A Non-Comprehensive, Incomplete List of Creative Writing & Creative Writing-ish Doctoral Programs
Last updated on June 29, 2022
Here you’ll find the (U.S., Canada, & U.K.) Creative Writing Ph.D.s that we know of so far.
Disclaimer : We make this list in good faith and do not claim any of this information to be wholly correct or representative of these programs. Please consult the program(s) you are interested in for most up-to-date, best-informed answers. We’ve had trouble understanding exactly how funded,* and how equally funded,* candidates are across these programs, so we’ve left most funding information* off this page, for now. We do our best to update this list as we learn more about programs. Poetry.onl does not endorse, support, or receive payment from any mentioned program.
*We define “funded” or “funding” as a Ph.D. program which offers both full-tuition remission + a stipend of at least $12,000 USD per academic year, for at least four [4] years, to ALL admitted doctoral students.
Want to add to this list? Send complete info and source links to us here .
University of California, Santa Cruz:
Ph.D., Literature with “Creative Concentration”
All candidates are funded .
University of Southern California, Los Angeles:
Ph.D., Creative Writing and Literature
GRE Required.
Great stipend, very high cost of living.
University of Denver, Denver:
Ph.D., Literary Studies
GRE Required
Florida State University, Tallahassee:
Ph.D., English (Creative Writing)
Georgia State University, Atlanta:
GRE Required—“Competitive Score”
Not all candidates are funded (Not funded by our definition).
“…admission to any graduate program in English does not automatically guarantee funding” [01/15/2022]
University of Georgia, Athens:
Ph.D., English with “Creative Dissertation”
GRE Required, 162 or higher in Verbal section
Waived for 2022 cycle
3.0 Undergraduate GPA Required
University of Hawai'i, Mānoa :
GRE Required**
**“GRE Optional for Fall 2022 applicants”
Probably funded ?
Illinois State University, Normal :
“Children’s Literature” is also offered as a specialization
3.0 Undergraduate/and Graduate GPA Required
GRE not mentioned
University of Illinois, Chicago:
2/1 teaching load.
University of Kansas, Lawrence:
Ph.D., English—Creative Writing
3.25 GPA Required
University of Louisiana, Lafayette:
Ph.D., English “Concentration in Creative Writing”
GRE Recommended, but not required
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo:
Mississippi
University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg:
3.5 GPA Recommended
University of Mississippi, Oxford, University (MS):***
***On pause for Fall 2022, resumes “normal admission process during the 2022-2023 school year.”
MFA Required
University of Missouri, Columbia :***
***No students were admitted in Fall 2021, looks to be resuming for ‘22-23.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln:
Ph.D., English “Specialization in Creative Writing”
Genre admissions alternate years [Prose/Poetry]
State University of New York at Binghamton, Binghamton:
Ph.D. “with a concentration in creative writing and a creative dissertation option.”
Genres offered: “Poetry, fiction, non-fiction, memoir and children's literature”
3.0 Minimum GPA Required
“PhD Applicants: A master's degree in English or a closely related field is required for admission.”
“GRE scores are accepted, but not required” [03/01/2022]
Funding for some students, not others (Not funded by our definition).
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati:
GRE Required*
*Requirement Waived for 2022
3.75 Undergraduate GPA Recommended
Lower teaching load than most funded programs, 1/1.
Ohio University, Athens:
3.0 GPA Required
Oklahoma State University, Stillwater:
3.5 GPA in Graduate Studies Required
Rhode Island
University of Rhode Island, Kingston:
3.5 Undergraduate GPA Required
University of Tennessee, Knoxville:
* All candidates are funded .
Texas Tech University, Lubbock:
University of Houston, Houston :
Ph.D., Literature and Creative Writing
University of Utah, Salt Lake City:
3.3 GPA Required
GRE Not Required
Applicants holding an M.F.A. or M.A. in English/Creative Writing “(or, in some cases, another appropriate discipline) are eligible for admission into the Ph.D. program.”
University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee:
*Most students are offered funding, some aren’t. (Not funded by our definition).
International (Abroad from U.S.)
University College Dublin, Dublin:
Ph.D., Creative Writing
University of New Brunswick, Fredericton and Saint John :
“GPA of at least 3.7 (A-) in an M.A. in English or M.F.A. in Creative Writing is required”
University of Calgary, Calgary:
Mostly funded?
For unaffiliated rankings of Creative Writing Ph.D. programs, please see creativewritingmfa.info and/or the Poets & Writers “2012 Creative Writing Doctoral Program Rankings: The Top Fifteen.” We include these links because they may be helpful to you; We do not endorse, recommend, or otherwise involve ourselves in providing any program ranking service at this time.
Final Disclaimer:
Anything without quotation marks must be verified via official university source.
If any information is incorrect or needs updating, please let us know .
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- Prospective Undergraduate Students
- Prospective Graduate Students
- Current Students
Ph.D. Creative Writing
Ph.d. in creative writing.
A rigorous program that combines creative writing and literary studies, the Ph.D. in Creative Writing prepares graduates for both scholarly and creative publication and teaching. With faculty guidance, students admitted to the Ph.D. program may tailor their programs to their goals and interests.
The creative writing faculty at KU has been widely published and anthologized, winning both critical and popular acclaim. Faculty awards include such distinctions as the Nebula Award, Hugo Award, Osborn Award, Shelley Memorial Award, Gertrude Stein Award, the Kenyon Review Prize, the Kentucky Center Gold Medallion, and the Pushcart Prize.
Regarding admission to both our doctoral and MFA creative writing programs, we will prioritize applicants who are interested in engaging with multiple faculty members to practice writing across genres and forms, from speculative fiction and realism to poetry and playwriting/screenwriting, etc.
The University of Kansas' Graduate Program in Creative Writing also offers an M.F.A degree .
Opportunities
A GTA appointment includes a tuition waiver for ten semesters plus a competitive stipend. In the first year, GTA appointees teach English 101 (first year composition) and English 102 (a required reading and writing course). Creative Writing Ph.D. students may have the opportunity to teach an introductory course in creative writing after passing the doctoral examination, and opportunities are available for a limited number of advanced GTAs to teach in the summer.
Department Resources
- Graduate Admissions
- Graduate Contacts
- Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)
Affiliated Programs
- LandLocked Literary Magazine
- The Project on the History of Black Writing
- Center for the Study of Science Fiction
- Ad-Hoc African/Americanists and Affiliates
Degree Requirements
- At least 24 hours of credit in appropriate formal graduate courses beyond the M.A. or M.F.A. At least 15 hours (in addition to ENGL 800 if not taken for the M.A.) of this course work must be taken from among courses offered by the Department of English at the 700-level and above. English 997 and 999 credits cannot be included among the 24 hours. Students may petition to take up to 6 hours outside the Department.
- ENGL 800: Methods, Theory, and Professionalism (counts toward the 24 required credit hours).
- The ENGL 801/ENGL 802 pedagogy sequence (counts toward the 24 required credit hours).
- Two seminars (courses numbered 900 or above) offered by the Department of English at the University of Kansas, beyond the M.A. or M.F.A. ENGL 998 does not fulfill this requirement.
- ENGL 999, Dissertation (at least 12 hours).
If the M.A. or M.F.A. was completed in KU’s Department of English, a doctoral student may petition the DGS to have up to 12 hours of the coursework taken in the English Department reduced toward the Ph.D.
For Doctoral students, the university requires completion of a course in responsible scholarship . For the English department, this would be ENGL 800, 780, or the equivalent). In addition, the Department requires reading knowledge of one approved foreign language: Old English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, Greek, Latin, or Hebrew. Upon successful petition, a candidate may substitute reading knowledge of another language or research skill that is studied at the University or is demonstrably appropriate to the candidate’s program of study.
Doctoral students must fulfill the requirement before they take their doctoral examination, or be enrolled in a reading course the same semester as the exam. Students are permitted three attempts at passing each foreign language or research skill. Three methods of demonstrating reading knowledge for all approved languages except Old English are acceptable:
- Presenting 16 hours, four semesters, or the equivalent of undergraduate credit, earned with an average of C or better.
- Passing a graduate reading course at the University of Kansas or peer institution (e.g., French 100, German 100, etc.) with a grade of C or higher. In the past, some of these reading courses have been given by correspondence; check with the Division of Continuing Education for availability.
- Passing a translation examination given by a designated member of the English Department faculty or by the appropriate foreign language department at KU. The exam is graded pass/fail and requires the student to translate as much as possible of a representative text in the foreign language in a one-hour period, using a bilingual dictionary.
- Passing a translation examination given by the appropriate foreign language department at the M.A.-granting institution. Successful completion must be reflected either on the M.A. transcript or by a letter from the degree-granting department.
To fulfill the language requirement using Old English, students must successfully complete ENGL 710 (Introduction to Old English) and ENGL 712 (Beowulf).
A doctoral student must fulfill the University residency requirement before taking the doctoral exam.
Post-Coursework Ph.D. students must submit, with their committee chair(s), an annual review form to the DGS and Graduate Committee.
Doctoral students must take their doctoral examination within three semesters (excluding summers) of the end of the semester in which they took their final required course. If a student has an Incomplete, the timeline is not postponed until the Incomplete is resolved. For example, a student completing doctoral course work in Spring 2018 will need to schedule their doctoral exam no later than the end of Fall semester 2019. Delays may be granted by petition to the Graduate Director in highly unusual circumstances. Failure to take the exam within this time limit without an approved delay will result in the student’s falling out of good standing. For details on the consequences of falling out of good standing, see “Falling Out of Good Standing,” in General Department Policies and Best Practices.
A student may not take their doctoral exam until the university’s Research Skills and Responsible Scholarship requirement is fulfilled (ENGL 800 or equivalent and reading knowledge of one foreign language or equivalent).
Requirements for Doctoral Exams
Reading Lists:
All students are required to submit three reading lists, based on the requirements below, to their committee for approval. The doctoral exam will be scheduled a minimum of twelve weeks after approval from the whole committee is received. To facilitate quick committee approval, students may copy the graduate academic advisor on the email to the committee that contains the final version of the lists. Committee members may then respond to the email in lieu of signing a printed copy.
During the two-hour oral examination (plus an additional 15-30 minutes for a break and committee deliberation), a student will be tested on their comprehension of a literary period or movement, including multiple genres and groups of authors within that period or movement. In addition, the student will be tested on two of the following six areas of study:
- An adjacent or parallel literary period or movement,
- An author or group of related authors,
- Criticism and literary theory,
- Composition theory, and
- English language.
No title from any field list may appear on either of the other two lists. See Best Practices section for more details on these six areas. See below for a description of the Review of the Dissertation Proposal (RDP), which the candidate takes the semester after passing the doctoral exam.
While many students confer with the DGS as they begin the process of developing their lists, they are also required to submit a copy of their final exam list to the DGS. Most lists will be left intact, but the DGS might request that overly long lists be condensed, or extremely short lists be expanded.
Review of Literature
The purpose of the Review of Literature is to develop and demonstrate an advanced awareness of the critical landscape for each list. The student will write an overview of the defining attributes of the field, identifying two or three broad questions that animate scholarly discussion, while using specific noteworthy texts from their list ( but not all texts on the list ) as examples.
The review also must accomplish the following:
- consider the historical context of major issues, debates, and trends that factor into the emergence of the field
- offer a historical overview of scholarship in the field that connects the present to the past
- note recent trends and emergent lines of inquiry
- propose questions about (develop critiques of, and/or identify gaps in) the field and how they might be pursued in future study (but not actually proposing or referencing a dissertation project)
For example, for a literary period, the student might include an overview of primary formal and thematic elements, of the relationship between literary and social/historical developments, of prominent movements, (etc.), as well as of recent critical debates and topics.
For a genre list, the Review of Literature might include major theories of its constitution and significance, while outlining the evolution of these theories over time.
For a Rhetoric and Composition list, the review would give an overview of major historical developments, research, theories, methods, debates, and trends of scholarship in the field.
For an English Language Studies (ELS) list, the review would give an overview of the subfields that make up ELS, the various methodological approaches to language study, the type of sources used, and major aims and goals of ELS. The review also usually involves a focus on one subfield of particular interest to the student (such as stylistics, sociolinguistics, or World/Postcolonial Englishes).
Students are encouraged to divide reviews into smaller sections that enhance clarity and organization. Students are not expected to interact with every text on their lists.
The review of literature might be used to prepare students for identifying the most important texts in the field, along with why those texts are important to the field, for the oral exam. It is recommended for students to have completed reading the bulk of (if not all) texts on their lists before writing the ROL.
The Reviews of Literature will not be produced in an exam context, but in the manner of papers that are researched and developed in consultation with all advisors/committee members, with final drafts being distributed within a reasonable time for all members to review and approve in advance of the 3-week deadline . While the Review of Literature generally is not the focus of the oral examination, it is frequently used as a point of departure for questions and discussion during the oral examination.
Doctoral Exam Committee
Exam committees typically consist of 4 faculty members from the department—one of whom serves as the Committee Chair—plus a Graduate Studies Representative. University policy dictates the composition of exam committees . Students may petition for an exception for several committee member situations, with the exception of the Graduate Studies Representative .
If a student wants to have as a committee member a person outside the university, or a person who is not in a full-time tenure-track professorship at KU, the student must contact the Graduate Secretary as early as possible. Applications for special graduate faculty status must be reviewed by the College and Graduate Studies. Requests for exam/defense approval will not be approved unless all committee members currently hold either regular or special graduate faculty status
Remote participation of committee members via technology
Students with committee members who plan to attend the defense via remote technology must be aware of college policy on teleconferencing/remote participation of committee members .
A majority of committee members must be physically present for an examination to commence; for doctoral oral examinations this requirement is 3 of the 5 members, for master’s oral examinations the requirement is 2 of the 3 members. In addition, it is required that the student being examined, the chair of the committee, and the Graduate Studies Representative all be physically present at the examination or defense. Mediated attendance by the student, chair and Grad Studies Rep is prohibited.
The recommended time between completion of coursework and the doctoral examination is two semesters.
Final exam lists need to be approved and signed by the committee at least 12 weeks prior to the prospective exam date. This includes summers/summer semesters. The lists should then be submitted to the Graduate Program Coordinator. Reviews of Literature need to be approved and signed by the committee at least 3 weeks prior to the exam date. Failure to meet this deadline will result in rescheduling the exam. No further changes to lists or Reviews of Literature will be allowed after official approval. The three-week deadline is the faculty deadline--the last date for them to confirm receipt of the ROLs and confer approval--not necessarily the student deadline for submitting the documents to the faculty. Please keep that timing in mind and allow your committee adequate time to review the materials and provide feedback.
Students taking the Doctoral Exam are allowed to bring their text lists, the approved Reviews of Literature, scratch paper, a writing utensil, and notes/writing for an approximately 5-minute introductory statement to the exam. (This statement does not need to lay out ideas or any aspect of the dissertation project.)
Each portion of the oral examination must be deemed passing before the student can proceed to the Review of the Dissertation Proposal. If a majority of the committee judges that the student has not answered adequately on one of the three areas of the exam, the student must repeat that portion in a separate oral exam of one hour, to be taken as expeditiously as possible. Failure in two areas constitutes failure of the exam and requires a retake of the whole. The doctoral examining committee will render a judgment of Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory on the entire examination. A student who fails the exam twice may, upon successful petition to the Graduate Committee, take it a third and final time.
Students cannot bring snacks, drinks, treats, or gifts for committee members to the exam. Professors should avoid the appearance of favoritism that may occur if they bring treats to some student exams but not others.
The doctoral oral examination has the following purposes:
- To establish goals, tone, and direction for the pursuit of the Ph.D. in English for the Department and for individual programs of study;
- To make clear the kinds of knowledge and skills that, in the opinion of the Department, all well-prepared holders of the degree should have attained;
- To provide a means for the Department to assess each candidate’s control of such knowledge and skills in order to certify that the candidate is prepared to write a significant dissertation and enter the profession; and
- To enable the Department to recommend to the candidate areas of strength or weakness that should be addressed.
In consultation with the Graduate Director, a student will ask a member of the Department’s graduate faculty (preferably their advisor) to be the chairperson of the examining committee. The choice of examination committee chair is very important, for that person’s role is to assist the candidate in designing the examination structure, preparing the Review of Literature (see below), negotiating reading lists and clarifying their purposes, and generally following procedures here outlined. The other three English Department members of the committee will be chosen in consultation with the committee chair. (At some point an additional examiner from outside the Department, who serves as the Graduate School representative, will be invited to join the committee). Any unresolved problems in negotiation between a candidate and their committee should be brought to the attention of the Graduate Director, who may choose to involve the Graduate Committee. A student may request a substitution in, or a faculty member may ask to be dismissed from, the membership of the examining committee. Such requests must be approved, in writing, by the faculty member leaving the committee and by the Graduate Director.
Reading Lists
Copies of some approved reading lists and Reviews of Literature are available from the Graduate Secretary and can be found on the U: drive if you are using a computer on campus. Despite the goal of fairness and equity, some unavoidable unevenness and disparity will appear in the length of these lists. It remains, however, the responsibility of the examining committee, and especially the student’s chair, to aim toward consonance with the most rigorous standards and expectations and to insure that areas of study are not unduly narrow.
To facilitate quick committee approval, students may copy the graduate secretary on the email to the committee that contains the final version of the lists and reviews of literature. Committee members may then respond to the email in lieu of signing a printed copy.
Comprehension of a literary period (e.g., British literature of the 18th century; Romanticism; US literature of the 19th century; Modernism) entails sufficient intellectual grasp of both the important primary works of and secondary works on the period or movement to indicate a student’s ability to teach the period or movement and undertake respectable scholarship on it.
Comprehension of an author or group of related authors (e.g., Donne, the Brontës, the Bloomsbury Group, the Black Mountain Poets) entails knowledge, both primary and secondary, of a figure or figures whose writing has generated a significant body of interrelated biographical, historical, and critical scholarship.
Comprehension of one of several genres (the short story, the lyric poem, the epistolary novel). To demonstrate comprehension of a genre, a student should possess sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge, both primary and secondary, of the genre to explain its formal characteristics and account for its historical development.
Comprehension of criticism and literary theory entails a grasp of fundamental conceptual problems inherent in a major school of literary study (e.g., historicist, psychoanalytic, feminist, poststructuralist, etc.). To demonstrate comprehension of that school of criticism and literary theory, a student should be able to discuss changes in its conventions and standards of interpretation and evaluation of literature from its beginning to the present. Students will be expected to possess sufficient depth and breadth of theoretical knowledge to bring appropriate texts and issues to bear on questions of literary study.
Comprehension of composition theory entails an intellectual grasp of fundamental concepts, issues, and theories pertaining to the study of writing. To demonstrate comprehension of composition theory, students should be able to discuss traditional and current issues from a variety of perspectives, as well as the field’s historical development from classical rhetoric to the present.
Comprehension of the broad field of English language studies entails a grasp of the field’s theoretical concepts and current issues, as well as a familiarity with significant works within given subareas. Such subareas will normally involve formal structures (syntax, etc.) and history of the English language, along with other subareas such as social linguistics, discourse analysis, lexicography, etc. Areas of emphasis and specific sets of topics will be arranged through consultation with relevant faculty.
Ph.D. candidates must be continuously enrolled in Dissertation hours each Fall and Spring semester from the time they pass the doctoral examination until successful completion of the final oral examination (defense of dissertation).
- Students enroll for a minimum of 6 hours each Fall and Spring semester until the total of post-doctoral exam Dissertation hours is 18. One hour each semester must be ENGL 999. In order to more quickly reach the 18-hour minimum, and to be sooner eligible for GRAships, it is highly recommended that students enroll in 9 hours of Dissertation in the Spring and Fall semesters.
- Once a student has accumulated 18 post-doctoral exam hours, each subsequent enrollment will be for a number of hours agreed upon as appropriate between the student and their advisor, the minimal enrollment each semester being 1 hour of ENGL 999.
- A student must be enrolled in at least one hour of credit at KU during the semester they graduate. Although doctoral students must be enrolled in ENGL 999 while working on their dissertations, per current CLAS regulations, there is no absolute minimum number of ENGL 999 hours required for graduation.
- Students who live and work outside the Lawrence area may, under current University regulations, have their fees assessed at the Field Work rate, which is somewhat lower than the on-campus rate. Students must petition the College Office of Graduate Affairs before campus fees will be waived.
Please also refer to the COGA policy on post-exam enrollment or the Graduate School’s policy .
As soon as possible following successful completion of the doctoral exam, the candidate should establish their three-person core dissertation committee, and then expeditiously proceed to the preparation of a dissertation proposal. Within the semester following completion of the doctoral exam , the student will present to their core dissertation committee a written narrative of approximately 10-15 pages , not including bibliography, of the dissertation proposal. Copies of this proposal must be submitted to the members of the dissertation committee and Graduate Program Coordinator no later than three weeks prior to the scheduled examination date.
In the proposal, students will be expected to define: the guiding question or set of questions; a basic thesis (or hypothesis); how the works to be studied or the creative writing produced relate to that (hypo)thesis; the theoretical/methodological model to be followed; the overall formal divisions of the dissertation; and how the study will be situated in the context of prior scholarship (i.e., its importance to the field). The narrative section should be followed by a bibliography demonstrating that the candidate is conversant with the basic theoretical and critical works pertinent to the study. For creative writing students, the proposal may serve as a draft of the critical introduction to the creative dissertation. Students are expected to consult with their projected dissertation committee concerning the preparation of the proposal.
The review will focus on the proposal, although it could also entail determining whether or not the candidate’s knowledge of the field is adequate to begin the composition process. The examination will be graded pass/fail. If it is failed, the committee will suggest areas of weakness to be addressed by the candidate, who will rewrite the proposal and retake the review by the end of the following semester . If the candidate abandons the entire dissertation project for another, a new RDP will be taken. (For such a step to be taken, the change would need to be drastic, such as a move to a new field or topic. A change in thesis or the addition or subtraction of one or even several works to be examined would not necessitate a new proposal and defense.) If the student fails to complete the Review of the Dissertation Proposal within a year of the completion of the doctoral exams, they will have fallen out of departmental good standing. For details on the consequences of falling out of good standing, see “Falling Out of Good Standing,” in General Department Policies and Best Practices.
After passing the Review of the Dissertation Proposal, the student should forward one signed copy of the proposal to the Graduate Secretary. The RDP may last no longer than 90 minutes.
Students cannot bring snacks, drinks, treats, or gifts for committee members to the review. Professors should avoid the appearance of favoritism that may occur if they bring treats to some student exams but not others.
The Graduate Catalog states that the doctoral candidate “must present a dissertation showing the planning, conduct and results of original research, and scholarly creativity.” While most Ph.D. candidates in the Department of English write dissertations of a traditional, research-oriented nature, a creative writing candidate may elect to do a creative-writing dissertation involving fiction, poetry, drama or nonfiction prose. Such a dissertation must also contain a substantial section of scholarly research related to the creative writing. The precise nature of the scholarly research component should be determined by the candidate in consultation with the dissertation committee and the Graduate Director. Candidates wishing to undertake such a dissertation must complete all Departmental requirements demanded for the research-oriented Ph.D. degree.
Scholarly Research Component (SRC)
The Scholarly Research Component (SRC) of the creative-writing dissertation is a separate section of the dissertation than the creative work. It involves substantial research and is written in the style of academic prose. It should be 15-20 pages and should cite at least 20 sources, some of which should be primary texts, and many of which should be from the peer-reviewed secondary literature. The topic must relate, in some way, to the topic, themes, ideas, or style of the creative portion of the dissertation; this relation should be stated in the Dissertation Proposal, which should include a section describing the student’s plans for the SRC. The SRC may be based on a seminar paper or other work the student has completed prior to the dissertation; but the research should be augmented, and the writing revised, per these guidelines. The SRC is a part of the dissertation, and as such will be included in the dissertation defense.
The SRC may take two general forms:
1.) An article, publishable in a peer-reviewed journal or collection, on a specific topic related to an author, movement, theoretical issue, taxonomic issue, etc. that has bearing on the creative portion. The quality of this article should be high enough that the manuscript could be submitted to a peer-reviewed publication, with a plausible chance of acceptance.
2.) A survey . This survey may take several different forms:
- A survey of a particular aspect of the genre of the creative portion of the dissertation (stylistic, national, historical, etc.)
- An introduction to the creative portion of the dissertation that explores the influences on, and the theoretical or philosophical foundations or implications of the creative work
- An exploration of a particular technical problem or craft issue that is salient in the creative portion of the dissertation
- If the creative portion of the dissertation includes the results of research (e.g., historical novel, documentary poetry, research-based creative nonfiction), a descriptive overview of the research undertaken already for the dissertation itself
- A combination of the above, with the prior approval of the student’s dissertation director.
The dissertation committee will consist of at least five members—three “core” English faculty members, a fourth faculty member (usually from English), and one faculty member from a different department who serves as the Graduate Studies representative. The committee may include (with the Graduate Director’s approval) members from other departments and, with the approval of the University’s Graduate Council, members from outside the University. If a student wants to have a committee member from outside the university, or a person who is not in a full-time tenure-track professorship at KU, the student must contact the Graduate Secretary as early as possible. Applications for special graduate faculty status must be reviewed by the College and the Office of Graduate Studies. Requests for defense approval will not be approved unless all committee members currently hold either regular or special graduate faculty status.
The candidate’s preferences as to the membership of the dissertation committee will be carefully considered; the final decision, however, rests with the Department and with the Office of Graduate Studies. All dissertation committees must get approval from the Director of Graduate Studies before scheduling the final oral exam (defense). Furthermore, any changes in the make-up of the dissertation committee from the Review of the Dissertation Proposal committee must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.
Once the dissertation proposal has passed and the writing of the dissertation begins, membership of the dissertation committee should remain constant. However, under extraordinary circumstances, a student may request a substitution in, or a faculty member may ask to be dismissed from, the membership of the dissertation committee. Such requests must be approved, in writing, by the faculty member leaving the committee and by the Graduate Director.
If a student does not make progress during the dissertation-writing stage, and accumulates more than one “Limited Progress” and/or “No Progress” grade on their transcript, they will fall out of good standing in the department. For details on the consequences of falling out of good standing, see “Falling Out of Good Standing,” in General Department Policies and Best Practices
Final Oral Exam (Dissertation Defense)
When the dissertation has been tentatively accepted by the dissertation committee (not including the Graduate Studies Representative), the final oral examination will be held, on the recommendation of the Department.
Although the dissertation committee is responsible for certification of the candidate, any member of the graduate faculty may be present at the examination and participate in the questioning, and one examiner—the Graduate Studies Representative—must be from outside the Department. The Graduate Secretary can help students locate an appropriate Grad Studies Rep. The examination normally lasts no more than two hours. It is the obligation of the candidate to advise the Graduate Director that they plan to take the oral examination; this must be done at least one month before the date proposed for the examination.
At least three calendar weeks prior to the defense date, the student will submit the final draft of the dissertation to all the committee members (including the GSR) and inform the Graduate Program Coordinator. Failure to meet this deadline will necessitate rescheduling the defense. The final oral examination for the Ph.D. in English is, essentially, a defense of the dissertation. When it is passed, the dissertation itself is graded by the dissertation director, in consultation with the student’s committee; the student’s performance in the final examination (defense) is graded by the entire five-person committee
Students cannot bring snacks, drinks, treats, or gifts for committee members to the defense. Professors should avoid the appearance of favoritism that may occur if they bring treats to some student defenses but not others
These sets of attributes are adapted from the Graduate Learner Outcomes that are a part of our Assessment portfolio. “Honors” should only be given to dissertations that are rated “Outstanding” in all or most of the following categories:
- Significant and innovative plot/structure/idea/focus. The writer clearly places plot/structure/idea/focus in context.
- Thorough knowledge of literary traditions. Clear/flexible vision of the creative work produced in relation to those literary traditions.
- Introduction/Afterword is clear, concise, and insightful. A detailed discussion of the implications of the project and future writing projects exists.
- The creative dissertation reveals the doctoral candidate’s comprehensive understanding of poetics and/or aesthetic approach. The application of the aesthetic approach is innovative and convincing.
- The creative dissertation represents original and sophisticated creative work.
- The creative dissertation demonstrates thematic and/or aesthetic unity.
After much discussion about whether the “honors” designation assigned after the dissertation defense should be for the written product only, for the defense/discussion only, for both together, weighted equally, or eradicated altogether, the department voted to accept the Graduate Committee recommendation that “honors” only apply to the written dissertation. "Honors" will be given to dissertations that are rated "Outstanding" in all or most of the categories on the dissertation rubric.
Normally, the dissertation will present the results of the writer’s own research, carried on under the direction of the dissertation committee. This means that the candidate should be in regular contact with all members of the committee during the dissertation research and writing process, providing multiple drafts of chapters, or sections of chapters, according to the arrangements made between the student and each faculty member. Though accepted primarily for its scholarly merit rather than for its rhetorical qualities, the dissertation must be stylistically competent. The Department has accepted the MLA Handbook as the authority in matters of style. The writer may wish to consult also the Chicago Manual of Style and Kate L. Turabian’s A Manual for Writers of Dissertations, Theses, and Term Papers .
Naturally, both the student and the dissertation committee have responsibilities and obligations to each other concerning the submitting and returning of materials. The student should plan on working steadily on the dissertation; if they do so, they should expect from the dissertation committee a reasonably quick reading and assessment of material submitted.
Students preparing their dissertation should be showing chapters to their committee members as they go along, for feedback and revision suggestions. They should also meet periodically with committee members to assess their progress. Prior to scheduling a defense, the student is encouraged to ask committee members whether they feel that the student is ready to defend the dissertation. Ideally, the student should hold the defense only when they have consulted with committee members sufficiently to feel confident that they have revised the dissertation successfully to meet the expectations of all committee members.
Students should expect that they will need to revise each chapter at least once. This means that all chapters (including introduction and conclusion) are shown to committee members once, revised, then shown to committee members again in revised form to assess whether further revisions are needed, prior to the submitting of the final dissertation as a whole. It is not unusual for further revisions to be required and necessary after the second draft of a chapter; students should not therefore simply assume that a second draft is necessarily “final” and passing work.
If a substantial amount of work still needs to be completed or revised at the point that the dissertation defense is scheduled, such a defense date should be regarded as tentative, pending the successful completion, revision, and receipt of feedback on all work. Several weeks prior to the defense, students should consult closely with their dissertation director and committee members about whether the dissertation as a whole is in a final and defensible stage. A project is ready for defense when it is coherent, cohesive, well researched, engages in sophisticated analysis (in its entirety or in the critical introduction of creative dissertations), and makes a significant contribution to the field. In other words, it passes each of the categories laid out in the Dissertation Rubric.
If the dissertation has not clearly reached a final stage, the student and dissertation director are advised to reschedule the defense.
Prior Publication of the Doctoral Dissertation
Portions of the material written by the doctoral candidate may appear in article form before completion of the dissertation. Prior publication does not ensure the acceptance of the dissertation by the dissertation committee. Final acceptance of the dissertation is subject to the approval of the dissertation committee. Previously published material by other authors included in the dissertation must be properly documented.
Each student beyond the master’s degree should confer regularly with the Graduate Director regarding their progress toward the doctoral examination and the doctorate.
Doctoral students may take graduate courses outside the English Department if, in their opinion and that of the Graduate Director, acting on behalf of the Graduate Committee, those courses will be of value to them. Their taking such courses will not, of course, absolve them of the responsibility for meeting all the normal departmental and Graduate School requirements.
Doctoral students in creative writing are strongly encouraged to take formal literature classes in addition to forms classes. Formal literature classes, by providing training in literary analysis, theory, and/or literary history, will help to prepare students for doctoral exams (and future teaching at the college level).
FALL SEMESTER
- GTAs take 2 courses (801 + one), teach 2 courses; GRAs take 3 courses.
- Visit assigned advisor once a month to update on progress & perceptions. 1st-year advisors can assist with selecting classes for the Spring semester, solidifying and articulating a field of specialization, advice about publishing, conferences, professionalization issues, etc.
SPRING SEMESTER
- GTAs take 2 courses (780/800/880 + one), teach 2 courses. GTAs also take ENGL 802 for 1 credit hour. GRAs take 3 courses.
- Visit assigned advisor or DGS once during the semester; discuss best advisor choices for Year 2.
SUMMER SEMESTER
- Enroll in Summer Institute if topic and/or methodology matches interests.
- Consider conferences suited to your field and schedule; choose a local one for attendance in Year 2 and draft an Abstract for a conference paper (preferably with ideas/materials/ writing drawn from a seminar paper). Even if abstract is not accepted, you can attend the conference without the pressure of presenting.
- Attend at least one conference to familiarize yourself with procedure, network with other grad students and scholars in your field, AND/OR present a paper.
FALL SEMESTER
- Take 2 courses, teach 2 courses.
- Visit advisor in person at least once during the semester.
WINTER BREAK
- Begin revising one of your seminar papers/independent study projects/creative pieces for submission to a journal; research the journals most suited to placement of your piece.
- Begin thinking about fields and texts for comprehensive examinations.
- Choose an advisor to supervise you through the doctoral examination process.
- Visit assigned 1st-year advisor in person at least once during the semester (at least to formally request doctoral exam supervision OR to notify that you are changing advisors).
- Summer teaching, if eligible.
- Continue revising paper/creative writing for submission to a journal.
- Begin reading for comprehensive exams.
- Attend one conference and present a paper. Apply for one-time funding for out-of-state travel from Graduate Studies .
- Teach 2 courses; take 997 (exam prep).
- Finalize comps list by end of September; begin drafting rationales.
- Circulate the draft of your article/creative piece to your advisor, other faculty in the field, and/or advanced grad students in the field for suggestions.
- Revise article/creative piece with feedback from readers.
- Teach 2 courses; take 997 or 999 (dissertation hours). Enroll in 999 if you plan to take your comps this semester, even if you don’t take them until the last day of classes.
- Take comps sometime between January and May.
- Summer teaching, if available.
- Submit article/creative work for publication.
- Continuous enrollment after completing doctoral exam (full policy on p. 20)
- Research deadlines for grant applications—note deadlines come early in the year.
- Attend one conference and present a paper.
- Teach 2 courses, take 999.
- Compose dissertation proposal by November.
- Schedule Review of Dissertation Proposal (RDP—formerly DPR).
- Apply for at least one grant or fellowship, such as a departmental-level GRAship or dissertation fellowship. (Winning a full-year, non-teaching fellowship can cut down your years-to-degree to 5 ½, or even 5 years.)
- Conduct research for and draft at least 1 dissertation chapter.
- Conduct research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter.
- Revise & resubmit journal article, if necessary.
- Attend 1st round of job market meetings with Job Placement Advisor (JPA) to start drafting materials and thinking about the process.
- Research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter, if teaching (1-2 chapters if not).
- Visit dissertation chair and committee members in person at least once during the semester.
- Research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter (1-2 chapters if not teaching).
- Apply for a departmental grant or fellowship, or, if already held, try applying for one from outside the department, such as those offered by KU’s Hall Center for the Humanities or the Office of Graduate Studies. For a monthly list of funding opportunities , visit the Graduate Studies website.
- Research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter.
- Attend job market meetings with JPA in earnest.
- Apply for external grants, research fellowships, postdoctoral positions with fall deadlines (previous fellowship applications, your dissertation proposal, and subsequent writing should provide a frame so that much of the application can be filled out with the “cut & paste” function).
- Research and complete a draft of at least 1 dissertation chapter (1-2 if not teaching).
- Visit dissertation chair and committee members in person at least once during the semester.
- Polish dissertation chapters.
- Apply for grants and fellowships with spring deadlines.
- Defend dissertation.
Creative Writing Faculty
- Director of Undergraduate Studies
- Associate Professor
Graduate Student Handbook
College of Arts and Sciences » Academic Units » English » Creative Writing » Graduate Program » PhD in Creative Writing
PhD in Creative Writing
Program overview.
The PhD in Creative Writing and Literature is a four-year course of study. Following two years of course work that includes workshop, forms classes, pedagogical training, literature, and theory, students take exams in two areas, one which examines texts through the lens of craft and another which examines them through the lens of literary history and theory. Recent examples of the genre area include Comic Fiction, History of the Love Lyric, and Fantasy; recent examples of the scholarly area include History of the Novel, 20th Century American Poetry, and Modern & Contemporary British Fiction. In the first two years, students take three courses per semester; the teaching load throughout the program is one class per semester. Every PhD student has the opportunity to teach creative writing, with many also teaching literature classes. Most students are funded by teaching, with two or three at a time funded by editorial work at The Cincinnati Review , and others funded in their dissertation year by college- or university-level fellowships. Fifth-year support, while not guaranteed, has generally been available to interested students in the form of student lecturerships, which carry a 2-2 load. The Creative Writing PhD at the University of Cincinnati has maintained over the last decade more than a 75% placement rate into full-time academic jobs for its doctoral graduates. Two-thirds of these positions are tenure-track.
Application Information
- Exam Areas and Committee
- Doctoral Candidacy Form
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- Sample Exam Lists and Rationales
- Dissertations
- Applying for Fifth-Year Funding
- Working for The Cincinnati Review
- Teaching Opportunities
- All Creative Writing Graduate Courses
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- University of Denver
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English and Literary Arts - Creative Writing
College: AHSS
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- Learn more about the English & Literary Arts Department
As one of the top creative writing doctoral programs in the country, we offer motivated poetry and fiction writers the chance to refine their creative work while building a portfolio of literary criticism and scholarly writing. Our workshops integrate contemporary literature with creative exploration. In addition to poetry and fiction, we offer workshops and literature courses in areas such as nonfiction, travel writing, oral literature and narratology.
Our PhD is a theoretical doctorate: an experience that builds creative thinking alongside critical reading and research. Writers go on to publish novels, poetry collections and critical literary works. They hold tenure track positions at notable universities, edit long-standing journals and are represented by major presses.
Our Program Offers:
A small community of engaged writers selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants. We accept six or seven writers per year, totaling about 20 writers in the program at a time.
Creative dissertation options that allow writers to spend time working toward a book-length manuscript of publishable quality as part of their time in the program.
Teaching opportunities in creative writing workshops and literature courses as part of the Graduate Teaching Assistant Professional Development Sequence.
Editing opportunities with the Denver Quarterly , a premier journal for American and international poetry, fiction, reviews, essays and cross-genre works.
A core group of actively publishing creative writing faculty, as well as a dedicated group of literary faculty who specialize in areas such as African American literature, [email protected]/x literature, Native American literature and Digital Humanities.
Explore contemporary and historical literatures while refining your own creative voice.
Are you ready to learn more about the Creative Writing concentration at DU?
Request Information
Degree Requirements
- Students in the Creative Writing concentration will complete 90 graduate-level quarter hours.
- 48 of these hours will be in formal classes (excluding tutorials, independent study and independent research courses).
- Non-coursework includes comprehensive exams, dissertation proposal and prospectus, a dissertation of publishable quality that makes a significant contribution to its field, and an oral defense.
See the DU Graduate Bulletin for full requirements.
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Graham Foust
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PhD in Literature & Creative Writing
PhD in Literature and Creative Writing
Building on excellence in creative writing and a record of excellence in the student's MA preparation in the broad range of English and American literature or MFA preparation in creative writing and literature, the PhD student in literature and creative writing should work toward increased sophistication as a writer/scholar. The PhD student should also continue to strengthen and deepen an understanding of three areas of expertise: his/her specific genre, including the history of the genre and contemporary theoretical approaches to the genre; a historical period, rhetoric or literary theory; and a specific individualized area of inquiry. The career of a PhD student should be marked by increasing independence in his/her creative writing and in thinking and writing about literature and/or literary theory. Working toward these objectives advances the student's competence in writing the creative dissertation. The PhD in Literature and Creative Writing constitutes solid preparation for creative publication, scholarly publication, and expert undergraduate and graduate teaching.
Minimum Requirements for Admission
- MA in English or MFA in Creative Writing
- 3.5 GPA in graduate studies
- Studies in 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
- 45 hours of coursework
- Foreign language competence. Students must demonstrate reading knowledge of two foreign languages or intensive knowledge of one foreign language.
- 2 written doctoral examinations
- 1 oral examination
- 1 dissertation prospectus and hearing
- Dissertation and hearing
Distribution of Coursework
- 3 hours of Introduction to Doctoral Studies in English
- 6 hours of bibliography, literary theory, or rhetoric
- 3 hours History of Poetry and Poetics OR History of Narrative and Narrative Theory
- 3 hours of Writers on Literature
- 9 hours of Early Literature
- 6 hours of Later Literature
- 6 hours of Elective Courses, each contributing to the student’s area of expertise. Students should select each of these courses in consultation with his/her faculty mentors.
- 12 hours of Workshops including one Master Workshop in the major genre
General Policies and Procedures
Program guidelines are available here .
- English Major
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- Progressive M.A. in Literary Editing and Publishing
- Honors Program
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About the Ph.D. Track in Creative Writing and Literature
The Ph.D. program provides dual emphasis in literature and creative writing, culminating in the dissertation, which combines critical analysis with creative originality. Doctoral candidates not only read and write texts as finished products of scholarship in researching their creative work’s literary and historical milieu, but also consider the text as writers create it, then compose texts as writers, a process that goes to the source of the study of literature and of literature itself. This integration of literature and creative writing is reflected in the structure of the dissertation, which introduces the creative work within a context of critical inquiry, bringing together the examination and embodiment of the literary act, a new model of scholarship and creative innovation. For complete information, please visit https://dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd .
Requirements for admission to study in the Ph.D. program in Creative Writing and Literature include:
- B.A. degree in any area of study
- GPA, undergraduate and graduate (if applicable)
- Creative writing sample (25 pages of prose or 10-12 pages of poetry)
- Critical writing sample (10-25 pages)
- Statement of purpose (no more than three pages)
- Three letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts of all undergraduate and graduate coursework
Application deadline: December 1 Potential applicants may contact: Janalynn Bliss, Graduate Coordinator Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature Department of English Taper Hall 431 University of Southern California University Park Campus Los Angeles, CA 90089-0354 (213) 821-0477 [email protected] https://dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd
For more information
Please see the Ph.D. in Creative Writing & Literature website.
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Doctoral concentration in creative writing, creative writing at ul.
The UL Lafayette Creative Writing Program invites you to join our close, energetic community of faculty and students.
Generalist Program
Our Ph.D. in English is unique in that it is a generalist program. That means you as a student gain broad expertise in a variety of creative writing genres: fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction. It also means that you’ll strengthen your understanding of literature, and develop solid pedagogical practice by instructing undergraduate courses in rhetoric and composition. There will also be opportunities to teach creative writing, literature, and design your own special topics courses.
The generalist program ensures graduates concentrating in Creative Writing who opt for academic positions are qualified to teach in several areas. Graduates who choose careers outside of the academy will have experience managing a classroom while teaching and designing their own courses.
Opportunities
Assistantships are available in the Ernest J. Gaines Center, the Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, and within the English Department. Graduate teaching assistantships give you the chance to teach first-year writing, sophomore literature survey courses, a creative writing workshop, and a literature course of your own design. Three-year university fellowships with lighter teaching loads are also available.
You will be able to gain professional development experience through working on the University-supported in-house print journal The Southwestern Review, and our online literary journal Rougarou. Students also read at our Thursday Night Reading Series (TNRS) , and often attend the annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference where our graduate creative writers host an annual off-site reading. Creative writers also have the opportunity to present their work at the Global Souths conference we put on each year through a creative plenary and creative panels.
In addition to our great faculty, and writer-in-residence, the UL Lafayette Creative Writing Program is enhanced by the Deep South Reading Series . Recent guests include: Maurice Carlos Ruffin, Katie Jean Shinkle, Terese Svoboda, Rodrigo Toscano, Asiya Wadud, Matthew Salesses, Vi Khi Nao, Clemonce Heard, and Wandeka Gayle.
Apply to Write with Us
In addition to the PhD in English application requirements, the department requires a creative writing portfolio. You should submit a creative writing sample of 15-20 pages as part of their application directly to the Graduate Coordinator for Incoming Students, Dr. Leah Orr at [email protected] . PDFs are preferred. Please specify the genre: Fiction, Poetry, Drama, Creative Nonfiction, or Hybrid work.
Read more info about applying.
Resources and Links
- Apply today to write with us at UL!
- Read about our current and past Writers-in-Residence.
- Have questions about our program? Contact our graduate coordinator at [email protected]
- See what jobs our students have landed.
- View our comprehensive English Graduate Student Handbook .
- Check out recent news and events for the UL Lafayette CWP.
- View Creative Writing PhD Requirements and Courses .
- Follow the UL Lafayette CWP on Facebook , Twitter , and Instagram .
The English Department’s Thursday Night Reading Series (TNRS) features weekly readings of original poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, and experimental works from UL graduate students and faculty. Watch the video to see our graduate students share their work and visit the TNRS Facebook page to learn more.
Graduate Creative Writing Programs
The newpages guide to ma, mfa, phd writing programs.
This directory of university creative writing programs includes MFA creative writing programs, and MA and PhD creative writing programs. It is still being updated, and we'd appreciate hearing from you if you know of programs not yet listed. Whenever possible, links lead directly to the home page for the creative writing program.
Featured Writing Programs
Earn your m.a. in english while serving as editor-in-chief.
Priority Application Deadline: March 1, 2023 Interested in earning a MA in creative writing and editing a journal? The University of South Alabama’s graduate creative writing program (MA) seeks applicants for an assistantship that includes a monthly stipend, full tuition remission, and health insurance. This incoming graduate student will serve as editor-in-chief of the program’s literary journal Oracle . Published annually since 2003, Oracle highlights the work of new and emerging writers in fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and hybrid work. Responsibilities include: managing day-to-day operations of the journal, working closely with faculty advisor and art director, overseeing student editorial staff, fundraising and promoting, among others. Priority application deadline is March 1, 2023. www.southalabama.edu/colleges/artsandsci/english/stokes.html
AK AL AR AZ CA CO CT DC DE FL GA HI IA ID IL IN KS KY LA MA MD ME MI MN MO MS MT NC ND NE NH NJ NM NV NY OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VA VT WA WI WV WY Canada International
- low-residency
- Young Adult
- Graphic Literature and Comics
- Playwriting
- Screenwriting
- Cross-Genre
- Translation
- Genre Fiction
- Connecticut
- International
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Washington D.C.
- West Virginia
University of Alaska Fairbanks
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, dramatic writing
Auburn University
MA in English poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction.
University of Alabama
MFA Program in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Alabama at Birmingham
MA in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of North Alabama
MA in Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, technical writing, rhetoric/composition
University of South Alabama Stokes Center for Creative Writing
Students pursuing a master's in English at the University of South Alabama interact with award-winning creative writers, literature scholars, and rhetoric specialists in one of the most beautiful and historic cities in the Gulf. Students can choose from concentrations in the areas of creative writing, professional writing and editing, and literature. Enjoy small class sizes and mentoring from a one-of-a-kind faculty in the Department of English, home to the Stokes Center for Creative Writing. Assistantships and scholarships are available.
University of Arkansas
MFA in Creative Writing & Translation fiction, poetry, literary translation
University of Arkansas at Monticello
MFA in Creative Writing (online) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Central Arkansas
Arkansas Writer’s Workshop MFA fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
Arizona State University
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Northern Arizona University
MFA in Creative Writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction
University of Arizona
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry
Antioch University Los Angeles
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults
California College of the Arts
MFA in Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
California College of the Arts Low-Res
MFA in Comics (low-res) comics, graphic novels
California Institute of Integral Studies
MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts & Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, visual art
California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, non-tracking
California State University, Chico
California state university, east bay.
MA in English fiction, poetry, playwriting
California State University, Fresno
MFA Program in Creative Writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction
California State University, Long Beach
MFA Creative Writing Program fiction, poetry
California State University, Los Angeles
MA in English fiction, poetry
California State University, Northridge
MA in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting
California State University, Sacramento
California state university, san marcos.
MA in Literature and Writing Studies fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s literature, young adult literature, screenwriting, playwriting, cross-genre, digital literature
Chapman University
MA in English/MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry
Dominican University of California
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, narrative/poetic medicine
Loyola Marymount University
MA in English fiction, poetry, nonfiction, playwriting
Mills College at Northeastern University
Opening 2023
Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
Pepperdine University
MFA in Writing for Screen & Television screenwriting
Saint Mary's College of California
MFA in Creative Writing creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry
San Diego State University
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry
San Francisco State University
MA in English, MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, translation
San Jose State University
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
Sonoma State University
University of california davis.
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre
University of California Irvine
MFA Program in Writing fiction, poetry
University of California Riverside
MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
University of California Riverside – Palm Desert Center
MFA in Creative Writing & Writing for the Performing Arts (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
University of California San Diego
MFA in Writing fiction, poetry, cross-genre
University of San Francisco
University of southern california.
PhD in Creative Writing & Literature fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Concordia University
University of alberta.
Studies in English Language and Literature fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of British Columbia - Okanagan
MFA Visual Arts & Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, visual arts, media arts, performance arts
University of British Columbia - Vancouver
MFA in Creative Writing, Optional-Residency MFA Program fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Calgary
MA, PhD with Concentration in Creative Writing poetry, fiction
University of Guelph
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, hybrid forms, writing the decolonial
University of King's College
MFA in Creative Nonfiction (low-res) creative nonfiction
University of New Brunswick
MA or PhD in Creative Writing (English) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
University of Saskatchewan
MFA in Writing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting
University of Toronto
MA in English in the Field of Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting
University of Victoria
Graduate Writing Program MFA fiction, creative nonfiction, playwriting, film, poetry
University of Windsor
Colorado state university, naropa university.
Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics MFA in Writing & Poetics ; MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, poetry
Regis University
Mile High MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, writing for young adults
University of Colorado Boulder
MFA in Creative Writing PhD in Intermedia Art, Writing, & Performance fiction, poetry
University of Denver
PhD in English—Creative Writing fiction, poetry
Western Colorado University
MA/MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, screenwriting, nature writing, publishing
Albertus Magnus College
MFA in Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Fairfield University MFA in Creative Writing (low-res)
Before you write your story, you have to find your voice. As a student in Fairfield’s MFA in Creative Writing, you can pursue fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and scriptwriting/playwriting. Within these genres you can pursue concentrations in publishing/editing, spiritual writing, or literary health and healing.
Southern Connecticut State University
Western connecticut state university.
MFA in Creative and Professional Writing (low-res) fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction, writing for children, writing for young adults, poetry, playwriting, technical writing
Yale University School of Drama
MFA in Playwriting playwriting
American University
Johns hopkins university advanced academic programs.
MA in Writing (low-res or online) fiction, nonfiction
Florida Atlantic University MFA in Creative Writing
The MFA at FAU is a three-year, fully-funded program in the heart of sunny South Florida. Students in the programs are encouraged to experiment, take risks, and explore the boundaries between genres. In addition to classes in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction, students take courses in translation, book arts, creative writing pedagogy, and more from our award-winning faculty. Other opportunities include: teaching creative writing in the community, for-credit internships, summer travel and research money, working on our two literary journals, mentoring undergraduate creative writing students, and working with a wide variety of visiting writers. GTA positions are available.
Florida International University
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting
Florida State University
Creative Writing Program :: MFA, PhD fiction, poetry, nonfiction
Saint Leo University
MA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Stetson University
MFA of the Americas (low-res) poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, cross-genre writing, art
University of Central Florida
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction
University of Florida
University of miami.
MFA in Fiction & Poetry fiction, poetry
University of South Florida
MFA in Creative Writing Program fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of West Florida
Georgia College and State University MFA in Creative Writing
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program is a fully-funded program that offers workshops with award-winning faculty in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry; students may write their thesis in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. We encourage students to work in other genres and require our students to take at least one workshop in a genre other than their thesis genre. In addition to workshops, students take creative writing seminars in Poetry & Poetics or Prose Forms, pedagogy classes on the teaching of writing, journal design, and courses on literature and special topics.
Georgia State University
MA in English, MFA in Creative Writing, PhD in English fiction, poetry
Kennesaw State University
MA in Professional Writing fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, applied writing, composition & rhetoric
Reinhardt University
Etowah Valley MFA poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, scriptwriting
Savannah College of Art and Design
MFA in Writing (res/online) creative nonfiction
University of Georgia
Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Media Writing ; PhD in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
University of Hawaii at Manoa
MA or PhD in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Iowa State University
MFA in Creative Writing and Environment poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting
The University of Iowa
Writers’ Workshop ; Nonfiction Writing Program poetry, fiction, nonfiction
The University of Iowa Theatre Arts
The Iowa Playwrights Workshop :: MFA playwriting
University of Northern Iowa
Boise state university, university of idaho.
MFA in Creative Writing
fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Bradley University
MA in English creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, fiction
Chicago State University
Columbia college chicago.
Creative Writing BA, BFA, MFA fiction, nonfiction, poetry
DePaul University MFA/MA in Creative Writing and Publishing
This unique program combines intensive, craft-focused creative writing workshops with elective courses and internships in publishing, pedagogy, literature, and language. The flexible curriculum encourages students to explore more than one genre, and our course offerings include fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting, and multi-genre workshops.
Eastern Illinois University
Illinois state university.
MA in English, PhD in English Studies fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Northwestern University School of Communication
MFA in Writing for the Screen & Stage playwriting, screenwriting
Northwestern University School of Professional Studies
MW or MFA in Creative Writing (part-time)
fiction, nonfiction, poetry, publishing and professional development, dual genre, popular fiction
Northwestern University Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences
Litowitz Creative Writing Graduate Program, MFA+MA fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Roosevelt University College of Arts and Sciences MFA in Creative Writing
Prepare for your life as a writer in Chicago’s thriving literary community through Roosevelt University’s close-knit community of writers. Our Master's in Creative Writing (MFA) program allows students the time and attention to develop their craft and challenge their artistic boundaries. Our graduates have gone on to become authors, and worked in the education, publishing, journalism, marketing, advertising, and arts administration fields.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago MFA in Writing
Southern illinois university carbondale, southern illinois university edwardsville, university of chicago.
MA Program in the Humanities fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction
University of Illinois at Chicago
MA in English, PhD in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Ball state university.
MA in Creative Writing
fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
Butler University MFA in Creative Writing
The MFA is a 36-hour studio MFA that includes ten three-credit courses and six hours of formal thesis work with an advisor. We offer programs in poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, as well as electives in screenwriting, young adult fiction, poetic form, literary editing and publishing, and teaching creative writing. We offer top-flight, full-time faculty, nationally recognized visiting faculty, and one of the finest visiting writers series in the country. We operate a MFA-run literary magazine and other publishing enterprises, and also offer teaching and service opportunities through an array of programs.
Indiana State University
MA in English fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction
Indiana University Bloomington
MFA in Fiction and Poetry fiction, poetry
Indiana University South Bend
MA in English with Creative Writing Concentration fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
Purdue University
University of notre dame, bar-ilan university (israel).
Shaindy Rudoff Graduate Track in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Bath Spa University (England)
MA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Cardiff University (Wales)
MA in Creative Writing PhD in Creative & Critical Writing fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, poetry, screenwriting
Edinburgh Napier University (Scotland)
MA in Creative Writing (full-time/part-time) genre fiction, comics, graphic novels, writing for young adults
Manchester Metropolitan University
MA/MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children & young adults, scriptwriting
National University of Ireland, Galway
MA in Writing
fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, journalism
University College Dublin (Ireland)
MA in Creative Writing, MFA in Creative Writing, PhD in Creative Writing fiction, poetry
University of Edinburgh (Scotland)
MSc in Creative Writing fiction, poetry
University of Lincoln (England)
MA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
University of St. Andrews (Scotland)
MLitt in Creative Writing, MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
Emporia State University
MA in English fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting
Kansas State University
MA in Creative Writing and Literature poetry, fiction, nonfiction
Pittsburg State University
MA in English Creative Writing Emphasis fiction, poetry
University of Kansas
Graduate Program in Creative Writing :: MFA, PhD fiction, cross-genre, poetry, playwriting
Wichita State University
Asbury university.
MFA in Screenwriting/MFA in Film & Television Production screenwriting
Bluegrass Writers Studio Eastern Kentucky University
A writer’s community without the commute. Bluegrass Writers Studio is the only low-res MFA in Creative Writing with live, online workshops. Students study fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, and cross-genre; work with award-winning faculty, agents, and editors; edit the print journal, Jelly Bucket , and attend summer residencies in Lisbon, Portugal or Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region.
Morehead State University
MA in English (online) fiction, poetry
Murray State University
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Northern Kentucky University
Spalding University Sena Jeter Naslund-Karen Mann Graduate School of Writing MFA in Writing (low-res), MA in Writing (low-res)
Spalding’s affordable, nationally distinguished low-residency MFA in Writing and MA in Writing are committed to excellence in a noncompetitive, supportive atmosphere. Students thrive as they explore across genres, examine the interrelatedness of the arts, engage with the downtown arts scene, stay in a four-star hotel, and study with prize-winning faculty while gaining editorial experience and developing a close-knit literary community and lifelong writing habits. Students choose their own independent-study pace and may opt to travel abroad. All students write prolifically and receive extensive faculty feedback. Option to matriculate from MAW to MFA, earning two master’s degrees for about the cost of one. Apply by Feb. 1 for May or July entry, Aug. 1 for November entry. Financial aid available.
University of Kentucky
University of louisville.
MA in Creative Writing poetry, fiction, playwriting, creative nonfiction
Western Kentucky University
MFA Program in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting
Louisiana State University
MFA Program in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
McNeese State University
MFA Program in Creative Writing fiction, poetry
Southeastern Louisiana University
MA in English fiction, poetry, professional writing
University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Creative Writing Program :: MA fiction, poetry, nonfiction, playwriting
University of New Orleans
Creative Writing Workshop (res) Creative Writing Workshop Online MFA fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting
Bay Path University
MFA in Creative Nonfiction (online) creative nonfiction, narrative medicine and trauma writing
Boston University
Bridgewater state university, emerson college.
MFA in Creative Writing MFA in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing (online) MA in Writing and Publishing fiction, popular fiction, nonfiction, poetry, publishing
Lasell University
Solstice MFA in Creative Writing (low-res)
fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics & graphic narratives, writing for young people
Lesley University
MFA Program in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for stage & screen, writing for young people, graphic novels & comics
University of Massachusetts - Amherst
MFA for Poets and Writers fiction, poetry
University of Massachusetts - Boston
MA in English ; MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry
Western New England University
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction
Goucher College
Johns hopkins university.
The Writing Seminars MFA in Fiction and Poetry MA in Writing (low-res or online) fiction, poetry
Morgan State University
English Program :: MA, PhD fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
Towson University
MS in Professional Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, technical writing, journalism, scientific writing
University of Baltimore
MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing Arts fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Maryland
University of maine at orono, university of southern maine.
Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Alma College MFA in Creative Writing
The Alma College MFA in Creative Writing features a strong literature-based curriculum designed to develop each student’s ability to read and think critically and to write with a high level of artistic proficiency. It’s created to have flexibility so students can explore new interests via mixed and dual genre degree options. The program also offers the opportunity for students to enter an artistic community in which they will hone their craft and participate in energetic discussions that will help them see their poems, stories, essays, and memoirs in the context of current issues and events.
Central Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University Interdisciplinary MA in Creative Writing
The MA Program in Creative Writing at EMU promotes innovation, experimentation, and collaboration across artistic fields and cultural practices. Distinguished as one of the only interdisciplinary programs for creative writing in the country, we provide a rich space for exploring the relationships between poetry and poetics, experimental prose, cultural translation, community service, pedagogy, and contemporary arts.
Northern Michigan University
MFA in Creative Writing NMU, located on the Lake Superior shore of Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula, offers a three-year MFA degree in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction, as well as a two-year MA in writing, literature, pedagogy, or theater. Teaching assistantships are available, as well as travel opportunities, field writing residencies in the beautiful Upper Peninsula wilderness, grants, and internships with Passages North .
University of Michigan
Helen Zell Writers’ Program fiction, poetry
Wayne State University
MA in English with Emphasis in Creative Writing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction
Western Michigan University
Creative Writing Program :: MFA, PhD poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting
Augsburg University
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, translation, teaching, publishing
Concordia University, St. Paul
MFA in Creative Writing (online) fiction
Hamline University
MFA in Writing (res); MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults
Minnesota State University Mankato
MFA Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction
St. Cloud State University
University of minnesota, university of st. thomas.
MA in Creative Writing & Publishing poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, young adult literature
Lindenwood University
MFA in Writing Program (online or in-class) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
Missouri State University
MA in English fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, poetry
Southeast Missouri State University
MA in Professional Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Stephens College
MFA in TV and Screenwriting (low-res) screenwriting
University of Missouri
Creative Writing Program :: MA, PhD fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Missouri - Kansas City
MFA in Creative Writing and Media Arts fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, poetry, screenwriting
University of Missouri - St. Louis
Washington university in st. louis, mississippi state university, mississippi university for women.
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, translation, writing for new media
University of Mississippi
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, screenwriting, eco-writing
University of Southern Mississippi
Center for Writers :: MA, PhD fiction, poetry
University of Montana
East carolina university.
MA in English poetry, fiction, screenwriting, playwriting, creative nonfiction
North Carolina State University
Queens university of charlotte.
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for stage & screen
University of North Carolina at Greensboro MFA Writing Program
We are one of the oldest MFA programs in the country. With an emphasis on studio time in which to study the writing of poetry or fiction, students also develop their talents through small classes in the arts. Workshops and individual conferences with faculty are the core of the curriculum.
University of North Carolina Wilmington
Warren wilson college.
MFA Program for Writers (low-res) fiction, poetry
Western Carolina University
MA in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry, professional writing
University of North Dakota
MA/PhD in English fiction, poetry
University of Nebraska, Kearney
MA in English Fiction and poetry primarily. Courses also offered in nonfiction and drama writing.
University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Creative Writing Program :: MA, PhD poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction
University of Nebraska, Omaha
MFA in Writing (low-res) fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, writing for young adults
New England College
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, dual genre
Southern New Hampshire University
Mountainview Low-Residency MFA fiction, nonfiction MFA in Creative Writing (online) genre fiction MA in English & Creative Writing (online) fiction, nonfiction
University of New Hampshire MFA in Writing Program
The MFA Program at the University of New Hampshire has a clear goal: to help you mold your gifts and passion for the art and to prepare you for the opportunities and demands that all writers will experience in a long career. What happens to you after you leave this program—how you will sustain yourself and your work—is one of our strongest concerns. This supportive community of students and faculty shares a belief that writing matters and that the best books of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction are made out of both the creative imagination and rigorous work.
Fairleigh Dickinson University
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) The MFA program at Fairleigh Dickinson University provides students the opportunity to work closely with award-winning, acclaimed faculty writers in small classes (usually 4-6 students) that provide rigorous and individualized attention. At residencies, faculty and students dine together, attend readings and lectures, and socialize. Our curriculum supports every writer’s unique creative exploration, with a highly customized reading list and a guided study of craft.
Kean University
MA in English Writing Studies fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Monmouth University
MA/MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, genre writing
Rowan University
MA in Writing creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, journalism
Rutgers University - Camden
Rutgers university - newark, william paterson university.
MFA in Creative & Professional Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Institute of American Indian Arts
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
New Mexico Highlands University
New mexico state university.
MA in English: Emphasis in Creative Writing , MFA in Creative Writing poetry, fiction
University of New Mexico
University of nevada, las vegas.
Creative Writing Program :: MFA, PhD fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Nevada, Reno
MA in English; MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry
University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children and young adults
Adelphi University
MFA in Creative Writing Program poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction
Bard College
Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, poetry
Binghamton University - SUNY
Creative Writing Program :: MA, PhD poetry, fiction, nonfiction, writing for children
Brooklyn College - CUNY
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, playwriting
City College of New York - CUNY
Columbia University School of the Arts MFA in Creative Writing
The Columbia University School of the Arts MFA Writing Program, offering concentrations in Fiction, Nonfiction, and Poetry, and a joint course of study in Literary Translation, is highly regarded for its illustrious alumni, artistic diversity and outstanding faculty of acclaimed writers and editors. The rigorous approach to literary instruction requires 60 credits over 2 or more years of study. Extracurricular programming includes the Creative Writing Lecture Series, Nonfiction Dialogues, a poetry reading series, student reading series, and events to introduce students to editors and agents. Internships, scholarships, and teaching fellowships are available.
Cornell University
Hunter college - cuny.
MFA Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Ithaca College
Image Text MFA (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, photography
Lehman College - CUNY
Long island university - brooklyn.
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, graphic literature/comics, cross-genre, translation, dual genre
Manhattanville College MFA in Creative Writing
Our unique, non-tracking curriculum allows students to work in a variety of genres, to experiment with cross-genre writing, or to focus on a single genre with gifted teachers and mentors who are also award-winning authors. Genres include fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, cross-genre, and graphic narrative. Manhattanville's campus provides a lush, quiet home and literary community to writers just 30 minutes from New York City. The program can be completed part-time, and evening and weekend courses are offered.
New York University
Creative Writing Program Low-Residency MFA Writers Workshop in Paris fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction
Pratt Institute
MFA in Writing fiction, poetry, journalism, translation, image/text
Queens College - CUNY
MFA Creative Writing and Literary Translation poetry, fiction, nonfiction, literary translation
Sarah Lawrence College
MFA in Writing fiction, speculative fiction, poetry, nonfiction
St. Francis College
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, writing for children, writing for young adults
St. Joseph's College Brooklyn
The Writer’s Foundry MFA fiction, nonfiction
Stony Brook Southampton
MFA in Creative Writing & Literature fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, writing for children
Syracuse University
The college at brockport - suny.
MA in English, Creative Writing Concentration fiction, nonfiction, poetry
The New School
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults
University at Albany - SUNY
Writing Practices: Poetics, Rhetorics, Technologies :: PhD poetry, fiction, nonfiction
University at Buffalo - SUNY
Certificate in Innovative Writing (MA) fiction, poetry
Ashland University
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, cross-genre, science fiction/fantasy
Bowling Green State University
MFA in Creative Writing poetry, fiction
John Carroll University
Miami university.
MFA in Creative Writing (res) creative nonfiction, poetry, fiction, screenwriting, multimedia & performance writing
Northeast Ohio Master of Fine Arts (NEOMFA)
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting
Ohio University
The ohio state university, university of cincinnati.
Creative Writing Program :: MA, PhD fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction
Oklahoma City University
The Red Earth MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
Oklahoma State University
MFA in Creative Writing, PhD in English with Creative Writing Concentration fiction, poetry
University of Central Oklahoma
MA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction
University of Oklahoma
Eastern oregon university.
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, cross-genre
Oregon State University
Oregon state university - cascades.
Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction
Pacific Northwest College of Art
Low-Residency MFA in Creative Writing prose, poetry, cross-genre, literary translation
Pacific University
Portland state university, university of oregon, carlow university.
Creative Writing MFA (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Cedar Crest College
Creative Writing Program :: MFA (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Chatham University
MFA in Creative Writing (res/low-res) poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, writing for children
DeSales University
MFA in Creative Writing & Publishing (low-res) fiction, poetry, nonfiction
Drexel University
MFA in Writing (low-res) fiction, screenwriting
Point Park University
MFA in Screenwriting and Playwriting (low-res) playwriting, screenwriting
Rosemont College
fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, writing for young adults
Saint Joseph's University
Writing Studies MA fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, playwriting
Seton Hill University MFA in Writing Popular Fiction (low-res)
Seton Hill’s unique online-supported residency program teaches writers to create, market, and teach the fiction that sells. It is designed for those authors who wish to write within the popular fiction genres such as romance, science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery. Seton Hill’s program features a flexible online/residency format that allows students to earn a master of fine arts degree while working full-time, one-on-one mentoring by established writers, professors who are active and successful authors, a supportive writing community that continues after graduation, and the ability to write a full-length novel while earning a degree.
Temple University
University of pittsburgh.
Writing Program :: MFA fiction, poetry
West Chester University
MA in English fiction, poetry, nonfiction
Wilkes University
MA/MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, spoken word
Wilson College
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) poetry, playwriting
Brown University
The Literary Arts MFA Program fiction, poetry, digital and cross-disciplinary
Rhode Island College
Salve regina university.
The Newport MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Rhode Island
PhD in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
Coastal Carolina University
MA in Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
College of Charleston
Converse University MFA in Creative Writing (low-res)
The MFA in Creative Writing is a two-year co-educational low residency program designed for serious, independent writers seeking advanced instruction in poetry, fiction, young adult fiction, and creative nonfiction through a non-traditional course of graduate study. The program’s emphasis on the mastery and understanding of writing skills and contemporary literature and craft, through the master-writer and apprentice mentoring relationship, offers students a stimulating and individually tailored curriculum of courses and projects.
University of South Carolina
University of south dakota.
MA/PhD in English poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, publishing
Austin Peay State University
Belmont university.
MA in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Sewanee School of Letters
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting
The University of Memphis
The university of tennessee - chattanooga, the university of tennessee - knoxville.
MFA in Creative Writing , PhD in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Vanderbilt University
MFA in Creative Writing The Vanderbilt MFA—in vibrant Nashville, TN—is a highly selective three-year, fully-funded program.
Abilene Christian University
Baylor university, our lady of the lake university.
MA-MFA in Literature, Creative Writing, and Social Justice fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
Sam Houston State University
MFA in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry
Stephen F. Austin State University
Texas state university, texas tech university.
MA/PhD in English/Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Houston
University of houston - victoria.
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry
University of North Texas
MA in Creative Writing, PhD in English fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Texas at Austin
MFA in English (New Writers’ Project) fiction, poetry MFA in Creative Writing (The Michener Center for Writers) fiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting
University of Texas at Dallas
MA/PhD in Arts and Humanities fiction, nonfiction, poetry, screenwriting
University of Texas at El Paso
MFA in Creative Writing (res/online) fiction, poetry, nonfiction, screenwriting, literary translation
University of Texas at San Antonio
Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing poetry, fiction
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, playwriting, screenwriting, translation
Brigham Young University
Creative Writing MFA poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction
University of Utah
Creative Writing Program :: MFA, PhD fiction, poetry
Utah State University
MA/MS in English, Specialization in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Weber State University
George mason university.
MFA in Creative Writing poetry, fiction, nonfiction
Hollins University
Jackson Center for Creative Writing MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Old Dominion University
Creative Writing MFA fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Randolph College
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) poetry, fiction, nonfiction
University of Virginia
MFA in Creative Writing Program fiction, poetry
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia tech, bennington college, goddard college.
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, playwriting, screenwriting, graphic novels, comics, writing for young adults
Vermont College of Fine Arts
MFA in Writing MFA in Writing for Children & Young Adults MFA in Writing & Publishing fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing for children, writing for young adults
Central Washington University
MA Professional & Creative Writing (online) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Eastern Washington University
Pacific lutheran university.
Rainier Writing Workshop :: MFA (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Seattle Pacific University
MFA in Creative Writing (low-res) fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young adult fiction
University of Washington
University of washington - bothell.
MFA in Creative Writing and Poetics fiction, nonfiction, poetry
Western Washington University
MA in English Studies, MFA in Creative Writing Program fiction, nonfiction, poetry
University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire
MA in English – Writing fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry
University of Wisconsin at Madison
University of wisconsin at milwaukee.
Creative Writing Program :: MA, PhD fiction, poetry
West Virginia University
MFA in Creative Writing fiction, nonfiction, poetry
West Virginia Wesleyan College Low-Residency MFA
Write in the heart of Appalachia. Students in Wesleyan’s two-year low-residency program join an extraordinarily warm community every summer and winter residency for ten days before launching into a semester of student-centered apprenticeship in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. Program highlights: uncommonly affordable; 1 to 4 faculty-student ratio; option of spending one residency in Ireland; secondary-genre concentration available; postgraduate teaching fellowship awarded to one alum each year; opportunity to explore place and identity in writing.
University of Wyoming
MFA in Creative Writing poetry, fiction, nonfiction, cross-genre
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A totally non-comprehensive list to Creative Writing PhD programs in North America and beyond. Have a tip? Send us an email!
Fully Funded PhD Programs in Creative Writing · University of Cincinnati, PhD in Creative Writing · Florida State University, PhD in Creative
A rigorous program that combines creative writing and literary studies, the Ph.D. in Creative Writing prepares graduates for both scholarly and creative
Every PhD student has the opportunity to teach creative writing, with many also teaching literature classes. Most students are funded by teaching, with two or
As one of the top creative writing doctoral programs in the country, we offer motivated poetry and fiction writers the chance to refine their creative work
MA in English or MFA in Creative Writing · 3.5 GPA in graduate studies · Studies in one foreign language (Student can complete this requirement while in residence
The Ph.D. program provides dual emphasis in literature and creative writing, culminating in the dissertation, which combines critical analysis with creative
Top 10 PhD Programs in Creative Writing · University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati · Georgia State University, Atlanta · University of Houston, Houston · University of
That means you as a student gain broad expertise in a variety of creative writing genres: fiction, poetry, drama, and creative non-fiction. It also means that
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program is a fully-funded program that offers workshops with award-winning faculty in fiction, creative nonfiction