The Literary Arts graduate program offers tracks in fiction, poetry and digital/cross-disciplinary.
Students take eight courses, half in writing and half in elective studies, over a two–year period to ensure maximum time for writing. In general, students take workshops with two and sometimes three different faculty writers in their respective genres.
(Note: The MFA in Playwriting is offered by Theatre and Performance Studies.)
Students often select electives such as workshops that focus on literary translation or on special topics (e.g., narrative strategies), but may also take studio and performing arts courses, and classes from all academic fields. A creative thesis is submitted in the final semester. The program numbers approximately twenty-five students in any given academic year.
Additional Resources
Performance-focused seminar room/laboratory; literary arts seminar room; Clerestory magazine; Writers on Writing reading series; writers in residence program; Geri Braman Hill Lecture; C.D. Wright Lecture, Hawkes, Honig and Waldrop Prizes in Literary Arts; John Hay Library's Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays.
Application Information
Application Requirements
GRE Subject:
Not required
GRE General:
Not required
Writing Sample:
Required (must be in one genre). The writing sample is the most important part of the application.
Dates/Deadlines
Application Deadline
Tuition and Funding
The Graduate School provides a Financial Aid package in the first year of study covering tuition, health fee and health insurance and a full fellowship stipend. In year two, those students who are in good standing and are appropriate for the classroom are offered a two-semester teaching assistantship, which covers tuition, health fee and health insurance, and provides a stipend.
Completion Requirements
Three courses in creative writing workshops, four graduate–level electives, and a thesis.
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