Masters Degrees in Poetry, USA

The Master of Fine Arts in Writing program offers graduate students an intimate, personalized learning experience while taking advantage of San Francisco’s vibrant, eclectic literary scene. Founded in 1986, the program is designed to instruct writers in creative techniques, nurture their individual development and vision, and help them thrive in the larger community of writers.

Our two-and-a-half year program offers workshops and literature seminars in the genres of fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. The distinctive design of the program emphasizes the connection between reading and the students’ own writing and fosters collegial relationships among faculty and students in small classes. All courses are taught by accomplished practicing writers, so that both literature seminars and workshops pay detailed attention to craft.

Because cross-fertilization enriches creativity, students are free to take courses outside their primary genre and sample a range of cross-genre literature seminars. Because depth of understanding is crucial to successful writing, students also take seminars and workshops that focus exclusively on one genre — long fiction, short fiction, poetry, or nonfiction. Students’ work culminates in a creative thesis — a book-length manuscript that is conceived, composed, and revised with extensive faculty mentoring.

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The Department of English, General Literature and Rhetoric offers students the opportunity to study literature and language in their many manifestations. Although English and American literature and the practice of creative and expository writing are primary, the department conceives of neither literature nor writing in a narrow or parochial way. Literature courses deal broadly with genres and themes from the past and present, and teach students how to read and analyze texts; creative writing courses foster, in qualified students, the development of serious creativity; rhetoric courses deal with both the theory and practice of communication, as well as the history of oral and written argument.

Recent doctoral graduate employment placements include: Assistant Professor at Pfeiffer University, Assistant Professor at University of California Channel Island, Lead Editor and Writer at Kathy Layne & Associates, Assistant Professor at Virginia State University, Assistant Professor at Ithaca College.

MA English/American Literature with a creative writing concentration also available.

All applicants must submit the following:

- Online graduate degree application and application fee
- Transcripts from each college/university which you have attended
- Three letters of recommendation
- Personal statement (2-3 pages) describing your reasons for pursuing graduate study, your career aspirations, your special interests within your field, and any unusual features of your background that might need explanation or be of interest to your program's admissions committee.
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
- Official GRE scores
- Writing sample: All applicants: critical writing sample (10-20 pages). Creative writing applicants: portfolio of creative work (not more than 40 pages of fiction or 20 pages of verse)

And, for international applicants:
- International Student Financial Statement form
- Official bank statement/proof of support
- Official TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic scores

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