Writing Programs

Whether you’re looking for a creative writing program that leads to an associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree at a US or international school, and whether you want a residency or low-residency program, here you’ll find easily searchable listings of our selection of the most worthwhile programs. The listings include links to author bios and works by each program’s graduates and by current and former faculty members who are published in Narrative.


Location:
Degree:
Season (Northern):
Duration:
University of Illinois

University of Illinois

MFA, BA
URBANA, IL
The primary goal of the MFA in Creative Writing is to give literary artists time and space to work on perfecting their art. Upon completion of the program, students will have the pedagogical skills necessary to teach writing and will produce a book-length, publishable manuscript.

University of Iowa

University of Iowa

IOWA CITY, IA
Offering BA, MFA, and PhD programs, the Department of English has promoted a rich tradition of reading, writing, and critical thinking since 1861. The Department has developed a curriculum that facilitates a comprehensive exploration of people, places, and topics from all eras and cultures, linking to numerous other disciplines.
Narrative Author Faculty: Robin Hemley, Stephen Kuusisto
Narrative Author Graduates: Jane Smiley
University of Kentucky

University of Kentucky

MFA, BA
LEXINGTON, KY
The course of study for the UK MFA in Creative Writing is very flexible and interdisciplinary in scope, combining a curriculum of studio and research. We place equal emphasis on fostering the artistic process of the student, as well as his or her literary study and related creative or scholarly work.
Narrative Author Faculty: Wendell Berry, W. Andrew Ewell, Hannah Pittard
University of London

University of London

MA
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
The course is taught through small, dynamic seminars and one-to-one tuition. We offer modules in fiction writing and options in playwriting, poetry, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction. All teaching is done by regularly published and produced award-winning writers, who will help you strengthen and professionalise your identity as a writer.
Narrative Author Graduates: Alistair Daniel
University of Louisville

University of Louisville

MA, BA
LOUISVILLE, KY
We offer an MA with a concentration in Creative Writing, where students take a variety of courses, including Graduate Level Creative Writing Workshops. These students have the opportunity to participate in Master Classes with notable visiting writers. The MA features a choice between a thesis or a nonthesis option.
Narrative Author Faculty: Paul Griner
University of Manchester

University of Manchester

MA
MANCHESTER, UNITED KINGDOM
Offers aspiring fiction writers and poets a one-year apprenticeship (or two years part-time) during which time they will study literary technique through reading and discussing the work of other contemporary writers in seminars, and will have the opportunity to develop their own work via regular workshops and individual tutorials.
Narrative Author Faculty: M. J. Hyland
University of Maryland

University of Maryland

MFA, BA
COLLEGE PARK, MD
The MFA in Creative Writing provides a professional course of study for graduate students seeking to perfect their ability to compose poems, stories, and novels. While primarily affording students intensive studio or practical work within their chosen genre, the MFA in Creative Writing requires that students incorporate such work with a traditional study of literature.
Narrative Author Faculty: Susan Sonde
Narrative Author Graduates: Tyler Mills, Patrick Phillips
University of Massachusetts, Lowell

University of Massachusetts, Lowell

BA
LOWELL, MA
Students who enter the creative writing concentration learn, hands-on, about craft, genre, and audience. The sequence requires an introduction to creative writing, coursework that focuses on acquiring the various skills of different forms of writing, and a capstone that generally is a large body of work
Narrative Author Faculty: Andre Dubus III
University of Miami, Coral Gables

University of Miami, Coral Gables

MFA, BA
CORAL GABLES, FL
The University of Miami’s MFA Program offers a fully funded, two-year course of study in the writing of poetry, fiction, or cross-genre literature while providing substantial training in the teaching of creative writing and composition.
Narrative Author Faculty: Maureen Seaton
University of Michigan

University of Michigan

MFA, BA
ANN ARBOR, MI
Students spend two years taking craft classes and workshops, attending readings, and meeting individually with faculty members. At the end of their second year, our students submit their MFA theses.
University of Minnesota

University of Minnesota

MFA, MA
MINNEAPOLIS, MN
This three-year degree provides advanced graduate-level coursework in writing, language, and literature, as well as study in a related field. The third year of the program focuses on the final development of a book-length manuscript suitable for publication, the MFA essay, and the MFA thesis defense.
Narrative Author Faculty: Alex R. Jones
Narrative Author Graduates: Alex R. Jones
University of Mississippi, Oxford

University of Mississippi, Oxford

MFA
OXFORD, MS
Our program is small and supportive: Eight students are accepted with full funding each year. Students benefit from our well-endowed reading series and interactions with fresh talent.
Narrative Author Faculty: Willie Morris
University of Missouri, St. Louis

University of Missouri, St. Louis

MFA, BA
ST. LOUIS, MO
At UMSL most of our MFA classes take place in the evening. This allows students with daytime jobs and busy family lives to take courses at times convenient to their schedules. Some students complete their MFA in two or three years. Others take four or five years to earn their degree.
Narrative Author Faculty: Seido Ray Ronci
University of Montana

University of Montana

MFA, BA
MISSOULA, MT
Students take four workshops in fiction, nonfiction or poetry; one techniques course; four literature or special topics courses; and a year-long, one-on-one mentorship with a faculty member that results in a thesis manuscript.
University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska

MFA
OMAHA, NE
The University of Nebraska at Omaha’s low-residency MFA in Writing program is composed of four sixteen-week at-home semesters and five ten-day conference-style residencies.
Narrative Author Faculty: Kwame Dawes, Ted Kooser
Narrative Author Graduates: Seido Ray Ronci
University of New Mexico

University of New Mexico

MFA
ALBUQUERQUE, NM
This three-year degree combines studio-based workshops in fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction with craft seminars and coursework in literature, teaching pedagogy, and professional writing.
Narrative Author Faculty: Nick DePascal
Narrative Author Graduates: Nick DePascal, Nora Hickey