Illinois
ART ISTUTUTE OF CHICAGO
Subject areas: According to the website, all genres: Poetry and Prose, “hybrid works,” “new forms”
Faculty: Calvin Forbes, Dan Beachy-Quick, Joanna Anos, Sherry Antonini, Carol Anshaw, Paul Ashley, Carol Becker, Mark Booth, Rosellen Brown, Anne Calcagno, Mary Cross, Janet Desaulneirs, Amy England, Eileen Favorite, Susannah Felts, Thea Goodman, Matthew Goulish, Joseph Grigely, Sarah Levine, Janny Magnus, James McManus, Michael K. Meyers, Judd Morrissey, Beth Nugent, Beau O’Reilly, Elise Paschen, Bin Ramke, Jill Riddell, David Robbins, Ellen Rothenberg, Brian Torrey Scott, Mary Margaret Sloan, Leila Wilson
Length: To achieve full-time status, a student must take 12 credits per semester; the program is 60 credits. At this rate, it should take 2.5 years.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program. The charge is $1 075 per credit hour for degree-seeking Master’s students; that’s $64.5 K for the whole 60 credits.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Admissions Office: Graduate Application, $65 application fee, recommendations (max. 3), transcript, statement of purpose, portfolio; GRE not required; candidate may be interviewed
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); 1 Nov. (spring)
Financial Aid: There are a number of TA positions offered by many departments (including the Writing Program) for students not in their first year. TA positions pay $11.80 per hour for assisting to teach a class, and $20.00 for teaching a class on one’s own. These positions do not provide students with tuition waivers. Candidates are evaluated based on the quality of their work and the relevance of their previous experience to the needs of the department. Other options include filing a FAFSA for a need-based financial aid package, taking out a loan, or finding another form of employment on campus.
Web address: http://www.artic.edu/saic/programs/degrees/graduate/mfaw.html
CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Playwriting, Screenwriting
Faculty: Brenda E. Aghahowa, Jacqueline Bryant, Kelly Ellis, Forrest E. Hazard, William L. Howard, Quraysh A. Lansana, Franklin E. Liebenow Jr., Haki Madhubuti, Christine Ohale, Sterling Plumpp, Nourou Yakoubou
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition per credit is $153 (residents); $305 (non-residents). In all, the 36-credit degree should cost $5.5 K (residents); $11 K (non-residents).
Application materials: Submit all materials to Division of Graduate Studies: Graduate School Application, $25 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, GRE scores, personal essay, writing sample
Deadline: 15 Mar. (fall); 15 Oct. (spring)
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students.
Web address: http://www.csu.edu/english/mfaHBK.htm
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
Subject areas: Poetry
Faculty: Arielle Greenberg, Tony Trigilio, David Trinidad, Lisa Fishman
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Cost is $550 per credit; program is 40 credits and should cost about $22 K.
Application materials: Submit all materials to the Graduate Office: Graduate Application Form, $55 application fee, 2 recommendations, transcript, “self-assessment essay” (i.e. personal statement), portfolio, resume; GRE not required; interview may be required
Deadline: Feb. 1 (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: 6 students each year are awarded Assistant Instructor positions that can continue up to 2 years; salaries not specified. For new students, Departmental Merit Awards are small tuition awards that range from $500 to $3000 per year.
Web address: http://www.colum.edu/Academics/Graduate_Study/Poetry/index.php
ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Mary H. Ber, Regina Buccola, Joe Fedorko, Frank Rogaczewski, Francine Sanders, Lisa Stolley, Janet Wondra
Length: Program is 42 credits; average course load per semester is 12. The degree should take 2 years.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. $7 K for graduate students taking a 9-12 credit load during the semester. (This is a private institution, so there’s no difference between resident and non-resident tuition.)
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Admission: Graduate School Application, Creative Writing Supplemental Application, $25 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, portfolio, resume of publications and readings (if applicable); GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); 1 Nov. (spring)
Financial Aid: One graduate assistantship is available per year on a competitive basis through the Department of Literature and Languages. The Friends of American Writers, a Chicago literary organization, funds a scholarship awarded to an outstanding MFA candidate. One work-study position as assistant to the Coordinator of the Creative Writing Program is available. Apart from these few things, all that’s left are the usual options: filing a FAFSA for a need-based financial package, taking out a loan or finding a job.
Web address: http://www.roosevelt.edu/cas/lit/writing
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Rodney Jones, Judy Jordan, Allison Joseph, Beth Lordan, Michael Magnuson, Lucia Maria Perillo, Jon Tribble
Length: The normal course load per semester is 12 credits. Teaching assistants may have a reduced course load of 6-12 credits per semester; the maximum course load is 16 credits per semester. The degree is 48 credits, so it could be done in 2 years if you rush it without any assistantships, or it could take 3 years if you have to work as a teaching assistant.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. For a 12-credit semester, tuition is $3 K (residents) or $7.5 K (non-residents).
Application materials: Submit all materials to Department of English: Application for Admission to Graduate Study, departmental record form, $40 application fee, 3 recommendations, GRE scores (required for fellowship applicants; strongly advised for others), transcript, statement of purpose, and writing sample
Deadline: 1 Feb. for applicants seeking assistantships/fellowships; these are assigned once a year. For applicants seeking admission only, deadline is 3 months before beginning of term (fall semester begins in the middle of August, spring semester in the middle of January).
Financial Aid: Almost all MA, MFA and Ph.D. students hold assistantships, which provide stipends of $10 K to $11.2 K for the academic year and full remission of tuition. A limited number of summer teaching positions are available. Furthermore, the university offers a number of competitive graduate fellowships and minority fellowships to full-time graduate students.
# of admitted students per year: 8-12
Web address: http://www.siu.edu/departments/english/index.html
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Steve Davenport, Philip Graham, LeAnne Howe, Tyehimba Jess, Brigit Kelly, Michael Madonick, Audrey Petty, Jodee Stanley, Alex Shakar, David Wright
Length: 3 years
Tuition per year: $7 K (residents), $20 K (non-residents)
Application materials: Submit Application for Graduate Admission (Part 1) and $50 application fee to the Office of Admissions and Records; submit Application for Graduate Admission (Part 2), 3 recommendations, GRE scores, transcript, statement of purpose, and writing sample to the English Department
Deadline: 1 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: Most entering MFA students teach a section of freshman writing each semester. Other assignments in later years include administrative, advising and research assistantships, an internship at the University of Illinois Press, or tutoring in the Writers Workshop. All these positions carry approximately the same stipends. Each semester, teaching assistants are paid $8.4 K for a 1/3-time appointment and $16.7 K for a 2/3-time appointment. Assistants holding appointments ranging from 1/4- to 2/3-time are exempt from tuition, but may pay other fees. As for fellowships, most are reserved for first-year students and students writing dissertations: first-year fellowships carry stipends of $1 K to $17 K. Some are given in addition to the teaching stipend; others larger than $12 K free students from teaching.
# of entering students: 6 (2004), 6 (2005), 7 (2006)
Web address: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/mfa
Subject areas: According to the website, all genres: Poetry and Prose, “hybrid works,” “new forms”
Faculty: Calvin Forbes, Dan Beachy-Quick, Joanna Anos, Sherry Antonini, Carol Anshaw, Paul Ashley, Carol Becker, Mark Booth, Rosellen Brown, Anne Calcagno, Mary Cross, Janet Desaulneirs, Amy England, Eileen Favorite, Susannah Felts, Thea Goodman, Matthew Goulish, Joseph Grigely, Sarah Levine, Janny Magnus, James McManus, Michael K. Meyers, Judd Morrissey, Beth Nugent, Beau O’Reilly, Elise Paschen, Bin Ramke, Jill Riddell, David Robbins, Ellen Rothenberg, Brian Torrey Scott, Mary Margaret Sloan, Leila Wilson
Length: To achieve full-time status, a student must take 12 credits per semester; the program is 60 credits. At this rate, it should take 2.5 years.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program. The charge is $1 075 per credit hour for degree-seeking Master’s students; that’s $64.5 K for the whole 60 credits.
Application materials: Submit all materials to Admissions Office: Graduate Application, $65 application fee, recommendations (max. 3), transcript, statement of purpose, portfolio; GRE not required; candidate may be interviewed
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); 1 Nov. (spring)
Financial Aid: There are a number of TA positions offered by many departments (including the Writing Program) for students not in their first year. TA positions pay $11.80 per hour for assisting to teach a class, and $20.00 for teaching a class on one’s own. These positions do not provide students with tuition waivers. Candidates are evaluated based on the quality of their work and the relevance of their previous experience to the needs of the department. Other options include filing a FAFSA for a need-based financial aid package, taking out a loan, or finding another form of employment on campus.
Web address: http://www.artic.edu/saic/programs/degrees/graduate/mfaw.html
CHICAGO STATE UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, Playwriting, Screenwriting
Faculty: Brenda E. Aghahowa, Jacqueline Bryant, Kelly Ellis, Forrest E. Hazard, William L. Howard, Quraysh A. Lansana, Franklin E. Liebenow Jr., Haki Madhubuti, Christine Ohale, Sterling Plumpp, Nourou Yakoubou
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Tuition per credit is $153 (residents); $305 (non-residents). In all, the 36-credit degree should cost $5.5 K (residents); $11 K (non-residents).
Application materials: Submit all materials to Division of Graduate Studies: Graduate School Application, $25 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, GRE scores, personal essay, writing sample
Deadline: 15 Mar. (fall); 15 Oct. (spring)
Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students.
Web address: http://www.csu.edu/english/mfaHBK.htm
COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO
Subject areas: Poetry
Faculty: Arielle Greenberg, Tony Trigilio, David Trinidad, Lisa Fishman
Length: 2 years
Tuition per year: Easier to go by credit. Cost is $550 per credit; program is 40 credits and should cost about $22 K.
Application materials: Submit all materials to the Graduate Office: Graduate Application Form, $55 application fee, 2 recommendations, transcript, “self-assessment essay” (i.e. personal statement), portfolio, resume; GRE not required; interview may be required
Deadline: Feb. 1 (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: 6 students each year are awarded Assistant Instructor positions that can continue up to 2 years; salaries not specified. For new students, Departmental Merit Awards are small tuition awards that range from $500 to $3000 per year.
Web address: http://www.colum.edu/Academics/Graduate_Study/Poetry/index.php
ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction
Faculty: Mary H. Ber, Regina Buccola, Joe Fedorko, Frank Rogaczewski, Francine Sanders, Lisa Stolley, Janet Wondra
Length: Program is 42 credits; average course load per semester is 12. The degree should take 2 years.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. $7 K for graduate students taking a 9-12 credit load during the semester. (This is a private institution, so there’s no difference between resident and non-resident tuition.)
Application materials: Submit all materials to Office of Admission: Graduate School Application, Creative Writing Supplemental Application, $25 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, statement of purpose, portfolio, resume of publications and readings (if applicable); GRE not required
Deadline: 1 Feb. (fall); 1 Nov. (spring)
Financial Aid: One graduate assistantship is available per year on a competitive basis through the Department of Literature and Languages. The Friends of American Writers, a Chicago literary organization, funds a scholarship awarded to an outstanding MFA candidate. One work-study position as assistant to the Coordinator of the Creative Writing Program is available. Apart from these few things, all that’s left are the usual options: filing a FAFSA for a need-based financial package, taking out a loan or finding a job.
Web address: http://www.roosevelt.edu/cas/lit/writing
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Rodney Jones, Judy Jordan, Allison Joseph, Beth Lordan, Michael Magnuson, Lucia Maria Perillo, Jon Tribble
Length: The normal course load per semester is 12 credits. Teaching assistants may have a reduced course load of 6-12 credits per semester; the maximum course load is 16 credits per semester. The degree is 48 credits, so it could be done in 2 years if you rush it without any assistantships, or it could take 3 years if you have to work as a teaching assistant.
Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. For a 12-credit semester, tuition is $3 K (residents) or $7.5 K (non-residents).
Application materials: Submit all materials to Department of English: Application for Admission to Graduate Study, departmental record form, $40 application fee, 3 recommendations, GRE scores (required for fellowship applicants; strongly advised for others), transcript, statement of purpose, and writing sample
Deadline: 1 Feb. for applicants seeking assistantships/fellowships; these are assigned once a year. For applicants seeking admission only, deadline is 3 months before beginning of term (fall semester begins in the middle of August, spring semester in the middle of January).
Financial Aid: Almost all MA, MFA and Ph.D. students hold assistantships, which provide stipends of $10 K to $11.2 K for the academic year and full remission of tuition. A limited number of summer teaching positions are available. Furthermore, the university offers a number of competitive graduate fellowships and minority fellowships to full-time graduate students.
# of admitted students per year: 8-12
Web address: http://www.siu.edu/departments/english/index.html
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS URBANA-CHAMPAIGN
Subject areas: Fiction, Poetry
Faculty: Steve Davenport, Philip Graham, LeAnne Howe, Tyehimba Jess, Brigit Kelly, Michael Madonick, Audrey Petty, Jodee Stanley, Alex Shakar, David Wright
Length: 3 years
Tuition per year: $7 K (residents), $20 K (non-residents)
Application materials: Submit Application for Graduate Admission (Part 1) and $50 application fee to the Office of Admissions and Records; submit Application for Graduate Admission (Part 2), 3 recommendations, GRE scores, transcript, statement of purpose, and writing sample to the English Department
Deadline: 1 Jan. (fall); no spring admissions
Financial Aid: Most entering MFA students teach a section of freshman writing each semester. Other assignments in later years include administrative, advising and research assistantships, an internship at the University of Illinois Press, or tutoring in the Writers Workshop. All these positions carry approximately the same stipends. Each semester, teaching assistants are paid $8.4 K for a 1/3-time appointment and $16.7 K for a 2/3-time appointment. Assistants holding appointments ranging from 1/4- to 2/3-time are exempt from tuition, but may pay other fees. As for fellowships, most are reserved for first-year students and students writing dissertations: first-year fellowships carry stipends of $1 K to $17 K. Some are given in addition to the teaching stipend; others larger than $12 K free students from teaching.
# of entering students: 6 (2004), 6 (2005), 7 (2006)
Web address: http://www.english.uiuc.edu/mfa
posted by Anna at 7:27 PM
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