mfa creative writing boston

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UMass Boston

• Creative Writing MFA

Further your commitment to writing as the center of your professional life.

Intensive study and practice of fiction and poetry writing with award-winning and nationally renowned faculty at the most diverse university in new england..

UMass Boston's Creative Writing MFA offers you an intense, 3-year program and focused opportunity to further your commitment to writing as the center of your professional life. Through a combination of mentoring by accomplished faculty in a series of creative writing workshops, courses focused on the study of literature offered through the English MA Program, and electives that include the practice of literary editing, the teaching of creative writing, documentary poetics, the art of memoir, and more—you will have the guidance to develop and shape your work to the full extent of your talent.

All accepted students receive funding. Graduate assistantships offer the opportunity to work with students as teaching assistants and fellows, or in editorial positions with one of our sponsors, including 826 Boston, Hanging Loose Press, Write on the Dot, Consequence Magazine, Breakwater Review, and Arrowsmith Press.

Career Possibilities

Pursue a career as a professional writer, publishing your work in literary journals, magazines. Work as an editor and collaborate with writers to refine their work and shape the final product for publication. These are just a few of the possibilities.

Become a(n):

• Writer/Author
• Literary Agent
• Writing Instructor/Professor

Start Your Application

Plan Your Education

How to apply.

Applicants must meet general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

• A 3.0 GPA overall and in the student’s major
• Three substantive and detailed letters of recommendation, from former teachers familiar with the applicant’s most recent academic and creative work
• A 3-5 page personal statement focusing on the role of the candidate’s reading life in his or her development as a writer. (Note: The general Graduate Admissions application refers to this as a statement of interests and intent. They are one and the same.)
• Applicants must indicate whether they are applying in FICTION or POETRY in their Statement of Purpose. If you want to apply in both genres, include one writing sample in FICTION and one in POETRY and indicate in the Statement of Purpose that the application is for both.
• A writing sample of 10 manuscript pages of poetry or 20 manuscript pages of fiction

Deadlines & Cost

Deadlines: January 15 (priority) for fall. While rare, if space is available, we’ll happily consider applications until June 1 (final deadline).

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Program Cost Information: Bursar's website

Writing Workshops (24 Credits)

Complete one from below four times.

• CW 601 - MFA Poetry Workshop 6 Credit(s) or
• CW 602 - MFA Fiction Workshop 6 Credit(s)

Literature Courses (9 Credits)

Complete three graduate literature courses.

Electives (9 Credits)

Complete three from below.

• CW 605 - Memoir Workshop 3 Credit(s)
• CW 606 - Literary Editing and Publishing 3 Credit(s)
• CW 614 - The Teaching of Creative Writing 3 Credit(s)
• CW 675 - Creative Writing Internship 3 Credit(s)
• CW 697 - Special Topics in Creative Writing 1-6 Credit(s)

Students may elect courses offered by other graduate programs with approval from the graduate program director.

• ENGL 459 Seminar for Tutors may be taken for graduate credit (see Undergraduate Catalog)
• ENGL 675 - Reading and Writing Poetry 3 Credit(s)
• ENGL 676 - Reading and Writing Fiction 3 Credit(s)
• ENGL 681 - Advanced Workshop in Poetry 3 Credit(s)
• ENGL 682 - Advanced Workshop in Fiction 3 Credit(s)

Thesis Courses (6 Credits)

Complete the course below both semesters of the third year.

• CW 699 - MFA Thesis 3 Credit(s)

Graduation Criteria

Complete 48 credits from twelve courses including four writing workshops, three literature courses, three electives, and two semesters of thesis workshops.

The MFA degree requires six semesters of full-time study, with 9 credits required in each of the first four semesters, and 6 credits in the final two semesters, during which students will concentrate on completing a thesis in fiction or poetry under the direction of a faculty member. MFA workshops are limited to 12 students, and seminars are limited to 15. Students have the opportunity to interact with writers in our Global Voices Visiting Writer series (recent visitors have been Raquel Salas Rivera and Carole Maso), and work with visiting prose writers - recently these have included Jane Unrue, ZZ Packer, and Fanny Howe.

Capstone: Completion of an MFA thesis of 48 to 64 pages of poetry or 100 to 200 pages of fiction written under the supervision of a thesis advisor, reviewed by a thesis committee, and subject to a public defense.

Statute of limitations: Five years.

Contact & Faculty

Graduate Program Director John Fulton john.fulton [at] umb.edu (617) 287-6700

English & Creative Writing MFA Department englishmfaprogram [at] umb.edu (617) 287-6702

Fiction Faculty

John Fulton , Program Director & Associate Professor Askold Melnyczuk , Professor Eileen Pollack , Visiting Assistant Professor

Poetry Faculty

Jill McDonough , Professor Shangyang Fang , Associate Lecturer

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MFA Program

Poetry: Andrea Cohen, Karl Kirchwey, Robert Pinsky Fiction: Leslie Epstein, Jennifer Haigh, Ha Jin

The program offers full funding. Every student receives full tuition coverage and a teaching stipend.

The program also offers Global Fellowships, which allow students the opportunity to live, write, and explore for up to three months, anywhere in the world.

AGNI , Clarion , 236 , Favorite Poem Project

This program features the Robert Lowell Memorial Lectures reading series and the Ha Jin Visting Lectures series. There is a foreign language requirement which may be satisfied in a number of ways.

Applicants may apply for an application fee waiver .

The Creative Writing Program was first established in 1954, shortly after WWII, as an MA program.

Elizabeth Alexander, Ellen Bass, Robin Becker, Duy Doan, William Giraldi, Arthur Golden, Ha Jin, Jhumpa Lahiri, Thu Nguyen, Patricia Park, Weike Wang

BU Creative Writing

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This is the blog for the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Boston University. We’re looking to connect our far-flung alumni and current grad students, and also just give the world a little news about our program. Please feel free to leave comments.

All material published here is for educational and entertainment purposes only. All authors submitting work do so without compensation, and as such shall at all times retain all rights to said work; we shall make every effort remove anything posted here if it should be published elsewhere. While the information contained on this site is intended to be useful, both to you, the reader, and to those who wrote it, it should go without saying that the opinions expressed in the contents of individual posts do not necessarily reflect those of Boston University, its Board of Trustees, or of the Creative Writing Program, its faculty, or staff. 

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Graduate Creative Writing (MFA)

Advance your storytelling skills in our MFA program

Genres to choose from: fiction, nonfiction, or poetry

Award-winning literary journals on campus

Credit hours

About the Graduate Creative Writing Program

At Emerson College, we understand that writing is your life. That’s why our on-campus Creative Writing MFA program focuses on the actual practice of writing, as well as its literary foundations. By the time you graduate, you will have completed a professional thesis, a novel or novel excerpt, a nonfiction book or excerpt, or a collection of poems, short stories, or essays—ready for consideration by agents and publishing houses or for digital publication.

Housed in the Department of Writing, Literature and Publishing in the School of the Arts, our MFA program boasts some of the most impressive faculty in writing and publishing. It is also home to two award-winning literary journals and is strongly connected to the Boston publishing community. 

Pursue your passion, choosing from the genres of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and explore writing as both an art form and a professional career.

Program Highlights

• Explore different forms of writing through your electives, including poetry to screenwriting, digital to traditional publishing, and more
• Experiences outside of the classroom include teaching creative writing in our Writing Studies Program and editing on-campus journals such as Ploughshares and Redivider
• No GRE requirements to apply
• Full-time and part-time options; classes are offered in the evenings to fit your schedule

Request More Information

Program details.

• Curriculum Requirements
• Emerson Advantage
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The Best 15 Creative Writing MFA Programs in 2023

April 7, 2023

Whether you studied at a top creative writing university , or are a high school dropout who will one day become a bestselling author , you may be considering an MFA in Creative Writing. But is a writing MFA genuinely worth the time and potential costs? How do you know which program will best nurture your writing? This article walks you through the considerations for an MFA program, as well as the best Creative Writing MFA programs in the United States.

First of all, what is an MFA?

A Master of Fine Arts (MFA) is a graduate degree that usually takes from two to three years to complete. Applications require a sample portfolio for entry, usually of 10-20 pages of your best writing.

What actually goes on in a creative writing MFA beyond inspiring award-winning books and internet memes ? You enroll in workshops where you get feedback on your creative writing from your peers and a faculty member. You enroll in seminars where you get a foundation of theory and techniques. Then you finish the degree with a thesis project.

Reasons to Get an MFA in Creative Writing

You don’t need an MFA to be a writer. Just look at Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison or bestselling novelist Emily St. John Mandel.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of reasons you might still want to get a creative writing MFA. The first is, unfortunately, prestige. An MFA from a top program can help you stand out in a notoriously competitive industry to be published.

The second reason: time. Many MFA programs give you protected writing time, deadlines, and maybe even a (dainty) salary.

Third, an MFA in Creative Writing is a terminal degree. This means that this degree allows you to teach writing at the university level, especially after you publish a book.

But above all, the biggest reason to pursue an MFA is the community it brings you. You get to meet other writers, and share feedback, advice, and moral support, in relationships that can last for decades.

Types of Creative Writing MFA Programs

Here are the different types of programs to consider, depending on your needs:

Fully-Funded Full-Time Programs

These programs offer full-tuition scholarships and sweeten the deal by actually paying you to attend them.

• Pros: You’re paid to write (and teach).
• Cons: Uprooting your entire life to move somewhere possibly very cold.

Full-Time MFA Programs

These programs include attending in-person classes and paying tuition (though many offer need-based and merit scholarships).

• Pros: Lots of top-notch programs non-funded programs have more assets to attract world-class faculty and guests.
• Cons: It’s an investment that might not pay itself back.

Low-Residency MFA Programs

Low-residency programs usually meet biannually for short sessions. They also offer one-on-one support throughout the year. These MFAs are more independent, preparing you for what the writing life is actually like.

• Pros: No major life changes required. Cons: Less time dedicated to writing and less time to build relationships.

Online MFA Programs

Held 100% online. These programs have high acceptance rates and no residency requirement. That means zero travel or moving expenses.

• Pros: No major life changes required.
• Cons: These MFAs have less name-recognition

The Top 15 Creative Writing MFA Programs Ranked by Category

The following programs are selected for their balance of high funding, impressive return on investment, stellar faculty, major journal publications , and impressive alums.

Fully Funded MFA Programs

1) johns hopkins university, mfa in fiction/poetry (baltimore, md).

This is a two-year program, with $33,000 teaching fellowships per year. This MFA offers the most generous funding package. Not to mention, it offers that sweet, sweet health insurance, mind-boggling faculty, and a guaranteed lecture position after graduation (nice). No nonfiction MFA (boo).

• Incoming class size: 8 students
• Admissions rate: 11.1%
• Alumni: Chimamanda Adiche, Jeffrey Blitz, Wes Craven, Louise Erdrich, Porochista Khakpour, Phillis Levin, ZZ Packer, Tom Sleigh, Elizabeth Spires, Rosanna Warren

2) University of Texas, James Michener Center (Austin, TX)

A fully-funded 3-year program with a generous stipend of $29,500. The program offers fiction, poetry, playwriting and screenwriting. The Michener Center is also unique because you study a primary genre and a secondary genre, and also get $3,000 for the summer.

• Incoming class size : 12 students
• Acceptance rate: a bone-chilling less-than-1% in fiction; 2-3% in other genres
•   Alumni: Fiona McFarlane, Brian McGreevy, Karan Mahajan, Alix Ohlin, Kevin Powers, Lara Prescott, Roger Reeves, Maria Reva, Domenica Ruta, Sam Sax, Joseph Skibell, Dominic Smith

3) University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA)

The Iowa Writers’ Workshop is a 2-year program on a residency model for fiction and poetry. This means there are low requirements, and lots of time to write groundbreaking novels or play pool at the local bar. Most students are funded, with fellowships worth up to $21,000. The Translation MFA, co-founded by Gayatri Chakravorti Spivak, is also two years, but with more intensive coursework. The Nonfiction Writing Program is a prestigious three-year MFA program and is also intensive.

• Incoming class size: 25 each for poetry and fiction; 10-12 for nonfiction and translation.
• Acceptance rate: 3.7%
• Fantastic Alumni: Raymond Carver, Flannery O’Connor, Sandra Cisneros, Joy Harjo, Garth Greenwell, Kiley Reid, Brandon Taylor, Eula Biss, Yiyun Li, Jennifer Croft

4) University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI)

Anne Carson famously lives in Ann Arbor, as do the MFA students U-Michigan’s Helen Zell Writers’ Program. This is a big university town, which is less damaging to your social life. Plus, there’s lots to do when you have a $23,000 stipend, summer funding, and health care.

This is a 2-3-year program, with an impressive reputation. They also have a demonstrated commitment to “ push back against the darkness of intolerance and injustice ” and have outreach programs in the community.

• Incoming class size: 18
• Acceptance rate: 4% (which maybe seems high after less-than-1%)
• Alumni: Brit Bennett, Vievee Francis, Airea D. Matthews, Celeste Ng, Chigozie Obioma, Jia Tolentino, Jesmyn Ward

5) Brown University (Providence, RI)

Brown offers an edgy, well-funded program in a place that doesn’t dip into arctic temperatures. Students are all fully-funded for 2-3 years with $29,926 in 2021-22. Students also get summer funding and—you guessed it—that sweet, sweet health insurance.

In the Brown Literary Arts MFA, students take only one workshop and one elective per semester. It’s also the only program in the country to feature a Digital/Cross Disciplinary Track.

• Incoming class size: 12-13
• Acceptance rate: “highly selective”
• Alumni: Edwidge Danticat, Jaimy Gordon, Gayl Jones, Ben Lerner, Joanna Scott, Kevin Young, Ottessa Moshfegh

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs (Continued) 

6) university of arizona (tucson, az).

This 3-year program has many attractive qualities. It’s in “ the lushest desert in the world ”, and was recently ranked #4 in creative writing programs, and #2 in Nonfiction. You can take classes in multiple genres, and in fact, are encouraged to do so. Plus, Arizona dry heat is good for arthritis.

This notoriously supportive program pays $20,000 a year, and offers the potential to volunteer at multiple literary organizations. You can also do supported research at the US-Mexico Border.

• Incoming class size: 9
• Acceptance rate: 4.85% (a refreshingly specific number after Brown’s evasiveness)
• Alumni: Francisco Cantú, Jos Charles, Tony Hoagland, Nancy Mairs, Richard Russo, Richard Siken, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, David Foster Wallace

7) Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ):

Arizona State is also a three-year funded program in arthritis-friendly dry heat. It offers small class sizes, individual mentorships, and one of the most impressive faculty rosters in the game. Everyone gets a $19,000 stipend, with other opportunities for financial support.

• Incoming class size: 8-10
• Acceptance rate: 3% (sigh)
• Alumni: Tayari Jones, Venita Blackburn, Dorothy Chan, Adrienne Celt, Dana Diehl, Matthew Gavin Frank, Caitlin Horrocks, Allegra Hyde, Hugh Martin, Bonnie Nadzam

FULL-RESIDENCY MFAS (UNFUNDED)

8) new york university (new york, ny).

This two-year program is in New York City, meaning it comes with close access to literary opportunities and hot dogs. NYU is private, and has one of the most accomplished faculty lists anywhere. Students have large cohorts (more potential friends!) and have a penchant for winning top literary prizes.

• Incoming class size: 40-60
• Acceptance rate: 6%
• Alumni: Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, John Keene, Raven Leilani, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Ocean Vuong

9) Columbia University (New York, NY)

Another 2-3 year private MFA program with drool-worthy permanent and visiting faculty. Columbia offers courses in fiction, poetry, translation, and nonfiction. Beyond the Ivy League education, Columbia offers close access to agents, and its students have a high record of bestsellers.

• Incoming class size: 110
• Acceptance rate: 21%
• Alumni: Alexandra Kleeman, Rachel Kushner, Claudia Rankine, Rick Moody, Sigrid Nunez, Tracy K. Smith, Emma Cline, Adam Wilson, Marie Howe, Mary Jo Bang

10) Sarah Lawrence (Bronxville, NY)

Sarah Lawrence offers speculative fiction beyond the average fiction, poetry, and nonfiction course offerings. With intimate class sizes, this program is unique because it offers biweekly one-on-one conferences with its stunning faculty. It also has a notoriously supportive atmosphere.

• Incoming class size: 30-40
• Acceptance rate: N/A
• Alumni: Cynthia Cruz, Melissa Febos, T Kira Madden, Alex Dimitrov, Moncho Alvarado

LOW RESIDENCY

11 bennington college (bennington, vt).

This two-year program boasts truly stellar faculty, and meets twice a year for ten days in January and June. It’s like a biannual vacation in beautiful Vermont, plus mentorship by a famous writer, and then you get a degree. The tuition is $23,468 per year, with scholarships available.

• Acceptance rate: 53%
• Incoming class: 40
• Alumni: Larissa Pham, Andrew Reiner, Lisa Johnson Mitchell, and others

12)  Institute for American Indian Arts (Santa Fe, NM)

This two-year program emphasizes Native American and First Nations writing. With truly amazing faculty and visiting writers, they offer a wide range of genres offered, in screenwriting, poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.

Students attend two eight-day residencies each year, in January and July, in Santa Fe, New Mexico. At $12,000 a year, it boasts being “ one of the most affordable MFA programs in the country .”

• Incoming class size : 22
• Acceptance rate: 100%
• Alumni: Tommy Orange, Dara Yen Elerath, Kathryn Wilder

13) Vermont College of Fine Arts

One of few MFAs where you can study the art of the picture book, middle grade and young adult literature, graphic literature, nonfiction, fiction, and poetry for young people. Students meet twice a year for nine days, in January and July, in Vermont. You can also do many travel residencies in exciting (and warm) places like Cozumel.

VCFA boasts amazing faculty and visiting writers, with individualized study options and plenty of one-on-one time. Tuition is $48,604.

• Incoming class size: 18-25
• Acceptance rate: 63%
• Alumnx: Lauren Markham, Mary-Kim Arnold, Cassie Beasley, Kate Beasley, Julie Berry, Bridget Birdsall, Gwenda Bond, Pablo Cartaya

ONLINE MFAS

14) university of texas at el paso (el paso, tx).

The world’s first bilingual and online MFA program in the world. UTEP is considered the best online MFA program, and features award-winning faculty from across the globe. Intensive workshops allow submitting in Spanish and English, and genres include poetry and fiction. This three-year program costs $14,766 a year, with rolling admissions.

• Alumni: Watch alumni testimonies here

15) Bay Path University (Long Meadow, MA)

This 2-year online program is dedicated entirely to nonfiction. A supportive, diverse community, Bay Path offers small class sizes, close mentorship, and a potential field trip in Ireland.

There are many tracks, including publishing, Narrative Medicine, and teaching. Core courses include memoir, narrative journalism, and the personal essay. The price is $785/credit, for 39 credits, with scholarships available.

• Incoming class size: 20
• Acceptance rate: an encouraging 78%
• Alumni: Read alumni testimonies here

Prepare for your MFA in advance:

• Best English Programs
• Best Creative Writing Schools
• Writing Summer Programs

Best MFA Creative Writing Programs – References:

• https://www.pw.org/mfa
• The Creative Writing MFA Handbook: A Guide for Prospective Graduate Students , by Tom Kealey (A&C Black 2005)
• Graduate School Admissions

Julia Conrad

With a Bachelor of Arts in English and Italian from Wesleyan University as well as MFAs in both Nonfiction Writing and Literary Translation from the University of Iowa, Julia is an experienced writer, editor, educator, and a former Fulbright Fellow. Julia’s work has been featured in  The Millions ,  Asymptote , and  The Massachusetts Review , among other publications. To read more of her work, visit  www.juliaconrad.net

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Boston University

Boston , MA

http://www.bu.edu/writing/

Degrees Offered

Fiction, Poetry, Drama

Residency type

Program length.

32 semester hours (1–1.5 years)

Financial Aid

All students receive a full tuition scholarship, a year of health insurance, and a stipend.

Teaching opportunities

All students teach for one semester during their time in the program. Most teach undergraduate Creative Writing at Boston University, but some (four per year) teach Creative Writing at Boston Arts Academy, a public school for the performing arts.

Editorial opportunities

All MFA students have the opportunity to intern at AGNI literary journal for a semester or year.

Cross-genre study

Yes, with approval from workshop leader

• D. M. Aderibigbe MFA (Poetry) 2016
• Elizabeth Alexander MA (Poetry) 1987
• Yu-Mei Balasingamchow MFA (Fiction) 2019
• Ellen Bass MA (Poetry) 1970
• Peter Campion MA (Poetry) 2001
• Christopher Castellani MFA 1999
• J. D. Daniels MFA 2003
• Peter Ho Davies MFA (Fiction) 1994
• Caitlin Doyle MFA (Poetry) 2008
• Emma Duffy-Comparone MFA (Fiction) 2012
• Pete Duval MFA (Fiction) 1995
• Suzi Ehtesham-Zadeh MFA (Fiction) 2016
• Kristin Ginger MFA (Fiction) 2010
• William Giraldi MA (Fiction) 2004
• Jowhor Ile MFA 2017
• Jillian Jackson MFA (Fiction) 2015
• Claire Jarvis MA (Poetry)
• Ha Jin MFA (Poetry) 1994
• Daphne Kalotay MFA (Fiction) 1994
• Julie Kane MA (Poetry) 1975
• Ted Kehoe MA (Fiction) 2006
• Marshall Klimasewiski MA
• Aviya Kushner MA (Poetry) 1998
• Jhumpa Lahiri MFA (Fiction) 1994
• Kathryn Maris MA (Poetry) 1996
• Jill McDonough MFA (Poetry) 1998
• Askold Melnyczuk MA 1977
• Jennifer Anne Moses MA (Fiction) 1982
• Andy Mozina MA (Fiction) 1990
• Patricia Park MFA (Fiction) 2010
• Carl Phillips MA (Poetry) 1993
• Dariel Suarez MFA (Fiction) 2012
• Shubha Sunder MFA (Fiction) 2012
• Pamela Sutton MFA (Poetry) 1999
• Lisa Taddeo MFA (Fiction) 2017
• Tess Taylor MFA (Poetry) 2006
• Melanie Rae Thon MA (Fiction) 1983
• Jessica Treadway MA 2002
• Farley Urmston MFA (Fiction) 2009
• Christopher Wall MA (Drama) 1996
• Anthony Wallace MA (Fiction) 1999
• Weike Wang MFA (Fiction) 2015
• Ryan Wilson MFA (Poetry) 2008
• Stefanie Wortman MA (Poetry) 2003

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 .

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2024 Creative Writing MFA Applicants Forum

By LivingUnderABigRock December 4, 2023 in Literary

Recommended Posts

8 minutes ago, ee921488 said: Also I got accepted into Virginia Tech for poetry yayyyyy!!!

Yayyyyy, congrats!!

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• Replies 3.1k
• Created Dec 4
• Last Reply 2 hr

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Popular Days

Scribe 295 posts

jadedoptimist 187 posts

Rixor 116 posts

Chex 116 posts

Feb 20 2024

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Popular Posts

February 29

Crying in front of two hundred construction workers and I can’t tell them why because they wouldn’t understand. But you people will.  Irvine!

mr. specific

February 20

Got into Michigan! Crazy. Just an email notification. Not complaining, but I thought they'd call. l

jadedoptimist

February 21

Oh my god guys. Oh my god. I'm on the Syracuse waitlist!!!!!!!!!

9 minutes ago, Hjanep said: Did Didi know when decisions are rolling out?

I believe after AWP but didn’t specify dates

• seeleimraum

36 minutes ago, ee921488 said: Also I got accepted into Virginia Tech for poetry yayyyyy!!!

Congrats!! That's awesome. Did you find out today? And by phone, email...carrier pigeon?

11 minutes ago, seeleimraum said: Congrats!! That's awesome. Did you find out today? And by phone, email...carrier pigeon?

They called me on the 2nd, so this last friday!!

sunnysequoia

1 hour ago, ee921488 said: Also I got accepted into Virginia Tech for poetry yayyyyy!!!

Congratulations!!!  🎉 🎉 🎉

4 minutes ago, sunnysequoia said: Congratulations!!!  🎉 🎉 🎉

Thank you everyone 😭 😭 ❤️ ❤️

saramsarang

Congratulations to everyone who's gotten acceptances so far!! It's been exciting to watch you guys get one step closer to your dreams. Hugs for all of you guys! 

Just thought I'd share this quote/music lyrics with everyone as well. It's pretty inspiring and comforting!

"May your trials end in full bloom. Though your beginnings might be humble, may your end be prosperous."

• jadedoptimist , triciadawn , Chex and 6 others

3 hours ago, ee921488 said: Here’s some tea. one of my best friends goes to vanderbilt for poetry and she talked to one of the people who decides (didi) and she said they hadn’t made a decision yet so…i guess people lie on some forums? for fun? 😭 😭

I definitely feel played with now  🥺  . I appreciate you sharing this. 

Hi everyone!!!

CONGRATULATIONS to those of you who have received waitlists and acceptances!!! That's wonderful and I'm so so happy for you all!

I was wondering if anyone could share gift ideas for recommenders? I feel so grateful and honestly pretty indebted to them, but I have no clue what to get! 

bluebikeyikes

5 hours ago, Rixor said: Hi everyone!!! CONGRATULATIONS to those of you who have received waitlists and acceptances!!! That's wonderful and I'm so so happy for you all! I was wondering if anyone could share gift ideas for recommenders? I feel so grateful and honestly pretty indebted to them, but I have no clue what to get! 

I think this mainly depends on what kind of person you're recommender is. Some of them might not be "gift" people per se, so just write them a long letter and throw in a nice card in that case. Otherwise, food items like chocolates, coffee or tea packets/jars etc might also work. If they're book lovers, find a book they might enjoy reading-- if they are professors, maybe something in their area of research might also interest them. If you know the recommender really well, something more personal like a scarf or bag (tote or handbag etc) or jewellery (if they're people who like wearing jewellery) or if they belong to a certain culture and you have something specific to their culture they might like, for example, clothes. Otherwise even decor/ showcase pieces, something small and not easily breakable would do. I'm sure there are a lot of other ideas to consider, but these are some that I had since I've been looking at some options for my recommenders as well. 

Tomatotomato53

Oh my gosh, my draft member request has been pending for like two days. I’m getting nervous, and it’s not even for an application LOL

9 hours ago, Rixor said: Hi everyone!!! CONGRATULATIONS to those of you who have received waitlists and acceptances!!! That's wonderful and I'm so so happy for you all! I was wondering if anyone could share gift ideas for recommenders? I feel so grateful and honestly pretty indebted to them, but I have no clue what to get! 

There were some good ideas shared on Draft about gifting recommenders. Search with the keyword "gift" and you you should see some of them.

3 hours ago, Tomatotomato53 said: Oh my gosh, my draft member request has been pending for like two days. I’m getting nervous, and it’s not even for an application LOL

Did you answer the entrance questions? There are about three questions they ask on the form when you request to join. If you answered them then just be patient, they'll approve your request soon enough. 

14 hours ago, ee921488 said: Here’s some tea. one of my best friends goes to vanderbilt for poetry and she talked to one of the people who decides (didi) and she said they hadn’t made a decision yet so…i guess people lie on some forums? for fun? 😭 😭

Ugh. Why are people like this?

1 hour ago, Chex said: There were some good ideas shared on Draft about gifting recommenders. Search with the keyword "gift" and you you should see some of them. Did you answer the entrance questions? There are about three questions they ask on the form when you request to join. If you answered them then just be patient, they'll approve your request soon enough. 

Yup, I answered everything. Starting to wonder if I should message an admin….

Reduwanul Hoque

I'm new to GradCafe and have applied to eight MFA creative writing fiction programs, including Brown, UCSD, Boston, Notre Dame, UF, USF, UNLV, and Rutgers-Camden. I've spent a lot of time here tracking results. I notice many discussions about 'draft', but I'm not familiar with it. Could you please advise me on how to use this platform more effectively?

goldentulip

has anyone by chance applied to FIU? 

uggh, I can’t attach a screenshot here, but Facebook shows the draft group hasn’t added any new members in a week…

5 minutes ago, Tomatotomato53 said: uggh, I can’t attach a screenshot here, but Facebook shows the draft group hasn’t added any new members in a week…

it took me about a week to get accepted!! and i was accepted like 3 days ago!

25 minutes ago, Reduwanul Hoque said: I'm new to GradCafe and have applied to eight MFA creative writing fiction programs, including Brown, UCSD, Boston, Notre Dame, UF, USF, UNLV, and Rutgers-Camden. I've spent a lot of time here tracking results. I notice many discussions about 'draft', but I'm not familiar with it. Could you please advise me on how to use this platform more effectively?

its a facebook group! if you look up MFA Draft ‘24 on facebook, you’ll be able to request to join! there’s lots of resources (like the spreadsheets) and discussion going on through there as well

12 hours ago, Rixor said: Hi everyone!!! CONGRATULATIONS to those of you who have received waitlists and acceptances!!! That's wonderful and I'm so so happy for you all! I was wondering if anyone could share gift ideas for recommenders? I feel so grateful and honestly pretty indebted to them, but I have no clue what to get! 

I'm planning to bake banana bread/cookies/brownies for my recommenders — I hope they will feel more comfortable accepting them since I didn't technically purchase the gifts! Otherwise, I will buy them coffee/lunch after the decisions are out.

29 minutes ago, goldentulip said: it took me about a week to get accepted!! and i was accepted like 3 days ago! its a facebook group! if you look up MFA Draft ‘24 on facebook, you’ll be able to request to join! there’s lots of resources (like the spreadsheets) and discussion going on through there as well

Thanks. I just requested to join the group.

• Chex and goldentulip

What if we don’t know our recommenders well? Will a handwritten thank you note suffice? I also thought about visiting their offices personally, but I’ve been out of that college for about 6 years now. 

1 hour ago, Tomatotomato53 said: Yup, I answered everything. Starting to wonder if I should message an admin….

45 minutes ago, Tomatotomato53 said: uggh, I can’t attach a screenshot here, but Facebook shows the draft group hasn’t added any new members in a week…

No need, they'll approve it soon enough. They're just not extremely quick with it. They actually have added people this week. I guess Facebook doesn't show much information to non-members. Come to think of it, I'd say check again and confirm that you requested to join MFA Draft '24. There are other Draft groups for previous years. You have to request to join the right one.

3 minutes ago, Chex said: No need, they'll approve it soon enough. They're just not extremely quick with it. They actually have added people this week. I guess Facebook doesn't show much information to non-members. Come to think of it, I'd say check again and confirm that you requested to join MFA Draft '24. There are other Draft groups for previous years. You have to request to join the right one.

screenshot from 11:21am

https://ibb.co/0Y3ZtSC

14 hours ago, Rixor said: Hi everyone!!! CONGRATULATIONS to those of you who have received waitlists and acceptances!!! That's wonderful and I'm so so happy for you all! I was wondering if anyone could share gift ideas for recommenders? I feel so grateful and honestly pretty indebted to them, but I have no clue what to get! 

I missed a call from an unknown number today... this shit has me frantically googling area codes like never before. I know speculation like this is silly and useless but it's got me thinking – does the area code even tell you anything? I'm assuming that there's not usually some kind of Designated Landline in the admissions office to inform admitted students, instead the department faculty probably just volunteers on a case-by case basis– don't they probably just use their cell phones anyway? I've been more curious about admissions procedures than ever before lately. It's a different vibe than waiting for a call about a job offer, or getting into undergrad. It really feels like the decision means something about the quality of my work. Idk. Just spouting thoughts on a Wednesday

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Boston University Academics

Boston University

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• Creative Writing

For contact information, please visit the Creative Writing website .

Our nationally recognized Creative Writing Program offers a one-year, intensive MFA in two genres: Poetry and Fiction. The program prepares writers to teach creative writing at the university and/or high school level and to become better critics of their own work as well as work written by others. We strive to make our students scholars of literature—that is, writers and critics aware of those upon whose shoulders they stand. Literature courses and familiarity with a second language are essential to our program’s stringent, global outlook.

In our program, a distinguished faculty of world-class novelists, poets, and critics lead small seminars, advise independent student writing, and engage in professional mentoring; under the guidance of this faculty, students become better writers of original prose and poetry. Our ultimate goal is to produce readers, critics, poets, and fiction writers of the highest quality.

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UMass Boston

• Creative Writing MFA

Further your commitment to writing as the center of your professional life.

Intensive study and practice of fiction and poetry writing with award-winning and nationally renowned faculty at the most diverse university in new england..

UMass Boston's Creative Writing MFA offers you an intense, 3-year program and focused opportunity to further your commitment to writing as the center of your professional life. Through a combination of mentoring by accomplished faculty in a series of creative writing workshops, courses focused on the study of literature offered through the English MA Program, and electives that include the practice of literary editing, the teaching of creative writing, documentary poetics, the art of memoir, and more—you will have the guidance to develop and shape your work to the full extent of your talent.

All accepted students receive funding. Graduate assistantships offer the opportunity to work with students as teaching assistants and fellows, or in editorial positions with one of our sponsors, including 826 Boston, Hanging Loose Press, Write on the Dot, Consequence Magazine, Breakwater Review, and Arrowsmith Press.

Career Possibilities

Pursue a career as a professional writer, publishing your work in literary journals, magazines. Work as an editor and collaborate with writers to refine their work and shape the final product for publication. These are just a few of the possibilities.

Become a(n):

• Writer/Author
• Literary Agent
• Writing Instructor/Professor

Start Your Application

Plan Your Education

How to apply.

Applicants must meet general graduate admission requirements in addition to the following program-specific requirements:

• A 3.0 GPA overall and in the student’s major
• Three substantive and detailed letters of recommendation, from former teachers familiar with the applicant’s most recent academic and creative work
• A 3-5 page personal statement focusing on the role of the candidate’s reading life in his or her development as a writer. (Note: The general Graduate Admissions application refers to this as a statement of interests and intent. They are one and the same.)
• Applicants must indicate whether they are applying in FICTION or POETRY in their Statement of Purpose. If you want to apply in both genres, include one writing sample in FICTION and one in POETRY and indicate in the Statement of Purpose that the application is for both.
• A writing sample of 10 manuscript pages of poetry or 20 manuscript pages of fiction

Deadlines & Cost

Deadlines: January 15 (priority) for fall. While rare, if space is available, we’ll happily consider applications until June 1 (final deadline).

Application Fee: The nonrefundable application fee is $75. UMass Boston alumni and current students that plan to complete degree requirements prior to graduate enrollment can submit the application without paying the application fee.

Program Cost Information: Bursar's website

Writing Workshops (24 Credits)

Complete one from below four times.

• CW 601 - MFA Poetry Workshop 6 Credit(s) or
• CW 602 - MFA Fiction Workshop 6 Credit(s)

Literature Courses (9 Credits)

Complete three graduate literature courses.

Electives (9 Credits)

Complete three from below.

• CW 605 - Memoir Workshop 3 Credit(s)
• CW 606 - Literary Editing and Publishing 3 Credit(s)
• CW 614 - The Teaching of Creative Writing 3 Credit(s)
• CW 675 - Creative Writing Internship 3 Credit(s)
• CW 697 - Special Topics in Creative Writing 1-6 Credit(s)

Students may elect courses offered by other graduate programs with approval from the graduate program director.

• ENGL 459 Seminar for Tutors may be taken for graduate credit (see Undergraduate Catalog)
• ENGL 675 - Reading and Writing Poetry 3 Credit(s)
• ENGL 676 - Reading and Writing Fiction 3 Credit(s)
• ENGL 681 - Advanced Workshop in Poetry 3 Credit(s)
• ENGL 682 - Advanced Workshop in Fiction 3 Credit(s)

Thesis Courses (6 Credits)

Complete the course below both semesters of the third year.

• CW 699 - MFA Thesis 3 Credit(s)

Graduation Criteria

Complete 48 credits from twelve courses including four writing workshops, three literature courses, three electives, and two semesters of thesis workshops.

The MFA degree requires six semesters of full-time study, with 9 credits required in each of the first four semesters, and 6 credits in the final two semesters, during which students will concentrate on completing a thesis in fiction or poetry under the direction of a faculty member. MFA workshops are limited to 12 students, and seminars are limited to 15. Students have the opportunity to interact with writers in our Global Voices Visiting Writer series (recent visitors have been Raquel Salas Rivera and Carole Maso), and work with visiting prose writers - recently these have included Jane Unrue, ZZ Packer, and Fanny Howe.

Capstone: Completion of an MFA thesis of 48 to 64 pages of poetry or 100 to 200 pages of fiction written under the supervision of a thesis advisor, reviewed by a thesis committee, and subject to a public defense.

Statute of limitations: Five years.

Contact & Faculty

Graduate Program Director John Fulton john.fulton [at] umb.edu (617) 287-6700

English & Creative Writing MFA Department englishmfaprogram [at] umb.edu (617) 287-6702

Fiction Faculty

John Fulton , Program Director & Associate Professor Askold Melnyczuk , Professor Eileen Pollack , Visiting Assistant Professor

Poetry Faculty

Jill McDonough , Professor Shangyang Fang , Associate Lecturer

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