Program Overview

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College of Arts & Sciences

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Creative Writing, M.F.A.

Program Overview

Georgia State University's Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Creative Writing is a terminal degree that prepares students for careers in writing, publishing, and academia. It also provides students with an excellent foundation if they choose to continue their graduate work at the doctoral level.

Concentrations

The M.F.A. program offers concentrations in fiction and poetry, offering graduate students the opportunity to work closely with award-winning faculty while living and writing in Atlanta, an international city with a vibrant literary culture.

Faculty

Our faculty includes Danielle Cadena Deulen, Beth Gylys, John Holman, Sheri Joseph, and Josh Russell. Visiting writers & editors enrich the program by giving readings and leading workshops and Q&As.

Career Opportunities

• Teaching and Editorial Assistantships and Fellowships are available.
• Our students publish—recently with Random House, Algonquin Books, St. Martin's, Alice James Books, Bloomsbury, Anhinga Press, and Louisiana State University Press.
• Our students win important prizes and fellowships, including the National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship, the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry, the Walter E. Dakin Fellowship from The Sewanee Writers' Conference, and the Georgia Author of the Year Award.
• Visiting writers & editors give readings and lead workshops and Q&As.
• Georgia State's Creative Writing Program is home to the award-winning Five Points: A Journal of Literature and Art, and the student-edited literary magazine New South.

Alumni

Alumni hold full-time positions at Texas A&M University, Spelman College, the University of Rhode Island, Norfolk State University, University of West Georgia, Augustana College, California Polytechnic University, Fort Lewis College, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and elsewhere.

Program Details

• Admissions Requirements
• Curriculum
• Tuition
• Goals & Outcomes

Admissions Requirements

• Statement of Purpose
• Creative Writing Portfolio
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Transcripts (one from each institution attended)
• GRE not required
• Official TOEFL/IELTS Scores (international applicants only)

Curriculum

All Poetry and Fiction workshops (ENGL 8020 Poetry Writing, ENGL 8030 Fiction Writing), creative writing craft courses (ENGL 8201 Contemporary Poetry, ENGL 8202 Contemporary Fiction Craft, ENGL 8203 Twentieth-Century American and British Poetry Craft I), and form and theory coursework (ENGL 8160 Form and Theory of Literary Craft) must be completed at Georgia State during the degree program.

• ENGL 8020 - Poetry Writing
• ENGL 8030 - Fiction Writing
• ENGL 8201 - Contemporary Poetry
• ENGL 8202 - Contemporary Fiction Craft
• ENGL 8203 - Twentieth-Century American and British Poetry Craft I
• ENGL 8160 - Form and Theory of Literary Craft

Funding

MFA applicants who have earned a BA or BS, but do not hold a master's, a Ph.D., or have not completed 18 or more graduate credit hours in Creative Writing, English, or a closely related field are eligible for (but not guaranteed) funding packages that include an annual stipend of $6,000.00 and a tuition waiver. All applicants are considered for funding. No separate application is required.

When funding allows, we award to incoming Ph.D. and MFA students The Paul Bowles Fiction Fellowship, the Virginia Spencer Carr Prose Fellowship, and several scholarships. There is no additional application for these fellowships and scholarships. All applicants are considered.

Application Deadlines

• Fall: February 15
• Spring: Does not Admit
• Summer: Does not Admit

Program Length

The program is designed to be completed in three years.

Location

Classes are held on the Atlanta Campus.