Program Overview

Creative Writing (CRWR)

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. The goal of the MFA in Creative Writing is to provide an atmosphere in which students can both hone their skills as writers and gain a theoretical and historical understanding of their craft.

Abstract

The Department of English also offers graduate study leading to the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in English Language and Literature.

Financial Assistance

Each year, the program accepts 6 applicants (3 fiction writers and 3 poets), who are fully funded by Teaching Assistantships. Our aid packages are typically 3-year agreements. As Teaching Assistants, our MFA students do no teaching during their first year, teach one class each semester in their second year, and two classes per semester in the third year. Although a great deal of this teaching is Academic Writing (English 101), we make every effort to prioritize that our MFA students have at least one chance to teach an undergraduate creative writing workshop or to serve as a teaching assistant in an undergraduate literature course.

General Requirements

• Statement of Purpose
• Transcript(s)
• TOEFL/IELTS/PTE (international graduate students)

Program-Specific Requirements

• Letters of Recommendation (3)
• CV/Resume (optional)
• Writing Sample

In addition to fulfilling Graduate School requirements, applicants to the M.F.A. degree program should present a 3.0 GPA. Admission is for the Fall semester only. All application materials must be submitted electronically.

Application Deadlines

• Domestic Applicants: December 9, 2025
• International Applicants: December 9, 2025

Resources

Resources for research in the College Park and Washington, D.C. area are unsurpassed. The university’s libraries hold over 2,000,000 volumes. In addition to the outstanding holdings of the Library of Congress, the area also offers the specialized resources of the Folger Shakespeare Library, Dumbarton Oaks, the National Archives, the Smithsonian Institution, and the National Center for the Study of the Visual Arts.

Faculty

• Arnold, Elizabeth: Professor, English Language and Literature; Professor, Creative Writing
• Bertram, Lillian-Yvonne: Director, Creative Writing
• Casey, Maud: Professor, Creative Writing
• Collier, Michael R.: Professor, English Language and Literature; Professor, Creative Writing
• Fuentes, Gabrielle: Assistant Professor, English Language and Literature
• Mitchell, Emily: Associate Professor, Creative Writing
• Plumly, Stanley: Distinguished University Professor, Creative Writing
• Weiner, Joshua: Professor, English Language and Literature; Professor, Creative Writing

Program Overview

The MFA in Creative Writing is a professional course of study that provides students with intensive studio or practical work within their chosen genre, as well as a traditional study of literature. The program aims to provide an atmosphere in which students can hone their skills as writers and gain a theoretical and historical understanding of their craft. The program is fully funded, with students receiving Teaching Assistantships and the opportunity to teach undergraduate creative writing workshops or serve as teaching assistants in undergraduate literature courses. The program is designed to be completed in three years, although it can be completed in two years. The university’s libraries and resources in the College Park and Washington, D.C. area provide students with access to a wide range of research materials and opportunities. The program is led by a faculty of accomplished writers and scholars, including professors of English Language and Literature and Creative Writing.