emerson college mfa creative writing tuition

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Scholarships and funding, career opportunities, student testimonials, program tuition fee, english language requirements, about the school.

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MFA in Creative Writing

Boston, USA

Full time, Part time

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Emerson’s Creative Writing (MFA) program focuses on the practice of writing and its literary foundations and is one of the longest-running programs of its kind.

We know writing is your life. That’s why our Creative Writing (MFA) focuses on the actual practice of writing, as well as its literary foundations. Our MFA program boasts some of the most impressive faculty in writing and publishing, is home to two award-winning literary journals and is strongly connected to the Boston publishing community.

Focus on your passion, choosing from the areas of literary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, and explore writing as both an art form and a professional pursuit.

Find your inner voice and tell your story. With exceptional writing opportunities available at your fingertips, 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.

Program highlights include:

• Focus on your genre of choice: poetry, nonfiction, or fiction
• Develop your literary voice and explore the history and context of your chosen genre
• Explore different forms of writing through your electives, including fiction to nonfiction, 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 journals such as Ploughshares and Redivider
• No GRE requirements to apply
• Full-time and part-time options and classes are offered evenings and nights to fit your schedule

As one of the longest-running creative writing MFA programs in the country, our Writing, Literature, and Publishing Department has attracted an industry-active faculty that offers a diverse range of perspectives and expertise.

Our creative writing faculty are all actively writing and publishing in their respective genres. Recent faculty accolades include:

• Pulitzer Prize in Biography and Memoir
• Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts
• Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts
• Fiction Honors from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association
• Massachusetts Book Award in Nonfiction

Emerson Advantages

Emerson College offers everything aspiring writers need to hone their talents and refine their craft in a world-class city brimming with professional and artistic opportunities. We allow you to pursue your interests in teaching, editing, interning, or showcasing your own work.

• Writing Studies Program The Writing Studies Program provides you with opportunities to mentor, teach and train undergraduate Emerson writing students.
• Ploughshares Ploughshares is an award-winning literary journal offering exclusive job opportunities to Emerson writing students in editorial, marketing, production, and design.
• Redivider Redivider is an award-winning literary journal produced by graduate students in the Creative Writing and Publishing and Writing programs. You can gain editing experience, publish your own work, and collaborate with other writers.
• emersonWRITES emersonWRITES is a creative writing program offering free college-style workshops to students grades 8-12 enrolled in a Greater Boston public or charter school. Classes are taught by Emerson’s Creative Writing and Writing and Publishing graduate students.

Our Alumni have gone on to establish successful writing careers, publishing work ranging from poetry, fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, and more. Recent alumni who have gone on to publish their work include:

• Ciera Burch ’20, The Inevitability of Home (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux)
• Madeline Sneed ’20, The Light of West Texas (HarperCollins)
• Stephanie Wrobel ’19, The Recovery of Rose Gold (Penguin Random House)
• Noe Alvarez ’17, Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land (Catapult)
• Brionne Janae ’15, Blessed Are The Peacemakers (Northwestern University Press)
• Amber McBride, Me (Moth) (Macmillan)

Curriculum Requirements

Write the stories you’re passionate about. Your admittance into the program is based on your genre of choice: poetry, nonfiction, or fiction. Focus on your genre during your required workshops and thesis, and explore different genres along the way through your elective courses.

Our Creative Writing MFA program requires 48 credit hours, including:

• 20 credits of Writing Workshop Courses
• 16 credits must be in your chosen genre
• 12 credits of Literature Courses
• 12 credits of Department Electives
• 4-credit Master’s Thesis

Writing Workshop Courses (20 Credits Required)

Poetry Workshops

Nonfiction Workshops

Fiction Workshops

*Genre Workshops may be taken more than once

Electives Course Sampling (12 credits)

Literature Course Sampling (12 credits)

MFA Thesis (4 credits)

Elective Alternative: Focus in Translation*

Translation / Global Engagement Focus, 8 credits

You can fulfill elective requirements by taking two classes from the following options:

• A class offered at the Emerson campus, such as the Translation Seminar or the Translating Cultures course (both listed under the Topics LI 615 number)
• A course from one of the Global Pathways Programs
• Directed study. You will complete a required translation project as part of this focus; You can do so as part of the work in one of the classes and options listed above.

*Approval from the Graduate Program Director is required for this focus

Elective Alternative: Teaching College Composition*

Each year, a select number of graduate students in Writing, Literature, and Publishing learn to teach writing at the undergraduate level.

Teaching College Composition is a 4-credit, one-semester course that prepares you to teach at Emerson and other institutions after graduation.

Although taking the course does not guarantee a part-time teaching position at Emerson, students who have completed the course are interviewed by faculty and may be offered appointments. Many students find this elective as a valuable tool when pursuing jobs after graduation.

At the conclusion of your coursework, you will submit and defend a “near publishable” manuscript in one genre to be approved by a thesis committee. You must complete at least 16 credits (four courses) of the required 20 credits of workshops in the genre of your thesis.

Your thesis may consist of a collection of poems, short stories, essays, a novel, a novel excerpt, or a nonfiction book or excerpt. Minimum required lengths for MFA theses vary according to the genre.

Financial Aid

Emerson College is proud to offer students and families financial aid options and resources. For a full list of our financial aid offerings, visit our  Financial Aid  page.

Scholarships

Upon applying to an Emerson Graduate Program, the Graduate Admission team automatically reviews every accepted student’s scholarship eligibility. For more information about scholarships, please visit our  Scholarships & Grants  page.

Apply today!

Career Outlook

Students interested in a writing career will enjoy a dynamic range of careers and industries, including:

• Content Manager
• Communications Coordinator
• Public Relations Manager

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Emerson College MA in Creative Writing

How much does a master’s in creative writing from emerson cost, emerson graduate tuition and fees.

Does Emerson Offer an Online MA in Creative Writing?

Emerson master’s student diversity for creative writing, male-to-female ratio.

Of the students who received their master’s degree in creative writing in 2019-2020, 70.6% of them were women. This is higher than the nationwide number of 66.6%.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

Racial-ethnic minority graduates* made up 32.4% of the creative writing master’s degrees at Emerson in 2019-2020. This is higher than the nationwide number of 24%.

Popular Reports

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Fully Funded MFA Programs in Creative Writing

As part of our series  How to Fully Fund Your Master’s Degree , here is a list of universities that have fully funded MFA programs in creative writing. A Master’s of Fine Arts in creative writing can lead to a career as a professional writer, in academia, and more.

Fully funded MFA programs in Creative Writing offer a financial aid package for full-time students that includes full tuition remission as well as an annual stipend or salary during the entire program, which for Master’s degrees is usually 1-2 years. Funding usually comes with the expectation that students will teach or complete research in their field of study. Not all universities fully fund their Master’s students, which is why researching the financial aid offerings of many different programs, including small and lesser-known schools both in the U.S. and abroad, is essential.

In addition to listing fully funded Master’s and PhD programs, the ProFellow fellowships database also includes external funding opportunities for graduate school, including fellowships for dissertation research, fieldwork, language study, study abroad, summer work experiences, and professional development.

Would you like to receive the full list of more than 1000+ fully funded Master’s and PhD programs in 60 disciplines? Download the FREE Directory of Fully Funded Graduate Programs and Full Funding Awards !

Here is the list of 53 universities that offer fully-funded MFA programs (Master’s of Fine Arts) in Creative Writing.

University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa, AL): Students admitted to the MFA Program are guaranteed full financial support for up to 4-years. Assistantships include a stipend paid over nine months (currently $14,125), and full payment of up to 15 credit hours of graduate tuition.

University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ): All accepted MFA students receive full funding through a graduate teaching assistantship for 3 years. This package includes tuition remission, health insurance, and a modest stipend (in 2018 it was about $16,100 per academic year).

Arizona State University (Tempe, AZ): 3-year program. All students admitted to the MFA program who submit a complete and approved teaching assistantship application are awarded a TA by the Department of English. Each assistantship carries a three-course per year load and includes a tuition waiver and health insurance in addition to the TA stipend ($18,564 per year). In addition, students have diverse opportunities for additional financial and professional support.

University of Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR): Four-year program. Teaching assistantships currently carry an annual stipend of $13,500 for students with a BA. TAs also receive a waiver of all tuition costs and teach two courses each semester. Nearly all of our accepted students receive TAs. Additionally, the students compete each year for several fellowships.

Boise State University (Boise, Idaho): 3-year fully funded MFA program dedicated to poetry and fiction. All students receive a tuition waiver, health insurance, and a Teaching Assistantship with a stipend of $11,450 per year.

Bowling Green State University (Bowling Green, OH): 2-year program, graduate assistantships (including stipend and scholarship) are available for all eligible face-to-face students. 100% tuition scholarship. Graduate stipend (the 2020-21 stipend is $11,500).

Brown University (Providence, RI): All incoming MFA students received full funding. All graduate students receive a fellowship that pays a monthly stipend and provides tuition remission, the health fee, and health insurance. The stipend for the 2020-2021 academic year is $29,926. Also, students in good standing receive a summer stipend of $2,993.

Boston University (Boston, MA): Tuition costs will be covered for every admitted student for the MFA degree in the BU Creative Writing Program. In addition, admitted students will receive university health insurance while they are enrolled, and all admitted students will receive stipend support of roughly $16,000 for the academic year.

Cornell University (Ithaca, NY): All MFA degree candidates are guaranteed 2 years of funding (including a stipend, a full-tuition fellowship, and student health insurance).

University of California Irvine (Irvine, CA): 3-year program. The Department is committed to providing 3 full years of financial support to all domestic students in the MFA Programs in Writing. Financial support for MFA students is given in the form of Teaching Assistantships providing full tuition coverage as well as University health insurance. Students will earn an estimated $22,569 for the academic year.

University of California San Diego (La Jolla, CA): MFA in Writing students are eligible for financial support if they study full-time, maintain good academic standing and make timely progress toward the degree. All students are eligible for full funding, including international students provided they meet the English language certification requirement for teaching assistants.

University of California Riverside (Riverside, CA): All incoming students are granted a full fellowship and stipend for their first year. After the first year, students receive full tuition and a salary through teaching assistantships.

Florida Atlantic University (Boca Raton, FL): 3-year program. All of the MFA students qualify for a position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. The GTA position comes with a tuition waiver and a stipend. The standard stipend is $9,000, but some enhanced stipends are available. The Graduate College offers several fellowships for current graduate students.

Florida State University (Tallahassee, FL): The majority of students receive support in the form of a teaching assistantship and are provided with a stipend, a tuition waiver, and a health-insurance subsidy. MFA students receive a three-year assistantship. For 2022-23, MA/MFA stipends will be $16,400, and typically these amounts go up each year. Also, The FSU Graduate School offers several fellowships and awards.

Georgia College & State University (Milledgeville, GA): The MFA Program offers workshops in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, and students take cross-genre workshops. All students admitted to the MFA program receive a Graduate Assistantship for all 3 years that includes a stipend and tuition remission.

University of Houston (Houston, TX): MFA students can receive a teaching assistantship for 3 years. Starting salary for MFAs is $17,935/9 months. Students in the Creative. As part of the assistantship, students are awarded either a Graduate Tuition Fellowship, which remits tuition, or a Creative Writing Program Fellowship, which covers the cost of tuition.

University of Idaho (Moscow, Idaho): All English Teaching Assistants (TA’s) are offered full tuition waivers. Teaching Assistants are given a stipend of $14,000 per year. Also offers three scholarships and three outstanding fellowships to support qualified MFA, graduate students.

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (Urbana, IL): Three-year MFA program. Students accepted into the MFA program will receive full tuition waivers, guaranteed teaching assistantships.

Indiana University (Bloomington, IN): M.F.A. programs offer a generous teaching package to creative writing students. All applicants receive consideration for appropriate fellowships that will carry a stipend of about $19,000, plus tuition and fee-remission that covers roughly 90% of the cost of enrollment.

Iowa State University (Ames, IA): 3-year MFA program. Starting half-time 20 hours per week teaching assistantships for MFA students total $19,250 over 10 months and also receive a full-tuition waiver scholarship (approximate value $10,140) and health insurance coverage. The department has several resources available through which to offer fellowships and scholarships to qualifying new students.

University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA): 2-year residency program. Financial assistance is available for all students enrolled in the program, in the form of teaching assistantships, research assistantships, and fellowships. Most fellowships and assistantships provide either tuition scholarships or full tuition remission.

John Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD): 2-year program. All students receive full tuition, health insurance, and a generous teaching fellowship, currently set at $30,500 per year. Some students work as assistant editors on The Hopkins Review. They often win prizes such as Stegner Fellowships or grants from the National Endowment for the Arts.

University of Maryland (College Park, MD): This 3-year program accepts 8 applicants who are fully funded by Teaching Assistantships for up to three years of graduate study. Our aid packages include a stipend of about $20,000 per academic year and 60 credit hours of tuition remission.

Miami University (Oxford, OH): All students admitted to the MFA program in Creative Writing hold generous Graduate Assistantships (which include a summer stipend). Non-teaching assistantships may also be available.

University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL): An intensive two-year study with a third year option. The James Michener Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships support all our graduate students. Awards include a full tuition waiver and annual stipend of $18,915.

University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, MI): All MFA students accepted into the program are offered a full tuition waiver, a stipend of $23,000/yearly as well as $5,000 in summer funding, and health care benefits. Additionally, various fellowships and prizes are awarded each year to MFA students.

University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN): All admitted MFAs receive full funding, in the form of teaching assistantships or fellowships. Teaching assistantships carry a full tuition waiver, health benefits, and a stipend of about $18,600. Also, a variety of fellowships are available for graduate students.

University of Mississippi (University, MS): All of our students are fully funded.  We offer two main sources of funding, the Grisham Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships.

University of Nevada Las Vegas (Las Vegas, NV): 3-year program. All MFA students admitted to the Creative Writing International program at UNLV are offered Graduate Assistantship funding of $15,000 per year (which includes in-state tuition and provisions for health insurance).

Northwestern University (Evanston, IL): Funding is provided for 3 full years, summers included. Tuition is covered by a tuition scholarship during any quarter in which you are receiving a stipend.

University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN): Every student admitted to the MFA receives a full-tuition scholarship, a fellowship that carries a full stipend of $16,000 per year and access to a 100% health insurance subsidy.

North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC): A two-year, fully-funded program, They accept only about a dozen students each year and offer full funding in the form of a graduate teaching assistantship to all eligible admitted applicants.

Ohio State University (Columbus, OH): All admitted students are fully funded for our 3-year MFA program in Creative Writing. In addition, all students receive either a graduate teaching associateship, a Graduate School fellowship or a combination of the two. For graduate teaching associateships, the student receives a stipend of at least $17,000 for the nine-month academic year.

University of Oregon (Eugene OR): A two-year residency MFA program. All incoming MFA students funded with a teaching appointment. Student instructors receive tuition remission, monthly stipends of approximately $18,000.

Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR): All students admitted to the MFA program will automatically receive a standard teaching Graduate Teaching Assistantship contract, which provides full tuition remission and stipend of approximately $12,800 per year to cover living expenses. In addition to tuition remission, all graduate students have the option to receive 89% coverage of health insurance costs for themselves and their dependents.

University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA): 3-year MFA program. All students admitted to the program will receive Teaching Assistantships for two or three years. All Teaching Assistantships include salary, medical benefits, and tuition remission.

Rutgers University–Newark (Newark, NJ): Each full-time incoming student receives in-state Tuition Remission and a Chancellor’s Stipend of 15K per year. Students are also eligible for Teaching Assistantships, and Part-Time Lectureships teaching Comp or Creative Writing. Teaching Assistantships are $25,969 (approximate) plus health benefits.

University of South Florida (Tampa, FL): 3-year program. MFA students receive a tuition waiver, a teaching assistantship that comes with a stipend, and enrollment in group health insurance.

Southern Illinois University (Carbondale, IL): Almost all MFA students hold graduate assistantships, which provide stipends for the academic year and full remission of tuition. The annual stipend, which comes with tuition remission, ranges from $13,000 to $14,500.

Syracuse University (Syracuse, NY): Three-Year M.F.A. in Creative Writing. All students are fully funded. Each student admitted receives a full-tuition scholarship in addition to an annual stipend of $17,500.

University of South Carolina (Columbia, SC): 3-year MFA program. The MFA at Carolina is pleased to provide fellowship and/or assistantship funding to all accepted students, earning our program the designation of “fully funded” from Poets and Writers.

University of Tennessee — Knoxville (Knoxville, TN): There is no cost to apply to the MFA program. All of our PhD candidates and MFA students are fully funded, with generous opportunities for additional financial support.

University of Texas in Austin (Austin, TX): All students in the New Writers Project receive three years of full funding through a combination of teaching assistantships (TA), assistant instructorships (AI), and fellowship support. The complete package includes full tuition remission, health insurance, and a salary.

University of Texas James Michener Center (Austin, TX): A three-year, fully funded residency MFA program that provides full and equal funding to every writer. All admitted students receive a fellowship of $29,500 per academic year, plus total coverage of tuition.

Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN): Each year a small, select class of talented writers of fiction and poetry enroll in Vanderbilt’s three-year, fully-funded MFA Program in Creative Writing. The University Fellowship provides full-tuition benefits, health insurance, and a stipend of $30,000/yearly. In 2nd year and third-year students have the opportunity to teach for one semester.

University of Virginia (Charlottesville, VA): Three-year MFA program. Students will receive fellowship support and/or teaching income in the amount of $20,000 each academic year, as well as full funding of your tuition, enrollment fees, and the health insurance premium for single-person coverage through the university.

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA): Three-year MFA degree offers tracks in Poetry and Fiction, and all students are fully and equally funded via GTA-ships of more than $20,000 per year.

Washington University in St. Louis (St. Louis, MO): Because of selectivity and size they are able to offer all the new students full and equal financial aid for both years in the program in the form of a University Fellowship, which provides a complete tuition waiver plus a stipend sufficient for students to live comfortably in our relatively inexpensive city. All MFA students receive health insurance through Washington University.

Western Kentucky University (Bowling Green, KY): Three-year, fully-funded, residential MFA program in creative writing offering generous assistantships, which will allow MFA students to gain valuable experience tutoring and teaching.

West Virginia University (Morgantown, WV): A three-year program. All Master of Fine Arts students receive a full tuition waiver and an assistantship, which includes a stipend valued at $16,750.

Wichita State University (Wichita, Kansas): Most of the MFA students are GTAs who teach two composition classes each semester. They pay no tuition, receive $4,250 each semester and may buy discounted health insurance. The MFA program also awards two $12,500 fellowships each year.

University of Wisconsin–Madison (Madison, WI): All accepted MFA candidates receive tuition remissions, teaching assistantships, generous health insurance, and other financial support. In addition to the approximately $14,680 paid to each MFA annually in exchange for teaching, every MFA candidate will receive another $9,320 in scholarships each year.

University of Wyoming (Laramie, WY): All of our full-time MFA students are fully funded with two-year graduate assistantships. Currently, assistantships include a stipend of $12,330 per academic year, a tuition and fees waiver, and student health insurance. Students also receive summer stipends of up to $2,000 for the summer.

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• Decisions, Decisions

Emerson MFA Creative Writing

By erinajinzx March 10, 2018 in Decisions, Decisions

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Hi, everyone, hope you are doing well.

I was accepted to Emerson's creative writing program on March 8th with a $32500 fellowship. I have tried to research this school but found the info is minimal out there (there is no blog post--like the MFA years posts--about the program or current students' thoughts about it). I was wondering if anyone knows this program well and could thus fill me in on it. So far, it seems like this is not a super competitive program and not too hard to get into, and the size of the applicant pool just seems like a mystery to me... I would love to hear everyone's thoughts. Many thanks! 

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Share on other sites, gallifreygirl.

Based on my research, Emerson accepts like 40-45 out of an applicant pool of 100-200. I'm not sure if that fellowship is on top of a tuition waiver? Tuition is about $30k/year there so if you have to pay tuition out of the fellowship, that doesn't leave much to try to live on (and Boston is not cheap).

As for reputation, I've only heard good things about Emerson; they have a specialization in Publishing and Popular Fiction, which bodes well if you ever want to write something other than straight literary fiction, and their grads seem to have a pretty good track record of publishing work.

Hope this helps. Good luck writing!

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Emerson College’s Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing MFA

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MFA Program

Writing: Katie Williams, Margot Douaihy, Kirsten Imani Kasai, Jon Papernick, Jessica Treadway Literature: William Orem, Roy Kamada, Mary Kovaleski Byrnes, Adele Lee Publishing: Lisa Diercks, Gian Lombardo, John Rodzvilla

The program offers partial funding. Some students receive fellowships, and all applications are automatically reviewed for funding. The program offers the  Presidential Fellowship and Merit-Based Scholarships .

Students can apply to the program’s Transformational Leaders Fellowship which includes a stipend, scholarship, leadership training and a mentorship program.

The Online MFA in Popular Fiction Writing and Publishing Program hosts an online webinar series for students with writers and publishers of popular fiction to enable students to discuss their craft and foster connections with the writing and publishing community.

The priority decision is November 1, rolling admissions accepted through November 15 for spring admission. The priority decision is March 1, rolling admissions accepted through June 1 for fall admission. The priority decision is February 1, rolling admissions accepted through May 1 for summer admission.

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CREATIVE WRITING

What can you do with a MFA in Creative Writing?

The versatility of a master’s degree in creative writing allows graduates to pursue careers in various industries where strong writing, storytelling, and communication skills are highly valued. Adaptability and networking are essential for success in these diverse career paths.

Tech Knowledge

Individuals with a master’s degree in creative writing can benefit from familiarity with various technologies to enhance their writing, research, and career opportunities. Although this is an extensive list, the specific technologies you need to know can depend on your chosen career path, but some common ones include:

• Word Processing Software: Proficiency in word processing software like Microsoft Word or Google Docs is essential for writing, editing, and formatting manuscripts.
• Writing and Editing Software: Writing and editing tools like Scrivener or Grammarly can help writers streamline their writing process and improve their writing quality.
• Content Management Systems (CMS): Knowledge of CMS platforms like WordPress can be useful for writers who want to create and manage their own blogs or websites.
• Research and Reference Tools: Tools like Zotero, EndNote, or Evernote help writers collect and organize research materials and references.
• Digital Publishing Platforms: Familiarity with digital publishing platforms like Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) or Smashwords can be valuable for self-publishing authors.
• Screenwriting Software: For those interested in screenwriting, software like Final Draft or Celtx is essential for formatting scripts.
• Collaboration Tools: Writers who collaborate with others can use collaboration tools like Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) or Dropbox Paper to work together in real time and share documents.
• Social Media Platforms: Writers can use social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn to build their author brand, connect with readers, and promote their work.
• Website and Blogging Tools: For writers who maintain blogs or author websites, platforms like WordPress, Blogger, or Squarespace can be helpful.
• Email Marketing Software: Writers interested in building an email list for their readership can use email marketing platforms like MailChimp or ConvertKit.
• E-book Design and Formatting Tools: Design and formatting tools like Adobe InDesign or Vellum are useful for creating professionally formatted e-books.
• Grammar and Style Guides: Access to grammar and style guides, such as The Chicago Manual of Style or AP Stylebook, can help writers maintain consistency in their work.
• Digital Writing Workshops: Online writing workshops and courses, hosted on platforms like Coursera, Udemy, or Skillshare, offer opportunities for skill development and networking.
• Writing Community Forums: Joining online writing communities and forums like Wattpad, Goodreads, or NaNoWriMo can help writers connect with peers, gain feedback, and share their work.
• Audio and Video Recording Tools: Writers interested in podcasts or author interviews may need recording and editing software and equipment.
• Data Security and Back-Up Solutions: Backing up manuscripts and important writing files is critical; cloud storage services like Dropbox or Google Drive can be helpful.
• Author Website Analytics: Knowledge of website analytics tools like Google Analytics can help authors track website traffic and reader engagement.
• Writing and Publishing Software: Writing software with distraction-free interfaces, like Ulysses or Bear, can help writers stay focused on their work.
• E-books and Digital Publishing Software: Familiarity with e-book creation and conversion software, such as Calibre or Sigil, can be useful for self-publishing authors.
• Project Management Tools: Writers working on longer projects, such as novels or research, may benefit from project management tools like Trello or Asana to stay organized.

The specific technologies a writer needs may vary depending on their writing style, genre, and career goals. Writers should stay open to exploring new tools and technologies that can enhance their writing process and career prospects in a digital age.

Competencies + Other Skills

Graduates with a master’s degree in creative writing need a set of competencies to excel in their careers. These include a strong command of writing, proficiency in various literary genres, the ability to edit and revise effectively, and the skills to conduct research when necessary. They should also understand the publication process, screenwriting techniques, if relevant, marketing and promotion strategies, and be adaptable in their writing style to meet the demands of different projects and audiences. These competencies form the foundation for successful and versatile careers in creative writing.

• Creativity: Creative writers must possess a high degree of creativity to develop unique and engaging narratives.
• Discipline and Time Management: Self-discipline is critical for setting writing goals and managing time effectively, especially for longer projects like novels.
• Resilience: Rejection and criticism are common in the writing world, so writers need resilience to persevere through setbacks.
• Self-Motivation: Writers often work independently, so self-motivation is crucial for maintaining consistent writing habits.
• Open-Mindedness: Being open to feedback, new ideas, and different writing styles allows writers to continually improve.
• Empathy: Understanding and portraying diverse characters and perspectives with empathy enhances the depth of storytelling.
• Networking: Building relationships with fellow writers, literary agents, publishers, and editors can lead to opportunities and support in the writing industry.
• Communication: Effective communication skills help writers pitch ideas, collaborate with others, and engage with readers and audiences.
• Attention to Detail: A keen eye for detail ensures that writing is free of errors and inconsistencies.
• Problem-Solving: Writers often encounter plot, character, and structural challenges that require creative problem-solving.
• Listening Skills: Listening to feedback and understanding the needs and preferences of readers or clients is essential for meeting expectations.
• Cultural Awareness: Sensitivity to cultural nuances and diverse perspectives can enrich storytelling and avoid stereotypes.
• Storytelling: Strong storytelling skills, including narrative structure and pacing, are fundamental for capturing and holding readers’ attention.
• Self-Reflection: The ability to reflect on one’s own writing and continually strive for improvement is essential for growth as a writer.
• Adaptability: The writing landscape evolves, so being adaptable to changes in publishing and marketing trends is important.

Emerson Campus Orgs

• Concrete Literary Magazine
• The Emerson Review
• Gauge Magazine
• Stork Magazine
• The Berkeley Beacon
• Emertainment Monthly
• em Magazine
• Your Magazine
• Five Cent Sound
• Atlas Magazine
• Graduate Student Association
• Emerson College Book Club
• Graduate Reading Series
• Writers of Color

You can also consider other non-industry oriented organizations and assist them with your areas of interest (example: having your scripts workshopped in SPEC or writing a newsletter for Women in Motion).

Industry Job Boards

• Bookjobs.com
• Publishers Marketplace
• Publishers Weekly
• MediaBistro
• Independent Publishers Guild
• Publishers.org
• ACES Editors – Job Board
• Writers and Editors
• Freelance Writing Gigs
• The Write Life
• Profellow: 44 Fellowships for Creative Writers in Any Career Stage

Professional Associations and Conferences

• Grub Street, Inc.
• American Booksellers Association
• American Copy Editors Society
• American Institute of Graphic Arts
• American Library Association
• Association of American Publishers
• Association of American University Presses
• Author’s Guild
• International Digital Publishing Forum
• International Publishers Association
• The Association of Magazine Media
• National Association of Science Writers
• National Book Foundation
• National Writers Union
• Printing United Alliance
• Printing Industries of New England
• American Society of Magazine Editors
• Writers Guild of America – www.wga.org (West) & www.wgaeast.com (East)

Sample Job Titles with a Masters in Creative Writing

• Author/Novelist: Many creative writing graduates pursue careers as authors, writing novels, short stories, and other literary works for publication.
• Poet: Those with a passion for poetry may publish their own collections of poems, contribute to literary journals, or even work as performance poets.
• Screenwriter: Creative writers often transition into screenwriting, creating scripts for television, film, and online content.
• Playwright: Playwriting is another option, with opportunities to write for theater productions, including plays and scripts for performance.
• Creative Writing Instructor/Professor: Some graduates go on to teach creative writing at the college or university level, sharing their knowledge and skills with aspiring writers.
• Freelance Writer: Freelance writers can explore a wide range of writing opportunities, from journalism and content marketing to copywriting and ghostwriting.
• Editor: Editors work with authors to refine and polish their manuscripts, whether in book publishing, magazines, or online publications.
• Literary Agent: Literary agents represent authors and help them secure book deals and negotiate contracts with publishers.
• Content Strategist: Creative writers can use their storytelling skills in content strategy, helping companies develop engaging content for websites, blogs, and social media.
• Public Relations Specialist: PR professionals with a creative writing background excel in crafting compelling press releases, speeches, and other communication materials.
• Marketing Copywriter: Copywriters create persuasive advertising and marketing content, including slogans, product descriptions, and promotional materials.
• Technical Writer: Technical writers create user manuals, product documentation, and instructional materials, translating complex information into understandable language.
• Grant Writer: Nonprofits and organizations often hire grant writers to secure funding by crafting compelling grant proposals and applications.
• Content Developer: Content developers create educational materials, online courses, and e-learning content.
• Content Manager: Content managers oversee content creation and strategy for websites and digital platforms.
• Journalist: Creative writers can transition into journalism, reporting news stories for newspapers, magazines, or digital publications.
• Blogger/Content Creator: Some creative writers become bloggers or content creators, generating their own online content and monetizing their platforms.
• Speechwriter : Speechwriters craft speeches and presentations for public figures, politicians, and corporate leaders.
• Copy Editor/Proofreader: Copy editors and proofreaders review and edit written content for grammar, style, and accuracy.
• Advertising Creative Director: With experience, some creative writers can advance to leadership roles in advertising agencies, overseeing creative teams and campaigns.

Blogs & Industry Professionals to Follow

• SelfPublishing.com
• Writer’s Digest
• Write to Done
• The Write Practice
• Count Blogula by Jenna Moreci
• The Creative Penn
• Terribleminds by Chuck Wendig
• Daily Writing Tips
• Better Novel Project
• Shayla Raquel
• Self-Publishing School

How the Career Development Center can support

• How to pitch your stories
• How to get an agent

Link to other docs to support

• Occupational Outlook Handbook – Media and Communications
• The Write Life (great for freelance writing advice)
• Writers & Editors (collection of writing and editorial-oriented resources)

• Graduate Programs
• Request Information

Fiction MFA Student’s Manuscript Acquired by Simon & Schuster

If you’re interested in a graduate degree in fiction writing, Emerson’s Creative Writing MFA may be for you. Today we’re interviewing Natalie Lemle ‘24, a current student studying fiction. She’ll share the story of how she came to attend graduate school , her experiences in the program, and details about her recently acquired novel, Artifacts , by Simon & Schuster .

Why Did You Apply to Emerson? 

“ I decided to apply to grad school because I wanted to take my writing—which I’d always viewed as more of a hobby than a possible career—more seriously,” Natalie says. 

She studied classics and art history as an undergrad but never took a creative writing course. “I focused on other things. Creative writing was always something I did on my own,” she says. 

When Natalie applied to MFA programs, she mainly applied to schools in the Boston area because she was already living and working here. She is the founder of art_works – an art advisory that helps companies and individuals build and manage art collections.

“[One of the big] things that attracted me to Emerson was that I also write scripts. I liked the idea of being able to mix with film MFA students,” Natalie says. Alongside creative writing, Emerson also offers film MFAs in Film & Media Art , as well as Writing for Film and Television . She adds that she liked Emerson because it is a 3-year program instead of 1-2 years. 

Natalie also received a tuition remission from the college, which aided in balancing her school, work, and personal life. “This is a program where you can have a life outside of the MFA, which was perfect for me,” she says. 

What’s Your Experience at Emerson Like? 

Natalie’s writing focus is fiction, which means she is taking fiction-based workshops. Students must complete at least 16 credits (four classes) of the required 20 credits of workshops in their concentration. There are three genres students can choose from: poetry, nonfiction, or fiction . Students interested in exploring other genres can take a genre outside of their concentration as an elective.

Natalie says her experience at Emerson has been great so far because of the program’s flexibility. 

“I’ve been able to pursue writing in a formal setting while working and having kids,” she says. “I also have really benefited, I think, from getting to know students outside my concentration, including publishing grad students .” 

Natalie’s also learned a lot from her professors in the program. 

“Craft-wise, I have learned a ton from each of my fiction workshop professors. On an emotional level, I got validation I didn’t expect going into an MFA program,” Natalie says. “I think I thought my work would be torn to shreds. The environment has been much more positive than I expected, and I have really appreciated that.” 

She expands on how the writing environment at Emerson has been helpful. “Every time I left a workshop I felt energized, even on the nights my work was being workshopped—which is really saying something!” Natalie says. “It felt like such a blessing to be surrounded by fellow writers one night a week, especially because prior to enrolling in the MFA I did not have a community of writers that I was a part of. All my professors made themselves available outside of class. All of them seemed genuinely invested in their students’ work.” 

Natalie adds the program broadened what she reads for pleasure. This is based on the recommendations from peers. “I never read any genre fiction before coming to Emerson and now I have read so many books that never would have been on my radar if not for the recommendations of my peers,” she says. “There are a number of talented fantasy writers in the program, and I have really loved learning more about how that genre works.” 

Can You Tell Us About Artifacts? 

Simon & Schuster recently acquired Natalie’s manuscript Artifacts . The novel follows a New York lawyer, who once harbored dreams of becoming an archaeologist. An ancient art curator, accused of buying looted antiquities, hires her to defend him. The event forces her to reflect on a summer abroad she spent on an archaeological dig in the Italian Alps. She then returns to investigate the role she may have played in the looting of the site and her professor’s disappearance. 

“It explores the gray areas of the art market, the fallibility of memory, and issues of repatriation and cultural heritage,” Natalie says. 

The idea for the novel is something that she’s been thinking about since she was a teenager. “I wrote a bad version of it in my twenties; similar themes and characters, different execution,” Natalie says. “The seed of it is probably my obsession with ancient things. I don’t know where that came from, it’s not something anyone else in my family was super interested in. But ever since I can remember I’ve been captivated by archeology.” She originally wanted to be an archeologist, which is why she studied the classics. She even went on a dig when she was in college.

The manuscript was something Natalie didn’t share with her fiction professors at first. “I had a draft of it when I enrolled in the MFA program, but I felt like I wanted to workshop short stories instead of novel excerpts,” Natalie explains. She felt the feedback would be more beneficial being able to workshop a full short story. “All of that said, workshopping short stories in my fiction workshops helped me with my novel. I learned so much about the craft that I hadn’t known, and I also really benefited from reading and responding to my peers’ work. That part very often helped me figure out what wasn’t working in my stories/novel.” 

She mentions how she submitted the manuscript to a few of the book editing Publishing and Writing MA classes. There, she recieved a lot of helpful feedback from her peers. Faculty teaching a book editing course will sometimes reach out to the WLP (Writing, Literature, Publishing) department in search of student manuscripts for their classes. It’s the chance for the publishing students to get hands-on experience editing a manuscript. It also allows creative writing students to receive feedback from others outside of their MFA community. Students in an MFA Creative Writing program can take a publishing course, like book editing, as an elective . 

When she felt like her novel was ready, Natalie researched agents and sent out query letters. Once she started receiving responses and interest from potential agents, Natalie asked for and received great advice from her professors, who were invaluable during that roller-coaster process. 

What’s Next For You? 

Natalie is graduating in fall 2024. She’s planning on working on a new novel for her thesis . Steve Himmer is her chair and her reader is Steve Yarbrough , both of whom she is grateful to be working with. 

After the program, students will submit and defend a “near publishable” thesis. A thesis is a manuscript in one genre. The contents of a student’s thesis will vary based on your concentration. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, essays, or a novel like Natalie’s. A thesis committee (a chair and reader) will then approve a student’s thesis.

“It’s also set in the art world, but a totally different corner of it,” Natalie says. “This is another idea that’s been in my head for a long time. I originally mapped it out as a screenplay but then decided (as a direct result of a few classes I took in my second year) to write it as a novel. It’s too early to say much about it, but I’m looking forward to seeing how it evolves.” 

What Advice Do You Have for Someone Thinking About a Creative Writing MFA? 

Natalie’s biggest advice is to go in with a plan and think about what you want to get out of the program. 

“An MFA is not a panacea, but the great thing about a program like Emerson is that you can do a lot in 3 years in terms of working on your craft, while also having a life outside of writing,” Natalie says. “I think in many ways this program is more reflective of what life outside of an MFA looks like, because you’re not required to teach, and many people in the program work.” 

Natalie also adds that you’ll get the most out of any MFA program if you’re ready to be receptive to outside opinions. “I think in my twenties I wouldn’t have gotten as much out of this program, for example,” she says. 

For more information about Emerson’s writing programs, check out our Q&A blog or schedule a call with an admissions counselor today.

• About Author
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Katherine Klima

Social Media Coordinator for Graduate Admissions

Kat is a third-year student in Emerson's Creative Writing MFA program. She's originally from Long Island, but loves her life in Boston. When she's not working, she's hanging out with friends or chilling with her cat.

Latest posts from Katherine Klima

• 5 Helpful Tips for Finding a Job After Grad School - June 4, 2024
• Fiction MFA Student’s Manuscript Acquired by Simon & Schuster - April 16, 2024
• Introducing the DCL Courses and Faculty - April 9, 2024

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Department of English

M.f.a. creative writing.

English Department

Physical Address: 200 Brink Hall

Mailing Address: English Department University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, Idaho 83844-1102

Phone: 208-885-6156

Email: [email protected]

Web: English

Thank you for your interest in the Creative Writing MFA Program at University of Idaho: the premier fully funded, three-year MFA program in the Northwest. Situated in the panhandle of Northern Idaho in the foothills of Moscow Mountain, we offer the time and support to train in the traditions, techniques, and practice of nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. Each student graduates as the author of a manuscript of publishable quality after undertaking a rigorous process of thesis preparation and a public defense. Spring in Moscow has come to mean cherry blossoms, snowmelt in Paradise Creek, and the head-turning accomplishments of our thesis-year students. Ours is a faculty of active, working writers who relish teaching and mentorship. We invite you in the following pages to learn about us, our curriculum, our community, and the town of Moscow. If the prospect of giving yourself three years with us to develop as a writer, teacher, and editor is appealing, we look forward to reading your application.

Pure Poetry

A Decade Working in a Smelter Is Topic of Alumnus Zach Eddy’s Poems

Ancestral Recognition

The region surrounding the University of Idaho is the ancestral land of both the Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce peoples, and its campus in Moscow sits on unceded lands guaranteed to the Nez Perce people in the 1855 Treaty with the Nez Perce. As a land grant university, the University of Idaho also benefits from endowment lands that are the ancestral homes to many of the West’s Native peoples. The Department of English and Creative Writing Program acknowledge this history and share in the communal effort to ensure that the complexities and atrocities of the past remain in our discourse and are never lost to time. We invite you to think of the traditional “land acknowledgment” statement through our MFA alum CMarie Fuhrman’s words .

Degree Requirements

Three years to write.

Regardless of where you are in your artistic career, there is nothing more precious than time. A three-year program gives you time to generate, refine, and edit a body of original work. Typically, students have a light third year, which allows for dedicated time to complete and revise the Creative Thesis. (48 manuscript pages for those working in poetry, 100 pages for those working in prose.)

Our degree requirements are designed to reflect the real-world interests of a writer. Students are encouraged to focus their studies in ways that best reflect their artistic obsessions as well as their lines of intellectual and critical inquiry. In effect, students may be as genre-focused or as multi-genre as they please. Students must remain in-residence during their degrees. Typically, one class earns you 3 credits. The MFA requires a total of 54 earned credits in the following categories.

12 Credits : Graduate-level Workshop courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction. 9 Credits: Techniques and Traditions courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction 3 Credits : Internships: Fugue, Confluence Lab, and/or Pedagogy 9 Credits: Literature courses 12 Credits: Elective courses 10 Credits: Thesis

Flexible Degree Path

Students are admitted to our program in one of three genres, Poetry, Fiction, or Nonfiction. By design, our degree path offers ample opportunity to take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses in any genre. Our faculty work and publish in multiple genres and value the slipperiness of categorization. We encourage students to write in as broad or focused a manner as they see fit. We are not at all interested in making writers “stay in their lanes,” and we encourage students to shape their degree paths in accordance with their passions. 

What You Study

During your degree, you will take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses.

Our workshop classes are small by design (typically twelve students or fewer) and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. No two workshop experiences look alike, but what they share are faculty members committed to the artistic and intellectual passions of their workshop participants.

Techniques studios are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These popular courses are dedicated to the granular aspects of writing, from deep study of the poetic image to the cultivation of independent inquiry in nonfiction to the raptures of research in fiction. Such courses are heavy on generative writing and experimentation, offering students a dedicated space to hone their craft in a way that is complementary to their primary work.

Traditions seminars are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These generative writing courses bring student writing into conversation with a specific trajectory or “tradition” of literature, from life writing to outlaw literature to the history of the short story, from prosody to postwar surrealism to genre-fluidity and beyond. These seminars offer students a dynamic space to position their work within the vast and varied trajectories of literature.

Literature courses are taught by core Literature and MFA faculty. Our department boasts field-leading scholars, interdisciplinary writers and thinkers, and theory-driven practitioners who value the intersection of scholarly study, research, humanism, and creative writing.

Award-Winning Faculty

We teach our classes first and foremost as practitioners of the art. Full stop. Though our styles and interests lie at divergent points on the literary landscape, our common pursuit is to foster the artistic and intellectual growth of our students, regardless of how or why they write. We value individual talent and challenge all students to write deep into their unique passions, identities, histories, aesthetics, and intellects. We view writing not as a marketplace endeavor but as an act of human subjectivity. We’ve authored or edited several books across the genres.

Learn more about Our People .

Thesis Defense

The MFA experience culminates with each student writing and defending a creative thesis. For prose writers, theses are 100 pages of creative work; for poets, 48 pages. Though theses often take the form of an excerpt from a book-in-progress, students have flexibility when it comes to determining the shape, form, and content of their creative projects. In their final year, each student works on envisioning and revising their thesis with three committee members, a Major Professor (core MFA faculty) and two additional Readers (core UI faculty). All students offer a public thesis defense. These events are attended by MFA students, faculty, community members, and other invitees. During a thesis defense, a candidate reads from their work for thirty minutes, answers artistic and critical questions from their Major Professor and two Readers for forty-five minutes, and then answer audience questions for thirty minutes. Though formally structured and rigorous, the thesis defense is ultimately a celebration of each student’s individual talent.

The Symposium Reading Series is a longstanding student-run initiative that offers every second-year MFA candidate an opportunity to read their works-in-progress in front of peers, colleagues, and community members. This reading and Q & A event prepares students for the third-year public thesis defense. These off-campus events are fun and casual, exemplifying our community centered culture and what matters most: the work we’re all here to do.

Teaching Assistantships

All students admitted to the MFA program are fully funded through Teaching Assistantships. All Assistantships come with a full tuition waiver and a stipend, which for the current academic year is roughly $15,000. Over the course of three years, MFA students teach a mix of composition courses, sections of Introduction to Creative Writing (ENGL 290), and additional writing courses, as departmental needs arise. Students may also apply to work in the Writing Center as positions become available. When you join the MFA program at Idaho, you receive teacher training prior to the beginning of your first semester. We value the role MFA students serve within the department and consider each graduate student as a working artist and colleague. Current teaching loads for Teaching Assistants are two courses per semester. Some members of the Fugue editorial staff receive course reductions to offset the demands of editorial work. We also award a variety of competitive and need-based scholarships to help offset general living costs. In addition, we offer three outstanding graduate student fellowships: The Hemingway Fellowship, Centrum Fellowship, and Writing in the Wild Fellowship. Finally, our Graduate and Professional Student Association offers extra-departmental funding in the form of research and travel grants to qualifying students throughout the academic year.

Distinguished Visiting Writers Series

Each year, we bring a Distinguished Visiting Writer to campus. DVWs interface with our writing community through public readings, on-stage craft conversations hosted by core MFA faculty, and small seminars geared toward MFA candidates. Recent DVWs include Maggie Nelson, Roger Reeves, Luis Alberto Urrea, Brian Evenson, Kate Zambreno, Dorianne Laux, Teju Cole, Tyehimba Jess, Claire Vaye Watkins, Naomi Shihab Nye, David Shields, Rebecca Solnit, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Susan Orlean, Natasha Tretheway, Jo Ann Beard, William Logan, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Gabino Iglesias, and Marcus Jackson, among several others.

Fugue Journal

Established in 1990 at the University of Idaho, Fugue publishes poetry, fiction, essays, hybrid work, and visual art from established and emerging writers and artists. Fugue is managed and edited entirely by University of Idaho graduate students, with help from graduate and undergraduate readers. We take pride in the work we print, the writers we publish, and the presentation of both print and digital content. We hold an annual contest in both prose and poetry, judged by two nationally recognized writers. Past judges include Pam Houston, Dorianne Laux, Rodney Jones, Mark Doty, Rick Moody, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Jo Ann Beard, Rebecca McClanahan, Patricia Hampl, Traci Brimhall, Edan Lepucki, Tony Hoagland, Chen Chen, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, sam sax, and Leni Zumas. The journal boasts a remarkable list of past contributors, including Steve Almond, Charles Baxter, Stephen Dobyns, Denise Duhamel, Stephen Dunn, B.H. Fairchild, Nick Flynn, Terrance Hayes, Campbell McGrath, W.S. Merwin, Sharon Olds, Jim Shepard, RT Smith, Virgil Suarez, Melanie Rae Thon, Natasha Trethewey, Philip Levine, Anthony Varallo, Robert Wrigley, and Dean Young, among many others.

Academy of American Poets University Prize

The Creative Writing Program is proud to partner with the Academy of American Poets to offer an annual Academy of American Poets University Prize to a student at the University of Idaho. The prize results in a small honorarium through the Academy as well as publication of the winning poem on the Academy website. The Prize was established in 2009 with a generous grant from Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett. Many of our nation’s most esteemed and celebrated poets won their first recognition through an Academy of American Poets Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Jorie Graham, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Gregory Orr, Sylvia Plath, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright.

Fellowships

Centrum fellowships.

Those selected as Centrum Fellows attend the summer Port Townsend Writers’ Conference free of charge. Housed in Fort Worden (which is also home to Copper Canyon Press), Centrum is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering several artistic programs throughout the year. With a focus on rigorous attention to craft, the Writers’ Conference offers five full days of morning intensives, afternoon workshops, and craft lectures to eighty participants from across the nation. The cost of the conference, which includes tuition, lodging, and meals, is covered by the scholarship. These annual scholarship are open to all MFA candidates in all genres.

Hemingway Fellowships

This fellowship offers an MFA Fiction student full course releases in their final year. The selection of the Hemingway Fellow is based solely on the quality of an applicant’s writing. Each year, applicants have their work judged blind by a noted author who remains anonymous until the selection process has been completed. Through the process of blind selection, the Hemingway Fellowship Fund fulfills its mission of giving the Fellow the time they need to complete a substantial draft of a manuscript.

Writing in the Wild

This annual fellowship gives two MFA students the opportunity to work in Idaho’s iconic wilderness areas. The fellowship fully supports one week at either the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS), which borders Payette Lake and Ponderosa State Park, or the Taylor Wilderness Research Station, which lies in the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. Both campuses offer year-round housing. These writing retreats allow students to concentrate solely on their writing. Because both locations often house researchers, writers will also have the opportunity to interface with foresters, geologists, biologists, and interdisciplinary scholars.

Program History

Idaho admitted its first class of seven MFA students in 1994 with a faculty of four: Mary Clearman Blew, Tina Foriyes, Ron McFarland (founder of Fugue), and Lance Olsen. From the beginning, the program was conceived as a three-year sequence of workshops and techniques classes. Along with offering concentrations in writing fiction and poetry, Idaho was one of the first in the nation to offer a full concentration in creative nonfiction. Also from its inception, Idaho not only allowed but encouraged its students to enroll in workshops outside their primary genres. Idaho has become one of the nation’s most respected three-year MFA programs, attracting both field-leading faculty and students. In addition to the founders of this program, notable distinguished faculty have included Kim Barnes, Robert Wrigley, Daniel Orozco, Joy Passanante, Tobias Wray, Brian Blanchfield, and Scott Slovic, whose collective vision, rigor, grit, and care have paved the way for future generations committed to the art of writing.

The Palouse

Situated in the foothills of Moscow Mountain amid the rolling terrain of the Palouse (the ancient silt beds unique to the region), our location in the vibrant community of Moscow, Idaho, boasts a lively and artistic local culture. Complete with independent bookstores, coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants and breweries, (not to mention a historic art house cinema, organic foods co-op, and renowned seasonal farmer’s market), Moscow is a friendly and affordable place to live. Outside of town, we’re lucky to have many opportunities for hiking, skiing, rafting, biking, camping, and general exploring—from nearby Idler’s Rest and Kamiak Butte to renowned destinations like Glacier National Park, the Snake River, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, and Nelson, BC. As for more urban getaways, Spokane, Washington, is only a ninety-minute drive, and our regional airline, Alaska, makes daily flights to and from Seattle that run just under an hour.

For upcoming events and program news, please visit our calendar .

For more information about the MFA program, please contact us at:  [email protected]

Department of English University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, ID 83844-1102 208-885-6156