university of houston mfa creative writing

College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences    > Department of English    > Creative Writing, MFA

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the college graduate admission requirements   , applicants to the MFA in Creative Writing program must meet the following minimum requirements for admission to the program and for the degree:

• The applicant should have completed 12 hours of advanced English with an average of 3.0 or better grade point average.
• The applicant should have two years of college-level study in one foreign language or otherwise demonstrate, with a passing score on the GSFLT, a reading knowledge of a foreign language.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Submission of a manuscript consisting of a maximum of 10 pages of poetry or 20-25 pages of fiction.
• A statement of intent (1,000 or fewer words): reasons for pursuing graduate study in creative writing, which writers in the applicant’s genre the applicant is reading, and comments on those writers.
• On a separate sheet of paper, list awards and publications of the applicant.
• Two official copies of transcripts from each school attended.

The GRE Advanced Subject (Code 64) score is not required for MFA applicants.

• an overall undergraduate or graduate grade point average of 3.00 or higher (on a 4‐ point scale) from an institution accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations as specified in the UH Minimum Qualifications for Admission to Masters and Doctoral Programs ( General Admission Policy   ), or
• a grade point average in the top 80% on other GPA scales and a combined IELTS score above 7 or TOEFL score above 79 or a DUOLINGO score above 105.

Consult the Creative Writing Program for additional information and more specific requirements.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 36 hours of approved graduate courses. these courses must be distributed over creative writing workshops and courses in literary studies. Specific requirements are as follows:

• 15 hours in creative writing, including 9 hours in the primary genre, 3 hours of Master Workshop, and 3 hours of Poetic Forms and Techniques for poetry students, Fiction Forms and Techniques for fiction students, or Nonfiction Forms and Techniques for nonfiction students. Students are strongly encouraged to take the course in Forms and Techniques early in the MFA program.
• 3 hours of Writers on Literature
• 12 hours in English or American literature or other literary studies (Students should divide their courses between early and later literatures. Early British literature is defined as British literature before 1800 and early American literature is defined as American literature before 1865.)
• 6 hours of elective courses (literature or other literary studies, workshop in the primary genre, workshop in a crossover genre, Writers on Literature, or coursework in another department that complements the student’s program). In addition, MFA students must complete a creative thesis for 6 credit hours.

In addition, MFA students must complete a creative thesis for 6 credit hours.

Majors and Degrees

Creative writing, mfa.

Offered both online and face-to-face, the Masters in Creative Writing is a low-residency program, nationally ranked for its convenience and affordability.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

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Required Application Materials:

• University of St. Thomas graduate application: Application can be found here .
• Bachelor’s degree with undergraduate GPA 3.0 or better, or master’s degree (applicants with lower GPA may appeal based on relevant work experience) through plans available.
• Personal Narrative: Each applicant should submit a 1,000-word personal narrative outlining the arc of their discovery of and commitment to writing and interest in the Catholic literary tradition. Along the way, feel free to tell us which writers (living and dead) have most influenced your own efforts. Please also let us know whether you plan to complete the MFA in 2 years (2 courses per semester) or 4 years (1 course per semester).   
• Creative Writing Samples: Applicants should submit either 15 pages of poetry or 20 to 25 double-spaced pages of fiction. The fiction can be either an excerpt from a longer, novel-length work or a longer short story, or several short stories. Please include your full name as a header on each page of the MS.
• Official Transcripts from all institutions of higher education attended.

University of St. Thomas Office of Graduate Admissions 3800 Montrose Blvd., Box #6 Houston, TX 77006-4626 Email: [email protected]

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program offers degrees specializing in fiction and poetry, please take a look at the degree plans for each:

Fiction Degree Plan   Poetry Degree Plan

CRTW 6312 Foundations of the Catholic Literary Tradition A close reading of foundational and seminal works that form the Catholic West: Virgil, The Aeneid ; St. Augustine, Confessions ; Dante, Divine Comedy ; Manzoni, The Betrothed.

CRTW 6303 The Art and Metaphysics of Fiction : An inquiry into the nature and aim of fiction ranging from classic to contemporary works: Aristotle’s Poetics ; Henry James’ The Art of Fiction; Flannery O’Connor’s Mystery and Manners ; William Lynch’s Christ and Apollo: The Dimensions of the Literary Imagination ; Caroline Gordon’s How to Read a Novel ; James Wood’s How Fiction Works ; Douglas Bauer’s The Stuff of Fiction: Advice on Craft, Joan Silber’s The Art of Time in Fiction, and Charles Baxter’s The Art of Subtext.

CRTW 6302 The Craft of Poetry : An introduction to the theory and practice of prosody with particular attention to stanzaic and genre forms. Students will study and compose poems in the various major forms of the English Poetic Tradition.

CRTW 6306 The Poetry of Meditation: A study of lyric poets alongside texts of philosophy and theology that deepen and complement poetic theory. Students will write imitations of the authors read as exercises in addition to completing scholarly analysis.

CRTW 6309 The European Catholic Literary Revival : Study of major European literary works which embody, in exemplary ways, what makes the Catholic imagination distinctive, expansive, beautiful, and true. Catholic literary tradition. Prospective authors include: Leon Bloy, Georges Bernanos, Paul Claudel, Francois Mauriac, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Muriel Spark, Evelyn Waugh, J.RR. Tolkien, Chesterton, and Sigird Undset.

CRTW 6310 The Catholic Imagination in Modern American Literature: A study of the major American writers of the Catholic Literary Revival and the contemporary authors who succeeded them. Prospective authors include: George Santayana, Allen Tate, Robert Lowell, Caroline Gordon, Flannery O’Connor, Thomas Merton, Walker Percy, J.F. Powers, Helen Pinkerton, John Finlay, Alice McDermott, Christopher Beha, and Dana Gioia.

CRTW 6305 The Philosophy of Art and Beauty : This course would grant students a philosophical understanding of the nature of beauty and the fine arts. Principal texts include: Plato’s Symposium and Phaedrus ; Jacques Maritain’s Art and Scholasticism, Etienne Gilson’s Arts of the Beautiful ; Pseudo-Dionysius’ Divine Names.

CRTW 6300 Graduate Poetry Workshop . Course will be devoted to the exploration of craft techniques and revision processes of poetry with student drafts as the primary texts and the workshop model of compliment and critique as the mode of education. 

CRTW 6301 Graduate Fiction Workshop . Course will be devoted to the exploration of craft techniques and revision processes of short stories and novel excerpts with student drafts as the primary texts and the workshop model of compliment and critique as the mode of education.

CRTW 6304 Non-Fiction Writing Workshop Course will be devoted to the exploration of craft techniques and revision processes of non-fiction with student drafts as the primary texts and the workshop model of compliment and critique as the mode of education. 

CRTW 6313 Advanced Fiction Seminar:  Students will learn to identify the aspects of craft at work in exemplary fiction. ELECTIVE.

CRTW 6314 Advanced Poetry Seminar:  Students will learn to identify the aspects of craft at work in exemplary poetry. ELECTIVE.

CRTW 6398/6399 Directed Thesis in Poetry or Fiction: Students will complete an individuated tutorial, working with a faculty mentor, to complete a publishable manuscript (a poetry or short story collection, novel, or other comparable work).

CRTW 6308/6307 The Residency in Poetry or Fiction: An intensive course consisting primarily of a 10-day residency, during which time students convene for morning workshops in their chosen genres (poetry or fiction); engage in an intensive afternoon seminar on an annual theme (e.g. major authors in contemporary literature; Catholic literature of eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia; the Sacramental imagination); and attend evening lectures and readings by distinguished writers and scholars complementary of the seminar theme.

James Matthew Wilson has published ten books, among them four collections of poems, including The Strangeness of the Good . His poems, essays, and reviews appear regularly in a wide range of magazines and journals. The winner of the 2017 Hiett Prize from the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, Wilson also serves as Poet-in-Residence of the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship, poetry editor of Modern Age magazine, and series editor of Colosseum Books, a new imprint that publishes the best contemporary poetry and literary criticism of serious craft and spiritual depth.

Wilson was educated at the University of Michigan (B.A.), the University of Massachusetts (M.A.), and the University of Notre Dame (M.F.A., Ph.D.), where he subsequently held a Sorin Research Fellowship.

Joshua Hren is the founder and publisher of Wiseblood Books, perhaps the most distinguished and ambitious small literary press of our day. Joshua regularly publishes essays and poems in such journals as First Things , America, Public Discourse, Commonweal, National Review, Catholic World Report, The Englewood Review of Books , University Bookman, Law & Liberty, and LOGOS . Joshua has written seven books: the short story collections This Our Exile and In the Wine Press ; a book of poems called Last Things, First Things, & Other Lost Causes ; Middle-earth and the Return of the Common Good: J.R.R. Tolkien and Political Philosophy ; How to Read ( and Write) Like a Catholic ; a novel Infinite Regress ; and the theological-aesthetical manifesto Contemplative Realism.

Hren is a graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (B.A, M.A, Ph.D.).

Dana will deliver a keynote reading for the Summer Literary Series on July 10, 2023 from 7:15pm – 8:45pm in the UST Cullen Auditorium. This event will also be available as a live stream.

Randy will deliver a keynote reading for the Summer Literary Series on July 15, 2023 from 7:15pm – 8:45pm in the UST Cullen Auditorium.

A.M. will deliver a keynote reading for the Summer Literary Series on June 13, 2024 at 7:15pm in the UST Cullen Hall Auditorium.

Catharine will deliver a keynote reading for the Summer Literary Series on July 7, 2023 from 7:15pm – 8:45pm in the UST Cullen Auditorium. This event will also be available as a live stream.

Angela will deliver a keynote lecture on “'The World Is Almost Rotten': Flannery O'Connor & the Hot Pursuit of The Real” on June 24, 2024 and a keynote reading for the Summer Literary Series on June 25, 2024.  Both events will be at 7:15pm in the UST Cullen Hall Auditorium.

Adam will deliver a keynote reading for the Summer Literary Series on June 17, 2024 at 7:15pm in the UST Cullen Hall Auditorium.

For more information about the Master of Fines Arts in Creative Writing, please contact one of the founding faculty:

James Matthew Wilson Poetry [email protected]

Joshua Michael Hren Fiction [email protected]

He has hosted two 13-part television series about Shakespeare on EWTN, and has also written and presented documentaries on EWTN on the Catholicism of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit . His verse drama, Death Comes for the War Poets , was performed off-Broadway to critical acclaim. He has participated and lectured at a wide variety of international and literary events at major colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, Africa and South America.

He is editor of the St. Austin Review ( staustinreview.org ), series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions ( ignatiuscriticaleditions.com ), senior instructor with Homeschool Connections ( homeschoolconnectionsonline.com ), and senior contributor at the Imaginative Conservative . His personal website is jpearce.co .

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MFA in Creative Writing, Editing, and Publishing

Our Program

You can write anywhere, it's true. But here in the Piney Woods of East Texas, a place of rolling hills, bluebonnets, and barbecue, you can do so much more. Because, let's be honest, the writing is only the beginning.

It's right there in our name. We're an MFA program in creative writing, editing, and publishing. A short drive from Houston and the Gulf Coast, we're home to the Texas Review Press and the Texas Review , as well as the National Book Awards Festival at Sam Houston.

A 48-hour full-residency program, we offer more than just workshops. Our students gets hands-on training through internships with the Texas Review Press and Texas Review and take courses in editing and publishing as well as courses in literature, theory, and pedagogy. We also offer a course we call "The Writer's Life," which prepares students not just for life in an MFA program but for life beyond the MFA. 

Always striving to find ways to support our students financially, we offer three $10,000 fellowships annually (each renewable for three years), as well as graduate assistantships.

So, if you're a writer who wants to do more, come write here. Come make books here. Come to Texas.  Apply>

A dedicated and accomplished faculty will guide students as developing writers, editors, and publishers.  Learn More >

Established writers from all over the country visit our campus, mentoring our students in classroom settings and present readings of their work for the campus and surrounding communities.  Learn More >

MFA Program in Creative Writing

• About the Program
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Program Director

Prof. Nick Lantz Phone: 936.294.1990 Email: [email protected]

Application Requirements

• Graduate Admissions Application [online]
• Pay  Application Fe e [online]

To complete your above application, you will need the following:

• 1. Official transcript from the baccalaureate degree granting institution;
• 2. At least twelve hours of upper-division English courses with a 3.0 GPA or better;
• 3. Contact information, including email addresses, for three academic or professional sources who have agreed to write letters of recommendation on your behalf;
• 4. Creative writing sample of either 20 double-spaced pages of prose or a collection of 8 to 10 poems (prose samples may consist of a completed work or excerpts);
• 5. A statement of purpose (between 500 and 1000 words).

Deadlines: March 15 (for full consideration including fellowships and graduate assistantships). If you wish to be considered for a graduate assistantship in the Department of English, please complete and return the GA APPLICATION (link)  by these deadlines (Note: The GRE is no longer required.)

Creative Writing Related Links

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College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences    > Department of English    > Creative Writing, MFA

Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the college graduate admission requirements   , applicants to the MFA in Creative Writing program must meet the following minimum requirements for admission to the program and for the degree:

• The applicant should have completed 12 hours of advanced English with an average of 3.0 or better grade point average.
• The applicant should have two years of college-level study in one foreign language or otherwise demonstrate, with a passing score on the GSFLT, a reading knowledge of a foreign language.
• Three letters of recommendation.
• Submission of a manuscript consisting of a maximum of 10 pages of poetry or 20-25 pages of fiction.
• A statement of intent (1,000 or fewer words): reasons for pursuing graduate study in creative writing, which writers in the applicant’s genre the applicant is reading, and comments on those writers.
• On a separate sheet of paper, list awards and publications of the applicant.
• Two official copies of transcripts from each school attended.

The GRE Advanced Subject (Code 64) score is not required for MFA applicants.

Consult the Creative Writing Program for additional information and more specific requirements.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 36 hours of approved graduate courses. these courses must be distributed over creative writing workshops and courses in literary studies. Specific requirements are as follows:

• 15 hours in creative writing, including 9 hours in the primary genre, 3 hours of Master Workshop, and 3 hours of Poetic Forms and Techniques for poetry students, Fiction Forms and Techniques for fiction students, or Nonfiction Forms and Techniques for nonfiction students. Students are strongly encouraged to take the course in Forms and Techniques early in the MFA program.
• 3 hours of Writers on Literature
• 12 hours in English or American literature or other literary studies (Students should divide their courses between early and later literatures. Early British literature is defined as British literature before 1800 and early American literature is defined as American literature before 1865.)
• 6 hours of elective courses (literature or other literary studies, workshop in the primary genre, workshop in a crossover genre, Writers on Literature, or coursework in another department that complements the student’s program). In addition, MFA students must complete a creative thesis for 6 credit hours.

In addition, MFA students must complete a creative thesis for 6 credit hours.

NEWS AND SUCCESS STORIES

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UST Announces a New Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing

“We’ll teach students how to pass through humble details into grand questions, how to poeticize dirt into stardust – how to see the unseen in the seen.” – Joshua Hren

University of St. Thomas announces its newest program, the first of its kind and one that seeks to transform the life and spirit of contemporary literature. With the founding of its Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, UST proposes nothing less than a revival of the literary arts in our day, one that will recommit them to the serious achievement of craft and scope of spiritual and intellectual depth worthy of the tradition we inherit and the reader’s attention for which we call.

Online Program Founded by Renowned Catholic Literary Writers

“We shall complement their offerings with an extensive number of distinguished visiting faculty and lecturers who are among the great writers and scholars of our time,” Wilson said.

Our visiting faculty and lecturers include such accomplished writers and scholars as Sarah Cortez, Dana Gioia, Jessica Hooten Wilson, Robert Royal, Ryan Wilson, Adam Kirsch, Kevin Hart, Abigail Rine Favale, Randy Boyagoda, Catharine Savage Brosman, Glenn Arbery, Christopher Beha, A.M. Juster, Rod Dreher, Sohrab Ahmari, Frederick Turner, Ron Hansen, and David O’Connor, with many more still to come.

Affordable Program Begins in fall 2021

The MFA in Creative Writing begins fall 2021, can be completed in as little as two years, and is currently the most affordable such program in the country. To apply go to www.stthomedu/mfa .

Taking Virgil, Dante and Flannery O’Connor for Guides

There are more than 200 MFA programs in the United States. The MFA at the University of St. Thomas is the only one committed expressly to a renewal of the craft of literature within the cosmic scope, long memory and expansive vision of the Catholic literary and intellectual tradition. With Virgil, Dante and Flannery O’Connor as guides, we aim to enter into that tradition and to shape its future.

“Too often, devotion to art and commitment to the faith is kept separate, compartmentalized. This severance has immense consequences for both culture and religion; it forestalls the fullest expression of the mysteries and meanings that riddle our lives, reducing our apprehension of reality to the shallowness of the secular,” Wilson said.

Program Open to Every Faith & Background, Those Who Care About the Power & Beauty of Literature

The Catholic literary tradition is rooted in the heart of the Church but genuinely universal in its achievement and its appeal. It is literature that serves and speaks to everyone and serves as a leaven for culture and society as a whole. In that very spirit, our program welcomes applications from anyone and everyone, of every faith and background.

Wilson said, “We welcome students who wish to master the craft of writing; to apprentice themselves to the art; and to restore to contemporary literature those spiritual and intellectual dimensions that have made the art valuable in every age, and which give it the power to change the lives of readers—all such people will find a home, a refuge, a symposium and a training ground in our company."

To learn more about the program or apply, go to www.stthom.edu/MFACreativeWriting

Background on James Matthew Wilson & Joshua Hren

James Matthew Wilson has published ten books, among them four collections of poems, including "The Strangeness of the Good." His poems, essays, and reviews appear regularly in a wide range of magazines and journals. The winner of the 2017 Hiett Prize from the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture, Wilson also serves as Poet-in-Residence of the Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship, the poetry editor of "Modern Age" magazine, and series editor of Colosseum Books, a new imprint that publishes the best contemporary poetry and literary criticism of serious craft and spiritual depth.

Joshua Hren is the founder and publisher of Wiseblood Books, perhaps the most distinguished and ambitious small literary press of our day. He has published two collections of short stories, "This Our Exile" and "In the Wine Press," as well as "Middle-earth and the Return of the Common Good: J.R.R. Tolkien and Political Philosophy." His first novel, "Infinite Regress," is forthcoming from Angelico Press, his introduction to Catholic letters, "How to Read (and Write) like a Catholic" will appear shortly from TAN Books.

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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

The M.F.A. degree features focused attention on creative writing in a specific genre combined with study of a broad and diverse range of literatures in English. This degree is not a studio degree. It offers preparation for creative publication; for expert teaching in creative writing and literature; for leadership in communication for business, education, and arts organizations; or for advanced studies in literature and creative writing on the Ph.D. level.

Minimum Requirements for Admission

• B.A. degree
• 3.0 GPA in undergraduate studies
• One foreign language (may be completed while in residence for the degree)

Application Deadline: January 15

Degree Requirements

• 3 hours of Writers on Literature (ENGL 7324)
• 15 Hours in creative writing, including 9 workshop hours in the primary genre, 3 hours of Forms and Techniques (ENGL 6320 or 6321), and 3 hours of Master Workshop (ENGL 8322 or 8323)
• 12 hours of English or American literature, divided between early and later literatures.
• 6 hours of electives
• One foreign language
• M.F.A. thesis

Application Materials

Consult the UH Graduate School  for detailed instructions on how to submit your application electronically. The English Department requires the following materials:

• Online application and application fee.
• Three letters of recommendation from people who know your creative or academic work well. Letters will be solicited by the UH Admissions Office and submitted electronically.
• Unofficial transcripts (with degrees posted) may be uploaded with your online application. If you are accepted, you will need to send official academic transcripts (sealed in the issuing envelope) from every university or college you have attended. Official transcripts should be sent directly to the UH Graduate Admissions Office (University of Houston, Graduate Admissions, P.O. Box 3947, Houston, TX 77253-3947).
• Your Statement of Intent (1000 words, double-spaced). State why you wish to pursue graduate studies in creative writing; which writers in your genre you are reading and their importance to your work; and whether you have taught before and intend to pursue teaching as a career.
• An original creative writing sample (10 pages for poetry, 20-25 pages for prose). Fiction and nonfiction manuscripts should be double-spaced, on numbered, single-sided pages; poetry may be single-spaced and formatted as desired. Note: submitting more than the recommended amount is strongly discouraged and could adversely affect the evaluation process.

General Policies and Procedures

Program Guidelines are available here. Additional university policies may be found in the Graduate Catalog.

• Fine Arts Degrees
• Master of Arts in Creative Writing

Welcome aspiring writers to Houston Christian University’s Master of Arts in Creative Writing. This 30-hour workshop-based program provides focused training in fiction, poetry, and creative writing within a supportive Christian environment.

HCU’s flexible MA in Creative Writing enables students to take their writing to the next level through electives in the study of creative non-fiction writing or screenwriting, creative writing techniques and genres, and integration seminars exploring faith and the arts.

Whether a student is seeking to publish work, progress in a career, or simply grow as an artist, Houston Christian’s MA in Creative Writing provides the instruction and mentorship students need to thrive.

MA in Creative Writing Degree Highlights

• 30-hour, workshop-based MA degree in creative writing
• Fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction writing workshops
• Studies in foundational craft elements and literary genres
• Supportive Christian environment emphasizing excellence and ethics
• Small classes focused on mentorship

MA in Creative Writing Curriculum and Format

HCU’s 30-hour Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree builds upon the skillset that students have through workshops. Students establish a foundation with studies into poetic and fiction technique courses before elevating their knowledge in core writing workshops. The Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree empowers students with electives to support their areas of interest.

The curriculum covers essential elements of craft while helping students refine their individual voices through intensive writing and feedback. Small classes allow for personalized attention from published faculty.

Students work closely with an advisor to select 18 credits of core workshops and technique classes in fiction and poetry. An additional 12 credits of electives allow further specialization.

Creative Writing Degree Outcomes

The Master of Arts in Creative Writing opens doors to new opportunities in publishing, media, marketing, and education. With training in fiction, poetry, and creative writing, graduates gain versatile and transferable skills applicable across industries. Beyond growing in the craft of writing, this degree can also open doors to new opportunities in publishing, media, marketing, and education.

Publishing and Editing

With refined creative writing and communication skills, graduates are empowered to pursue work in the publishing industry as editors, copywriters, content developers, and manuscript readers. Master’s level training provides an advantage when seeking these competitive roles. Students gain experience editing and providing feedback on peers’ writing that proves invaluable for a successful publishing career

Writing and Media Careers

Expertise gained in the MA Creative Writing program equips students for careers as professional writers, journalists, scriptwriters, speechwriters, technical writers, grant writers, and freelance writing and blogging. Strong writing skills are assets in corporate communications, marketing, public relations, and nonprofit/ministry work. Media outlets also seek advanced creative writing skills.

With a master’s degree, graduates may teach writing and literature courses at the secondary or post-secondary level. Writers adept in theory and practice can inspire future voices. Many initially teach as adjuncts or lecturers while pursuing a terminal MFA or PhD degree to access tenure-track positions at colleges and universities.

Arts Administration

MA graduates may work for literary journals, libraries, museums, arts councils, and other organizations involved in promoting literary arts, planning community events, managing outreach programs, directing workshops, and processing submissions.

Continuing Education

The master’s degree cultivates lifelong learning habits that advance careers. Alumni return for doctoral programs, MFAs, post-graduate certificates, or additional master’s degrees to further specialize. The MA also provides foundational knowledge for law and PhD programs. Strong writing proficiency serves graduates in any field.

With Houston Christian University’s stellar reputation, the Master of Arts in Creative Writing degree signals advanced achievement and expertise to employers across sectors. Optional internships provide hands-on experience to further boost career prospects. Our Creative Writing alumni thrive as successful published authors, editors, journalists, educators, and more.

Master of Arts in Creative Writing Degree Plan

• Faculty and Departments
• Animation (BFA)
• Art History (minor)
• Art with All Level Teacher Certification (BS)
• Cinematic Arts (BFA)
• Cinema Production (minor)
• Creative Writing (BFA and minor)
• Digital Media (minor)
• Graphic Design (BFA)
• Music (BA and minor)
• Music Education (BME)
• Music (BM): Organ, Piano, or Vocal Performance
• Narrative Arts (BA)
• Studio Art (BA and minor)
• Studio Art (BFA and minor)
• Video Game Design (BFA)
• Master of Arts in Cinematic Arts
• Master of Fine Arts: Creative Writing (MFA)
• Master of Fine Arts: Screenwriting (MFA)
• Master of Fine Arts: Studio Art (MFA)
• Student Opportunities
• Events and Concerts
• Art Museum and Galleries

Michener Center for Writers

Mfa in writing.

The Michener Center for Writers is the only Creative Writing M.F.A. program in the world that provides full and equal funding to every writer—yet it is our extraordinary faculty and sense of community that most distinguishes us. Our program is a three-year, fully-funded residency M.F.A. with a unique multi-disciplinary focus. Writers apply and are admitted in a primary genre—fiction, poetry, playwriting or screenwriting—and study in both their primary and a secondary genre(s). There are no teaching duties, a luxury that allows our Fellows to commit themselves fully to their writing. And because only twelve writers are admitted each year, our faculty can devote ample time and energy to every writer. With unparalleled support and the deeply held belief that literary art matters now more than ever, the Michener Center offers writers 3 years of unencumbered space to make the work that only they can make.

News & Events

Announcing a new dynamic space at the michener center.

We can’t stop staring at our beautiful new building! The Dobie House garage has been transformed into a gorgeous, spacious, and ADA-accessible room. We recently… Read more

Event: Ross Gay Reading & Book Signing, February 29th, 6pm

We’re thrilled to welcome award-winning poet Ross Gay, who will read and sign his latest work, The Book of (More) Delights,  at the Harry Ransom… Read more

Event: Spring Faculty Reading: Jennifer Foerster & Manuel Muñoz on January 18th, 6pm

The Michener Center’s Spring 2024 Visiting Faculty members Jennifer Foerster and Manuel Muñoz will read their work at the Harry Ransom Center Prothro Theatre at… Read more

Michener Fellow Gavin Yuan Gao Wins Australia’s Prime Minister’s Award for Poetry

Michener Center Fellow Gavin Yuan Gao’s collection of poetry, At the Altar of Touch has won the Prime Minister’s Award for Poetry, one of Australia’s… Read more

Michener Fellow Lara Palmqvist Receives Humanitas Screenwriting Award

Michener Center Fellow Lara Palmqvist has been awarded the 2023 Carol Mendelsohn College Drama Award from Humanitas for her feature screenplay, The Garden. The award… Read more

MCW Alum Lauren Green Selected for Forbes 30 Under 30

Author Lauren Green (MCW ’21) has been selected for the Forbes Magazine “30 Under 30” Media Cohort for 2024. From Forbes Magazine: “Lauren Green is… Read more

Event: Reading with Carolyn Forché on November 2nd, 6pm

Poet Carolyn Forché will read her work at the Harry Ransom Center, with a reception to follow. Renowned as a “poet of witness,” Carolyn Forché… Read more

Event: Reading with Ayad Akhtar on September 26th, 6pm

Author, playwright, and President of PEN America, Ayad Akhtar, will read his latest work, followed by a book signing and reception at the Harry Ransom… Read more

The Michener Center aims to be a welcoming, inspiring, and invigorating community where writers feel safe and supported to take chances on the page. We are extremely proud that there is no hierarchy here—all students receive equal funding—and we firmly believe that our egalitarian approach fosters a higher level of work that more competitive environments suppress.

Our MFA candidates have come from places as varied as western India, South Korea, eastern Europe, and northern Idaho. Their backgrounds and experiences lend to the pages they produce, which are unique and uniquely vital. We aren’t seeking writers of any particular aesthetic, but rather we are looking for writers whose work is distinct, urgent, and arresting.

Each year, we receive hundreds of applications for twelve seats in the cohort. We accept only full-time, in-residence candidates for the three-year program. There is no low-residency or part-time option.

Applicants must meet the UT Graduate School’s minimum requirements for consideration, which include completion of a Bachelor’s Degree prior to enrollment. The Michener Center no longer requires GRE scores.

James Michener was the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of over 40 books, including Texas , Hawaii , and Tales of the South Pacific . In his final years, he and his wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, moved to Austin, TX, where they endowed the Texas Center for Writers, a three-year MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas. The first cohort of Michener Fellows graduated in 1996. After Mr. Michener’s death in 1997, the Center was renamed in his honor.

To ensure both continuity and fresh perspectives, the Michener Center faculty is built with fixed and moving parts. Writers from UT’s departments of English, Theatre and Dance, and Radio-Television-Film comprise our Resident Faculty, and each year we also welcome an exciting roster of distinguished Visiting Faculty. That our faculty members—resident and visiting—are as passionate about their teaching as they are their writing is of the utmost importance. Like our students, our faculty afford the program a wealth of varied experience, an abiding sense of shared enterprise, and deep commitment to the making of literary art. For more on our outstanding faculty in each genre, visit our Faculty page .

• Creative Writing Program
• College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
• Department of English
• Academic Programs
• Graduate Studies

Faculty & Staff

Department of English College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences 3687 Cullen Boulevard, Room 229 Houston, TX 77204-5008 713.743.3015

Instagram / Youtube

Alex Parsons

Director Office: 228 Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-2952 Email:  [email protected]

Giuseppe Taurino

Associate Director Office: 229 Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-3014 Email: [email protected]

Erin Belieu

Professor Office: 205 Roy Cullen Building Email: [email protected]

Robert Boswell

Professor Office: 234B Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-2937 Email: [email protected]

Audrey Colombe

Associate Professor Office: 229D Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-5885 Email: [email protected]

Chitra Divakaruni

Professor Office: 224C Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-2969 Email: [email protected]

Professor Office: 222C Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-2961 Email: [email protected]

Francine J. Harris

Associate Professor Phone: (713) 743-0360 Email: [email protected]

Antonya Nelson

Professor Office: 234B Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-2937 Email: [email protected]

Kevin Prufer

Professor Office: 207 Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-3907 Email: [email protected]

Martha Serpas

Professor Office: 222B Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-2942 Email: [email protected]

Roberto Tejada

Professor Office: 231A Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-5847 Email: [email protected]

Peter Turchi

Professor Office: 223B Roy Cullen Building Phone: (713) 743-4249 Email: [email protected]