study in both their primary and a secondary genre(s). There are no teaching duties, a luxury that allows our Fellows to commit themselves fully to their writing. And because only twelve writers are admitted each year, our faculty can devote ample time and energy to every writer. With unparalleled support and the deeply held belief that literary art matters now more than ever, the Michener Center offers writers 3 years of unencumbered space to make the work that only they can make.

News & Events

2024 emmy nominations: mcw alumni & their work.

The 2024 Primetime Emmy nominations were announced this week. We’re thrilled to see three MCW alumni and their work in the mix!   Shōgun, written… Read more

5 New Books by MCW Alumni to Read This Summer

1. The World After Alice by Lauren Aliza Green “When Morgan and Benji surprise their families with a wedding invitation to Maine, they’re aware the… Read more

Alumn John McManus Wins American Short(er) Fiction Prize

Alumn John McManus (MCW 2004) is the winner of the 2024 American Short(er) Fiction Prize, judged by Dantiel W. Moniz for his story “Jack Sprat’s… Read more

MCW Alumn Monica Macansantos Awarded Shearing Fellowship

MCW Alumn Monica Macansantos (MCW 2013) been awarded a Black Mountain Institute 2024-2025 Shearing Fellowship. The fellowship brings writers to the UNLV campus for one year… Read more

MCW Alumn Rachel Kondo to Receive Austin Film Festival New Voices Award

Rachel Kondo (MCW 2016), co-creator of Shōgun on FX, has been awarded the 2024 New Voice Award from Austin Film Festival. Kondo is being honored alongside… Read more

Alumni Work Streaming This Summer

Look out for MCW alumni work in your feed this summer: TV series Shōgun (FX) and Fallout (Prime Video), and podcast Pack One Bag (Lemonade… Read more

MCW Fellow Darius Atefat-Peckham is Keene Prize Runner-Up

Michener Center Fellow Darius Atefat-Peckham has been named a runner-up for the 2024 UT Keene Prize for Literature, for an excerpt from his forthcoming book… Read more

Alumn Abe Koogler’s Play Opens to Positive Reviews

Michener Center Playwriting Alumnus Abe Koogler‘s play Staff Meal has opened to rave reviews, with recent coverage from The New York Times, Vulture, Observer, New York Theatre… Read more

The Michener Center aims to be a welcoming, inspiring, and invigorating community where writers feel safe and supported to take chances on the page. We are extremely proud that there is no hierarchy here—all students receive equal funding—and we firmly believe that our egalitarian approach fosters a higher level of work that more competitive environments suppress.

Our MFA candidates have come from places as varied as western India, South Korea, eastern Europe, and northern Idaho. Their backgrounds and experiences lend to the pages they produce, which are unique and uniquely vital. We aren’t seeking writers of any particular aesthetic, but rather we are looking for writers whose work is distinct, urgent, and arresting.

Each year, we receive hundreds of applications for twelve seats in the cohort. We accept only full-time, in-residence candidates for the three-year program. There is no low-residency or part-time option.

Applicants must meet the UT Graduate School’s minimum requirements for consideration, which include completion of a Bachelor’s Degree prior to enrollment. The Michener Center no longer requires GRE scores.

James Michener was the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of over 40 books, including Texas , Hawaii , and Tales of the South Pacific . In his final years, he and his wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, moved to Austin, TX, where they endowed the Texas Center for Writers, a three-year MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas. The first cohort of Michener Fellows graduated in 1996. After Mr. Michener’s death in 1997, the Center was renamed in his honor.

To ensure both continuity and fresh perspectives, the Michener Center faculty is built with fixed and moving parts. Writers from UT’s departments of English, Theatre and Dance, and Radio-Television-Film comprise our Resident Faculty, and each year we also welcome an exciting roster of distinguished Visiting Faculty. That our faculty members—resident and visiting—are as passionate about their teaching as they are their writing is of the utmost importance. Like our students, our faculty afford the program a wealth of varied experience, an abiding sense of shared enterprise, and deep commitment to the making of literary art. For more on our outstanding faculty in each genre, visit our Faculty page .

How to Become a Writer in Texas with a BFA, MFA or Similar Creative Writing Degree

Written by Jennifer Williams

For centuries, Spanish and French explorers kept the territory’s history alive through their narrative accounts of the land and its people. They were the first writers of Texas. Since then, big names in literature have carried on the tradition of sharing the story of Texas – and the stories that simply take place here.

Today, this tradition continues as contemporary writers recount the state’s history from a new perspective and use its timeless expanse to set the scene of some of the most memorable works of fiction and nonfiction alike.

John Graves Isn’t Too Well Known Beyond State Lines, But in Texas, He’s a Legend

Graves always had a love of the land, and he feared that parts of the beautiful Brazos River would be forever altered because of the new dams. And so, he took a 3-week canoe trip down the Brazos River to enjoy it for the moment. He chronicled his trip and initially published it as a narrative piece in Holiday. Later, after adding some history and philosophy to the mix, he created Goodbye to a River: A Narrative. Its original style gained him praise, and today, the book is considered a classic. As a testament, the paddle that Graves used to navigate the Brazos River hangs as a relic at Texas State University in San Marcos.

One of Texas’ best-known writers of American history is H.W Brands. Though he was born in Oregon, he’s spent much of his life in Texas, from attending the University of Texas at Austin where he earned a Ph.D in history to teaching history at Austin Community College and Texas A&M University. He’s written more than 30 books about U.S. history and has twice been selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He’s biographed some of history’s biggest giants, including Andrew Jackson, Ulysses Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt. However, it was his biography of Benjamin Franklin – The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin – that made him a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2001. Even without having won a Pulitzer, though, Brands has certainly established himself as a literary giant and praiseworthy writer of American history.

Life in Texas has always offered an abundance of book-worthy material, more than enough to support a strong literary culture in the hot-spots for aspiring writers – Austin, Dallas, and Houston. If you’re interested in becoming a writer in Texas, you’ll find that networking within your local writing community will get you off to a good start. The most important piece to establishing a writing career, though, is the formal education that will hone your talent and discipline. For most that comes by way of an English degree with a creative writing emphasis. For others, it’s a bachelor’s or master’s with a major in creative writing, or even an esteemed BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) or MFA (Master of Fine Arts)  degree in creative writing .

Texas’ Creative Writing Classes, Courses, and Workshops Can Prepare You for a Creative Writing Degree

By now, you’ve probably realized that becoming a writer doesn’t follow a predetermined path. There’s no step-by-step outline that offers the assurance of success. A career in writing is simply not that prescriptive. Writing is, by its nature, an expression of one’s inner self – a glimpse into the writer’s mind. It’s something that comes from deep within. Your journey as a writer begins with getting to know yourself – reflecting on your feelings, examining your perceptions, and finding your vision. After all, the piece the keeps Larry McMurtry’s name alive, Lonesome Dove, was written from the perspective of the American West as he, himself, had lived it.

Honing your skills as a writer, then, means you’ll need to find an outlet for self-expression and inquiry – an environment where you can interact, challenge yourself, and find your voice. The best way to accomplish this is to get involved with your local writing community.

Luckily, large cities like Austin, Dallas, and Houston have tons of opportunity for the amateur writer to take advantage of. If you’re interested in poetry, you’ll want to check out the Austin Poetry Society. The group holds virtual meetings and hosts a bunch of events where you can get your stuff heard, like open mic nights and roundtable discussions. You can also submit to any of their special topic contests throughout the year and contend for a chance to win the top case prize of $200.

If you’re local to the Dallas area, be sure to check out DAWG, the Dallas Area Writers Group. This group is open to writers of all levels and all genres and is a wealth of opportunity for developing some much-needed connections. DAWG hosts author speaking events, open mic nights, and critique nights where you can read your work and get feedback from your peers and published authors, too. Attending one of their published author presentations is a great way to learn more about how to get published as well as how to strengthen your chances of getting published. You can also submit a manuscript for publication to the group’s local circular, Texas Shorts, which is an anthology of short stories written by Texas authors.

The Houston Writers Guild is a hot connection for writers in the Houston area. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hobby writer or a published pro, the Houston Writers Guild is open to you. This group is committed to providing an environment for writers to network, improve writing skills, and ultimately be successful. It hosts writing workshop events, critique groups, and round table discussions. Critique groups meet virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays and in-person on Thursday evenings. Workshops are offered on Monday nights and Wednesday mornings.

It’s also important to stay in the know about the happenings in your local literary scene. Local circulars like the San Antonio Review and the Texas Review are top resources for information about local literary events and excellent opportunities to get your material published and out there for a massive audience. The San Antonio Review publishes mostly poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews but takes submissions of all kinds. The Texas Review publishes creative nonfiction, poetry, and fiction pieces twice a year and offers writing contests where you can win some serious money. Top prize is the X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize, which not only pays our $10,000, but also gets the winner published.

Larry McMurtry, essayist, novelist, screenplay writer – and Texas native.

Writing Colleges in Texas Offering Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing Provide a Path to Becoming a Writer

In the end, a degree in creative writing is what you need to be successful as a writer . It’s the final puzzle piece that brings together what you’ve learned and lived in Texas, helping you make the most of your writing talent. Simply put, it’s what sets the professional apart from the novice. Don’t let your effort and energy be spent on a lifetime of hobby writing.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Other Bachelor’s Degrees in Creative Writing in Texas

Austin college.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Accreditation: SACSCOC

Degree: Bachelor – BA

Private School

• English-Creative Writing

Houston Baptist University

SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS

Degree: Bachelor – BFA

• Creative Writing

Lubbock Christian University

J.E. AND EILEEN HANCOCK COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

• English-Creative Writing emphasis

McMurry University

DIVISION OF HUMANITIES, RELIGION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

• English-Writing

Southern Methodist University

DEDMAN COLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SCIENCES

• English-Creative Writing specialization

Stephen F. Austin State University

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND APPLIED ARTS

Public School

Texas State University

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

• English-Creative Writing concentration

Texas Wesleyan University

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

• English-Writing concentration

University of Houston

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

University of Houston-Victoria

University of North Texas

University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at El Paso

University of Texas at San Antonio

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Other Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing in Texas

Degree:  Master – MFA

Sam Houston State University

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

• Creative Writing Editing and Publishing

Degree:  Master – MA

• English-Creative Writing track
• Creative Writing (option for PhD in English with a Creative Writing concentration)

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

Department of English

COMING SOON: NEW INFORMATION ON MFA PROGRAM TO START FALL 2025 APPLICATIONS TO THE MFA PROGRAM ARE CURRENTLY BEING ACCEPTED WITH A DEADLINE OF JANUARY 10, 2025 FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT DR. JESSICA SMITH, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF CW MFA

APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR FALL 2025 ADMISSION: JANUARY 10, 2025

NO GRE REQUIRED

Application Requirements

• College Transcripts
• Curriculum Vitae/Resume
• 8-10 page (or longer) critical writing sample for all applicants 
• a creative writing (15-20 pages) sample for applicants to the Creative Writing specialization
• 700-word statement of purpose outlining your interest in our graduate program
• 3 letters of recommendation. (Recommenders send their letters directly through the TTU Graduate School application portal via a prompt generated by the system)

As a TTU graduate student, you will find exceptional academic breadth and specialization as well as an inclusive and diverse group of faculty and graduate students actively engaged in academic pursuits and in the broader Lubbock community. 

Join us in Lubbock, Texas, where you will bond with other graduate students through engaging coursework , exceptional pedagogical and teacher training in a nationally recognized first-year writing program, and a range of departmental organizations, service opportunities, and graduate certificate programs.

MFA Funding

When you apply to our onsite MFA program, you are automatically considered for funding. The funding for incoming students consists of a teaching position with a competitive stipend—guaranteed $15,500/year for three years—and partial tuition and fee waivers. Summer teaching/funding is also regularly available.

Concentration in Creative Writing

Texas Tech’s new MFA in Creative Writing will offer traditional writing workshops with our award-winning faculty and also provide students with the training in literary studies that has long been a hallmark of our CW Masters degree. MFA students share workshops and seminars with our doctoral students; their final portfolios will highlight the mastery they've developed in three years of study—how to perfect the individual story, poem, or essay. In addition, our program will allow you to deepen your grasp of the broader historical and critical context of literature, which, in turn, informs your own writing. Texas Tech’s new MFA in Creative Writing will provide a fulfilling education whether as a terminal degree or as preparation for continued study in a doctoral program.

Degree Requirements

Related Links

Creative Writing Reading Series Harbinger Magazine

Dr. Jessica Smith Managing Director of MFA [email protected]

Dr. Curtis Bauer Director of Creative Writing [email protected]

Dr. Wyatt D. Phillips Director of Graduate Studies [email protected]

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Master of Fine Arts in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication

Program description.

The master of fine arts in arts, technology, and emerging communication (MFA) is a terminal degree for those who wish to teach arts and technology-related courses at the college level, as well as for those who intend to engage in professional studio or design practice. Taught by internationally recognized faculty at The University of Texas at Dallas, MFA students participate in a culture of community and critique while developing their own creative uses and critical investigations of media and technology in artistic practices. They learn to present their work, incorporate feedback, and situate their practice within aesthetic, historical and cultural contexts. After completing their interdisciplinary coursework, students develop a thesis project that includes a public presentation component. 

 Students are currently admitted to only two of three pathways listed below: 

• Animation : Students explore the history and cultural contexts of animation and produce animated content for storytelling, aesthetic, problem-solving, or experimental purposes. 
• Creative Practice : Students explore and produce art, media, and technology as collaborators, creative opportunists, critical researchers, project developers, boundary transgressors, and experimenters. 
• Game Development : Student study the structure, content, and design of games and engage in game design practices suitable for academic, experimental, independent, and commercial applications.

 In addition to working with world-renowned faculty, students in the MFA program have the opportunity to develop their teaching through teaching assistantships, to attend and present at conferences through competitive scholarships, to engage with the core intellectual life of the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology through the Dean’s Colloquium and other speaker series, and to collaborate in multiple research collectives. 

The MFA program ensures that students gain a broad understanding of their chosen field or discipline, can apply their knowledge in new, creative ways, and can communicate and work effectively in collaborative environments. 

Other benefits include: 

• World-Class Faculty : The program is led by faculty of the Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology, who are widely cited experts in their respective fields. 
• Comprehensive Curriculum : Courses in the MFA program will introduce students to new ideas, methodologies, and competencies, while preparing them to succeed in both public and private sectors. 
• Labs : 3D Studio, ArtSciLab, Creative Automata Lab, Cultural Science Lab, Emerging Gizmology Lab, Fashioning Circuits , LabSynthE , Narrative Systems Research Lab, Public Interactives Research Lab (PIRL) , SP&CE Media, The Studio for Mediating Play  
• Facilities : The Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology Building, a 155,000-square-foot facility, houses programs in arts and technology, visual arts, and emerging media and communication, as well as a 1,200-seat lecture hall. 
• Location : Situated in the greater Dallas region — recently rated by Forbes magazine as the #1 “Best City for Jobs”—UT Dallas provides students with easy access to employers and internship opportunities, not to mention a large and supportive alumni population. 

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the MFA program have gone on to pursue a wide variety of careers in studio arts, creative industries, cultural institutions, and education, such as: 

• 3-D computer animation 
• Modeling and simulation 
• Data visualization 
• Virtual environments 
• Sound design 
• Digital fabrication 
• Interactive narrative 
• Game design 
• Museum administration 
• Non-profit arts foundations

Marketable Skills

Review the marketable skills for each pathway/concentration:

Master of Arts in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication: Emerging Media Studies Pathway

Master of Arts in Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication: Interaction Design Pathway

Master of Fine Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication with Animation Pathway

Master of Fine Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication: Creative Practice Pathway

Master of Fine Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication: Game Development Pathway

Application Deadlines and Requirements

Please take note of all  application deadlines and visit the  Apply Now webpage to begin the application process. See the ATEC MFA program website for additional information.

Applicants to the MFA program should have:

• A previous academic degree (BA, BS, MA, MFA) in an appropriate field of study (e.g., art, computer science, design, film/video production, media studies, etc.).
• A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0-point scale, especially in upper-division undergraduate or graduate work.
• Letters of Recommendation: Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation from individuals who can judge the candidate’s potential for success in the master’s degree program.
• Personal Statement: Applicants should submit a 500–700-word essay explaining their work or research. The essay should discuss past and present artistic practices as well as future directions or goals for the work, and it should describe how the ATEC MFA program is particularly suited to their professional goals.
• Additional Materials: Applicants to the MFA program should submit a collection of original artworks demonstrating their artistic range and skills as evidence of previous course work and/or expertise in the creative arts and digital media and technology. These samples should be submitted in the form of a link to an online repository or portfolio of digital documents, which may include texts, still images, animations, films, or audio files. These should use the format best suited to convey the artistic qualities of the documents without requiring specialized software.
• International applicants have multiple ways to fulfill the English proficiency requirements. Please view Graduate Admissions for all choices. Students who take the TOEFL must receive a score of at least 80 on the internet-based test. Scores must be less than two years old. See the Graduate Catalog for additional information regarding English proficiency requirements for international applicants

For priority consideration for admission and funding, completed applications to the MFA program must be received on or before January 1. If space remains, the program will continue to accept applications in accordance with university deadlines. Students are accepted for the fall semester only.

Contact Information

Graduate Admissions Phone: 972-883-2756 Request Bass School Graduate Program Information

Graduate Advising Harry W. Bass Jr. School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology The University of Texas at Dallas, JO31 800 W. Campbell Road Richardson, TX 75080-3021 Phone: 972-883-2756 or 972-883-4706 Email:  [email protected]

Bass School Graduate Degrees

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MFA in Creative Writing

Degree Requirements    |   Getting Started   |   Institution and Advisor   |   FAQs  

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) offers a bilingual, fully-online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. The goal of this unique bilingual program is to prepare writers for the publishing marketplace and for teaching and editing careers, both in the United States and Latin America.

Degree Requirements

The degree plan consists of 42 credits of coursework, followed by 6 credits of thesis during which the student completes a publishable manuscript in poetry or fiction. Refer to the Online MFA Curriculum page for a listing of available courses and course descriptions. Spanish is not a requirement for admission.

Many online MFA in Creative Writing courses are open to cross-campus enrollment. Check with your program advisor prior to registering for any of cross-campus courses to ensure they apply toward your degree program, and non-UTEP students who want to take MFA courses must get permission from the MFA Advisor.

To view Online MFA in Creative Writing program courses currently open for cross-campus registration, go to the Student Portal Course Schedule and select Creative Writing-Bilingual (MFA) from the Finish@UT Program menu, or search for a specific course name/number. UTEP students should refer to the UTEP Course Schedule and register directly through your home campus.

Getting Started

Interested in applying? Be sure to review the Online MFA Application Process , Application Check List , and FAQs . If you have any questions regarding the application process after reviewing this information, please contact Coordinator of Graduate Enrollment, Sally Vasko .

Refer to the Student Support section of our website for additional information on cross-campus registration and course access.

Institution and Program Advisor

Degree Awarded: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Program Advisor:

Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny

Please send program-related questions to  [email protected] .

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to questions such as, "Do I need to know Spanish to be admitted into the program?" and, "Who do I contact about financial aid?" on the MFA Online website .

Fully Funded MFA Programs in Creative Writing

As part of our series  How to Fully Fund Your Master’s Degree , here is a list of universities that have fully funded MFA programs in creative writing. A Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing can lead to a career as a professional writer, in academia, and more.

Fully funded MFA programs in Creative Writing offer a financial aid package for full-time students that includes full tuition remission as well as an annual stipend or salary during the entire program, which for Master’s degrees is usually 1-2 years. Funding usually comes with the expectation that students will teach or complete research in their field of study. Not all universities fully fund their Master’s students, which is why researching the financial aid offerings of many different programs, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, is essential.

In addition to listing fully funded Master’s and PhD programs, the ProFellow fellowships database also includes external funding opportunities for graduate school, including fellowships for dissertation research, fieldwork, language study, study abroad, summer work experiences, and professional development.

Would you like to receive the full list of more than 1000+ fully funded Master’s and PhD programs in 60 disciplines? Download the FREE Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards !

Here is the list of 53 universities that offer fully-funded MFA programs (Master’s of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing.

University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL): Students admitted to the MFA Program are guaranteed full financial support for up to 4-years. Assistantships include a stipend paid over nine months (currently $14,125), and full payment of up to 15 credit hours of graduate tuition.

University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ): All accepted MFA students receive full funding through a graduate teaching assistantship for 3 years. This package includes tuition remission, health insurance, and a modest stipend (in 2018 it was about $16,100 per academic year).

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ): 3-year program. All students admitted to the MFA program who submit a complete and approved teaching assistantship application are awarded a TA by the Department of English. Each assistantship carries a three-course per year load and includes a tuition waiver and health insurance in addition to the TA stipend ($18,564 per year). In addition, students have diverse opportunities for additional financial and professional support.

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR): Four-year program. Teaching assistantships currently carry an annual stipend of $13,500 for students with a BA. TAs also receive a waiver of all tuition costs and teach two courses each semester. Nearly all of our accepted students receive TAs. Additionally, the students compete each year for several fellowships.

Boise State University (Boise, Idaho): 3-year fully funded MFA program dedicated to poetry and fiction. All students receive a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a Teaching Assistantship with a stipend of $11,450 per year.

Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH): 2-year program, graduate assistantships (including stipend and scholarship) are available for all eligible face-to-face students. 100% tuition scholarship. Graduate stipend (the 2020-21 stipend is $11,500).

Brown University (Providence, RI): All incoming MFA students received full funding. All graduate students receive a fellowship that pays a monthly stipend and provides tuition remission, the health fee, and health insurance. The stipend for the 2020-2021 academic year is $29,926. Also, students in good standing receive a summer stipend of $2,993.

Boston University (Boston, MA): Tuition costs will be covered for every admitted student for the MFA degree in the BU Creative Writing Program. In addition, admitted students will receive university health insurance while they are enrolled, and all admitted students will receive stipend support of roughly $16,000 for the academic year.

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY): All MFA degree candidates are guaranteed 2 years of funding (including a stipend, a full-tuition fellowship, and student health insurance).

University of California Irvine (Irvine, CA): 3-year program. The Department is committed to providing 3 full years of financial support to all domestic students in the MFA Programs in Writing. Financial support for MFA students is given in the form of Teaching Assistantships providing full tuition coverage as well as University health insurance. Students will earn an estimated $22,569 for the academic year.

University of California San Diego (La Jolla, CA): MFA in Writing students are eligible for financial support if they study full-time, maintain good academic standing and make timely progress toward the degree. All students are eligible for full funding, including international students provided they meet the English language certification requirement for teaching assistants.

University of California Riverside (Riverside, CA): All incoming students are granted a full fellowship and stipend for their first year. After the first year, students receive full tuition and a salary through teaching assistantships.

Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL): 3-year program. All of the MFA students qualify for a position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. The GTA position comes with a tuition waiver and a stipend. The standard stipend is $9,000, but some enhanced stipends are available. The Graduate College offers several fellowships for current graduate students.

Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL): The majority of students receive support in the form of a teaching assistantship and are provided with a stipend, a tuition waiver, and a health-insurance subsidy. MFA students receive a three-year assistantship. For 2022-23, MA/MFA stipends will be $16,400, and typically these amounts go up each year. Also, The FSU Graduate School offers several fellowships and awards.

Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville, GA): The MFA Program offers workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and students take cross-genre workshops. All students admitted to the MFA program receive a Graduate Assistantship for all 3 years that includes a stipend and tuition remission.

University of Houston (Houston, TX): MFA students can receive a teaching assistantship for 3 years. Starting salary for MFAs is $17,935/9 months. Students in the Creative. As part of the assistantship, students are awarded either a Graduate Tuition Fellowship, which remits tuition, or a Creative Writing Program Fellowship, which covers the cost of tuition.

University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho): All English Teaching Assistants (TA’s) are offered full tuition waivers. Teaching Assistants are given a stipend of $14,000 per year. Also offers three scholarships and three outstanding fellowships to support qualified MFA, graduate students.

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL): Three-year MFA program. Students accepted into the MFA program will receive full tuition waivers, guaranteed teaching assistantships.

Indiana University (Bloomington, IN): M.F.A. programs offer a generous teaching package to creative writing students. All applicants receive consideration for appropriate fellowships that will carry a stipend of about $19,000, plus tuition and fee-remission that covers roughly 90% of the cost of enrollment.

Iowa State University (Ames, IA): 3-year MFA program. Starting half-time 20 hours per week teaching assistantships for MFA students total $19,250 over 10 months and also receive a full-tuition waiver scholarship (approximate value $10,140) and health insurance coverage. The department has several resources available through which to offer fellowships and scholarships to qualifying new students.

University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA): 2-year residency program. Financial assistance is available for all students enrolled in the program, in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. Most fellowships and assistantships provide either tuition scholarships or full tuition remission.

John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD): 2-year program. All students receive full tuition, health insurance, and a generous teaching fellowship, currently set at $30,500 per year. Some students work as assistant editors on The Hopkins Review. They often win prizes such as Stegner Fellowships or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

University of Maryland (College Park, MD): This 3-year program accepts 8 applicants who are fully funded by Teaching Assistantships for up to three years of graduate study. Our aid packages include a stipend of about $20,000 per academic year and 60 credit hours of tuition remission.

Miami University (Oxford, OH): All students admitted to the MFA program in Creative Writing hold generous Graduate Assistantships (which include a summer stipend). Non-teaching assistantships may also be available.

University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL): An intensive two-year study with a third year option. The James Michener Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships support all our graduate students. Awards include a full tuition waiver and annual stipend of $18,915.

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI): All MFA students accepted into the program are offered a full tuition waiver, a stipend of $23,000/yearly as well as $5,000 in summer funding, and health care benefits. Additionally, various fellowships and prizes are awarded each year to MFA students.

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN): All admitted MFAs receive full funding, in the form of teaching assistantships or fellowships. Teaching assistantships carry a full tuition waiver, health benefits, and a stipend of about $18,600. Also, a variety of fellowships are available for graduate students.

University of Mississippi (University, MS): All of our students are fully funded.  We offer two main sources of funding, the Grisham Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships.

University of Nevada Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV): 3-year program. All MFA students admitted to the Creative Writing International program at UNLV are offered Graduate Assistantship funding of $15,000 per year (which includes in-state tuition and provisions for health insurance).

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL): Funding is provided for 3 full years, summers included. Tuition is covered by a tuition scholarship during any quarter in which you are receiving a stipend.

University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN): Every student admitted to the MFA receives a full-tuition scholarship, a fellowship that carries a full stipend of $16,000 per year and access to a 100% health insurance subsidy.

North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC): A two-year, fully-funded program, They accept only about a dozen students each year and offer full funding in the form of a graduate teaching assistantship to all eligible admitted applicants.

Ohio State University (Columbus, OH): All admitted students are fully funded for our 3-year MFA program in Creative Writing. In addition, all students receive either a graduate teaching associateship, a Graduate School fellowship or a combination of the two. For graduate teaching associateships, the student receives a stipend of at least $17,000 for the nine-month academic year.

University of Oregon (Eugene OR): A two-year residency MFA program. All incoming MFA students funded with a teaching appointment. Student instructors receive tuition remission, monthly stipends of approximately $18,000.

Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR): All students admitted to the MFA program will automatically receive a standard teaching Graduate Teaching Assistantship contract, which provides full tuition remission and stipend of approximately $12,800 per year to cover living expenses. In addition to tuition remission, all graduate students have the option to receive 89% coverage of health insurance costs for themselves and their dependents.

University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA): 3-year MFA program. All students admitted to the program will receive Teaching Assistantships for two or three years. All Teaching Assistantships include salary, medical benefits, and tuition remission.

Rutgers University–Newark (Newark, NJ): Each full-time incoming student receives in-state Tuition Remission and a Chancellor’s Stipend of 15K per year. Students are also eligible for Teaching Assistantships, and Part-Time Lectureships teaching Comp or Creative Writing. Teaching Assistantships are $25,969 (approximate) plus health benefits.

University of South Florida (Tampa, FL): 3-year program. MFA students receive a tuition waiver, a teaching assistantship that comes with a stipend, and enrollment in group health insurance.

Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL): Almost all MFA students hold graduate assistantships, which provide stipends for the academic year and full remission of tuition. The annual stipend, which comes with tuition remission, ranges from $13,000 to $14,500.

Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY): Three-Year M.F.A. in Creative Writing. All students are fully funded. Each student admitted receives a full-tuition scholarship in addition to an annual stipend of $17,500.

University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC): 3-year MFA program. The MFA at Carolina is pleased to provide fellowship and/or assistantship funding to all accepted students, earning our program the designation of “fully funded” from Poets and Writers.

University of Tennessee — Knoxville (Knoxville, TN): There is no cost to apply to the MFA program. All of our PhD candidates and MFA students are fully funded, with generous opportunities for additional financial support.

University of Texas in Austin (Austin, TX): All students in the New Writers Project receive three years of full funding through a combination of teaching assistantships (TA), assistant instructorships (AI), and fellowship support. The complete package includes full tuition remission, health insurance, and a salary.

University of Texas James Michener Center (Austin, TX): A three-year, fully funded residency MFA program that provides full and equal funding to every writer. All admitted students receive a fellowship of $29,500 per academic year, plus total coverage of tuition.

Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN): Each year a small, select class of talented writers of fiction and poetry enroll in Vanderbilt’s three-year, fully-funded MFA Program in Creative Writing. The University Fellowship provides full-tuition benefits, health insurance, and a stipend of $30,000/yearly. In 2nd year and third-year students have the opportunity to teach for one semester.

University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA): Three-year MFA program. Students will receive fellowship support and/or teaching income in the amount of $20,000 each academic year, as well as full funding of your tuition, enrollment fees, and the health insurance premium for single-person coverage through the university.

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA): Three-year MFA degree offers tracks in Poetry and Fiction, and all students are fully and equally funded via GTA-ships of more than $20,000 per year.

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO): Because of selectivity and size they are able to offer all the new students full and equal financial aid for both years in the program in the form of a University Fellowship, which provides a complete tuition waiver plus a stipend sufficient for students to live comfortably in our relatively inexpensive city. All MFA students receive health insurance through Washington University.

Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY): Three-year, fully-funded, residential MFA program in creative writing offering generous assistantships, which will allow MFA students to gain valuable experience tutoring and teaching.

West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV): A three-year program. All Master of Fine Arts students receive a full tuition waiver and an assistantship, which includes a stipend valued at $16,750.

Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas): Most of the MFA students are GTAs who teach two composition classes each semester. They pay no tuition, receive $4,250 each semester and may buy discounted health insurance. The MFA program also awards two $12,500 fellowships each year.

University of Wisconsin–Madison (Madison, WI): All accepted MFA candidates receive tuition remissions, teaching assistantships, generous health insurance, and other financial support. In addition to the approximately $14,680 paid to each MFA annually in exchange for teaching, every MFA candidate will receive another $9,320 in scholarships each year.

University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY): All of our full-time MFA students are fully funded with two-year graduate assistantships. Currently, assistantships include a stipend of $12,330 per academic year, a tuition and fees waiver, and student health insurance. Students also receive summer stipends of up to $2,000 for the summer.

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Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts Degree

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Hone Your Craft in the Capital City

For more than 30 years, writers have come to American University to develop their work and exchange ideas in the District’s only creative writing MFA program. Our graduate workshops provide a rigorous yet supportive environment where students explore a range of approaches to the art and craft of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.

As an MFA student at American, you are free to pursue a single genre or explore several. You will acquire a deeper understanding of your own work and hone your skills in a collaborative setting.

A Program of Study That Gets Results

This two-year, 36-credit-hour MFA program integrates writing, literary journalism, translation, and the study of literature to prepare students for a range of career possibilities. Write, give feedback, and receive guidance from a close-knit community of respectful peers and faculty. In the MFA program, you'll find lawyers, military veterans, musicians, teachers, and business executives who are passionate about the written word.

Connect with accomplished professors and the resources you need to reach your goal. Our faculty members have been featured in a variety of media and publications including the New Yorker , the New York Times , National Public Radio, Bill Moyers & Co., and the Washington Post.

Prominent Authors Dedicated to Your Success

Our faculty of award-winning poets, novelists, translators, and nonfiction writers will help you help you hone your craft and pursue your career as a writer. You will receive instruction and guidance from successful authors published by university presses and major publishers, including Houghton Mifflin, Scribner, Vintage Books, Viking Press, and WW Norton. Our active and engaged faculty members are regularly featured in top media outlets such as The New York Times, New Yorker, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and New Republic ; in literary journals like Kenyon Review, Ploughshares, and Shenandoah ; and on television and radio.

A City For Writers

Living and learning in the nation's capital provides numerous benefits for MFA students. We partner with organizations like the National Endowment for the Arts, Library of Congress, 826DC, Writopia Labs, and Folger Shakespeare Library to facilitate opportunities for our students.

Our students have recently published books with WW Norton, Copper Canyon, University of Wisconsin Press, and MIT Press. They have been featured on This American Life , Poets & Writers , in Creative Nonfiction , Psychology Today , and more.

We Know Success

97% of graduates are employed, in grad school, or both 6 months after graduation.

Our alumni have gone on to work for organizations including:

• Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington
• EEO ClassIn
• Fulbright Association
• Goodwin University
• PEN/Faulkner Foundation
• Shout Mouse Press
• Street Sense Media
• The Building People
• W. W. Norton & Company, Inc

Publications

Folio is a nationally recognized literary journal sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences at American University in Washington, DC. Since 1984, we have published original creative work by both new and established authors. Past issues have included work by Michael Reid Busk, Billy Collins, William Stafford, and Bruce Weigl, and interviews with Michael Cunningham, Charles Baxter, Amy Bloom, Ann Beattie, and Walter Kirn. We look for well-crafted poetry and prose that is bold and memorable.

News & Notes

SCOTUS to Decide If Domestic Violence Offenders Can Own Guns: Why It Matters

Recent award-winning publications by our MFA alumni :

• Valzhyna Mort won the 2021 International Griffin Prize for her third poetry collection, Music for the Dead and Resurrected (FSG, 2020), which was named one of the best poetry books of 2020 by The New York Times.
• Field Study by Chet’la Sebree won the 2020 Academy of American Poets James Laughlin Award; Mistress  won the 2018 New Issues Poetry Prize.
• "The Niece" by Yohanca Delgado was selected for the Distinguished Stories list in Best American Short Stories 2020 .
• Trouble Sleeping  by Abdul Ali won the 2014 New Issues Poetry Prize.
• Daydreamers by  Jonathan Harper was named a Kirkus Indie Books of the Month Selection.

Rachel Louise Snyder recounts how her mother’s death left her unmoored and untoward in her new memoir .

Kyle Dargan served as editor for The Memory Librarian: And Other Stories of Dirty Computer  with Janelle Monáe.

Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Literature) won the 2023 NAACP Image Award for fiction for her most recent novel, Take My Hand . 

Ralvell Rogers MFA, Creative Writing

More about ralvell.

MFA Creative Writing candidate Ralvell Rogers is making his mark on the literary world.

My time at AU has been brilliant in the fact that I've already learned much about what it means to be a Writer with a capital "W" and more importantly, a literary scholar. Though there is an obvious focus on our course work, it's been made clear to me that our work isn't exactly all that matters in the classroom. We are continuously connecting our work in class to the lives that we live on a daily basis and the world that we all live in, and I think that is very important for writers and entrepreneurs in the publishing sector because we are essentially the historians of our respective generations.

He is the author of The Kansas City Boys Choir: Providing Hope for Tomorrow , which has been endorsed by luminaries Kevin Powell, G.S. Griffin, and Congressman Emanual Cleaver II. Ralvell has also established his own publishing company, Ambitious Stories, LLC, out of Kansas City, MO. He founded it earlier this year to focus on "often unheard, yet riveting and inspiring stories from the heart."

Valzhyna Mort MFA Creative Writing

More about valzhyna.

Alumna Valzhyna Mort has gained international acclaim for her third poetry collection, Music for the Dead and Resurrected (FSG, 2020), which won the 2021 International Griffin Prize and was named one of the best poetry books of 2020 by the New York Times . Publishers Weekly called this work in their starred review, "poems of reclamation and resurrection; to live in them is to confront the hard work of witness." The New Yorker wrote in its review, "Memory, metaphor, and myth intermingle to sometimes nightmarish effect in this collection by a Belarus-born poet. Mort excavates the individual and communal traumas wrought by a violent and repressive national history, and calls herself 'a test-child exposed to the burning reactor of my grandmother’s memory.'" Mort teaches poetry, literature, and translation at Cornell University.

Look inside the Creative Writing MFA

For more than 40 years, writers have come to American University to develop their work and exchange ideas in the District’s only creative writing MFA program.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the application deadline for a merit award.

The application deadline is February 1. All applications are automatically considered for merit awards. After February 1, the program continues to consider applications, but cannot guarantee those applicants will be considered for merit awards.

What is the MFA thesis?

The required MFA thesis consists of an original, book-length manuscript. It may be a novel, a novella, a memoir or collection of stories, creative nonfiction, or poems. The thesis is due approximately a month before the end of the student's final semester.

How long does it take to earn the MFA degree at American University?

Most students complete the 36-credit degree in 2 years. Full-time study is 9 credits (3 classes) per semester. Others pursue their degree part-time, taking 1-2 classes per semester as best fits their schedules. All workshops, and many literature courses, are offered at night, so that students with full-time jobs can still complete their coursework.

What does the admissions committee look for in an applicant's writing sample?

The committee regards the writing sample as the most important part of the application. It's therefore important that you pay close attention to the manuscript guidelines (see below). Send what you feel is your strongest work that shows your demonstrated talent. It is not important to the committee whether or not work has been previously published.

Those submitting applications in poetry should send no more than 12 poems or 15 pages (with no more than one new or continuing poem per page). If submitting fiction/nonfiction, please submit 15-25 pages. While the catalog calls for a 25-page writing sample, we value quality over quantity. We are interested in seeing only your very best work, which can consist of one or more stories or works of creative nonfiction or an excerpt from a novel. If you send an excerpt from a novel, please include a brief description of the work as a whole.

Still have questions? Email [email protected] .

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Find details about every creative writing competition—including poetry contests, short story competitions, essay contests, awards for novels, grants for translators, and more—that we’ve published in the Grants & Awards section of Poets & Writers Magazine during the past year. We carefully review the practices and policies of each contest before including it in the Writing Contests database, the most trusted resource for legitimate writing contests available anywhere.

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Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about deadlines, funding, class size, core faculty, and more. Also included is information about more than fifty MA and PhD programs.

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MFA Programs Contact Form

Help us keep this database current. If you have updated information on one of the programs listed in the MFA database, let us know.

MFA Programs Database

• Help Keep This Database Current

Our MFA database includes essential information about low- and full-residency graduate creative writing programs in the United States and other English-speaking countries to help you decide where to apply.

Adelphi University

Poetry: Jan-Henry Gray, Maya Marshall Prose: Katherine Hill, René Steinke, Igor Webb

Albertus Magnus College

Poetry: Paul Robichaud Fiction: Sarah Harris Wallman Nonfiction: Eric Schoeck

Alma College

Poetry: Leslie Contreras Schwartz, Jim Daniels, Benjamin Garcia Fiction: Karen E. Bender, Shonda Buchanan, Dhonielle Clayton, S. Kirk Walsh Creative Nonfiction: Anna Clark, Matthew Gavin Frank, Donald Quist, Robert Vivian

American University

Poetry: Kyle Dargan, David Keplinger Fiction: Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Stephanie Grant, Patricia Park Nonfiction: Rachel Louise Snyder

Antioch University

Poetry: Cathy Linh Che Prose: Lisa Locascio Nighthawk

Arcadia University

Poetry: Genevieve Betts, Michelle Reale Fiction: Stephanie Feldman, Joshua Isard, Tracey Levine, Eric Smith Literature: Matthew Heitzman, Christopher Varlack, Elizabeth Vogel, Jo Ann Weiner

Poetry: Genevieve Betts, Michelle Reale Fiction: Stephanie Feldman, Joshua Isard, Tracey Levine, Eric Smith

Arizona State University

Poetry: Sally Ball, Natalie Diaz, Alberto Álvaro Ríos, Safiya Sinclair Fiction: Matt Bell, Jenny Irish, Tara Ison, Mitchell Jackson, T. M. McNally Creative Nonfiction: Sarah Viren

Ashland University

Poetry: Dexter Booth, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Adam Gellings, Tess Taylor, Vanessa Angélica Villareal Fiction: Kirstin Chen, Edan Lepucki, Sarah Monette, Nayomi Munaweera, Vi Khi Nao, Naomi J. Williams, Kyle Winkler Nonfiction: Cass Donish, Kate Hopper, Lauren Markham, Thomas Mira y Lopez, Lisa Nikolidakis, Terese Mailhot

Augsburg University

Poetry: Michael Kleber-Diggs Fiction: Stephan Eirik Clark, Lindsay Starck Nonfiction: Anika Fajardo  Playwriting: Carson Kreitzer, TyLie Shider, Sarah Myers Screenwriting: Stephan Eirik Clark, Andy Froemke

Ball State University

Poetry: Katy Didden, Mark Neely Fiction: Cathy Day, Sean Lovelace Nonfiction: Jill Christman, Silas Hansen Screenwriting: Rani Deighe Crowe, Matt Mullins

Bard College

Jess Arndt, Shiv Kotecha, Mirene Arsanios, Hannah Black, Trisha Low, Christoper Perez, Julian Talamantez Brolaski, Simone White

Bath Spa University

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, John Strachan, Samantha Walton, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Alexia Casale, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Lucy English, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Steve Hollyman, Emma Hooper, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, C.J. Skuse, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Celia Brayfield, Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge Scriptwriting: Robin Mukherjee

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge

Bay Path University

Mel Allen, Leanna James Blackwell, Jennifer Baker, Melanie Brooks, María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado, Shahnaz Habib, Susan Ito, Karol Jackowski, Yi Shun Lai, Anna Mantzaris, Meredith O’Brien, Mick Powell, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Tommy Shea, Kate Whouley

Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College

Poetry: Jennifer Chang, Michael Dumanis, Randall Mann, Craig Morgan Teicher, Mark Wunderlich Fiction: Peter Cameron, Jai Chakrabarti, Stacey D’Erasmo, Monica Ferrell, Rebecca Makkai, Stuart Nadler, Téa Obreht, Moriel Rothman-Zecher, Katy Simpson Smith, Taymour Soomro Nonfiction: Garrard Conley, Sabrina Orah Mark, Spencer Reece, Lance Richardson, Shawna Kay Rodenberg, Hugh Ryan, Greg Wrenn

Binghamton University

Poetry: Tina Chang, Joseph Weil Fiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Thomas Glave, Leslie L. Heywood, Claire Luchette, Liz Rosenberg, Jaimee Wriston-Colbert, Alexi Zentner Nonfiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Leslie L. Heywood

Bluegrass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University

Poetry: Julie Hensley, Young Smith Fiction: Julie Hensley, Robert Dean Johnson Nonfiction: Robert Dean Johnson, Evan J. Massey Playwriting: Young Smith

Boise State University

Poetry: Martin Corless-Smith, Sara Nicholson, Taryn Schwilling Fiction: Mitch Wieland (Director), Anna Caritj Creative Nonfiction: Chris Violet Eaton, Clyde Moneyhun

Boston University

Poetry: Andrea Cohen, Karl Kirchwey, Robert Pinsky Fiction: Leslie Epstein, Jennifer Haigh, Ha Jin

Boston University—MFA in Literary Translation

Odile Cazenave, Yuri Corrigan, Margaret Litvin, Christopher Maurer, Roberta Micaleff, Robert Pinsky (advising), Stephen Scully, Sassan Tabatabai, J. Keith Vincent, William Waters, Dennis Wuerthner, Cathy Yeh, Anna Zielinska-Elliott

Bowling Green State University

Poetry: Abigail Cloud, Amorak Huey, Sharona Muir, F. Dan Rzicznek, Larissa Szporluk, Jessica Zinz-Cheresnick Fiction: Joe Celizic, Lawrence Coates, Reema Rajbanshi, Michael Schulz

Brigham Young University

Poetry: Kimberly Johnson, Lance Larsen, Michael Lavers, John Talbot Fiction: Chris Crowe, Ann Dee Ellis, Spencer Hyde, Stephen Tuttle Nonfiction: Joey Franklin, Patrick Madden

Brooklyn College

Poetry: Julie Agoos, Ben Lerner Fiction: Joshua Henkin, Madeleine Thien Playwriting: Dennis A. Allen II, Elana Greenfield

Creative Writing

One of the nation's most prestigious open-enrollment creative writing programs..

Whether you're looking to improve your writing for personal fulfillment, want to be published, or are preparing to apply to an MFA program, the Writers' Program can help you achieve your goals. You will find a supportive community of instructors, academic counselors and fellow students to help you on your journey.

We offer a wide range of open-enrollment courses, all of which may be taken individually. A guide on where to get started is provided below.

We also offer a fully customizable 21-unit Certificate in Creative Writing  where you can develop professional creative writing skills in the genre of your choice.

What do you want to create?

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Creative Writing Certificate

Develop your skills in the genre of your choice, including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and more.

This customizable program culminates in a capstone project where you will make significant progress on a polished collection of work.

Taught by a prestigious roster of instructors who are published writers and active professionals, courses can be taken onsite, online, or a combination of both.

Annual Writers Studio

4-day in-person, intensive workshops in Creative Writing & Screenwriting.

Perfect for both aspiring and experienced writers looking for new inspiration.

This year's Writers Studio was held in August. The 2025 dates and registration will be provided once available.

Read about the 2024 Writers Studio

Writers' Program Consultations

If you have a completed draft of a manuscript and need feedback for your work, consider a one-on-one consultation with a Writers’ Program instructor.

Consultations give you a full cover-to-cover read of your work, a written evaluation, and a follow-up conversation in person, via phone, or web chat.

Get Started

Expect more from your education.

MFA, fiction writer, author of the story collection Once Removed (UGA Press) and winner of the Flannery O’Connor Award for Short Fiction. 

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Writers' Program Network of Writers (WP NOW)

Stay immersed in the Writers' Program community. Our optional membership program offers exclusive access to a range of discounts and benefits, including members-only networking, professional development opportunities, and course discounts. 

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My UCLA Extension coursework, teachers, and colleagues have shaped my writing life, fueled the creation of my novel, and provided continual inspiration.

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Literary Arts

Graduate students in Brown's Literary Arts MFA program may choose to focus in one of three tracks – Fiction, Poetry, or Digital/Cross Disciplinary Writing. The Graduate School has notified candidates regarding admission decisions for Fall 2024 in all three tracks: Cross-Disciplinary, Fiction and Poetry.

The two-year program is structured to allow graduate student writers maximum possible time for creative and intellectual exploration. Students attend two courses each semester: the writing workshop and an elective in the first three semesters (with an additional half-course in pedagogy in semesters two and three); and in the final semester an independent study for completing the thesis as well as an elective.

Elective courses may be selected from among the full offerings of the Brown University curriculum. In years past, students have taken courses in literature, history, philosophy, theater and performance studies, modern culture and media, religious studies, and foreign languages. Studio fine arts courses and translation workshops are often appropriate choices – as are workshops offered on special topics or in other genres. 

The thesis may be a substantial work of fiction or poetry, or a substantial digital or cross-disciplinary project. It is intended to represent the student’s achievement during the two years in residency at Brown.

Application deadline

Applications  may be submitted from 30 September to 11:59 pm ET on 15 December 2023. If seeking a fee waiver , the deadline is 1 December.

Learn More About the Program

Graduate program handbook, learn about applying, financial information.