MFA Creative Writing at Arizona State University

Programme overview

In the Master of Fine Arts in creative writing, you gain foundational knowledge of literary craft, developing a deep capacity to read as writers read --- for pleasure and surprise, and also for strategy, technical dexterity, and how language works on the page. You take two workshops in your primary genre (fiction or poetry) as well as one workshop in another genre.

What you will study

48 credit hours including a written comprehensive exam and the required applied project course (ENG 593) - Fiction Track, or 48 credit hours including a written comprehensive exam and the required applied project course (ENG 593) - Poetry Track Required Core (6 credit hours) ENG 585 Artful Attention Writers as Readers (3) ENG 665 Creative Methods (3) Track Requirement (12 credit hours) Fiction Track ENG 563 Forms of Fiction (3) ENG 564 Fiction Workshop (6) ENG 565 Poetry Workshop (3) or ENG 566 Creative Nonfiction Workshop (3) Poetry Track ENG 562 Forms of Poetry (3) ENG 564 Fiction Workshop (3) or ENG 566 Creative Nonfiction Workshop (3) ENG 565 Poetry Workshop (6) Additional Writing Courses (6 credit hours) ENG 550 Translation (3) ENG 598 Special Topics (3) ENG 664 Mixed Genres (3) ENG 667 Creative Writing and the Professions (3) ENG 680 Practicum (3) Reading and Conference for Project Development (6 credit hours) ENG 590 Reading and Conference (3) Electives (15 credit hours) Culminating Experience (3 credit hours) ENG 593 Applied Project (3) Additional Curriculum Information Electives must consist of ASU courses at or above the 500-level from an approved list.

Career pathways

A MFA in creative writing graduate is prepared primarily for the professional creation of new art, including fiction, poetry and other written forms. Career examples: book designer or publicity specialist, book or magazine editor, creative writing professor, curriculum designer, essayist or journalist, grant writer and developer, literary or events coordinator, nonprofit administrator.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a bachelor's or master's degree from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants should have an undergraduate major in English or creative writing; however, exceptional students who do not have either of these undergraduate majors may be admitted on the basis of writing excellence. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable master's degree program.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search; the application opens almost a year before the start term. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S. Apply with ASU's graduate application (Law applicants use the law college's site); GRE/GMAT requirements vary by programme.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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