California
ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELES
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Steve Heller, Tara Ison, Jenny Factor, Eloise Klein Healy
Length: 2 years for single-concentration students w/ 1 area of study; + another semester to earn a dual concentration (2 areas of study); + another semester if you want a Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. $5.5-$9K per semester, depending on semester, and what you’re trying to earn.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Admissions Office: MFA in Creative Writing Application Form, $60 application fee, at least 2 recommendations, transcript, “admissions dialogue” (i.e. personal statement), writing sample, optional interview; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: Semesters do not begin in September and January as most college semesters do; deadlines are 15 Feb. for June entry, 15 Aug. for Dec. entry.
Financial Aid: Student and/or family must carry primary responsibility, as the school has not set up any particular assistantship or fellowship program to provide MFA students with funding. 75% of students receive some form of financial aid via government sources (grants, loans, work study opportunities) based on need. The university has a limited number of institutional grants and scholarships.
Web address: http://www.antiochla.edu/admissions_graduate_mfa.shtml
CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS (CCA)
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Scriptwriting, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Juvenal Acosta, Opal Palmer Adisa, Tom Barbash, Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Rebekah Bloyd, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Sydney Carson, Betsy Davids, Donna de la Perrière, Kathleen Fraser, Gloria Frym, Caroline Goodwin, Eliza Harding, Ryan Harty, Matthew Iribarne, Brent Jones, John Laskey, Joseph Lease, Anne N. Marino, Denise Newman, Julie Orringer, Holly Payne, Michelle Richmond, Zack Rogow, Judith Serin, Glori Simmons, Brian Teare, Ethan Watters, Ann Joslin Williams, Cooley Windsor, Ben Yalom
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition is $959 per unit; graduate students in this program are expected to take 15 units per semester, so the tuition per semester is $14 385.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Enrollment Services Office—Graduate Admissions: Graduate Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, personal essay, portfolio, resume/vitae, interview; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 15 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. Students can submit the FAFSA to CCA beginning in January; this automatically considers them for all forms of financial assistance. Awards are given on a rolling basis throughout the year in the order that applications are completed, so students should apply as early as possible to be given first consideration for CCA scholarships.
Web address: http://www.cca.edu/academics/mfawriting
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS (CAL ARTS)
Program name: MFA in Writing
Subject areas: This program has developed a special focus on hybrid genres, and aims to cross barriers between critical/creative writing and fiction/nonfiction. Students are exposed to “specific opportunities in the areas of cultural commentary, new fiction, experimental criticism, writing for performance, and writing for interactive media.”
Faculty: Steve Erickson, Tom Lutz, Janet Sarbanes, Mady Schutzman, Matias Viegener, Jon Wagner, Christine Wertheim
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $29.5 K
Application materials: Submit Application for Admission, $65 application fee, 2-3 recommendations, transcript, artist statement, and portfolio to Office of Admissions; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: For fall: 2 Feb. if interested in financial aid; 1 Mar. if interested only in admission. No spring admissions.
Financial Aid: All applicants are encouraged to apply for financial aid. Many students receive scholarship support. Teaching, editorial, and technological assistantships are available for qualified students.
Web address: http://www.calarts.edu/~writing
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY FRESNO
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Corrinne Clegg Hales, Tim Skeen, Steve Yarbrough, Lillian Faderman, John Hales, Steven Church
Length: 3 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1757.50 per semester. Nonresidents pay the same plus $339 per unit; therefore, they pay $18 306 for all 54 units in the program plus $1757.50 for every semester they spend at the school.
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application for Admission, $55 application fee, GRE scores, and transcript to Office of University Admissions; submit MFA program application, 3 recommendations, personal statement, and writing sample to English Department
Deadline: 15 Feb. (fall); 15 Oct. (spring)
Financial Aid: Teaching and tutoring employment opportunities in English Department and Writing Center. Three scholarships (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction) awarded to selected entering students. Two scholarships awarded annually to talented Chicano/Chicana student writers. Limited number of out-of-state tuition waivers available to eligible students for 1st year.
Web address: http://csufresno.edu/gradstudies/narratives/creative-prog.htm
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction
Faculty: Stephen Cooper, Elliot Fried, Suzanne Greenberg, Gerald Locklin, Charles Webb, Rafael Zepeda
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $3.5 K (residents), $3.5 K + $339 per unit (nonresidents). In this 60-unit program, non-residents can expect to pay an extra $20 340, or $5 085 per year.
Application materials: Submit departmental application form, writing sample, transcript, 2 recommendation letters (optional), and statement of purpose (optional) to Department of English; submit Graduate Admissions Application, $55 application fee, and transcript to Enrollment Services/Admissions; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 15 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: Student and/or family will most likely carry the most financial responsibility, as the school has not set up any particular assistantship or fellowship program to provide MFA students with funding. Grants and scholarships are available from the school and the government, and there are student loans/work opportunities.
Web address: http://www.csulb.edu/depts/english/mfa/index.html
CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Program emphasis on Fiction; secondary studies in Poetry, Screenwriting, Playwriting
Faculty: Mark Axelrod, James Blaylock, Elisabeth Cobb, Logan Esdale, Pamela Ezell, Tony Garcia, Brian Glaser, Lynda Hall, Jerry Hicks, Eileen Jankowski, Kent Lehnhof, Joanna Levin, Gerri McNenny, Martin Nakell, Kevin O’ Brien, Jan Osborn, Susan Paterno, Richard Ruppel, Matthew Schneider
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of tuition for entire degree. Graduate studies in English cost $490 per credit; MFA in Creative Writing is 60 credits of course work. This would cost $29 400.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Admission: Application for Admission, $50 application fee, 2 recommendations, GRE/MAT scores, transcript, statement of interest, portfolio, resume, letter of completion from undergraduate institution stating expected date of graduation
Deadline: For fall admission: 17 Apr. for students seeking scholarship consideration; 1 June for others; after that, applications will be considered on a space available basis. For spring admission: 15 Nov.
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. Chapman prefers FAFSA’s to be filed by 2 March. Federal loans and loans from independent organizations are available; contact Chapman for financial counseling.
Web address: http://www.chapman.edu/wcls/english/gradPrograms.asp
MILLS COLLEGE
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Children’s Literature
Faculty: Elmaz Abinader, Diane Cady, Yiyun Li, Ajuan Mance, Cornelia Nixon, Sarah Pollock, Stephen Ratcliffe, Kathryn Reiss, Kirsten Saxton, Ruth Saxton, Cynthia Scheinberg, Juliana Spahr, Thomas Strychacz
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $20.5 K
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Studies: Graduate Admission Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, statement of purpose, manuscript, and English department’s supplemental application; transcript not mentioned unless in the case of transfers from another institution (weird—don’t they want to know your grades?!); GRE scores not mentioned
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); 1 Nov. (spring)
Financial Aid: The English Department offers a couple of fellowships/endowments of unspecified value. A small number of competitive assistantships are awarded (usually to second year graduate students who have had time to contribute to the department); the full graduate assistantship provides one-half tuition credit and a stipend of unspecified value.
Web address: http://www.mills.edu/academics/graduate/eng
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Literary Nonfiction, Screenwriting
Faculty: Luis Acebal, Janet Ann Baker, Colin Dickey, Lee Lovallo, Paul Majkut, Colin Marlaire, Vicki Martineau-Gillam, Scott McClintock. John Miller, Karen Beth Offitzer, Lisa Anna Palafox, Christin Photinos, Franz Potter, Jana Lynn Rivers-Norton, Sharon Masako Sakada
Length: Program is 10 courses at 4.5 units each for a total of 45 units. You are not allowed to take over 4 courses (18 units) per quarter without Dean’s approval. At top speed, you could do the degree in 3 quarters.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program. Degree is 10 courses and 45 units at $1 188 per course and $264 per unit; total tuition cost of $23 760.
Application materials: Submit Application for Admission (online version only, so I can’t check for a statement of purpose, but it may ask you to upload one at a certain point in the online form), $60 application fee, GRE/MAT scores for students with GPA below 2.5, and transcript to Admissions; submit portfolio to Karen Offitzer (koffitze@nu.edu) in the creative writing program; recommendations not mentioned (odd!)
Deadline: Applications are accepted year-round, and students begin classes any month of the year.
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. To get financial aid, file a FAFSA to receive a package that may consist of grant, loan, and/or on/off-campus employment.
Web address: http://www.nu.edu/Academics/Schools/COLS/ArtHum/Degrees/715-505.html
SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA
Subject areas: Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Marilyn Abildskov, Thomas Cooney, Graham Foust, Wesley Gibson, Rosemary Graham, Brenda Hillman, Carol Lashof, Christopher Sindt, Lysley Tenorio
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $14 K
Application materials: Submit all materials to MFA Program in Creative Writing: Program Application, $45 application fee, 2 recommendations, transcript (with proof of a Bachelor’s degree), statement of purpose, manuscript; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 15 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: 11 scholarships ranging from $1 500 to $7 000. Teaching fellowships given to a select number of students: $2 000 stipend for the 1st year, $4 000 for the second. Teaching and publications internships also available.
Enrollment: 43
Web address: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/academics/adult_graduate/programs_by_school/school_of_liberal_arts/programs/mfa
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Sandra Alcosser, Sharon Bryan, Marilyn Chin, Glover Davis, Harold Jaffe, David Matlin, Joanne Meschery, Ilya Kaminsky
Length: Graduate students take a minimum of 9 units per semester; program is 54 units. At most, it would take 6 semesters or 3 years.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1551 per semester. Non-residents pay the same plus $339 per unit; in this 54-unit program, they would pay $18 306 for the units plus $1 551 per semester at the school.
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application, $55 application fee, GRE scores, and transcript to Graduate Admissions; submit 3 recommendations, statement of purpose, and writing sample to Department of English and Comparative Literature
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: Graduate teaching associateships and graduate assistantships available to a limited number of qualified students; editorial internships also available. Stipends not specified.
Web address: http://mfa.sdsu.edu/ink.html
SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Playwriting
Faculty: Stacy Doris, Paul Hoover, Daniel J. Langton, Toni Mirosevich, Michelle Carter, Nona Caspers, Maxine Chernoff, Robert Gluck, Peter Orner, Roy Conboy
Length: Normal graduate student load of 9 to 12 units per semester; a graduate student could complete the 54-unit program in 4.5 (or 5) to 6 semesters.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1551 per semester. Non-residents pay the same plus $339 per unit; in this 54-unit program, they would pay $18 306 for the units plus $1 551 per semester at the school.
Application materials: Submit Application for Graduate Admission (with statement of purpose), $55 application fee, and transcript to Graduate Division Office; submit MFA Application, 2 recommendations, transcript, and manuscript to Creative Writing Department; GRE not required
Deadline: 15 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: A Fiction fellowship of $500 and a Poetry fellowship of $500. Second year students have the opportunity to apply to teach a beginning Creative Writing course; approximately 5-7 students each year are hired to teach one class a semester for 1 year.
Web address: http://www.sfsu.edu/~cwriting
SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction
Faculty: Mitch Berman, Samuel Maio, Cathleen Miller, Alan Soldofsky, John Engell, Persis Karim, Gabriele Rico, Scott Sublett, Kate Evans, Robert James
Length: Full-time graduate students fulfill 9 credit units per semester; in this 48-unit course, it would take 5.33 (or 6) semesters to fulfill all units.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1551 per semester. Non-residents pay the same plus $339 per unit; in this 48-unit program, they would pay $16 272 for the units plus $1 551 per semester at the school.
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application Form, $55 application fee, and transcript to Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations Office; submit 3 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, and portfolio to English Department; GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: One $500 scholarship. Second-year students have the opportunity to apply for teaching associate positions; positions entail a modest salary and a partial tuition waiver.
Web address: http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/english/MFA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT IRVINE
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction
Faculty: Michelle Latiolais, James McMichael, Geoffrey Woolf
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $6 K (resident), $21 K (non-resident)
Application materials: Submit Application for Graduate Admissions (online version only; includes statement of purpose) and $60 application fee to Office of Graduate Studies; submit 3 recommendations, transcript, autobiographical sketch, manuscript (plus manuscript cover sheet), and stamped and self-addressed postcard (oh my!) to Department of English and Comparative Literature; GRE not required
Deadline: 15 Dec. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: All students normally receive some form of financial aid, in addition to in-service training in University-level teaching. Renewable teaching assistantships offer salaries of over $14 K per academic year for one course per quarter, and entail partial payment of fees and health insurance. There are also regent’s fellowships (that go towards student fees and carry a stipend) and tuition fellowships (for out-of-state students), though amounts are unspecified.
Applications accepted per year: 4-6 in Poetry, 6 in Fiction
Web address: http://www.humanities.uci.edu/english/creativewriting/mfa.html
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE
Subject areas: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Playwriting, Screenwriting, Writing for Interactive Media
Faculty: Christopher Abani, Christopher Buckley, Juan Filipe Herrera, Michael Jayme, Dana Johnson, Judy Z. Kronenfeld, Derek McKown, Maurya Simon, Susan C. Straight, Charles Whitney, Andrew Winer, Dwight Yates
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $6 K (residents), $21 K (non-residents)
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application and $60 application fee to Graduate Division; submit 3 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, and portfolio to Department of Creative Writing; GRE not required, but will boost eligibility for candidates with GPA below 3.2
Deadline: For fall: 5 Jan. for students seeking fellowships; 1 May for students seeking admission only. No spring admissions
Financial Aid: Fellowships are awarded on the basis of information in the graduate application and supporting documentation. If you want a fellowship, you must apply early and submit a fellowship application in addition to submitting the materials required for admission. The school offers multi-year fellowship packages that may include stipends of up to $16 000, full/partial payment of tuition fees, and appointment as a teaching assistant (TA) or graduate student researcher (GSR). Other forms of financial aid include non-resident tuition grants, TA/GSR appointments outside of a fellowship, and need-based financial aid obtained by filing a FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.creativewriting.ucr.edu/
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Subject areas: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry
Faculty: Andrew Altschul, Stephen Beachy, David Booth, Catherine Brady, Lewis Buzbee, Lowell Cohn, Norma Cole, Susan Gevirtz, Robert Halpern, Lisa Harper, Rusty Morrison, Nina L. Schuyler, Karl Soeholein, Jane Anne Staw, Susan Steinberg
Length: 2 years (but includes summers, i.e. 1st summer, fall semester, spring semester, 2nd summer, fall semester, spring semester, 3rd summer)
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program. Tuition for the 2-year program is $31 845.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Admission: Application for Graduate Admission, $55 application fee, 2 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, writing sample, resume; GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Feb. for program beginning late June. (There is only 1 admissions cycle per year.)
Financial Aid: A limited number of merit scholarships are available to students entering the program. These competitive awards go towards deferring the first semester’s tuition; you do not need to file a separate application. Otherwise you’re left with the FAFSA, federal/university loans and grants, on-campus employment, etc.
Web address: http://artsci.usfca.edu/graduate/writing/overview.html
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Subject areas: Novel, Film, TV, Drama, Poetry, Nonfiction
Faculty: James Ragan, Mel Shavelson, Marc Norman, Steve Mazur, Syd Field, Irvin Kershner, Andy Meyer, Sunmin Park, Gay Telese, Noel Riley Fitch, David Scott Milton, Donald Freed, S.L. Stebel, John Rechy, Judith Freeman, Janet Fitch, Aram Saroyan, Kanneth Turan, Steve Wasserman, Erich Van Lowe, Shelley Lowenkopf, Gina Nahai, Susan Compo, Gabrielle Pina, Shirley Thomas, Madelyn Cain, Tristine Rainer, Shelley Berman, Holly Prado-Northup, Jason Squire, Teresa O’Neill, Beata Pozniak, Marvin Bell
Length: Masters students must complete 8 units per semester to maintain full-time status; this 30-unit course should take 3.75 (or 4) semesters.
Tuition per year: $30.5 K
Application materials: Submit combined Graduate Admission and Financial Aid Application, $65 application fee, GRE scores, and transcript to USC Graduate Admissions; submit all of the aforementioned materials plus 3 recommendations, personal statement, and writing sample to Professional Writing Program
Deadline: Rolling admissions basis; students enter in spring, summer and fall semesters.
Financial Aid: Highly competitive graduate fellowships, scholarships and assistantships can result in an $18 K stipend and payment of tuition/student fees in full—or smaller stipends and partial tuition remission. Students can also file the FAFSA for a need-based financial package.
Web address: http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/mpw/admissions/overview.php
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Steve Heller, Tara Ison, Jenny Factor, Eloise Klein Healy
Length: 2 years for single-concentration students w/ 1 area of study; + another semester to earn a dual concentration (2 areas of study); + another semester if you want a Certificate in the Teaching of Creative Writing
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. $5.5-$9K per semester, depending on semester, and what you’re trying to earn.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Admissions Office: MFA in Creative Writing Application Form, $60 application fee, at least 2 recommendations, transcript, “admissions dialogue” (i.e. personal statement), writing sample, optional interview; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: Semesters do not begin in September and January as most college semesters do; deadlines are 15 Feb. for June entry, 15 Aug. for Dec. entry.
Financial Aid: Student and/or family must carry primary responsibility, as the school has not set up any particular assistantship or fellowship program to provide MFA students with funding. 75% of students receive some form of financial aid via government sources (grants, loans, work study opportunities) based on need. The university has a limited number of institutional grants and scholarships.
Web address: http://www.antiochla.edu/admissions_graduate_mfa.shtml
CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS (CCA)
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Scriptwriting, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Juvenal Acosta, Opal Palmer Adisa, Tom Barbash, Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Rebekah Bloyd, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Sydney Carson, Betsy Davids, Donna de la Perrière, Kathleen Fraser, Gloria Frym, Caroline Goodwin, Eliza Harding, Ryan Harty, Matthew Iribarne, Brent Jones, John Laskey, Joseph Lease, Anne N. Marino, Denise Newman, Julie Orringer, Holly Payne, Michelle Richmond, Zack Rogow, Judith Serin, Glori Simmons, Brian Teare, Ethan Watters, Ann Joslin Williams, Cooley Windsor, Ben Yalom
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition is $959 per unit; graduate students in this program are expected to take 15 units per semester, so the tuition per semester is $14 385.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Enrollment Services Office—Graduate Admissions: Graduate Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, personal essay, portfolio, resume/vitae, interview; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 15 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. Students can submit the FAFSA to CCA beginning in January; this automatically considers them for all forms of financial assistance. Awards are given on a rolling basis throughout the year in the order that applications are completed, so students should apply as early as possible to be given first consideration for CCA scholarships.
Web address: http://www.cca.edu/academics/mfawriting
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS (CAL ARTS)
Program name: MFA in Writing
Subject areas: This program has developed a special focus on hybrid genres, and aims to cross barriers between critical/creative writing and fiction/nonfiction. Students are exposed to “specific opportunities in the areas of cultural commentary, new fiction, experimental criticism, writing for performance, and writing for interactive media.”
Faculty: Steve Erickson, Tom Lutz, Janet Sarbanes, Mady Schutzman, Matias Viegener, Jon Wagner, Christine Wertheim
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $29.5 K
Application materials: Submit Application for Admission, $65 application fee, 2-3 recommendations, transcript, artist statement, and portfolio to Office of Admissions; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: For fall: 2 Feb. if interested in financial aid; 1 Mar. if interested only in admission. No spring admissions.
Financial Aid: All applicants are encouraged to apply for financial aid. Many students receive scholarship support. Teaching, editorial, and technological assistantships are available for qualified students.
Web address: http://www.calarts.edu/~writing
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY FRESNO
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Corrinne Clegg Hales, Tim Skeen, Steve Yarbrough, Lillian Faderman, John Hales, Steven Church
Length: 3 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1757.50 per semester. Nonresidents pay the same plus $339 per unit; therefore, they pay $18 306 for all 54 units in the program plus $1757.50 for every semester they spend at the school.
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application for Admission, $55 application fee, GRE scores, and transcript to Office of University Admissions; submit MFA program application, 3 recommendations, personal statement, and writing sample to English Department
Deadline: 15 Feb. (fall); 15 Oct. (spring)
Financial Aid: Teaching and tutoring employment opportunities in English Department and Writing Center. Three scholarships (fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction) awarded to selected entering students. Two scholarships awarded annually to talented Chicano/Chicana student writers. Limited number of out-of-state tuition waivers available to eligible students for 1st year.
Web address: http://csufresno.edu/gradstudies/narratives/creative-prog.htm
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACH
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction
Faculty: Stephen Cooper, Elliot Fried, Suzanne Greenberg, Gerald Locklin, Charles Webb, Rafael Zepeda
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $3.5 K (residents), $3.5 K + $339 per unit (nonresidents). In this 60-unit program, non-residents can expect to pay an extra $20 340, or $5 085 per year.
Application materials: Submit departmental application form, writing sample, transcript, 2 recommendation letters (optional), and statement of purpose (optional) to Department of English; submit Graduate Admissions Application, $55 application fee, and transcript to Enrollment Services/Admissions; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 15 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: Student and/or family will most likely carry the most financial responsibility, as the school has not set up any particular assistantship or fellowship program to provide MFA students with funding. Grants and scholarships are available from the school and the government, and there are student loans/work opportunities.
Web address: http://www.csulb.edu/depts/english/mfa/index.html
CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Program emphasis on Fiction; secondary studies in Poetry, Screenwriting, Playwriting
Faculty: Mark Axelrod, James Blaylock, Elisabeth Cobb, Logan Esdale, Pamela Ezell, Tony Garcia, Brian Glaser, Lynda Hall, Jerry Hicks, Eileen Jankowski, Kent Lehnhof, Joanna Levin, Gerri McNenny, Martin Nakell, Kevin O’ Brien, Jan Osborn, Susan Paterno, Richard Ruppel, Matthew Schneider
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of tuition for entire degree. Graduate studies in English cost $490 per credit; MFA in Creative Writing is 60 credits of course work. This would cost $29 400.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Admission: Application for Admission, $50 application fee, 2 recommendations, GRE/MAT scores, transcript, statement of interest, portfolio, resume, letter of completion from undergraduate institution stating expected date of graduation
Deadline: For fall admission: 17 Apr. for students seeking scholarship consideration; 1 June for others; after that, applications will be considered on a space available basis. For spring admission: 15 Nov.
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. Chapman prefers FAFSA’s to be filed by 2 March. Federal loans and loans from independent organizations are available; contact Chapman for financial counseling.
Web address: http://www.chapman.edu/wcls/english/gradPrograms.asp
MILLS COLLEGE
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Children’s Literature
Faculty: Elmaz Abinader, Diane Cady, Yiyun Li, Ajuan Mance, Cornelia Nixon, Sarah Pollock, Stephen Ratcliffe, Kathryn Reiss, Kirsten Saxton, Ruth Saxton, Cynthia Scheinberg, Juliana Spahr, Thomas Strychacz
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $20.5 K
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Studies: Graduate Admission Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, statement of purpose, manuscript, and English department’s supplemental application; transcript not mentioned unless in the case of transfers from another institution (weird—don’t they want to know your grades?!); GRE scores not mentioned
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); 1 Nov. (spring)
Financial Aid: The English Department offers a couple of fellowships/endowments of unspecified value. A small number of competitive assistantships are awarded (usually to second year graduate students who have had time to contribute to the department); the full graduate assistantship provides one-half tuition credit and a stipend of unspecified value.
Web address: http://www.mills.edu/academics/graduate/eng
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Literary Nonfiction, Screenwriting
Faculty: Luis Acebal, Janet Ann Baker, Colin Dickey, Lee Lovallo, Paul Majkut, Colin Marlaire, Vicki Martineau-Gillam, Scott McClintock. John Miller, Karen Beth Offitzer, Lisa Anna Palafox, Christin Photinos, Franz Potter, Jana Lynn Rivers-Norton, Sharon Masako Sakada
Length: Program is 10 courses at 4.5 units each for a total of 45 units. You are not allowed to take over 4 courses (18 units) per quarter without Dean’s approval. At top speed, you could do the degree in 3 quarters.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program. Degree is 10 courses and 45 units at $1 188 per course and $264 per unit; total tuition cost of $23 760.
Application materials: Submit Application for Admission (online version only, so I can’t check for a statement of purpose, but it may ask you to upload one at a certain point in the online form), $60 application fee, GRE/MAT scores for students with GPA below 2.5, and transcript to Admissions; submit portfolio to Karen Offitzer (koffitze@nu.edu) in the creative writing program; recommendations not mentioned (odd!)
Deadline: Applications are accepted year-round, and students begin classes any month of the year.
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. To get financial aid, file a FAFSA to receive a package that may consist of grant, loan, and/or on/off-campus employment.
Web address: http://www.nu.edu/Academics/Schools/COLS/ArtHum/Degrees/715-505.html
SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE OF CALIFORNIA
Subject areas: Creative Nonfiction, Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Marilyn Abildskov, Thomas Cooney, Graham Foust, Wesley Gibson, Rosemary Graham, Brenda Hillman, Carol Lashof, Christopher Sindt, Lysley Tenorio
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $14 K
Application materials: Submit all materials to MFA Program in Creative Writing: Program Application, $45 application fee, 2 recommendations, transcript (with proof of a Bachelor’s degree), statement of purpose, manuscript; GRE not mentioned
Deadline: 15 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: 11 scholarships ranging from $1 500 to $7 000. Teaching fellowships given to a select number of students: $2 000 stipend for the 1st year, $4 000 for the second. Teaching and publications internships also available.
Enrollment: 43
Web address: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/academics/adult_graduate/programs_by_school/school_of_liberal_arts/programs/mfa
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Sandra Alcosser, Sharon Bryan, Marilyn Chin, Glover Davis, Harold Jaffe, David Matlin, Joanne Meschery, Ilya Kaminsky
Length: Graduate students take a minimum of 9 units per semester; program is 54 units. At most, it would take 6 semesters or 3 years.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1551 per semester. Non-residents pay the same plus $339 per unit; in this 54-unit program, they would pay $18 306 for the units plus $1 551 per semester at the school.
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application, $55 application fee, GRE scores, and transcript to Graduate Admissions; submit 3 recommendations, statement of purpose, and writing sample to Department of English and Comparative Literature
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: Graduate teaching associateships and graduate assistantships available to a limited number of qualified students; editorial internships also available. Stipends not specified.
Web address: http://mfa.sdsu.edu/ink.html
SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Playwriting
Faculty: Stacy Doris, Paul Hoover, Daniel J. Langton, Toni Mirosevich, Michelle Carter, Nona Caspers, Maxine Chernoff, Robert Gluck, Peter Orner, Roy Conboy
Length: Normal graduate student load of 9 to 12 units per semester; a graduate student could complete the 54-unit program in 4.5 (or 5) to 6 semesters.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1551 per semester. Non-residents pay the same plus $339 per unit; in this 54-unit program, they would pay $18 306 for the units plus $1 551 per semester at the school.
Application materials: Submit Application for Graduate Admission (with statement of purpose), $55 application fee, and transcript to Graduate Division Office; submit MFA Application, 2 recommendations, transcript, and manuscript to Creative Writing Department; GRE not required
Deadline: 15 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: A Fiction fellowship of $500 and a Poetry fellowship of $500. Second year students have the opportunity to apply to teach a beginning Creative Writing course; approximately 5-7 students each year are hired to teach one class a semester for 1 year.
Web address: http://www.sfsu.edu/~cwriting
SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction
Faculty: Mitch Berman, Samuel Maio, Cathleen Miller, Alan Soldofsky, John Engell, Persis Karim, Gabriele Rico, Scott Sublett, Kate Evans, Robert James
Length: Full-time graduate students fulfill 9 credit units per semester; in this 48-unit course, it would take 5.33 (or 6) semesters to fulfill all units.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1551 per semester. Non-residents pay the same plus $339 per unit; in this 48-unit program, they would pay $16 272 for the units plus $1 551 per semester at the school.
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application Form, $55 application fee, and transcript to Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations Office; submit 3 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, and portfolio to English Department; GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: One $500 scholarship. Second-year students have the opportunity to apply for teaching associate positions; positions entail a modest salary and a partial tuition waiver.
Web address: http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/english/MFA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT IRVINE
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction
Faculty: Michelle Latiolais, James McMichael, Geoffrey Woolf
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $6 K (resident), $21 K (non-resident)
Application materials: Submit Application for Graduate Admissions (online version only; includes statement of purpose) and $60 application fee to Office of Graduate Studies; submit 3 recommendations, transcript, autobiographical sketch, manuscript (plus manuscript cover sheet), and stamped and self-addressed postcard (oh my!) to Department of English and Comparative Literature; GRE not required
Deadline: 15 Dec. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: All students normally receive some form of financial aid, in addition to in-service training in University-level teaching. Renewable teaching assistantships offer salaries of over $14 K per academic year for one course per quarter, and entail partial payment of fees and health insurance. There are also regent’s fellowships (that go towards student fees and carry a stipend) and tuition fellowships (for out-of-state students), though amounts are unspecified.
Applications accepted per year: 4-6 in Poetry, 6 in Fiction
Web address: http://www.humanities.uci.edu/english/creativewriting/mfa.html
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT RIVERSIDE
Subject areas: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Playwriting, Screenwriting, Writing for Interactive Media
Faculty: Christopher Abani, Christopher Buckley, Juan Filipe Herrera, Michael Jayme, Dana Johnson, Judy Z. Kronenfeld, Derek McKown, Maurya Simon, Susan C. Straight, Charles Whitney, Andrew Winer, Dwight Yates
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: $6 K (residents), $21 K (non-residents)
Application materials: Submit Graduate Application and $60 application fee to Graduate Division; submit 3 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, and portfolio to Department of Creative Writing; GRE not required, but will boost eligibility for candidates with GPA below 3.2
Deadline: For fall: 5 Jan. for students seeking fellowships; 1 May for students seeking admission only. No spring admissions
Financial Aid: Fellowships are awarded on the basis of information in the graduate application and supporting documentation. If you want a fellowship, you must apply early and submit a fellowship application in addition to submitting the materials required for admission. The school offers multi-year fellowship packages that may include stipends of up to $16 000, full/partial payment of tuition fees, and appointment as a teaching assistant (TA) or graduate student researcher (GSR). Other forms of financial aid include non-resident tuition grants, TA/GSR appointments outside of a fellowship, and need-based financial aid obtained by filing a FAFSA.
Web address: http://www.creativewriting.ucr.edu/
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
Subject areas: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry
Faculty: Andrew Altschul, Stephen Beachy, David Booth, Catherine Brady, Lewis Buzbee, Lowell Cohn, Norma Cole, Susan Gevirtz, Robert Halpern, Lisa Harper, Rusty Morrison, Nina L. Schuyler, Karl Soeholein, Jane Anne Staw, Susan Steinberg
Length: 2 years (but includes summers, i.e. 1st summer, fall semester, spring semester, 2nd summer, fall semester, spring semester, 3rd summer)
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program. Tuition for the 2-year program is $31 845.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Graduate Admission: Application for Graduate Admission, $55 application fee, 2 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, writing sample, resume; GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Feb. for program beginning late June. (There is only 1 admissions cycle per year.)
Financial Aid: A limited number of merit scholarships are available to students entering the program. These competitive awards go towards deferring the first semester’s tuition; you do not need to file a separate application. Otherwise you’re left with the FAFSA, federal/university loans and grants, on-campus employment, etc.
Web address: http://artsci.usfca.edu/graduate/writing/overview.html
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Subject areas: Novel, Film, TV, Drama, Poetry, Nonfiction
Faculty: James Ragan, Mel Shavelson, Marc Norman, Steve Mazur, Syd Field, Irvin Kershner, Andy Meyer, Sunmin Park, Gay Telese, Noel Riley Fitch, David Scott Milton, Donald Freed, S.L. Stebel, John Rechy, Judith Freeman, Janet Fitch, Aram Saroyan, Kanneth Turan, Steve Wasserman, Erich Van Lowe, Shelley Lowenkopf, Gina Nahai, Susan Compo, Gabrielle Pina, Shirley Thomas, Madelyn Cain, Tristine Rainer, Shelley Berman, Holly Prado-Northup, Jason Squire, Teresa O’Neill, Beata Pozniak, Marvin Bell
Length: Masters students must complete 8 units per semester to maintain full-time status; this 30-unit course should take 3.75 (or 4) semesters.
Tuition per year: $30.5 K
Application materials: Submit combined Graduate Admission and Financial Aid Application, $65 application fee, GRE scores, and transcript to USC Graduate Admissions; submit all of the aforementioned materials plus 3 recommendations, personal statement, and writing sample to Professional Writing Program
Deadline: Rolling admissions basis; students enter in spring, summer and fall semesters.
Financial Aid: Highly competitive graduate fellowships, scholarships and assistantships can result in an $18 K stipend and payment of tuition/student fees in full—or smaller stipends and partial tuition remission. Students can also file the FAFSA for a need-based financial package.
Web address: http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/mpw/admissions/overview.php
posted by Anna at 7:37 PM
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