Creative Writing, M.F.A.
Join an outstanding cohort of students working with diverse, award-winning faculty in the literary center of the South.
About the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
The Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts offers the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Advanced poets and fiction writers have three years of fully-funded support and community in Oxford, Mississippi, the South's greatest literary town. We accept four poets and four fiction writers each year, boasting a 3:1 professor-student ratio. Admitted students work closely with our distinguished faculty in intimate and intensive workshops, literature, form, and craft courses, and a thesis year that culminates with a finished, polished manuscript.
Every student accepted into our program is fully-funded, with tuition remission, a stipend, and health insurance for all three years. Plus, there are a variety of additional funding and scholarship opportunities available. Graduates from our program have been published widely in journals and magazines, and their books have received critical acclaim and even been optioned for television.
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Program Information
Degree
M.F.A. in Creative Writing
Emphases
N/A
Required Credit Hours
42
Program Type
Master's Program
Program Location
School
Duration
3 years
We’re Here to Help!
If you have any questions about the M.F.A. in Creative Writing, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Melissa Allee Ginsburg
Director of Graduate Creative Writing Programs and Associate Professor of English and Creative Writing
M.F.A. in Creative Writing Program Details
Learn about the application process, academic requirements, and financial support available to you.
Stage One, October 1-December 15:
There is no fee for the first stage of the MFA application. At this stage, we are evaluating applicants based solely on the merits of the writing.
If your application progresses to Stage 2 in February, we will ask you to officially apply to the UM Graduate School.
To learn about the details, visit the MFA in Creative Writing webpage in the Department of English.
See more about the application process for the Graduate School.
Students in the M.F.A. in Creative Writing complete 42 credit hours, including:
- Eng 600: Intro to Graduate Study
- One of the following
- Eng 679: Form, Craft and Influence - Poetry
- Eng 683: Form, Craft and Influence - Fiction
- 9 credit hours in 700-level literature courses (3 credit hours of literature before 1800 and 3 after)
- Eng electives to bring total to 36 credit hours, with at least 12 credit hours in creative writing workshops
Students may take up to 6 credit hours in related disciplines and/or directed readings. Writing instructors are required to take Eng 617: Teaching College English.
Students pass a written exam and create an M.F.A. thesis, which is a book-length manuscript of either poetry or prose. An oral defense before the committee is the final stage before the student is recommended for the degree.
The Department of English offers incoming students Teaching Assistantships. Students with a graduate assistantship funded by the Department of English receive
- a scholarship that covers some or all of the tuition and non-residency fee, if applicable, for regular semesters and
- subsidized health insurance.
To learn about Grisham Fellows, teaching fellowships, and other types of support from the department, visit the MFA in Creative Writing page on the Department of English website.
The Graduate School's financial aid webpage also lists a variety of funding possibilities.
Department of English
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Next Steps
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