Michener Center for Writers
Mfa in writing.
Michener Fellows enroll in three courses (9 hours) each fall and spring semester. (There are no summer classes.) The 54-hour degree plan includes workshops and “studies” courses in both fields, flexible electives, and a 3rd-year thesis in the primary field of concentration.
Fields of Concentration
Our goal in every fiction workshop is for the prose to be taken seriously and on its own terms. Regardless of formal distinctions—novel or short story, psychological realism or avant-garde experimentation—we want our writers to feel empowered and encouraged to produce the kinds of fiction they want to read.
Our goal in the poetry workshop is simple: that students feel increasingly excited by and invested in poetry. That calls for an intelligently engaged and ambitious criticism that starts with a generous reading of each poem and respect for what may be an approach and intention very different from their own.
Playwriting
The playwriting concentration at MCW is a demanding, three-year course of study designed for artists committed to professional dramatic writing and its teaching. The curriculum emphasizes the generation and revision of new work, both by the individual playwright and in progressive collaborations with other writers and artists.
Screenwriting
Our emphasis is, first and foremost, on writing and immersion in a community of creative writers. We also want to provide you with access to film studies and production offerings that will both focus and expand your ideas. Whether you want to write for television, film, or both, our program aims to give you the tools, time, and community to write the script that will bring your vision to the screen.
Degree Plan
Michener Fellows complete three workshops in a primary field and two in a secondary field. Studies courses are also required in each field (two in the primary and one in the secondary). The remaining hours are flexible to allow for pursuit of electives.
By the end of the second year, Fellows will have typically produced a manuscript in the secondary field. In the third year, Fellows enroll in a year-long thesis course focused on developing a manuscript in the primary field. A PDF of the Michener Center Student Handbook can be made available upon request.
Fellowship Support
All admitted students receive a fellowship of $29,500 per academic year, plus total coverage of tuition. The fellowship is paid monthly through the fall and spring semesters. In addition to the annual fellowships, the Michener Center also provides each Fellow with a stipend for health insurance and a summer stipend of $3000. Support is renewed each year with satisfactory progress towards the degree.
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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 [email protected] 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 .
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- Faculty & Staff
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Apply for Admission
January 31, 2023 is the deadline for Fall admission applications.
November 1, 2022 is the deadline for Spring admission applications.
All applicants are automatically considered for Assistantships that begin the following academic year.
Steps to Applying
1.) Complete an electronic application
- Please apply through the Graduate Application System, found here.
2.) Pay $55 application fee
- Payment is made at the conclusion of the application.
- Fee Waivers: If the application fee is a serious financial burden, you may request a graduate application fee waiver by emailing The Graduate College at [email protected] .
3.) Submit copies of official transcripts from each college or university you have attended. Please see instructions within the electronic application.
4.) Submit three letters of recommendation that address your academic qualifications, your commitment to good citizenship in a collegial and diverse academic community , and your potential as a teacher,
5.) Submit statement of purpose (maximum 750 words) discussing your goals for your time in the three-year program :
- How do you hope to use this time to grow as a writer? You might additionally choose to address scholarly goals, professional goals, and/or what you see as the benefits of living and working in a diverse community of writers.
- If you would like to be considered for a Teaching Assistantship, please discuss your interest and potential to be an effective teacher.
6.) Submit a Resume or CV
7.) Upload a writing portfolio (via electronic application)
- Fiction applicants should submit a maximum of 25 double-spaced pages of their work (short stories and/or a novel excerpts)
- Poetry applicants should submit 12-15 poems
- Fiction and Poetry applicants may, if they choose, also include one creative nonfiction essay or excerpt in their portfolio, subject to the same 25-page maximum for the manuscript in total
- Please submit your portfolio as a single PDF file. The PDF must show your last name and your genre (e.g., Smith, Poetry ). The writing portfolio is the single most important factor in determining admission to the MFA program.
Please note: All applicants are automatically considered for MFA scholarships and Assistantships. You can learn more about Assistantships here . MFA applicants DO NOT need to submit a separate application for an Assistantship.
Have questions? We'd love to answer them.
For general admissions inquiries, please contact Stanislav Rivkin, MFA Assistant Director, at [email protected] .
- College of Liberal Arts
- Creative Writing
Welcome to Creative Writing
Welcome to the Creative Writing Department
The Creative Writing Department at UTEP offers the only Bilingual MFA in the world. We understand bilingualism not as the requirement that our students speak Spanish and English but rather as the coexistence of both languages in the classroom. Students from las Americas and Europe come to our department to develop as writers under the guidance of an award-winning faculty. Our department also offers an online MFA in Creative Writing. In addition to our residential faculty, our online program offers classes and workshop by well-known visiting writers such as Heather Hartley, Laurie Ann Guerrero, Natalie Diaz, Liz Sched and Dennis Bush.
Bienvenidos al Departamento de Creación Literaria
El Departamento de Creación Literaria de UTEP ofrece la única Maestría Bilingüe en Creación Literaria en el mundo. Entendemos el biligüismo no como el requerimiento que nuestros estudiantes hablen español e inglés sino como la coexistencia de los dos idiomas en el aula de clase. Estudiantes de las Américas y Europa llegan a nuestras aulas para desarrollarse como escritores bajo la guía de una plana docente que ha recibido muchos premios literarios. Nuestro departamento también ofrece una Maestría en Creacíón Literaria en línea. Además de nuestros profesores permanentes, nuestro programa en línea ofrece clases y talleres por reconocidos escritores tales como Heather Hartley, Laurie Ann Guerrero, Natalie Diaz, Liz Sched y Dennis Bush.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Latest news.
- Professor José de Piérola, in collaboration with Sun Cok, published a translation of Dracula by Bram Stoker with Lluvia Editores.
- Current Online MFA's student Ana Lucía Cagnoli was awarded third place in the Concurso de Letras del Fondo Nacional de las Artes (Argentina) for her book Media y extrema razón. More info, here .
- Former CRW Master Program's student Saúl Hernández won the 2021 Two Sylvias Chapbook Prize.
- Former CRW Master Program's student María Isabel Pachón Varón won the Premio Internacional de Novela Breve “Rosario Castellanos” 2021 by her novel Sobre tierra quemada .
Foto: María Ramos Pacheco
- Former CRW Master Program's student David Cruz won the Premio Internacional Manuel Acuña 2020 by his poetry book Lazarus . To read The Prospector interview, click here .
- Current CRW Master Program's student Alaíde Ventura won the Premio Maurizio Achar by her novel Entre los rotos . Read an interview here .
To foster the appreciation and practice of writing, the Department of Creative Writing is launching its “2020 Bilingual Creative Writing Awards.” The competition, open to all graduate students, will accept original, unpublished work. The prizes will include a monetary award, an award letter, and publication.
Colombian writer Óscar Godoy Barbosa, former CRW Master Program's student, recently won the Premio Ñ-Ciudad de Buenos Aires 2019 by his last novel Te acuerdas del mar awarded by the prestigious Argentinian journal Clarín. This book addresses the life as a sequel of the guerrilla violence and its implications.
Very recently, Professor Paula Cucurella has had the opportunity of presenting parts of the research for her book (tentative title: Poetry in Times of War. The Literary Maxim) at The American Comparative Literature Association (ACLA) annual conference. Some poems and paintings from Dr. Cucurella’s first —and still unpublished—poetry book were published on the online literary magazine Marcapiel, issued recently in February. In the same magazine, Cucurella published an interview with David Johnson (University of New York at Buffalo). In addition, with occasion of the anniversary of Nicanor Parra’s death, the Chilean news site eldesconcierto.cl , published Cucurella's column“La Antipoesía: una poesía pasivo-agresiva”, where she highlights the sexist and homophobic aspects of Nicanor Parra's poetry
Professor Lex Williford was recently chosen as a Mentor for the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) for Spring 2019. AWP's mentorship program, Writer to Writer, matches emerging writers and published authors for a three-month series of modules on topics such as craft, revision, publishing, and the writing life. Prof. Williford has also served two years as a member of the Fellows Council for the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA), which serves as a point of communication between Fellows and the VCCA board and administration, advising the board regarding matters of vital importance to Fellows in residence.
Prof. Williford ’s novella, Balsa and Tissue Paper, is also forthcoming in Fall 2019 as a Ploughshares Solo, both as an ebook and part of the long-form perfect-bound edition of Ploughshares , edited by Ladette Randolph, who founded the series to create a venue for writers of novellas and longer-form creative nonfiction
Professor Sasha Pimentel, from CRW Program, has been awarded a Creative Writing Fellowship in poetry by the National Endowment of the Arts, which supports our nation’s poets and encourages a wide range of voices and styles.
Our professors Rosa Alcala, and Tim Hernandez were inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters (TIL), a nonprofit honor society that recognizes and celebrates literature in Texas. Induction is based on literary accomplishments, according to the group’s website. The TIL’s elected membership consists of the state’s most respected writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, journalism and scholarship.
RECENT PUBLICATIONS
Demasiada luz para hacer poesía by Paula Cucurella with a prologue by Jacques Lezra and images by Felipe Cooper, is a hybrid poetic work (poetry, vignettes, narratives, images) that explores scenes that border and exhort absence and resistance in language. This book coordinates various techniques to highlight a limit, a point of contact, relationships, borders and edges, where language in its communicative function unravels inviting its re-articulation.
Balsa and Tissue Paper by Lex Williford. Ploughshares is an award-winning journal of new writing. Since 1971, Ploughshares has discovered and cultivated the freshest voices in contemporary American literature, and now provides readers with thoughtful and entertaining literature in a variety of formats. Find out why the New York Times named Ploughshares "the Triton among minnows."
Entre los rotos by Alaíde Ventura (Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, 2019) is a novel about the intimacy of violence, the complicity between siblings and the labyrinth, whether gloomy or bright, that every memory is.
Kafka in a Skirt is not your ordinary short story collection. In his newest work, Daniel Chacón subverts expectation and breaks down the walls of reality to create stories that are intriguing, hilarious, and deeply rooted in Chicano culture.
On En las praderas del fin del mundo (Valparaíso Ediciones, 2019), Andrea Cote pursuits her self-knowledge through a reflexive, but evocative verse.
Fabulations by José de Piérola (New York: Kernpukt Press, 2018). Flowers that grow from light bulbs. Bullets stopped by an iPod. A ship and woman taken apart piece by piece. Fabulations is a collection of minimalist short stories that straddle history and fiction, fact and imagination.
New and Selected Poems of Cecilia Vicuña edited by Rosa Alcalá (Kelsey Street Press, 2018). Cecilia Vicuña has embodied a life of political and social activism through poetry, visual art, film and performance. New and Selected Poems of Cecilia Vicuña is a telling of old cultures, modern nation states and lives in exile.
All They Will Call You by Tim Z. Hernandez (The University of Arizona Press, 2018), is the harrowing account of “the worst airplane disaster in California’s history,” which claimed the lives of thirty-two passengers, including twenty-eight Mexican citizens—farmworkers who were being deported by the U.S. government.
Connect With Us
The University of Texas at El Paso Department of Creative Writing Education Building, Room 901 Additional Emails English: [email protected] Español: [email protected] MFA Online: [email protected] Undergrad: [email protected] 500 W University Ave El Paso, Texas 79968
E: [email protected] P: (915) 747-5713
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The New Writers Project at the University of Texas at Austin is a small, fully funded , three-year studio MFA program within the large and highly-ranked Department of English . We offer our students close mentorship, literary community, and teaching and editing experience. Working in concert with our partner MFA program, the Michener Center for Writers , we provide our students an artistically adventurous and intellectually rigorous terminal degree, with courses taught by both experienced and accomplished resident faculty and esteemed visitors.
The New Writers Project core faculty in fiction are Edward Carey, Oscar Cásares, Bret Anthony Johnston, Peter LaSalle, Elizabeth McCracken, and Deb Olin Unferth. Our core faculty in poetry are Lisa Olstein, Roger Reeves, and Jennifer Chang.
The New Writers Project hosts and co-hosts an array of literary events , from open-to-the-public poetry and fiction readings to small Q&A's with authors and students. Recent guests include Jericho Brown, Maggie Nelson, George Saunders, Kazim Ali, Ann Patchett, Ada Limón, Paul Lisicky, Srikanth Reddy, Jeff Vandermeer, Evie Shockley, Kelly Link, Eula Biss, Matthew Zapruder, Kiese Laymon, Lucy Corin, Nikky Finney, Andrea Lawlor, Jennifer Chang, Brenda Shaughnessy, Rachel Zucker, Max Porter, Leni Zumas, and Lydia Davis.
With the Michener Center for Writers , we host a yearly symposium of editors and agents for our creative writing students.
Other past events can be found on our Facebook page.
A wide range of other literary events are sponsored by other UT departments, centers, and organizations, and Austin itself has a varied and excellent literary arts scene, which includes a number of independent book stores— BookPeople , Malvern Books , and BookWoman among them—and the enormous, lively, and free-to-the-public Texas Book Festival , one of the longest-running book festivals in the country.
25 Best Online Creative Writing MFAs for 2021
An online MFA in creative writing serves multiple purposes. MFA stands for a Master of Fine Arts and is a type of degree geared toward creative professions such as writing, graphic arts, and fashion design. For MFA in creative writing online programs, interested students typically have a background in literature, creative writing, professional writing, or journalism. However, an online MFA in creative writing major may permit applications from those who have a bachelor’s degree in a non-related discipline.
Due to the nature of the career, professionals should choose creative writing MFA online programs. With an online option, there’s no need to attend classes in person. Notably, many students might have a hard time finding local colleges that offer the major. Moreover, an MFA in creative writing online can be done on a person’s timeframe. Online programs provide more flexibility with class scheduling and how many courses must be taken per semester. Students enrolled in online creative writing MFA programs can continue working while still attending classes. Many individuals from creative writing MFA online programs still have full-time jobs. Additionally, any type of familial obligations won’t be disrupted while courses are completed.
Methodology: Ranking the Best Online Creative Writing MFA Programs
To rank the best online MFA Creative Writing programs, the editors of Best Masters Programs compiled fully online, hybrid, and low-residency programs from across the nation. Programs are ranked according to cost, potential salary, and student satisfaction, using data from IPEDS and Niche.
1. Northwestern University
Founded as a private school in the early 1850s, Northwestern University is one of the founding member schools in the Big Ten Conference. Northwestern’s urban campus is home to nearly 22,000 students studying for academic degrees from eleven colleges/schools. Northwestern University is located only minutes from downtown Chicago and sits along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Degree : MFA – Prose and Poetry
2. University of Georgia
Established in 1785, the University of Georgia is considered among the oldest public higher learning institutions in the nation, which makes it one of the colonial colleges. Additionally, this public ivy is a four designation school with a student enrollment of approximately 38,650 students. Highlight –UGA owns more than 40,000 acres in the state but also several international centers in England, Italy, and Costa Rica.
Degree : MFA – Narrative Media Writing
3. Fairfield University
Established by the Jesuits in the early 1940s, Fairfield University is now organized into five colleges/schools that serve more than 5,050 students online and from its suburban campus in Fairfield, Connecticut. The school offers more than four majors and other 19 minors through its programming.
Degree : MFA – Creative Writing
4. Seton Hall University
Established in the mid-1880s as an all-women’s school, Seton Hill University is a private university that is now coeducation and serves approximately 1,550 students on its suburban campus and online. Seton Hall University is home to the National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education. Famous alumni include a state Supreme Court justice, a first lady of Pennsylvania, several CEOs include the CEO of Denver health.
Degree : MFA – Writing Popular Fiction
5. Oregon State University – Cascades
Oregon State University – Cascades campus was established in 2001 in Bend, Oregon. OSU Cascades is home to approximately 1,150 students. The Cascades campus of Oregon State University is the only higher learning institution in the central area of the state that offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
6. Drexel University
Established in the 1890s by financier Anthony Drexel, Drexel University is now a full-fledged institution of higher education with a student enrollment of approximately 24,050 students. Drexel University is well-known globally for its cooperative education, which allows for students to earn while they learn.
7. University of Nebraska Omaha
Established in 1908 as a private school by seminary faculty, the University of Nebraska in Omaha now operates as a space-grant institution of higher education with a student enrollment of approximately 15,350 students. Highlight –The school became a public university in 1930 when it moved campuses across town.
Degree : MFA – Writing
8. National University
Established in the early to mid-1970s by a retired United States Navy Captain, National University was developed to provide affordable education to working adults throughout the country. The university serves more than 23,850 students on its campuses and online. National University is considered a pioneer in distance learning, has been offering programs for more than two decades.
9. University of Texas at El Paso
Established in 1914, the University of Texas (Texas -El Paso) is a member school of the state’s university system and home to the Sun Bowl every year. the University of Texas – El Paso holds the distinction of being the second largest of schools with a student enrollment that is a majority of Mexican American.
10. Concordia University St Paul
Established in the mid-1890s, Concordia University St Paul (CSP) is a member school of the Concordia system with a student enrollment of approximately 5,350 students. The school maintains an urban campus in St Paul that covers more than 40 acres. Concordia University St Paul holds the distinction of having the largest student enrollment of any Lutheran church body in the nation.
Degree : MFA in Creative Writing
11. University of New Orleans
Established in the mid-1950s as a research school, the University of New Orleans is now a member of the Louisiana state university system. As a space grant institution of higher education, The University of New Orleans serves approximately 7,750 students. The University of New Orleans is home to more than 100 clubs, which includes more than two dozen sororities and fraternities.
12. University of Houston-Victoria
Established in the mid-1970s as a public school, the University of Houston-Victoria is a multiple campus school that serves approximately 4,350 students. The University of Houston is organized into three colleges/schools in education, business, and arts/sciences.
13. Wilkes University
Established as a private junior college in the early 1930s, Wilkes University received its university states about six decades later. More than 2,050 students attend classes online or on-campus from the University’s seven colleges/schools. Wilkes University offers its students an impressive fourteen to one student to faculty ratio.
14. Eastern Kentucky University
Founded in the mid-1870s as Central University, Eastern Kentucky University is a multiple campus school with branch facilities in Manchester, Lancaster, Corbin, and Hazard. Eastern Kentucky University‘s student enrollment (both on-campus and online) is approximately 15,650 students.
15. Albertus Magnus College
Established in the mid-1920s by the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Albertus Magnus College is now home to more than 1,000 students studying online and on the school’s fifty-acre campus near Yale University. Alumni of Albertus Magnus College include a state representative and a federal judge.
16. Bay Path University
Established in the late 189s, Bay Path University offers all-women’s undergraduate programs and coeducational programs to its approximate student body of 3,100 students. Bay Path University is also a member school of the eight college consortium in the Greater Springfield area. Bay Path University maintains several campuses in the area and has been honored to have women speakers that include Cokie Roberts and Maya Angelou.
Degree : MFA – Creative Nonfiction
17. Eastern Oregon University
Founded as a public institution of higher learning for educating teachers, Eastern Oregon University now operates as a member school of the state of Oregon’s university system. The school’s campus in La Grande is home to approximately 3,550 students and is located in the Blue Mountain Range. The graduate degree programs allow for up to 15 credits to be transferred if eligible.
18. Mississippi University for Women
The Mississippi University for Women was established in 1884 but now operates as a coeducational institution. The Mississippi University for Women is a space-grant school with a rural campus that serves approximately 2,550 students. The Mississippi University for Women holds the distinction of being the first public institution of higher education that was opened exclusively for women in the country.
19. Lindenwood University
Established as a school for girls in the mid-1820s, Lindenwood University now serves approximately 7150 students from its 500 acre urban campus about 25 miles to the north and west of St Louis. Lindenwood University’s campus is situated on an elevated ground that overlooks the Missouri River and downtown Saint Charles.
20. Queens University of Charlotte
Established in the mid-1850s, and affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA, Queens University of Charlotte’s urban campus is home to more than 2,050 students vying for graduate and undergraduate degree programs from the university’s five colleges/schools. Students at QU ail from more than 40 states and 42 foreign countries.
21. Arcadia University
The Arts & Sciences College at Arcadia University offers one of New Hampshire’s best online MFA creative writing programs with its Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree program in Creative Writing. Students enrolled in Arcadia University’s best online creative writing MFA degree program have the option of studying abroad (for instance, in Scotland) to gain a global perspective on writing. Graduates are required to complete 39 semester credits to graduate from the master’s program.
Founded as Beaver College in the mid-1850s, Arcadia University is a private higher learning institution with a student enrollment of more than 3,950 undergraduate and graduate degree students vying for degrees on the university’s 70+ acre campus in Glenside, a suburb of the greater Philadelphia area. The school’s Tower Castle is officially listed as a United States National Historic Landmark.
22. Southern New Hampshire University
Founded as a business school in the early-1930s, Southern New Hampshire University is now considered one of the fastest-growing nonprofit schools in the nation. The school’s campus serves approximately 4,000 students, with another 85,000+ students studying online through the school’s robust distance learning program. University (Southern NH) offers one of New Hampshire’s best online MFA creative offers an honors program for those students who meet the requirements of this business degree option.
23. Full Sail University
Full Sail University was founded in the late 1970s as a for-profit professional school and recording studio. At present Full Sail University has a student enrollment that is approximately 19,050 students who study both online and the school’s central Florida campus. Full Sail University’s beginnings are sourced to a radio school in Ohio.
24. Converse College
Established as a private college in the late-1880s, Converse College’s urban campus in Spartanburg (and online) is home to approximately 1,150 students. Parts of the college are listed in the US National Register of Historic Places. The first class at Converse College began with about 165 students and sixteen members of the faculty.
25. Emerson College
Established in the 1880s as an oratory and dramatic art school, Emerson College now offers more than 35 academic degree programs and professional training options as a member of the Pro Arts School Consortium in the Boston vicinity. Emerson College has moved several times since its inception but is currently located in Boston’s theater district near the Boston Common.
Degree : MFA – Writing for Film and Television, Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing
Why Should I Get My Creative Writing MFA Online?
Online creative writing MFA programs act as workshops for those who want to pursue a professional career in the industry. Examples of courses within the major include Poetry Writing, Writing in a Second Language, Grammar and Syntax, Teaching Writing, and Framing a Story. Many programs permit students to choose a variety of seminar and workshop topics as a way to design the major to meet their career goals. Each workshop and seminar will be assigned a credit value with students earning credits throughout each semester until they have enough for graduation.
Most programs end with a capstone project that allows the student to workshop his or her novel, short story, or poetry collection. By the end of the MFA in creative writing online program, the student may be ready to submit the work for publication to agents and publishing houses.
What’s the Difference Between an Online and a Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA?
A newer program now found at colleges around the world is the low residency MFA in creative writing major. The low residency program will take a similar amount of time as a traditional MFA program, but campus requirements are reduced. To receive a low residency creative writing MFA degree, a student almost follows a hybrid schedule. On average, when a student enrolls in this type of program, he or she will have to meet on campus for a limited number of visits. Some colleges require residencies twice a year or once per semester. Other schools may only ask that residences occur on an annual basis. The residences are short-term, high-intensity sessions with fellow students, faculty members, and guest speakers. A low residency MFA in creative writing workshop will typically last from one to two weeks. During the residency, a daily schedule is provided with a selection of lectures and workshops that student can attend to fulfill degree requirements. The rest of the coursework outside the residency will be done virtually.
Both a low residency creative writing MFA and an online creative writing MFA will not require students to live on campus. However, an online MFA program doesn’t include any on-campus visits for graduation. All workshops, lectures, courses, and seminars will be done virtually. Both an online and low residency creative writing MFA will award the same Master of Fine Arts degree. The only difference is the minimal residency requirement for the latter type.
How Much Can I Make with an MFA in Creative Writing?
An MFA creative writing salary has a substantial range. Most writers and authors will have advanced degrees in the field. These writers and authors have the potential to earn more because they have taken the time to hone their crafts. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the mean annual wage for authors and writers is $63,200 per year. However, the highest earners in the field can make more than $122,000 annually. Writers and authors have a lot of flexibility when it comes to earning a living. They can work part-time, full-time, or on a per-project basis. Those with an MFA in creative writing won’t only submit their work for book publication. They also have the skill set to work for magazines, playhouses, and film and tv production houses. In addition to writing creatively, the graduate can supplement his or her income by writing for websites, blogs, and advertisers.
An MFA creative writing salary is slightly higher if the graduate chooses to work in the field as a technical writer. Technical writers earn an average of $72,850, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many skills taught in creative writing programs such as grammar, syntax, and structure, can be applied to non-fiction pieces. Technical writing jobs are also open to those who wish to remain self-employed.
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Creative Writing (M.F.A.)
M.f.a creative writing.
- Apply Today
- Review Admission Requirements
Program Overview
The M.F.A. program offers students access to incredible resources, including readings and master classes given by acclaimed visiting writers, agent and editor talks, and facilities like the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center in Kyle and the Clark House in Smithville. Each year, two graduates of the program hold residencies in these literary landmarks.
Course Work
The master of fine arts degree in creative writing requires 48 semester hours, including:
- writing workshops
- form and theory
- literary techniques
- minor or cognate (other than creative writing)
- thesis credit leading to the production of a book-length work of literary merit
Students may take literature courses in either poetry or fiction, but workshop classes are limited to students who are studying that particular genre. Students may also receive course credit for work on Porter House Review , the program's literary journal.
What Our Alumni Say
“The Texas State M.F.A. program helped shape the writer I am today. I worked with a faculty of amazing writers and insightful mentors, and I found a community of creatives that has lasted long past graduation. I’m forever grateful for my years at Texas State.”
— Owen Egerton, M.F.A. ’05, Screenwriter and Novelist
Program Details
Graduates have won a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford, an AWP prize for Best Novel, and an honorable mention for the PEN/Faulkner Award.
Program Mission
The M.F.A. program in creative writing provides students with graduate-level knowledge of literature and theory, as well as the skills to function as advanced practitioners within their genre. Students will demonstrate their development as artists through a facility with the elements of craft in their area of concentration, along with a mature understanding of writerly process and discipline.
Students can also take course work in creative nonfiction, though it is not an official concentration.
Career Options
The M.F.A. is considered a terminal degree, which means that graduates can teach at a university level. Many graduates are working practitioners of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and screenplays and also possess highly-developed writing skills that are valuable in a wide variety of work environments. Graduates of the Texas State program are competitive with literature doctoral students.
Program Faculty
Our program offers students the opportunity to learn from renowned writers and committed mentors. Students workshop with Tim O’Brien, Naomi Shihab Nye, and our Endowed Chair, a position held on a rotating basis by internationally acclaimed writers (Karen Russell ’17-’20). They also work closely with our full-time faculty, including Doug Dorst, Jennifer duBois, Tom Grimes, and Debra Monroe in fiction, as well as Cyrus Cassells, Cecily Parks, Kathleen Peirce, Roger Jones, and Steve Wilson in poetry.
Contact The Graduate College for general questions about getting started with your application, funding your degree, and more. If you have program-specific questions after reviewing the program details, we encourage you to contact the following individuals.
Graduate Advisor Doug Dorst [email protected] 512.245.7681 Flowers Hall (FH) , Room 359
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- Start Your Application
Application Process
Review requirements, submit application, upload documents, check status, application deadlines, admission requirements.
The items required for admission consideration are listed below. Additional information for applicants with international credentials can be found on our international web pages .
Application
- Completed online application
Review important information about the online application.
Application Fee
- $55 Nonrefundable application fee, OR
- $90 Nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials
Review important information about application fees.
Transcripts & GPA
- baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university
- a copy of an official transcript from each institution where course credit was granted
- minimum 2.75 GPA in your last 60 hours of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)
Review important information about transcripts. Official transcripts, sent directly from your institution, will be required if admission is granted.
Test Scores
- GRE not required
Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores
Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our exempt countries list .
- official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall
- official PTE scores required with a 52 overall
- minimum individual module scores of 6.0
- official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
- official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall
This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.
Review important information about official test scores.
- How do you hope to use this time to grow as a writer? You might additionally choose to address scholarly goals, professional goals, and/or what you see as the benefits of living and working in a diverse community of writers.
- submit as a PDF file
- If you are applying for an Instructional or Teaching Assistantship, all letters should also discuss your potential as a teacher
- Fiction applicants should submit a maximum of 25 double-spaced pages of their work (short stories and/or a novel excerpts)
- Poetry applicants should submit 12-15 poems
- Both Fiction and Poetry applicants may, if they choose, also include one creative nonfiction essay or excerpt in their portfolio, subject to the same 25-page maximum for the manuscript in total
Review important information about documents.
Additional Information
- Application Decisions
- International Applicants
- Reapplication Process
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- College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
- Department of English
- Academic Programs
- Graduate Studies
- Creative Writing
MFA in Creative Writing
Building on emerging excellence in creative writing, the MFA student should work toward increased sophistication in his/her art. Correspondingly, the MFA student should have training in literary history and the intellectual and artistic debates that inform current literature. The MFA constitutes solid preparation for creative publication, expert teaching in creative writing and literature, leadership in communications for business, education and arts organizations, or entrance into a PhD program in literature and creative writing.
Prospective students are encouraged to visit the Creative Writing Website .
Minimum Requirements for Admission
- 3.0 GPA in undergraduate studies
- One foreign language (Student can complete this requirement while in residence.)
Fall Admission Application Deadline: January 15
No spring admission, application materials.
Consult the Creative Writing Program website for details on required materials and submission procedures.
Degree Requirements
- 36 hours of coursework
- Foreign language competence. Students must demonstrate reading knowledge of a foreign language.
- 6 hrs MFA thesis
Distribution of Coursework
- 9 hours in the primary genre
- 3 hours of Master Workshop
- 3 hours of Poetic Forms and Techniques for poetry students, Fiction Forms and Techniques for fiction students, or Nonfiction Forms and Techniques for nonfiction students. Students are strongly encouraged to take the course in Forms and Techniques early in the MFA program.
- 3 hours of Writers on Literature
- 12 hours in English or American literature or other literary studies (Students should divide their courses between early and later literatures. Early literature is defined as British literature before 1800 and American literature before 1865.)
- 6 hours of elective courses (literature or other literary studies, workshop in the primary genre, workshop in a crossover genre, Writers on Literature, or coursework in another department that complements the student's program)
General Policies and Procedures
Program guidelines are available here .
- Liberal Arts & Humanities
- Literature & Writing
- Creative Writing
Best Creative Writing Graduate Programs & Schools in Texas
What are creative writing graduate programs in texas.
Creative Writing Graduate Programs teach the art of language. You could develop your writing through study and practice. Classes might cover both general English topics, craft classes, and even courses about the publishing industry. Workshops offer the chance to hone your work. And of course, gain peer feedback to help improve that short story or poem. Most MFA Creative Writing programs take the format of a two-year program. (In the second year, MFA students may work on crafting a thesis.) That said, you may be able to find a three-year program. And some students study part-time. So, they could earn their MFA on a different timeline.
- Literary Fiction
- Young Adult Fiction
- Children’s Fiction
- Creative Nonfiction
- Literary Translation
Creative Writing Masters Programs in Texas
MFA stands for Master of Fine Arts. An MFA in Creative Writing may be an especially common option. Most programs include courses in the department of English and courses about the craft of writing. In addition, programs strive to create a community of writers. They may do that by:
- Inviting visiting writers to campus
- Holding events, like a reading series
- Publishing student-run literary magazines
But these days, MFA students could pursue other paths. Like an online degree program. Or programs where you take most classes online but do a brief residency on campus. (Often called low residency.)
Wondering about admissions requirements? An MFA in writing often considers more than just your undergrad transcripts. The program may look at your past writing experience. And a big part of your application is the writing sample. Samples should likely be in the genre you’d like to study. It could be a novel chapter. Or a collection of poems. Even a play or movie script!
MFA Writing Workshops
Expect workshopping to be a large portion of your program. Workshops are writing intensive courses. Students develop new work for peer review. They submit drafts for peer feedback. Then it’s time for revisions to make the work as good as it can be.
These classes might be a great way to produce new work. Plus, learn from what your peers are writing. And, workshops could provide a safe place for students to give and get critical feedback.
There’s one other potential plus. Writing workshops often bring together students from different genres. So, you could get constructive feedback from many different perspectives. For example, students writing poetry could offer fresh insights into your creative nonfiction.
Workshop requirements may differ by graduate school. Want the specifics? Contact the program director for the MFA program you’re considering.
MFA Writing Courses
Practicing writing in workshop is just part of an MFA. You’ll also take core academic courses. These focus on the craft of writing. For instance, you might learn about point of view. Or different forms and styles of poetry. You’ll study how other writers achieved certain effects. And you’ll try your hand at new techniques. MFA writing courses could include:
- Writing for Film
- Poetic Form
- Mystery & Horror Writing
- Novel Craft
- Writing for Young Adults
- 19th Century British Literature
- English Rhetoric
- Literary Criticism
- American Literature
- Contemporary Women Writers
PhD Creative Writing Degrees in Texas
Creative Writing PhD Programs are writing intense programs like the MFA. But they may have more of a research element along with coursework.
So how does this PhD program differ from other doctorate programs? One big difference may be the dissertation. Most doctoral programs ask students to write and present works of original research. In comparison, creative dissertations are usually long-form works. Like:
- A short story collection
- A poetry collection
- A screenplay
Due to the intensity of the above-mentioned writing requirements, students could potentially complete a PhD program in 3 to 5 years. Program length may vary by school and enrollment.
PhD programs in this field may require previous graduate experience, as well as a 3.5 graduate GPA. Additionally, writing schools may ask students to submit samples of their previous work. Check with intended programs for more admissions details.
Creative Writing Graduate Certificate Programs in Texas
Graduate Certificate Creative Writing programs might be a great way to quickly build your writing skills and knowledge. These programs typically do not require a minimum GPA for admissions. This may make them more accessible to a wide array of students, so that they can begin to hone their craft.
Many certificate programs only workshop one specific genre. For example, they might focus solely on children’s literature. This may provide a focused curriculum without unnecessary academic electives. So, graduate certificates are often on the shorter side. Full time students could potentially earn a Graduate Certificate in one year, although program lengths vary.
High vs. Low Residency Writing Programs
Residency requirements are common in many graduate writing programs. Biannually, students may be required to live and work on campus.
This is done to provide a space for students to concentrate on writing, reviewing, and revising their work. During this time, you could be sharing housing with other students from your program. Students are also encouraged to workshop pieces with others in the residency program to further refine the final product.
Typically, graduate writing programs either offer a low or high residency option. Low residency writing programs are shorter and may last around 10 days. High residency writing programs are often lengthier, lasting from 2 to 6 weeks. Residency lengths and details may vary by university.
Graduate Creative Writing Program Formats
Pinpointing MFA programs that complement your daily routine could be difficult. But, there are several different program types that could make it easier to study and write…even if you have other responsibilities.
On Campus MFA Programs
On campus programs are what you might picture when you imagine the traditional university experience. Graduate creative writing schools provide the opportunity to develop your work alongside your peers and mentors.
Things like workshops and office hours could make it easier to get help polishing your work. Additionally, this might be an opportunity to build professional relationships with classmates. You never know who might be your connection to a literary agent or publishing house.
Online Creative Writing Graduate Programs
Online MFA programs are a great way to stay in your own space while earning your degree. No matter where you live, you could attend classes on your own schedule. And, you could still receive valuable feedback from peers and professors via email or online forums.
An online writing degree may be a perfect option for students who work. This way, you could pursue your professional endeavors while honing your craft.
It’s important to note that online programs may require students to take part in residency programs. Typically, these are offered in the low-residency format but could require you try travel to campus or a nearby location.
Hybrid Programs
Hybrid Creative Writing degrees offer a little taste of both the above programs. Depending on your personal schedule, you could choose to pursue one style of learning at any given time. For instance, you could take online courses while working. Or, take on campus courses in between jobs.
This might be great for current freelance writers because of their constantly changing work schedule. Depending on your future responsibilities, you could plan your semesters accordingly.
Bureau of Labor Statistics
Schools with Creative Writing Graduate Programs in Texas
Gradschools.com offers 9 creative writing programs in texas.
- Some of the nation’s most affordable tuition rates, from a private, nonprofit, NEASC accredited university
- Qualified students with 2.5 GPA and up may receive up to $20K in grants & scholarships
- Multiple term start dates throughout the year. 24/7 online classroom access
Prairie View A & M University
Texas tech university, texas state university-san marcos, university of dallas, university of north texas, university of texas system, university of texas at austin, university of houston, sam houston state university.
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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
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Application Deadlines
Applications for Fall 2021 are now being accepted and will be reviewed continuously. Classes for Fall 2021 will begin August 2021. Classes for Spring 2022 will begin in January 2022.
Required Application Materials:
- University of St. Thomas graduate application: Application can be found here .
- Bachelor’s degree with undergraduate GPA 3.0 or better, or master’s degree (applicants with lower GPA may appeal based on relevant work experience) through plans available.
- Personal Narrative: Each applicant should submit a 1,000-word personal narrative outlining the arc of their discovery of and commitment to writing and interest in the Catholic literary tradition. Along the way, feel free to tell us which writers (living and dead) have most influenced your own efforts. Please also let us know whether you plan to complete the MFA in 2 years (2 courses per semester) or 4 years (1 course per semester).
- Creative Writing Samples: Applicants should submit either 15 pages of poetry or 20 to 25 double-spaced pages of fiction. The fiction can be either an excerpt from a longer, novel-length work or a longer short story, or several short stories. Please include your full name as a header on each page of the MS.
- Official Transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended.
University of St. Thomas Office of Graduate Admissions 3800 Montrose Blvd., Box #6 Houston, TX 77006-4626 Email: [email protected]
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing – Poetry
Year 1 Fall CRTW 6300 Graduate Workshop in Poetry (3 credits) CRTW 6302 The Craft of Poetry (3 credits)
Year 1 Spring CRTW 6300 Graduate Workshop in Poetry 2 (3 credits) CRTW 6310 The Catholic Imagination in Modern American Literature/European Catholic Literary Revival (3 credits)
Year 1 Optional Residency CRTW 6308 Graduate Workshop, Seminar, and Evening Lectures on Art and Culture (3 credits)
Year 2 Fall CRTW 6305 Seminar in the Philosophy of Art and Beauty (3 credits) CRTW 6306 The Poetry of Meditation (3 credits)
Year 2 Spring CRTW 6312 Foundations of the Catholic Literary Tradition (3 credits) CRTW 6398 Directed Thesis in Poetry (3 credits)
Year 2 Optional Residency CRTW 6308 Graduate Workshop, Seminar, and Evening Lectures on Art and Culture (3 credits)
Students who elect to complete the degree wholly online will take one additional workshop and one additional seminar in lieu of the Year 1 and Year 2 Residencies. Students may also elect to attend one residency and then complete the degree with one additional seminar.
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing – Fiction
Year 1 Fall CRTW 6301 Graduate Workshop in Fiction (3 credits) CRTW 6303 The Art and Metaphysics of Fiction (3 credits)
Year 1 Spring CRTW 6301 Graduate Workshop in Fiction 2 (3 credits) CRTW 6309 The Catholic Imagination in Modern American Literature/European Catholic Literary Revival (3 credits)
Year 1 Optional Residency CRTW 6307 Graduate Workshop, Seminar, and Evening Lectures on Art and Culture (3 credits)
Year 2 Fall CRTW 6305 Seminar in the Philosophy of Art and Beauty (3 credits) Elective (3 credits)
Year 2 Spring CRTW 6399 Directed Thesis in Fiction (3 credits) CRTW 6312 Foundations of the Catholic Literary Tradition (3 credits)
Year 2 Optional Residency CRTW 6307 Graduate Workshop, Seminar, and Evening Lectures on Art and Culture (3 credits)
CRTW 6312 Foundations of the Catholic Literary Tradition A close reading of foundational and seminal works that form the Catholic West: Virgil, The Aeneid ; St. Augustine, Confessions ; Dante, Divine Comedy ; Manzoni, The Betrothed.
CRTW 6303 The Art and Metaphysics of Fiction : An inquiry into the nature and aim of fiction ranging from classic to contemporary works: Aristotle’s Poetics ; Henry James’ The Art of Fiction; Flannery O’Connor’s Mystery and Manners ; William Lynch’s Christ and Apollo: The Dimensions of the Literary Imagination ; Caroline Gordon’s How to Read a Novel ; James Wood’s How Fiction Works ; Douglas Bauer’s The Stuff of Fiction: Advice on Craft, Joan Silber’s The Art of Time in Fiction, and Charles Baxter’s The Art of Subtext.
CRTW 6302 The Craft of Poetry : An introduction to the theory and practice of prosody with particular attention to stanzaic and genre forms. Students will study and compose poems in the various major forms of the English Poetic Tradition.
CRTW 6306 The Poetry of Meditation: A study of lyric poets alongside texts of philosophy and theology that deepen and complement poetic theory. Students will write imitations of the authors read as exercises in addition to completing scholarly analysis.
CRTW 6309 The European Catholic Literary Revival : Study of major European literary works which embody, in exemplary ways, what makes the Catholic imagination distinctive, expansive, beautiful, and true. Catholic literary tradition. Prospective authors include: Leon Bloy, Georges Bernanos, Paul Claudel, Francois Mauriac, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Muriel Spark, Evelyn Waugh, J.RR. Tolkien, Chesterton, and Sigird Undset.
CRTW 6310 The Catholic Imagination in Modern American Literature: A study of the major American writers of the Catholic Literary Revival and the contemporary authors who succeeded them. Prospective authors include: George Santayana, Allen Tate, Robert Lowell, Caroline Gordon, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Merton, Walker Percy, J.F. Powers, Helen Pinkerton, John Finlay, Alice McDermott, Christopher Beha, and Dana Gioia.
CRTW 6305 The Philosophy of Art and Beauty : This course would grant students a philosophical understanding of the nature of beauty and the fine arts. Principal texts include: Plato’s Symposium and Phaedrus ; Jacques Maritain’s Art and Scholasticism, Etienne Gilson’s Arts of the Beautiful ; Pseudo-Dionysius’ Divine Names.
CRTW 6300 Graduate Poetry Workshop . Course will be devoted to the exploration of craft techniques and revision processes of poetry with student drafts as the primary texts and the workshop model of compliment and critique as the mode of education.
CRTW 6301 Graduate Fiction Workshop . Course will be devoted to the exploration of craft techniques and revision processes of short stories and novel excerpts with student drafts as the primary texts and the workshop model of compliment and critique as the mode of education.
CRTW 6304 Non-Fiction Writing Workshop Course will be devoted to the exploration of craft techniques and revision processes of non-fiction with student drafts as the primary texts and the workshop model of compliment and critique as the mode of education.
CRTW 6313 Advanced Fiction Seminar: Students will learn to identify the aspects of craft at work in exemplary fiction. ELECTIVE.
CRTW 6314 Advanced Poetry Seminar: Students will learn to identify the aspects of craft at work in exemplary poetry. ELECTIVE.
CRTW 6398/6399 Directed Thesis in Poetry or Fiction: Students will complete an individuated tutorial, working with a faculty mentor, to complete a publishable manuscript (a poetry or short story collection, novel, or other comparable work).
CRTW 6308/6307 The Residency in Poetry or Fiction: An intensive course consisting primarily of a 10-day residency, during which time students convene for morning workshops in their chosen genres (poetry or fiction); engage in an intensive afternoon seminar on an annual theme (e.g. major authors in contemporary literature; Catholic literature of eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia; the Sacramental imagination); and attend evening lectures and readings by distinguished writers and scholars complementary of the seminar theme.
James Matthew Wilson has published ten books, among them four collections of poems, including The Strangeness of the Good . His poems, essays, and reviews appear regularly in a wide range of magazines and journals. The winner of the 2017 Hiett Prize from the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, Wilson also serves as Poet-in-Residence of the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship, poetry editor of Modern Age magazine, and series editor of Colosseum Books, a new imprint that publishes the best contemporary poetry and literary criticism of serious craft and spiritual depth.
Wilson was educated at the University of Michigan (B.A.), the University of Massachusetts (M.A.), and the University of Notre Dame (M.F.A., Ph.D.), where he subsequently held a Sorin Research Fellowship.
Joshua Hren is the founder and publisher of Wiseblood Books, perhaps the most distinguished and ambitious small literary press of our day. Joshua regularly publishes essays and poems in such journals as First Things , America, Public Discourse, Commonweal, National Review, Catholic World Report, The Englewood Review of Books , University Bookman, Law & Liberty, and LOGOS . Joshua has written seven books: the short story collections This Our Exile and In the Wine Press ; a book of poems called Last Things, First Things, & Other Lost Causes ; Middle-earth and the Return of the Common Good: J.R.R. Tolkien and Political Philosophy ; How to Read ( and Write) Like a Catholic ; a novel Infinite Regress ; and the theological-aesthetical manifesto Contemplative Realism.
Hren is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (B.A, M.A, Ph.D.).
For more information about the Master of Fines Arts in Creative Writing, please contact one of the founding faculty:
James Matthew Wilson Poetry [email protected]
Joshua Michael Hren Fiction [email protected]
He has hosted two 13-part television series about Shakespeare on EWTN, and has also written and presented documentaries on EWTN on the Catholicism of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit . His verse drama, Death Comes for the War Poets , was performed off-Broadway to critical acclaim. He has participated and lectured at a wide variety of international and literary events at major colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, Africa and South America.
He is editor of the St. Austin Review ( staustinreview.org ), series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions ( ignatiuscriticaleditions.com ), senior instructor with Homeschool Connections ( homeschoolconnectionsonline.com ), and senior contributor at the Imaginative Conservative . His personal website is jpearce.co .
Radio, Television and Film
Master of fine arts in screenwriting.
Our nationally ranked MFA Screenwriting program is one of the most affordable, unique and successful programs of its kind in the country. It is surrounded by a city in love with storytelling — Austin, TX, home to great film festivals, some of today’s hottest feature filmmakers, and many of today’s top TV show runners. It’s where you can write the next Hollywood blockbuster, original television pilot, or small indie gem.
Program Highlights
- Excellent education . The UT RTF program is ranked as a top 10 U.S. film school by The Hollywood Reporter and MovieMaker Magazine .
- Low tuition and fees . We offer small class sizes at a small price, leaving our students with enough spare change to enjoy Austin's breakfast-taco-and-coffeeshop culture that writers and filmmakers can’t get enough of.
- Broad curriculum . Our curriculum covers both television and feature film writing as well as classes in production, film and television history and media studies.
- Innovative opportunities. We have the only hands-on TV Writers’ Room workshop class of its kind: students collaborate and create an entire season of a series that is shopped to all the major networks, giving students an immediate foot in the door . Working with a veteran Hollywood showrunner, the class also collaborates with producers and executives from companies such as Sundance Productions and Pilar/Segan/Shepherd Productions .
- Access to working filmmakers. MFA screenwriting students have opportunites to collaborate with our award-winning MFA production students to see their words come alive on screen and are also encouraged to take production classes to make their own films.
- Real world experience. We facilitate internships in L.A.—for such companies as Miramax, UTA, Mad Men, WM/Endeavor and Scott Free Productions—as well as in Austin—at places such as the Austin Film Festival, Detour Films and with screenwriter/television producer Rob Thomas. Resident Austin filmmakers Richard Linklater, Terrence Malick, Robert Rodriguez, and many others offer our students internships, bridging the worlds of Hollywood and independent filmmaking.
- Conference & networking access. Our students are given passes to the Austin Film Festival’s Screenwriters’ Conference as well as the ATX Television Festival and South by Southwest.
Program Achievements
We’re winning major awards. Our screenwriting students have won the 2017 Humanitas Prize in Screenwriting and the 2010 and 2014 Academy Nicholls Fellowship. They have also placed highly in other prestigious screenwriting competitions, including the Austin Film Festival and HBO Access Writing Fellowship.
Our faculty are not only topflight instructors, but are also working screenwriters, having sold screenplays to HBO, Warner Brothers, New Line Cinema, Walt Disney Studios, Dimension Entertainment, MGM, National Geographic, Paramount Pictures, Sony Entertainment, The Disney Channel, Lionsgate, Happy Madison Productions, Gary Sanchez, and many other studios and networks.
Our former students and faculty have written for television programs such as iZombie, Hemlock Grove, Greek, Archer, Generation Kill, Chasing Life, Haven, Being Human, Everwood, Brothers & Sisters, Jericho , and Livin’ Loud .
Humanitas College Awards Prize
- Rikki Bleiweiss (MFA Screenwriting Student) – FINALIST in drama for Union Made
- Carmen Hayes (MFA Screenwriting Student) – FINALIST for drama for Renaissance Girls
- Rikki Bleiweiss (MFA Screenwriting Student) – Semifinalist in comedy for Mourning After
- Kim Tran (MFA Screenwriting Student) – Semifinalist for comedy for Diana vs Diana, Dammit
- Emma Rappold(MFA Screenwriting Student) – Semifinalist for drama for Etoile
- Carmen Hayes – Foshko recipient for Renaissance Girls
Nicholls Fellowship
- Alessio Franko (MFA Screenwriting 2019) – Semifinalist
Screencraft
- Tom Santos (MFA Screenwriting Student - Quarterfinalist TV Drama
2017 Nicholls Quarterfinalists
- Caroline Keene (MFA '16)
- Nathan Patton (BS '16)
- Magdalen Silberman (MFA '16)
- Max Kaplow (MFA '17)
2017 Humanitas Prize Winners in Screenwriting
- Magdalen Silberman (MFA ’16)
- Munis Rashid (BS ’14)
2017 HBO Access Writing Felllowship Winner
- Kat Craft (MFA '17)
Program Details
The Master in Fine Arts (M.F.A.) program in Screenwriting is a two-year (including one summer), 42-hour program designed for creative individuals with a strong commitment to storytelling for the screen. The program provides a foundation of narrative skills that enables writers to succeed in both film and television, in either the Hollywood or independent arenas. Only seven students are admitted each year, a number that optimizes the workshop environment and makes it possible to provide maximum guidance. Students graduate with polished feature film screenplays, original TV pilots, TV spec scripts, and the tools to be a working professional screenwriter.
Upon entering the program, students are introduced to the principles of writing for the screen, focusing on characterization, story development and narrative structure. Students leave the program with three original feature-length screenplays that have undergone significant revision. Students also do extensive work in television, writing specs of existing TV shows as well as original pilots. In addition to their core writing workshops, students enroll in required courses in Film History, Production for Writers, and Adaptation. During their final semester, M.F.A. candidates work one-on-one with a senior faculty member on their thesis project, leaving the program with polished work suitable for submission to agents, producers, studios and other financing entities. Degree requirements include a written report describing and analyzing the creative development of the thesis script.
In addition to writing courses, students are encouraged to use their electives to broaden their critical knowledge and filmmaking experience via the department's film studies and production offerings. The department strongly encourages collaboration between its student screenwriters and filmmakers, which has resulted in award-winning films screening at major festivals worldwide. An internship in the film industry is required as part of the program of work, and past students have interned both in Los Angeles (at such companies as Miramax and Pixar /Disney), and locally at the Austin Film Festival and with Austin-based filmmakers Richard Linklater and Terrence Malick.
Our permanent faculty are all working screenwriters who cover the gamut from experienced television showrunners to feature film writers to produced writer/directors to TV staff writers.
Stuart Kelban Richard Lewis Cindy McCreery
Lecturers: Katherine Craft Andrew Logan Nathan Patton Maya Perez Tom Willett
From Our Alumni
“ I'd never taken a screenwriting class before UT Austin, and so it wasn't surprising that I was one of the worst writers in my first screenwriting workshop. But the class was designed to provide a foundational understanding of screenwriting, and by the end of the semester - with the help of my amazingly supportive professor Cindy McCreery - I was given more than enough to understand the mechanics of the craft. The whole UT screenwriting program is structured in such a way: every class builds on top of the other, and my skills improved noticeably every semester. It helps of course that the professors are fantastic: good at screenwriting, great at teaching, and always available when you need to quietly (or not so quietly) agonize over your work. Aside from the traditional writers workshops, the other classes in the curriculum such as Beau Thorne's Adaption class and Cindy McCreery and Scott Shepherd's Writer's Room class ensured the students had a well-rounded skill set useful in any writing career, such as pitching and collaborating together on a single idea. ” —Jessica Chou, 2016 CBS Writers Program Fellow and staff writer on CW ’ s, “ No Tomorrow. ”
"The program was instrumental in helping me move out of my comfort zone as a writer. It was a safe space to explore and experiment with different types of stories and genres. I went into the program thinking I was only going to do comedy, but I left with a strong passion for horror and drama. The program helped me zero in on my strengths while also working out my weakness. Every single class had something extremely valuable to contribute to my writing arsenal. Prior to UT, I had never written a feature. I wrote my first one in Stuart's first-semester screenwriting class where I learned the basics of screenwriting structure. It was a revelation for me. That, combined with Beau's excellent rewriting class, laid the foundation for my writing process. Additionally, Cindy's TV writing class gave me the tools needed to understand the mechanisms of the constantly evolving medium of television. In Richard's third-semester screenwriting class, I wrote my first one-hour pilot and discovered that it was a format that really suited my sensibilities. One major advantage of the program is The Writer's Room class. This class allowed me to experience what it's like to work in a professional writer's room. I got to write an episode (from outline to revision) of an original series that we developed as a class. It was a unique opportunity that contributed greatly to my growth as a writer. In the end, I left the program with a strong portfolio and confidence in the skills I had acquired over the course of two years." — Renier Murillo, National Hispanic Media Coalition 2016 Fellow http://www.nhmc.org/programs/writers-program/meet-the-writers/
“ The MFA screenwriting program at UT has made me a better writer. The faculty helped me develop and refine my voice, while also teaching me the ins and outs of feature and television structures. I wouldn't have been able to write the scripts I wrote with them on my own. This program really prepares you to write a lot at a high quality. I loved that the screenwriting faculty basically has an open-door policy, and they are always happy to discuss your ideas and stories with you. They are really dedicated to making you a better writer while still letting you find your own voice. The screenwriting program at UT pushed me in great ways to become a better writer. I'm so glad I went through this program – it's really prepared me for the professional world. “ — Kat Craft - HBO TV Fellowship 2017 Fellow
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We Are Writers, Too
I enrolled at Texas State hoping to find my voice as a Chicana writer. Instead, I was told to whitewash my work.
by Sarah Rafael Garcia
March 31, 2016, 9:46 AM, CDT
Like many other MFA programs, Texas State University’s creative writing program is too white, too heterosexual and too male. There is not a single Mexican-American, Chicanx, Tejanx, Native-American or even Latinx professor on staff. In the 2014 visiting writers series , all were white, and of 10 writers on the 2015 program , seven were white — until last week, when they replaced a white visiting writer with the 2016 Poet Laureate of Texas, Laurie Ann Guerrero .
I noticed because I am a Chicana writer who graduated from Texas State with an MFA in fiction in May 2015, after spending three years trying to carve out a space for myself at a school that still privileges one kind of voice — educated, male, white — over all others.
At the end of my second year, I questioned the program director about the all-white visiting writers’ list. He told me: “I don’t see color, I only see writers.”
If only the director had seen color, he might have ended up with a program that reflects the richness and diversity of Texas instead of obfuscating and excluding the experiences of writers of color.
In 2011, I decided to pursue my MFA after I published a childhood memoir back in 2008. I was searching for a writing program that would help me — a first-generation college student — become a well-rounded writer and experienced teacher. I applied confidently, mostly motivated by the dream that I’d finally be accepted into an academic writers’ community.
I still couldn’t believe it when the program director told me Chicano Realism — a style that incorporates fantastical or mythical elements into realistic fiction focused on Chicanx narratives — isn’t “academic.”
And yet somehow I still couldn’t believe it when the program director told me Chicano Realism — a style that incorporates fantastical or mythical elements into realistic fiction focused on Chicanx narratives — isn’t “academic.” The director lumped in my work with Gloria E. Anzaldúa and Richard Rodriguez, two completely different Mexican-American writers with dissimilar perspectives on identity and writing styles. The comparison, of Anzaldúa and Rodriguez to each other and then to my work, was intellectually inappropriate, not to mention baffling. Are Verne, Flaubert, and de Beauvoir all similar writers because they are all French?
But maybe Anzaldúa and Rodriguez were the only Chicanx writers the program director recognized. I know I don’t write like them. I do, of course, write about identity — I continuously find myself defending it in all aspects of my life, and writing at Texas State was no different.
I couldn’t escape the constant reminder that I had been marked by my own institution, and my own peers, as “other.” At an MFA bar gathering that still lingers in my memory, a white male student nonchalantly mentioned to a Chicana peer that he thought writers should be selected on merit, so it shouldn’t matter if the faculty was all white.
I found myself exhausted by these off-putting feints toward color-blindness, which are all too common in the writing industry. The 2014 VIDA count — which tracks gender inequality in top-tier publications — not only (re)confirmed the gender disparity within the industry, but also took race into its analysis, revealing an even greater gap. As a woman of color, I fight on both fronts — race and gender. To suggest that whiteness, uniquely, succeeds on merit is to suggest, not at all subtly, that writers of color are fundamentally less talented, less qualified, less-than.
I finally addressed my frustrations in my last workshop. We sat in the traditional circle and introduced ourselves. When it came to my turn, I unapologetically asked readers to refrain from critiquing the Spanish in my writing. That introduction turned into a red-faced Chicana rant, which I later channeled into a final essay that I hoped the faculty couldn’t ignore.
A month before graduating, I met with everyone I could — even the university president — to speak about the lack of diversity in the MFA program. It was all a bureaucratic hassle, with everyone from my thesis advisor to the heads of the department of English to the university vice president bumping me around from office to office and back again. Finally, I was shoved off to a new incoming MFA writing program director who said he’d take my feedback into consideration when addressing issues with current students.
That was ten months ago. I never heard from any of them, but I know the same problems still persist. I hear it from my new community of women writers of color from the school, with whom I’m helping to build a new creative alliance of resistance.
We first met, appropriately enough, at the only independent bookstore in Austin focused on Chicanx, Latinx and Native American literature: Resistencia Bookstore . We met next to a mural depicting an indigenous warrior posed under a brick wall, a pierced heart and handcuffs, symbolizing colonization, cultural oppression, and incarceration.
Three of us, current and former students, came to share our experiences, away from the frustrations and heartbreak we’d been through.
Together, we searched for literature that gives space for racialized communities of women who have been silenced by the color-blind whiteness of academia, of the mainstream publishing industry, of America itself. Resistencia is filled with bold names like Castillo, Silko, Erdrich, Butler and Davis.
Slowly, I’m beginning to decolonize my writing. I no longer feel I need to italicize my Spanish, justify my history or pander to white readers who have so often seen me as an affirmative action case who shouldn’t be seen or heard.
Hell, I still catch myself revising for workshop, doubting my use of Spanish when I get rejected and judging where to submit based on the ethnicity of the editor. But slowly, I’m beginning to decolonize my writing. I no longer feel I need to italicize my Spanish, justify my history or pander to white readers who have so often seen me as an affirmative action case who shouldn’t be seen or heard.
At Texas State, things are changing, but slowly — too slowly. Recently, the program hosted two “diversity” talks for MFA students, yet attendance at these these events is optional for faculty and students. With the addition of Matthew Salesses ’ visit earlier this month and the recent addition of Laurie Ann Guerrero to the visiting writers’ events, the program has made strides by inviting additional writers of color for a few special occasions. But I won’t be convinced of the university’s commitment to diversity until it is ingrained in the everyday makeup of the MFA program’s faculty and curriculum, rather than in occasional, and optional, conversations outside the classroom.
As for me, I know now, el español es parte de mi cultura, and my writing is, too. One day my name will be in places far beyond that MFA program. Today, I enter a new space to unite with a familiar community, to remind everyone who will listen, and myself: We are writers, too .
[Featured image of Texas State campus: Rain0975/Flickr/Creative Commons ]
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Online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Access faculty made up of award-winning, world-renowned poets and fiction writers in one of the only 100% online MFAs in Creative Writing. No GRE is required.
Become a Published Author. Pursue a Career in Writing/Teaching.
This is a highly competitive program for serious writers who have the potential for great literary significance. It’s perfect if you:
Want to work full-time and want to go on to pursue a career in writing or teaching at the university level.
Are a serious writer who wants to publish your work.
Need to learn strategies to become a better writer.
Want to be a part of an international community of writers without borders.
We help you achieve your goal by creating an exclusive community that includes well-known literary personalities and published authors. Note that we also offer an optional low-residency opportunity every summer in Europe, in such cities as London, Paris and Madrid.
Learn With Award-Winning Faculty
Our department is filled with world-renowned, award-winning, bilingual faculty who bring their talent to the classroom; among our ranks are Andrea Cote Botero, José de Piérola, Tim Z. Hernandez, Sasha R. Pimentel, Jeff Sirkin, Lex Williford, Sylvia A. Zéleny and Daniel Chacón. We currently have two visiting faculty members: Jessica Powers and JD Pluecker, who teach children’s/YA literature and poetry respectively. In the past, we have had award-winning writers who have served as visiting faculty and shared their expertise with our students: this list includes Natalie Diaz, Laurie Ann Guerrero, Heather Hartley and Carolina Ebeid.
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- 100% online
- One of the only fully online MFAs in Creative Writing
- Designed for writers with great talent and drive in fiction and poetry
- Provides a graduate degree needed to teach at the university level
- Provides access to a stellar faculty including world-renowned poets and fiction writers
- No GRE required
- Highly affordable and flexible program
- Tuition: $490/credit hour (in-state students) or $575/credit hour (out-of-state students)
Meet Selected Faculty
Andrea Cote-Botero
Cote-Botero is the author of the poetry collections: “La ruina que nombro” (2015), “Port in Ashes,” “Fragile Things” and “Chinatown 24 hours” (Object Book). She has also published books of prose: “A Nude Photographer: A Biography of Tina Modotti” and “Blanca Varela or Writing From Solitude.” She has obtained the following recognitions: The National Prize of Poetry from the Universidad Externado of Colombia (2003), the Puentes de Struga International Poetry Prize (2005) and the Cittá de Castrovillari Prize (2010) to the Italian edition of Port in Ashes. Her poems have been translated into English, French, German, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Macedonian, Arabic, Polish and Greek. Her first poetry book, “Puerto Calcinado,” was published in French by the prestigious Quebecois press Ecrist de Forge. This book was presented at the 2015 International Poetry Festival of Montreal.
Tim Hernandez
An award-winning writer and performance artist, Hernandez has written three volumes of poetry, two novels, and most recently, a documentary novel based on the 1948 Los Gatos plane crash. As a performance artist, he has worked with Grammy Award-winners, hip-hop performers and Latin Rock artists; his work has been featured in a variety of venues including the Getty Center. Hernandez’s first poetry collection and first novel both won awards—the 2006 American Book Award and the 2010 Premio Aztlán Literary Prize respectively. In 2011, the Poetry Society of America named him one of sixteen New American Poets and he has been featured extensively in news media including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, C-Span Book TV, Public Radio International, and National Public Radio.
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- Fine Arts Degrees
- MFA: Creative Writing
Join our next cohort, beginning August 2022 — Accelerated, Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA Earn a terminal degree in creative writing in less than two years with our accelerated, low-residency MFA program. Students can study anywhere in the world, joining faculty, guest authors like Bret Lott and Scott Cairns, and peers at three annual Texas-based writers retreats. ( Apply now …)
Creative Writing Masters Program (MFA) | Masters in Writing
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a 45-credit-hour terminal degree. The workshop-driven program provides students a rigorous creative environment to pursue fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction writing, building on a rich foundation of apprenticeship and critical studies . A parallel MFA in Screenwriting is also available.
The MFA utilizes an accelerated, low-residency model designed to meet the needs of today’s students, while emphasizing a strong commitment to excellence in craft, analysis, and creativity. Three times per year, students and faculty gather either at HCU’s campus or for a writers’ retreat in cities like Galveston or Austin. Each residency features workshops and extensive interaction with notable professional writers serving as guest instructors, as well as ongoing mentorship from HCU’s exceptional full-time writing faculty.
Between residencies, students work from home, maintaining connections with their cohort through online workshops and ongoing coursework . These long-distance classes preserve HCU’s apprenticeship model, providing frequent feedback and personalized direction from each student’s writing mentors and peers. While the low-residency model allows writers to continue to live and work in their home cities, students should expect to commit considerable time every week to practicing their craft in order to successfully develop and hone their creative skills.
The accelerated schedule allows students to complete the MFA degree in less than two years . For professional writers, the Master of Fine Arts serves as a terminally qualifying degree , allowing successful graduates to teach at the university level . However, the program’s primary goal is to nurture students’ creative potential, ensuring that their artistic craft is sharpened and developed.
Most importantly, the core of this degree remains HCU’s steadfast commitment to providing a learning experience that instills in students a passion for academic, spiritual and professional excellence as a result of our Christian convictions. Students learn how this faith has guided writers, storytellers, and artists throughout history and will be inspired by this rich heritage as together we seek to craft new works reflecting our Creator’s goodness, truth, and beauty.
Applications for the next cohort (beginning August 2022) are now open. A writing portfolio is required for admission.
View Degree Plan
Program Highlights
Workshop-based mentoring.
The MFA in Creative Writing places a strong emphasis on practice and feedback, using rigorous faculty-led workshops throughout the program. Students will work closely with a writing mentor and receive valuable critiques from their cohort of peers.
Study from Anywhere
The MFA in Creative Writing is offered as a low-residency program, requiring approximately five weeks of Texas-based instruction across six writers retreats, supplemented by year-round online workshops that can be completed from anywhere in the world. ( Learn more… )
Accelerated Program
With intense, focused classroom instruction during six Texas-based residencies and year-round online workshops, students earn the 45-credit-hour terminal degree in Creative Writing in less than two years. ( Learn more… )
Terminal MFA Degree
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a terminal degree. When coupled with professional work in the field, the MFA qualifies graduates to teach Creative Writing at the university-level.
Learn from the Best
Each residency features notable professional writers. The focused retreat structure means students have extensive face-to-face interaction with the visiting authors, while year-round online workshops also facilitate feedback from HCU’s exceptional writing faculty and distinguished adjunct instructors. ( Learn more… )
Strong Christian Foundation
HCU is committed to providing a learning experience that instills a passion for academic, spiritual and professional excellence as a result of our Christian convictions. MFA students explore the rich heritage of our faith, which has guided writers, storytellers, and artists throughout history.
Recent Guests
We are pleased to host a wide array of talented and experienced authors as guest speakers and instructors at each of our residencies, as well as through virtual discussions throughout the year. Our recent guests have included:
Bret Lott New York Times best-selling author of a dozen novels including Jewel , an Oprah Book Club selection
Fred Dings Acclaimed, award-winning poet, including the books Eulogy for a Private Man and After the Solstice
Kimberly Povloski Poet, educator, and editor; author of hell of birds
Scott Cairns Acclaimed poet, essayist, and memoirist; author of Slow Pilgrim and Idiot Psalms
Theodora Ziolkowski Award-winning author of the novella On the Rocks and the short story chapbook Mother Tongues
Lauren Berry Award-winning poet and educator; poetry editor of Gulf Coast
HCU’s cross-disciplinary writing MFAs bring together novelists, poets, non-fiction writers, and screenwriters at multiple retreats throughout the year, providing unique opportunities for experienced writers to inspire and challenge a new generation of storytellers.
Accelerated, Low-Residency Model
Our unique model is tailored to fit the active schedules of today’s writers, allowing students to study from anywhere in the world through online workshops, while not sacrificing invaluable face-to-face instruction with faculty, guest authors, and peers facilitated through three annual Texas-based writers retreats.
With our accelerated, low-residency model, students earn a 45-credit-hour terminal degree in Creative Writing in less than two years. Across six residencies, students will gain 30 credit hours of intensive residential classes, providing essential foundations for the 15 credit hours of online courses that supplement the in-person instruction (learn more about the courses offered ).
MFA in Creative Writing — Sample Schedule
What to expect at the residencies… Each writing residency is carefully planned to provide an ideal, concentrated creative environment for learning and lasting growth. Bond with peers in small, focused workshops and learn directly from seasoned professional writers through extended conversations in-class and over meals.
The residencies also provide an opportunity to be inspired and challenged by a wide variety of writers, as we bring together poets, fiction authors, creative non-fiction writers, screenwriters, and playwrights in cross-disciplinary discussions.
August On-Campus Residency For six days in early August, students gather on HCU’s campus for classes and workshops. With special visiting instructors, the August residency focuses on the craft of writing and explores how artists of faith can create in ways that reflect the goodness, truth, and beauty of our Creator.
January Destination Retreat For seven days, students travel to a Texas-based retreat location in cities like Galveston, San Antonio, or Austin. Be inspired by a fresh locale and the beauty of God’s natural world, as we take a break from our busy lives and gather together to focus on artistry and creativity. This retreat explores how the work of great poets and authors have inspired and shaped today’s successful writers, offering students a chance to build upon a great tradition, while developing unique voices of their own.
Spring Writers Conference For three days in late April, students gather on HCU’s campus for the annual HCU Writers Conference, featuring a wide array of guest speakers and an opportunity to connect with writers, editors, and publishers.
Meals and lodging for the residencies are included in tuition. Students are responsible for their own travel arrangements.
Courses Offered
The MFA in Creative Writing is a 45-credit-hour terminal degree. 30 hours of the degree are completed at six different residencies, while the remaining 15 hours are facilitated through online workshops throughout the accelerated program, which can be completed in less than two years.
For additional information on MFA courses and for the current official degree plan, see the HCU Course Catalog or select any course below for more details...
This course explores the role of the Christian artist in culture. Students will study how great Christian thinkers have thought about culture and art throughout church history and be challenged to understand their vocation as writers from a biblical perspective. Students will also develop an understanding of how to live out their faith through their work as they seek to affect the culture around them.
Study with experienced authors or poets, exploring the creative works that have inspired or shaped their writing. Topics will vary at each residency depending on the instructor and may also take into account the genres and mediums of interest to the current cohort of students. Cross-disciplinary courses in fiction, poetry, and cinema will be offered.
A study of the techniques available to writers of poetry or fiction. In Poetry Techniques, students will examine the various uses of form, metaphor, symbolism, meter, and narrative in poems. In Fiction Techniques, students will examine the various uses of person, character, voice, dialogue, detail, and plot.
Writing workshops in which students will create and revise original works of poetry or fiction (or in certain cases, other genres such as creative non-fiction). Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers.
Students select one medium to specialize in for 12 hours and are required to take at least one cross-disciplinary course.
This course is a capstone experience for students. In this course, students will reflect upon what they have learned in all previous courses. WRIT 6390 will also prepare students to begin their thesis.
Under the direction of a faculty mentor, students will write and defend a faculty-approved creative writing thesis.
A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of literary non-fiction. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers. (Students may also write creative non-fiction in many of the Fiction Workshop courses)
A writing workshop in which students will create and revise original works of memoir and personal narrative. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers.
A writing workshop in which students will learn the craft of criticism and review writing. Over the course of the semester students will learn to critically assess their own work as well as the work of their peers.
Admissions Requirements
- Personal Statement – Please submit a personal statement, between 300 and 500 words, sharing your desire to attend the HCU Graduate School and how you feel a degree from HCU will assist you in your academic and professional careers.
- Résumé – Email a current résumé to the Graduate School at [email protected] .
- Writing Portfolio – Please submit a portfolio containing examples of your writing to The Graduate School. Your writing sample must be at least 10-15 pages in length for poetry or 20-30 pages in length for fiction or creative non-fiction, which may contain one story, multiple stories or excerpts. Additional work from other genres may be included as well.
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Texas State MFA in Creative Writing Upcoming Events About the Texas State MFA A top ranked, funded MFA Program in Creative Writing Faculty MFA faculty includes Tim O'Brien, Naomi Shihab Nye, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and 9 full-time instructors who mentor students in completing book-length theses. Our student to faculty ratio is 6:1.
MFA in Writing The Michener Center for Writers is the only MFA program in the world that provides full and equal funding to every writer, yet it is the extraordinary faculty and sense of community that most distinguishes us. Ours is a three-year, fully funded residency program with a unique multi-disciplinary focus.
MFA in Writing Michener Fellows enroll in three courses (9 hours) each fall and spring semester. (There are no summer classes.) The 54-hour degree plan includes workshops and "studies" courses in both fields, flexible electives, and a 3rd-year thesis in the primary field of concentration. Fields of Concentration Fiction
MFA Online Program Writing with Us The Online MFA in Creative Writing The University of Texas at El Paso is proud to offer a fully online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Writers can complete the entire degree from anywhere in the world, as there is no residency requirement.
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
Apply for Admission : MFA in Creative Writing : Texas State University Apply for Admission Deadlines January 31, 2023 is the deadline for Fall admission applications. November 1, 2022 is the deadline for Spring admission applications. All applicants are automatically considered for Assistantships that begin the following academic year.
The University of Texas at El Paso Department of Creative Writing Education Building, Room 901 Additional Emails English: [email protected] Español: [email protected] MFA Online: [email protected] Undergrad: [email protected] 500 W University Ave El Paso, Texas 79968 E: [email protected] P: (915) 747-5713
The New Writers Project at the University of Texas at Austin is a small, fully funded, three-year studio MFA program within the large and highly-ranked Department of English. We offer our students close mentorship, literary community, and teaching and editing experience.
Degree: MFA - Creative Writing 9. University of Texas at El Paso The Liberal Arts College within the University of Texas at El Paso offers one of the state's best online MFA creative writing programs with its Master of Fine Arts degree (MFA) program in Creative Writing that is available 100% online.
Masters of Fine Arts (MFA Degree) Programs in Texas Masters of Fine Arts in Texas Masters of Fine Arts, also called MFA degrees, offer graduate students the opportunity to study diverse subjects, from film-making and theater to creative writing and graphic design.
The master of fine arts degree in creative writing requires 48 semester hours, including: writing workshops literature form and theory literary techniques minor or cognate (other than creative writing) thesis credit leading to the production of a book-length work of literary merit
MFA in Creative Writing Building on emerging excellence in creative writing, the MFA student should work toward increased sophistication in his/her art. Correspondingly, the MFA student should have training in literary history and the intellectual and artistic debates that inform current literature.
Creative Writing Masters Programs in Texas. MFA stands for Master of Fine Arts. An MFA in Creative Writing may be an especially common option. Most programs include courses in the department of English and courses about the craft of writing. In addition, programs strive to create a community of writers. They may do that by:
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Home Academics School of Arts & Sciences Division of Liberal Studies Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Apply Tell Me More! [email protected] [email protected] SECTION MENU DO GREATER THINGS AT UST At UST, we're educating the next generation of leaders.
2017 HBO Access Writing Felllowship Winner. Kat Craft (MFA '17) Program Details. The Master in Fine Arts (M.F.A.) program in Screenwriting is a two-year (including one summer), 42-hour program designed for creative individuals with a strong commitment to storytelling for the screen. ... The University of Texas at Austin. 2504 Whitis Ave. Stop ...
Like many other MFA programs, Texas State University's creative writing program is too white, too heterosexual and too male. There is not a single Mexican-American, Chicanx, Tejanx,...
One of the only fully online MFAs in Creative Writing Designed for writers with great talent and drive in fiction and poetry Provides a graduate degree needed to teach at the university level Provides access to a stellar faculty including world-renowned poets and fiction writers No GRE required Highly affordable and flexible program
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a 45-credit-hour terminal degree. The workshop-driven program provides students a rigorous creative environment to pursue fiction, poetry, or creative non-fiction writing, building on a rich foundation of apprenticeship and critical studies . A parallel MFA in Screenwriting is also available.