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University of Texas at Austin / The New Writers Project

Texas, united states.

The New Writers Project is a Creative Writing Program at The University of Texas at Austin that offers a three-year Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry and fiction. Our program is complemented by a nationally-renowned department of literature, the UT's Department of English, and one of the world's largest archives for twentieth-century literature, the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center.

All of our students receive full funding for their studies through teaching assistantships, fellowships, and grants. These funding opportunities serve to supplement the academic and scholarly training that students receive in graduate courses. During their five semesters of teaching assistantships, M.F.A. candidates receive experience teaching both literature and creative writing at the college level.

Contact Information

204 W. 21st Street Stop B5000, CAL 226 Austin Texas, United States 78712 Email: [email protected] https://liberalarts.utexas.edu/nwp/

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing +

Graduate program director.

The New Writers Project is a Creative Writing Program at The University of Texas at Austin that offers a two-year Master of Fine Arts degree in poetry and fiction. Our program is complemented by a nationally-renowned department of literature, the UT English Department, and one of the world's largest archives for twentieth-century literature, the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center.

All of our students receive full funding for their studies through teaching assistantships, fellowships, and grants. These funding opportunities serve to supplement the academic and scholarly training that students receive in graduate courses. During their three semesters of teaching assistantships, M.F.A. candidates receive experience teaching both literature and creative writing at the college level.

Oscar Cásares

Author of Brownsville (stories), Amigoland (novel), and Where We Come From (novel).

https://www.oscarcasares.com/

Peter LaSalle

Author of four short story collections and Strange Sunlight

http://www.utexas.edu/cola/depts/english/faculty/tbw59

Elizabeth McCracken

Author of Here's Your Hat What's Your Hurry, The Giant's House, Niagara Falls All Over Again, Thunderstruck & Other Stories

elizabethmccracken.com

Deb Olin Unferth

Author of Minor Robberies (stories), Vacation (novel), and Revolution: The Year I Fell in Love and Went to Join the War (memoir), Wait Till You See Me Dance (stories), I, Parrot (graphic novel), and Barn 8 (novel).

Lisa Olstein

Author of Radio Crackling, Radio Gone; Lost Alphabet; Little Stranger, Late Empire, Pain Studies, Climate, and Dream Apartment.

https://www.lisaolstein.com/

Roger Reeves

Author of King Me, Best Barbarian, and Dark Days

Edward Carey

Author of nine illustrated books for adults and children, including Little, The Iremonger Trilogy, and Edith Holler.

edwardcareyauthor.com

Jennifer Chang

Author of The History of Anonymity and Some Say the Lark.

John Pipkin

Author of Woods Burner and The Blind Astronomer's Daughter.

https://www.johnpipkin.com/

Publications & Presses +

Bat City Review

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The 10 Best Creative Writing MFA Programs in the US

The talent is there. 

But the next generation of great American writers needs a collegial place to hone their craft. 

They need a place to explore the writer’s role in a wider community. 

They really need guidance about how and when to publish. 

All these things can be found in a solid Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree program. This degree offers access to mentors, to colleagues, and to a future in the writing world. 

A good MFA program gives new writers a precious few years to focus completely on their work, an ideal space away from the noise and pressure of the fast-paced modern world. 

We’ve found ten of the best ones, all of which provide the support, the creative stimulation, and the tranquility necessary to foster a mature writer.

We looked at graduate departments from all regions, public and private, all sizes, searching for the ten most inspiring Creative Writing MFA programs. 

Each of these ten institutions has assembled stellar faculties, developed student-focused paths of study, and provide robust support for writers accepted into their degree programs. 

To be considered for inclusion in this list, these MFA programs all must be fully-funded degrees, as recognized by Read The Workshop .

Creative Writing education has broadened and expanded over recent years, and no single method or plan fits for all students. 

Today, MFA programs across the country give budding short story writers and poets a variety of options for study. For future novelists, screenwriters – even viral bloggers – the search for the perfect setting for their next phase of development starts with these outstanding institutions, all of which have developed thoughtful and particular approaches to study.

So where will the next Salinger scribble his stories on the steps of the student center, or the next Angelou reading her poems in the local bookstore’s student-run poetry night? At one of these ten programs.

Here are 10 of the best creative writing MFA programs in the US.

University of Oregon (Eugene, OR)

Starting off the list is one of the oldest and most venerated Creative Writing programs in the country, the MFA at the University of Oregon. 

Longtime mentor, teacher, and award-winning poet Garrett Hongo directs the program, modeling its studio-based approach to one-on-one instruction in the English college system. 

Oregon’s MFA embraces its reputation for rigor. Besides attending workshops and tutorials, students take classes in more formal poetics and literature.  

A classic college town, Eugene provides an ideal backdrop for the writers’ community within Oregon’s MFA students and faculty.  

Tsunami Books , a local bookseller with national caché, hosts student-run readings featuring writers from the program. 

Graduates garner an impressive range of critical acclaim; Yale Younger Poet winner Brigit Pegeen Kelly, Cave Canem Prize winner and Guggenheim fellow Major Jackson, and PEN-Hemingway Award winner Chang-Rae Lee are noteworthy alumni. 

With its appealing setting and impressive reputation, Oregon’s MFA program attracts top writers as visiting faculty, including recent guests Elizabeth McCracken, David Mura, and Li-young Lee.

The individual approach defines the Oregon MFA experience; a key feature of the program’s first year is the customized reading list each MFA student creates with their faculty guide. 

Weekly meetings focus not only on the student’s writing, but also on the extended discovery of voice through directed reading. 

Accepting only ten new students a year—five in poetry and five in fiction— the University of Oregon’s MFA ensures a close-knit community with plenty of individual coaching and guidance.

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY)

Cornell University’s MFA program takes the long view on life as a writer, incorporating practical editorial training and teaching experience into its two-year program.

Incoming MFA students choose their own faculty committee of at least two faculty members, providing consistent advice as they move through a mixture of workshop and literature classes. 

Students in the program’s first year benefit from editorial training as readers and editors for Epoch , the program’s prestigious literary journal.

Teaching experience grounds the Cornell program. MFA students design and teach writing-centered undergraduate seminars on a variety of topics, and they remain in Ithaca during the summer to teach in programs for undergraduates. 

Cornell even allows MFA graduates to stay on as lecturers at Cornell for a period of time while they are on the job search. Cornell also offers a joint MFA/Ph.D. program through the Creative Writing and English departments.

Endowments fund several acclaimed reading series, drawing internationally known authors to campus for workshops and work sessions with MFA students. 

Recent visiting readers include Salman Rushdie, Sandra Cisneros, Billy Collins, Margaret Atwood, Ada Limón, and others. 

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ)

Arizona State’s MFA in Creative Writing spans three years, giving students ample time to practice their craft, develop a voice, and begin to find a place in the post-graduation literary world. 

Coursework balances writing and literature classes equally, with courses in craft and one-on-one mentoring alongside courses in literature, theory, or even electives in topics like fine press printing, bookmaking, or publishing. 

While students follow a path in either poetry or fiction, they are encouraged to take courses across the genres.

Teaching is also a focus in Arizona State’s MFA program, with funding coming from teaching assistantships in the school’s English department. Other exciting teaching opportunities include teaching abroad in locations around the world, funded through grants and internships.

The Virginia C. Piper Center for Creative Writing, affiliated with the program, offers Arizona State MFA students professional development in formal and informal ways. 

The Distinguished Writers Series and Desert Nights, Rising Stars Conference bring world-class writers to campus, allowing students to interact with some of the greatest in the profession. Acclaimed writer and poet Alberto Ríos directs the Piper Center.

Arizona State transitions students to the world after graduation through internships with publishers like Four Way Books. 

Its commitment to the student experience and its history of producing acclaimed writers—recent examples include Tayari Jones (Oprah’s Book Club, 2018; Women’s Prize for Fiction, 2019), Venita Blackburn ( Prairie Schooner Book Prize, 2018), and Hugh Martin ( Iowa Review Jeff Sharlet Award for Veterans)—make Arizona State University’s MFA a consistent leader among degree programs.

University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)

The University of Texas at Austin’s MFA program, the Michener Center for Writers, maintains one of the most vibrant, exciting, active literary faculties of any MFA program.

Denis Johnson D.A. Powell, Geoff Dyer, Natasha Trethewey, Margot Livesey, Ben Fountain: the list of recent guest faculty boasts some of the biggest names in current literature.

This three-year program fully funds candidates without teaching fellowships or assistantships; the goal is for students to focus entirely on their writing. 

More genre tracks at the Michener Center mean students can choose two focus areas, a primary and secondary, from Fiction, Poetry, Screenwriting, and Playwriting.

The Michener Center for Writers plays a prominent role in contemporary writing of all kinds. 

The hip, student-edited Bat City Review accepts work of all genres, visual art, cross genres, collaborative, and experimental pieces.  

Recent events for illustrious alumni include New Yorker publications, an Oprah Book Club selection, a screenwriting prize, and a 2021 Pulitzer (for visiting faculty member Mitchell Jackson). 

In this program, students are right in the middle of all the action of contemporary American literature.

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO)

The MFA in Creative Writing at Washington University in St. Louis is a program on the move: applicants have almost doubled here in the last five years. 

Maybe this sudden growth of interest comes from recent rising star alumni on the literary scene, like Paul Tran, Miranda Popkey, and National Book Award winner Justin Phillip Reed.

Or maybe it’s the high profile Washington University’s MFA program commands, with its rotating faculty post through the Hurst Visiting Professor program and its active distinguished reader series. 

Superstar figures like Alison Bechdel and George Saunders have recently held visiting professorships, maintaining an energetic atmosphere program-wide.

Washington University’s MFA program sustains a reputation for the quality of the mentorship experience. 

With only five new students in each genre annually, MFA candidates form close cohorts among their peers and enjoy attentive support and mentorship from an engaged and vigorous faculty. 

Three genre tracks are available to students: fiction, poetry, and the increasingly relevant and popular creative nonfiction.

Another attractive feature of this program: first-year students are fully funded, but not expected to take on a teaching role until their second year. 

A generous stipend, coupled with St. Louis’s low cost of living, gives MFA candidates at Washington University the space to develop in a low-stress but stimulating creative environment.

Indiana University (Bloomington, IN)

It’s one of the first and biggest choices students face when choosing an MFA program: two-year or three-year? 

Indiana University makes a compelling case for its three-year program, in which the third year of support allows students an extended period of time to focus on the thesis, usually a novel or book-length collection.

One of the older programs on the list, Indiana’s MFA dates back to 1948. 

Its past instructors and alumni read like the index to an American Literature textbook. 

How many places can you take classes in the same place Robert Frost once taught, not to mention the program that granted its first creative writing Master’s degree to David Wagoner? Even today, the program’s integrity and reputation draw faculty like Ross Gay and Kevin Young.

Indiana’s Creative Writing program houses two more literary institutions, the Indiana Review, and the Indiana University Writers’ Conference. 

Students make up the editorial staff of this lauded literary magazine, in some cases for course credit or a stipend. An MFA candidate serves each year as assistant director of the much-celebrated and highly attended conference . 

These two facets of Indiana’s program give graduate students access to visiting writers, professional experience, and a taste of the writing life beyond academia.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Ann Arbor, MI)

The University of Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program cultivates its students with a combination of workshop-driven course work and vigorous programming on and off-campus. Inventive new voices in fiction and poetry consistently emerge from this two-year program.

The campus hosts multiple readings, events, and contests, anchored by the Zell Visiting Writers Series. The Hopgood Awards offer annual prize money to Michigan creative writing students . 

The department cultivates relationships with organizations and events around Detroit, so whether it’s introducing writers at Literati bookstore or organizing writing retreats in conjunction with local arts organizations, MFA candidates find opportunities to cultivate a community role and public persona as a writer.

What happens after graduation tells the big story of this program. Michigan produces heavy hitters in the literary world, like Celeste Ng, Jesmyn Ward, Elizabeth Kostova, Nate Marshall, Paisley Rekdal, and Laura Kasischke. 

Their alumni place their works with venerable houses like Penguin and Harper Collins, longtime literary favorites Graywolf and Copper Canyon, and the new vanguard like McSweeney’s, Fence, and Ugly Duckling Presse.

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN)

Structure combined with personal attention and mentorship characterizes the University of Minnesota’s Creative Writing MFA, starting with its unique program requirements. 

In addition to course work and a final thesis, Minnesota’s MFA candidates assemble a book list of personally significant works on literary craft, compose a long-form essay on their writing process, and defend their thesis works with reading in front of an audience.

Literary journal Great River Review and events like the First Book reading series and Mill City Reading series do their part to expand the student experience beyond the focus on the internal. 

The Edelstein-Keller Visiting Writer Series draws exceptional, culturally relevant writers like Chuck Klosterman and Claudia Rankine for readings and student conversations. 

Writer and retired University of Minnesota instructor Charles Baxter established the program’s Hunger Relief benefit , aiding Minnesota’s Second Harvest Heartland organization. 

Emblematic of the program’s vision of the writer in service to humanity, this annual contest and reading bring together distinguished writers, students, faculty, and community members in favor of a greater goal.

Brown University (Providence, RI)

One of the top institutions on any list, Brown University features an elegantly-constructed Literary Arts Program, with students choosing one workshop and one elective per semester. 

The electives can be taken from any department at Brown; especially popular choices include Studio Art and other coursework through the affiliated Rhode Island School of Design. The final semester consists of thesis construction under the supervision of the candidate’s faculty advisor.

Brown is the only MFA program to feature, in addition to poetry and fiction tracks, the Digital/Cross Disciplinary track . 

This track attracts multidisciplinary writers who need the support offered by Brown’s collaboration among music, visual art, computer science, theater and performance studies, and other departments. 

The interaction with the Rhode Island School of Design also allows those artists interested in new forms of media to explore and develop their practice, inventing new forms of art and communication.

Brown’s Literary Arts Program focuses on creating an atmosphere where students can refine their artistic visions, supported by like-minded faculty who provide the time and materials necessary to innovate. 

Not only has the program produced trailblazing writers like Percival Everett and Otessa Moshfegh, but works composed by alumni incorporating dance, music, media, and theater have been performed around the world, from the stage at Kennedy Center to National Public Radio.

University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)

When most people hear “MFA in Creative Writing,” it’s the Iowa Writers’ Workshop they imagine. 

The informal name of the University of Iowa’s Program in Creative Writing, the Iowa Writers’ Workshop was the first to offer an MFA, back in 1936. 

One of the first diplomas went to renowned writer Wallace Stegner, who later founded the MFA program at Stanford.

 It’s hard to argue with seventeen Pulitzer Prize winners and six U.S. Poets Laureate. The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is the root system of the MFA tree.

The two-year program balances writing courses with coursework in other graduate departments at the university. In addition to the book-length thesis, a written exam is part of the student’s last semester.

Because the program represents the quintessential idea of a writing program, it attracts its faculty positions, reading series, events, and workshops the brightest lights of the literary world. 

The program’s flagship literary magazine, the Iowa Review , is a lofty goal for writers at all stages of their career. 

At the Writers’ Workshop, tracks include not only fiction, poetry, playwriting, and nonfiction, but also Spanish creative writing and literary translation. Their reading series in association with Prairie Lights bookstore streams online and is heard around the world.

Iowa’s program came into being in answer to the central question posed to each one of these schools: can writing be taught? 

The answer for a group of intrepid, creative souls in 1936 was, actually, “maybe not.” 

But they believed it could be cultivated; each one of these institutions proves it can be, in many ways, for those willing to commit the time and imagination.

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Admissions FAQ

General information.

The Fall 2024 application deadline is December 1st, 2023. Your ApplyTexas online application form and supporting application materials must be submitted by the deadline. There is a two-week grace period for receiving letters of recommendation.

Please note that it can take up to 3 days after submitting the ApplyTexas application to receive access to MyStatus, where you will be able to upload supporting documents. For this reason, we recommend submitting your ApplyTexas application at least a week in advance of the deadline.  

ApplyTexas will open the Fall 2024 application in August 2023. After you submit your online application form and pay your application fee, you will receive an email with your UT Austin credentials. Once you receive this email, you will be able to upload your application materials in MyStatus.

No. Due to the volume of applications we receive, we cannot confirm the receipt of nor manage your application materials. You are responsible for ensuring all applications materials are submitted by their respective deadlines. This is accomplished via your MyStatus "To-Do List."

We typically respond to applications by March 15th.

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Applying to New Writers Project and Michener Center for Writers: 

Yes. The two MFA programs’ admissions processes are completely separate. Applicants are to submit an ApplyTexas application for each program (note that you do not need to pay the admissions fee twice—see the next question). Upon logging into MyStatus, applicants should submit separate writing samples and personal statements for each program. Be sure to include the program name (NWP or MCW) in the header and file name of all supplemental materials to ensure your documents are given to the intended admissions committee.

No. When submitting your second ApplyTexas application, select the option that says, “I will pay The University of Texas at Austin directly, outside of ApplyTexas.” Once the second application has processed, the graduate school will automatically waive the application fee.

“Creative Writing” is the New Writers Project application. “Writing” is the Michener Center for Writers application.

The two MFA programs’ admissions processes are completely separate. The content of your writing sample and statement of purpose is up to you. The New Writers Project is interested in what you consider your best work, why you wish to study in our program, and/or which faculty you are most excited to work with.  

While MyStatus may show your documents on both applications, you still need to upload separate documents for each program using the Document Upload System (accessed in the right-hand menu of MyStatus). Be sure to include the program name (NWP or MCW) in the header and file name of all supplemental materials to ensure your documents are given to the intended admissions committee.

Test Scores

No, the New Writer’s Project does not require GRE scores.  

No. GIAC certifies all test scores independently of the Department of English. If you have questions about the validity of your TOEFL/IELTS, please write to [email protected] .

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Transcripts  

(Please visit the Graduate School's Graduate Admission website for more information re: transcripts. For specific questions about transcripts, please contact [email protected] ).

Only if your college or university uses the electronic SPEEDE or Parchment delivery service. Please do not mail official transcripts or paper copies of your transcripts before you are offered admission. Sending paper copies of documents will significantly delay the processing of your application.

Writing Sample

Our admissions committees are looking for nothing in particular--except writing that  is  particular. We favor no style or school or tradition; we read with open minds to find work and writers who excite us. Submit the work you most believe in and that you consider finished. We're interested in a diversity of perspectives and approaches. 

No. Please adhere to the length guidelines listed on our application guidelines .

Your writing sample can be published or unpublished work. Whether or not it has been published will not affect the admissions committee's decision.

Yes, as long as your writing sample adheres to the set length guidelines.

Statement of Purpose

No two writers are the same, and no two personal statements should be. Your statement of purpose should give us some idea of you as a person and a writer and why you're interested in pursuing an MFA. You can talk about published work that has been meaningful to you or life experiences that have had an effect on your own writing. We're not looking for formal or academic writing. Don't take general advice from the internet about "good" statements of purpose: we want to hear about you, particularly.

Please type “See Attached Statement of Purpose” in the ApplyTexas application and upload your Statement of Purpose with your other documents via MyStatus.

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants will be at a disadvantage with only two letters of recommendation.  

It is highly discouraged. Evaluators spend a great deal of time reviewing all supporting materials of your application packet. More letters of recommendation could be interpreted as a lack of confidence. It is better to choose three strong recommenders than four adequate ones.

No. Your recommenders must submit their letter of recommendation via the email invitation sent to them from the Graduate School.

You can resend the invitation email via MyStatus . Click on the "Manage your recommendation requests" link in your "To-Do List" and follow the prompts to resend the email.

Yes. You can edit your recommenders in MyStatus . Click on the "Manage your recommendation requests" link in your "To-Do List" to add a new recommender.

Course Work and Major 

We are more concerned with your GPA in English (and related) courses.

Yes—but you will be required to present evidence of your graduation before you join our program the following fall.

Application Procedures

No. All admitted students receive funding, which includes a mix of teaching assignments and fellowships.

No—but only if you have properly submitted all the materials reasonably under your control (e.g., personal statement, writing sample, etc.).  We offer a two-week grace period for receiving letters of recommendation.

The department does not provide fee waivers directly. However, students who qualify can request a fee waiver from the Office of Graduate Admissions (OGA). Please visit the Graduate School's website for more information. The information is listed under the section titled "Fee Waivers."

Enhancements

For questions about admissions, as well as general questions and queries about the program, please contact our email address at  [email protected] . 

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Degree Requirements    |   Getting Started   |   Institution and Advisor   |   FAQs  

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) offers a bilingual, fully-online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. The goal of this unique bilingual program is to prepare writers for the publishing marketplace and for teaching and editing careers, both in the United States and Latin America.

Degree Requirements

The degree plan consists of 42 credits of coursework, followed by 6 credits of thesis during which the student completes a publishable manuscript in poetry or fiction. Refer to the Online MFA Curriculum page for a listing of available courses and course descriptions. Spanish is not a requirement for admission.

Many online MFA in Creative Writing courses are open to cross-campus enrollment. Check with your program advisor prior to registering for any of cross-campus courses to ensure they apply toward your degree program, and non-UTEP students who want to take MFA courses must get permission from the MFA Advisor.

To view Online MFA in Creative Writing program courses currently open for cross-campus registration, go to the Student Portal Course Schedule and select Creative Writing-Bilingual (MFA) from the Finish@UT Program menu, or search for a specific course name/number. UTEP students should refer to the UTEP Course Schedule and register directly through your home campus.

Getting Started

Interested in applying? Be sure to review the Online MFA Application Process , Application Check List , and FAQs . If you have any questions regarding the application process after reviewing this information, please contact Coordinator of Graduate Enrollment, Sally Vasko .

Refer to the Student Support section of our website for additional information on cross-campus registration and course access.

Institution and Program Advisor

Degree Awarded: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Program Advisor:

Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny

Please send program-related questions to  [email protected] .

Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to questions such as, "Do I need to know Spanish to be admitted into the program?" and, "Who do I contact about financial aid?" on the MFA Online website .

How to Become a Writer in Texas with a BFA, MFA or Similar Creative Writing Degree

Written by Jennifer Williams

For centuries, Spanish and French explorers kept the territory’s history alive through their narrative accounts of the land and its people. They were the first writers of Texas. Since then, big names in literature have carried on the tradition of sharing the story of Texas – and the stories that simply take place here.

Today, this tradition continues as contemporary writers recount the state’s history from a new perspective and use its timeless expanse to set the scene of some of the most memorable works of fiction and nonfiction alike.

John Graves Isn’t Too Well Known Beyond State Lines, But in Texas, He’s a Legend

Graves always had a love of the land, and he feared that parts of the beautiful Brazos River would be forever altered because of the new dams. And so, he took a 3-week canoe trip down the Brazos River to enjoy it for the moment. He chronicled his trip and initially published it as a narrative piece in Holiday. Later, after adding some history and philosophy to the mix, he created Goodbye to a River: A Narrative. Its original style gained him praise, and today, the book is considered a classic. As a testament, the paddle that Graves used to navigate the Brazos River hangs as a relic at Texas State University in San Marcos.

One of Texas’ best-known writers of American history is H.W Brands. Though he was born in Oregon, he’s spent much of his life in Texas, from attending the University of Texas at Austin where he earned a Ph.D in history to teaching history at Austin Community College and Texas A&M University. He’s written more than 30 books about U.S. history and has twice been selected as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He’s biographed some of history’s biggest giants, including Andrew Jackson, Ulysses Grant, and Theodore Roosevelt. However, it was his biography of Benjamin Franklin – The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin – that made him a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 2001. Even without having won a Pulitzer, though, Brands has certainly established himself as a literary giant and praiseworthy writer of American history.

Life in Texas has always offered an abundance of book-worthy material, more than enough to support a strong literary culture in the hot-spots for aspiring writers – Austin, Dallas, and Houston. If you’re interested in becoming a writer in Texas, you’ll find that networking within your local writing community will get you off to a good start. The most important piece to establishing a writing career, though, is the formal education that will hone your talent and discipline. For most that comes by way of an English degree with a creative writing emphasis. For others, it’s a bachelor’s or master’s with a major in creative writing, or even an esteemed BFA (Bachelor of Fine Arts) or MFA (Master of Fine Arts)  degree in creative writing .

Texas’ Creative Writing Classes, Courses, and Workshops Can Prepare You for a Creative Writing Degree

By now, you’ve probably realized that becoming a writer doesn’t follow a predetermined path. There’s no step-by-step outline that offers the assurance of success. A career in writing is simply not that prescriptive. Writing is, by its nature, an expression of one’s inner self – a glimpse into the writer’s mind. It’s something that comes from deep within. Your journey as a writer begins with getting to know yourself – reflecting on your feelings, examining your perceptions, and finding your vision. After all, the piece the keeps Larry McMurtry’s name alive, Lonesome Dove, was written from the perspective of the American West as he, himself, had lived it.

Honing your skills as a writer, then, means you’ll need to find an outlet for self-expression and inquiry – an environment where you can interact, challenge yourself, and find your voice. The best way to accomplish this is to get involved with your local writing community.

Luckily, large cities like Austin, Dallas, and Houston have tons of opportunity for the amateur writer to take advantage of. If you’re interested in poetry, you’ll want to check out the Austin Poetry Society. The group holds virtual meetings and hosts a bunch of events where you can get your stuff heard, like open mic nights and roundtable discussions. You can also submit to any of their special topic contests throughout the year and contend for a chance to win the top case prize of $200.

If you’re local to the Dallas area, be sure to check out DAWG, the Dallas Area Writers Group. This group is open to writers of all levels and all genres and is a wealth of opportunity for developing some much-needed connections. DAWG hosts author speaking events, open mic nights, and critique nights where you can read your work and get feedback from your peers and published authors, too. Attending one of their published author presentations is a great way to learn more about how to get published as well as how to strengthen your chances of getting published. You can also submit a manuscript for publication to the group’s local circular, Texas Shorts, which is an anthology of short stories written by Texas authors.

The Houston Writers Guild is a hot connection for writers in the Houston area. It doesn’t matter if you’re a hobby writer or a published pro, the Houston Writers Guild is open to you. This group is committed to providing an environment for writers to network, improve writing skills, and ultimately be successful. It hosts writing workshop events, critique groups, and round table discussions. Critique groups meet virtually on Tuesdays and Thursdays and in-person on Thursday evenings. Workshops are offered on Monday nights and Wednesday mornings.

It’s also important to stay in the know about the happenings in your local literary scene. Local circulars like the San Antonio Review and the Texas Review are top resources for information about local literary events and excellent opportunities to get your material published and out there for a massive audience. The San Antonio Review publishes mostly poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews but takes submissions of all kinds. The Texas Review publishes creative nonfiction, poetry, and fiction pieces twice a year and offers writing contests where you can win some serious money. Top prize is the X.J. Kennedy Poetry Prize, which not only pays our $10,000, but also gets the winner published.

Larry McMurtry, essayist, novelist, screenplay writer – and Texas native.

Writing Colleges in Texas Offering Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing Provide a Path to Becoming a Writer

In the end, a degree in creative writing is what you need to be successful as a writer . It’s the final puzzle piece that brings together what you’ve learned and lived in Texas, helping you make the most of your writing talent. Simply put, it’s what sets the professional apart from the novice. Don’t let your effort and energy be spent on a lifetime of hobby writing.

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Other Bachelor’s Degrees in Creative Writing in Texas

Austin college.

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Accreditation: SACSCOC

Degree: Bachelor – BA

Private School

• English-Creative Writing

Houston Baptist University

SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS

Degree: Bachelor – BFA

• Creative Writing

Lubbock Christian University

J.E. AND EILEEN HANCOCK COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

• English-Creative Writing emphasis

McMurry University

DIVISION OF HUMANITIES, RELIGION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

• English-Writing

Southern Methodist University

DEDMAN COLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SCIENCES

• English-Creative Writing specialization

Stephen F. Austin State University

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND APPLIED ARTS

Public School

Texas State University

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS

• English-Creative Writing concentration

Texas Wesleyan University

SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

• English-Writing concentration

University of Houston

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

University of Houston-Victoria

University of North Texas

University of Texas at Austin

University of Texas at El Paso

University of Texas at San Antonio

COLLEGE OF LIBERAL AND FINE ARTS

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Other Master’s Degrees in Creative Writing in Texas

Degree:  Master – MFA

Sam Houston State University

COLLEGE OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

• Creative Writing Editing and Publishing

Degree:  Master – MA

• English-Creative Writing track
• Creative Writing (option for PhD in English with a Creative Writing concentration)

COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS

Faculty & Staff

Our Department Chair

Prudence arceneaux, poetry, prose, forms of literature, fiction.

MFA in English & Creative Writing

Prudence Arceneaux, a native Texan, is a poet who teaches English and Creative Writing at Austin Community College, in Austin, TX. Her work has appeared in various journals, including The Academy of American Poets’ Poem- A- Day , Limestone, New Texas, Hazmat Review, Texas Observer, Whiskey Island Magazine, African Voices and Inkwell . She is the author of two chapbooks of poetry– DIRT (awarded the 2018 Jean Pedrick Prize) and LIBERTY .

Lindsey Lane

Children’s literature.

MFA in Writing for Children and YA

Lindsey Lane’s love for story and writing began when she read BLACK BEAUTY. Over and over and over. Even at a young age, she felt like that story told the truth about how love and cruelty live side by side in the human heart. It is that kind of truth-telling she aspires to write on every page, whether it is a play, an article, a book or a poem.  Lindsey graduated from Hampshire College with a B.A. in Theatre Arts-Playwriting and Vermont College of Fine Arts with an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She has written numerous plays, like the award winning The Miracle of Washing Dishes; worked as a Features journalist at the Austin Chronicle and the Austin American Statesman, interviewing death row inmates, cops, prostitutes, and wayward millionaires. Clarion Books published her picture book SNUGGLE MOUNTAIN, named Best Children’s Book by Bank Street College of Education in 2003. In 2010, PicPocket Books also published SNUGGLE MOUNTAIN as an iTunes app. In 2014 her young adult novel THE EVIDENCE OF THINGS NOT SEEN was published by Farrar Straus Giroux/MacMillan Books. She is currently an adjunct professor at Austin Community College’s Arts and Digital Media Department, and teaches workshops all over the world. She is also a volunteer in women’s prisons since 2016

Screenwriting

MFA in Screenwriting Luke Garza is a screenwriter and producer.  As a story analyst for HBO Films, Ratpac-Dune Entertainment, and Phoenix Pictures, he evaluated projects for potential development into feature films, TV movies and series, and critiqued the works of David Mamet, Elmore Leonard, Ron Bass, and J.J. Abrams. He also co-produced three independent features: the horror film Vampire Winter, the documentary Andy Paris: Bubblegum King, and the sci-fi anthology Xenophobia. His favorite film is  The Exorcist , directed by William Friedkin and written by William Peter Blatty

A. R. Rogers

Poetry, forms of literature.

MFA in Creative Writing, B.A. in English A.R. Rogers is a poet, first-generation student, and former ACC student. She’s taught freshman composition at Austin Community College and Texas State University, where she also worked as a Writing Center tutor. A.R. currently teaches with ACC’s Ascender program and Free Minds, a Clemente Course in the Humanities. In addition to teaching new academic writers, she’s taught creative writing with Logos Poetry Collective, Badgerdog Creative Writing Camps, and Upward Bound. She has an MFA in Creative Writing and a BA in English from Texas State, and an AA in Creative Writing from Austin Community College. A.R. treasures the work of Emily Dickinson, Ellen Bass, Chen Chen, and Ada Limón.  She has been published in  Juke Joint ,  Permafrost ,  North Dakota Quarterly , and was  shortlisted for the River Heron Review Poetry Prize, in 2020. 

Robert Crowl

Robert Crowl teaches composition, literary studies, and creative writing at ACC. He grew up in Oklahoma and Texas, but he currently lives in Austin with his wife and twins. He is a published writer, and his influences range from Toni Morrison to Mary Oliver, from Anthony Doerr to Alysia Nicole Harris. He’s particularly interested in literature and the humanities as agents of change and social healing.

Eli Ryder’s horror and sci-fi has appeared in numerous online, in-print, and audio publications, and his plays have appeared on stage in Los Angeles and San Francisco. He teaches full time for ACC and has appeared as a panelist and podcast guest for several venues discussing both the craft of writing and the thrill of dark fiction. He is a Roswell Award honoree and stole his M.F.A. from U.C. Riverside. He plays D&D, has the best kid ever, and is an avid lover of all things spooky.

Ysella Fulton Slavin

MFA in Creative Writing

Arun John is a published writer and has an MFA in creative writing from New York University. Since 2007, Arun has been a faculty member in the Composition and Literary Studies Department at Austin Community College. Currently, he is the chair of the Liberal Arts Gateway Program at ACC, where he supervises course redesigns and the program’s administration across various departments at the college.  Before joining ACC, Arun taught creative writing at NYU and was a writing instructor at the City University of New York System. Arun continues to reread and marvel at the writing of Etgar Keret, Han Kang, Sylvia Plath, and Albert Camus, among others.

Adeena Reitberger

Flash, forms of literature.

MFA in Fiction Adeena Reitberger received her MFA in Fiction from Western Michigan University. Her stories and essays have appeared in Black Warrior Review, Mississippi Review, Cimarron Review, Nimrod International, Third Coast, Sierra Nevada Review, Smokelong Quarterly, and other magazines, and her work has been recognized in the Best American Series. She is the coeditor and director of American Short Fiction.  A few of her favorite writers are Amy Hempel, Edward P. Jones, George Saunders, Grace Paley, Toni Morrison, Joy Williams, and Yoko Tawada.

Vivé Griffith

Poetry, fiction.

M.F.A. Poetry and Fiction, Austin Michener Fellow MA English Vivé Griffith is a poet and essayist whose work has appeared in The Sun, Oxford American, River Teeth, Hippocampus,  and elsewhere. She teaches creative writing in Free Minds, an ACC partnership that brings free college humanities classes to adults who have faced barriers to the classroom, and is Director of Outreach and Engagement for the national Clemente Course in the Humanities.  An advocate for nontraditional students in higher education, she has published op-eds in the  Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer,  and  Dallas Morning News

Katie McClendon

Katie McClendon grew up on the West Coast, adventured into the Midwest, and settledherself down right here in the South. She received an M.F.A. in Creative Writing fromPurdue University and teaches in the Humanities and English department at ACC. Herfiction has appeared in Cutbank Literary Magazine, Emerge Literary, Juked, andSmokelong Quarterly. Her poems have been published in Crab Fat Magazine, MareNostrum, and Portland Review, among others. She believes great writing will changeboth the writer and the reader, and that words have the power to make extraordinary things happen.

Joe O’Connell

Fiction, nonfiction, memoir.

MFA in Creative Writing Joe O’Connell teaches fiction and memoir at ACC. He’s an award-winning short story writer, the author of the novel-in-stories, Evacuation, and the director of the documentary films Danger God and Rondo and Bob. His favorite collection is  There’s Something I Want You to Do: Stories by Charles Baxter.

Tessa Livingstone

Tessa Livingstone is a poet and professor in Austin, TX. She enjoys engaging the transformative and macabre in her poems, which have appeared in Willow Springs, Northwest Review, Salt Hill, Juked, Five:2:One, Whiskey Island, Water~Stone Review, Heavy Feather, South Dakota Review, and Portland Review, among others. She holds an MFA from Portland State University.

MFA in Creative Writing

• Program Outline
• Alumni Books and Awards
• TXST MFA Spotlights

Upcoming Events

• Apply for Admission
• Funding Details
• Assistantships
• International Applicants
• Program and Financial Aid FAQ
• Forms and Procedures
• Financial-Support
• Permanent Faculty
• Endowed Chair
• Adjunct Thesis Faculty
• Visiting Professors —2022-2023
• The Latest Issue
• Submit to PHR
• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Family & Visitors

About the Texas State MFA

A top ranked, funded mfa program in creative writing.

MFA faculty includes Tim O’Brien, Naomi Shihab Nye, Kali Fajardo-Anstine, and 9 full-time instructors who mentor students in completing book-length theses. Our student to faculty ratio is 6:1.

Student Accomplishments

Our Creative Writing MFA students come from a competitive international pool of applicants. Alumni have published countless books, won national awards, and secured teaching positions throughout the country.

Extensive Funding

Almost 90% of interested students receive funding in the form of graduate assistantships and scholarships. The cost of living in San Marcos is relatively low, though we're in the Austin Metro area.

Visiting Writers, Editors, and Agents

Our visiting writers series is one of the most robust in the country. Writers teach a master class, enjoy dinner with students, and host a craft Q&A, in addition to several readings.

Program News and Publications

Creative Writing Certificate Program

Illustration by valerie tran, announcements, admission applications.

The deadline for applying to the Creative Writing Certificate Program was March 1.  We are no longer accepting applications at this time.  The next application window is September 1 - October 1, 2024.

Writing Contests

The deadline for submitting entries to the Spring 2024 Writing Prizes was March 1.  Winners will be announced in late-April.

Ongoing Opportunities

Check back often for more links to publishing, contest, and internship opportunities.

• Writer's League of Texas
• Texas Book Festival
• Poets and Writers Magazine
• Tab Option 4
• Tab Option 5

The Writers' League of Texas provides internship, networking, literary, and educational opportunities in Austin and around the state, as well as an annual conference featuring literary agents and editors. 

The Texas Book Festival , one of the largest in the country, takes place annually in late October / early November, but offers volunteer opportunities throughout the year.

Poets and Writers magazine lists contests, fellowships, grants, and literary journals for writers of all levels. 

This is an attempt at creating an objective ranking of graduate creative writing programs.

For further and more detailed information on how the scores are generated see the methodology page.

Lists of authors without graduate creative writing degrees or whose degree status is unknown are available. Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected] .

Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories , Best American Essays , Best American Poetry , The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology .

Michener Center for Writers

Fiction faculty.

Bret Anthony Johnston is the author of the internationally bestselling novel Remember Me Like This and the multi-award-winning collection Corpus Christi: Stories . He is the editor of Naming the World and Other Exercises for the Creative Writer , and he wrote the documentary film, Waiting for Lightning . His work appears in The Atlantic Monthly , Esquire , The Paris Review , Virginia Quarterly Review , The Best American Short Stories , and on NPR’s Selected Shorts . His many honors include a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship and the Sunday Times EFG Short Story Award, the world’s “richest and most prestigious prize for a single short story.”

Elizabeth McCracken is the author of two story collections, Here’s Your Hat What’s Your Hurry (Turtle Bay 1993) and Thunderstruck (The Dial Press 2014), winner of The Story Prize; three novels, The Giant’s House (The Dial Press 1996), a finalist for the National Book Award in 1996, Niagara Falls All Over Again (The Dial Press 2001) and Bowlaway (Ecco 2019); and a memoir, An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination. She has received grants and awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, among other places. Her work has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories, The Pushcart Prize, and The O. Henry Prize Stories, among other places. The Souvenir Museum, a short story collection, was published in 2021.

2024 MFA Thesis Exhibition

April 22, 2024

The Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies  at Pacific Northwest College of Art is thrilled to announce the 2024 MFA Thesis Exhibition!

The 2024 MFA Thesis Exhibition is a celebration marking the culmination of creative exploration, critical inquiry, and artistic innovation by the Master of Fine Arts candidates at the Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). Over the course of two+ years, these 25 exceptional artists, designers, and makers have dedicated themselves to intensive research and experimentation resulting in a diverse and compelling array of works. This exhibition stands as a testament to the interdisciplinary ethos of PNCA, where boundaries between disciplines blur, and innovation flourishes at the crossroads of diverse creative practices. We invite you to immerse yourself in the visions and voices of these talented artists, to engage with their ideas, and to witness firsthand the transformative power of art, craft, and design.

On view across three locations in downtown Portland, Oregon May 2 ~ May 19, 2024

Join us for a First Thursday Opening Reception on May 2 from 5pm - 9pm!

Free + open to the public

Expensify, 401 SW 5th Ave, Portland, OR 97204

Stelo Arts, 412 NW 8th Ave, Portland, OR 97209

Maddox, 1231 NW Hoyt St, Portland, OR 97209

Public Viewing Hours

1st Thursday May 2 from 5-9PM

May 4 & May 5 from 1-5 PM

May 11 & May 12 from 1-5 PM

May 18 from 1-5 PM

Presented by Pacific Northwest College of Art at Willamette University.

Thank you to our partners! Stelo Arts, Bank of Expensify and Pearl District Portfolio

Exhibiting Artists:

Adia Gibbs amoqiix-araceli Angie M. Wallace Ansley Gwin Austin Roch Bryce Frimming Charlie C Wilcox Daniel Sundberg Denyse Stawicki Flannery Smith Freyja C.G. Kohler James H. Kennon Jessica Joner Jessie Lawson Lauren Voigt Lucas Cantoni Jose M.E. Cobb Prativa Shee Razel Mari Rebecca Burrell Sam Orosz Sanaz Masoumi Sarah Kerfoot Todd Umhoefer Yara Bertran

The Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies at Pacific Northwest College of Art is thrilled to announce the 2024 MFA Thesis Exhibition!

October First Thursday at PNCA + North Park Blocks

The Center for Contemporary Art & Culture at Pacific Northwest College of Art is excited to invite the public to the October First Thursday Art Walk in the North Park Blocks for a series of exhibition openings, performances, live music, drop-in activities and refreshments!

2023-24 Visiting Artist Lecture Series

We are thrilled to announce PNCA’s 2023-24 Visiting Artist Lecture Series! 

PNCA’s Hallie Ford School of Graduate Studies and Center for Contemporary Art & Culture welcomes prominent artists, scholars, designers, curators, and critics from around the country and beyond, to engage with the Portland arts community.

Farewell to Lee Kelly

Oregon’s Sculptor, Lee Kelly BFA ‘59, passed away on March 28, 2022, at age 89.

PNCA offers generous scholarships to transfer students

Pacific Northwest College of Art is offering an affordable and accessible option for transfer students who want to earn a BFA degree.