MFA Creative Writing at University of South Carolina

Programme overview

Expand your knowledge and hone your craft with our fully funded, three-year master’s degree in creative writing, which combines the intimacy of a small program with visits by renowned authors from around the world. Our dynamic MFA program provides a rigorous yet nurturing community where aspiring writers can compose, experiment, learn and evolve. You’ll have the chance to work with stellar faculty, which includes winners of the National Book Award, the PEN Open Book Award, the Berkshire Prize and the Iowa Poetry Prize (to name only a few).

Faculty: McCausland College of Arts and Sciences | Department: English Language and Literature | Duration: 45 credit hours | Study mode: full-time | Location: Columbia, SC, United States

What you will study

Popular experiences include Fiction and Poetry workshops as well as our annual literary events. Study literature, theory of teaching composition, and electives while completing a book-length MFA project with the mentorship of faculty. Graduates have gone on to careers as authors and agents, in publishing and on the faculty at universities.

Career pathways

Potential careers include Poet, Fiction Writer, Creative Writing Professor, Editor, Literary Agent, Journalist / Essayist.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Admissions (University of South Carolina Academic Bulletin): Applicants for admission to the M.A., M.F.A., or Ph.D. degree programs in the Department of English must have completed a minimum of 24 semester hours of upper-division undergraduate courses in English or an appropriate related discipline, with grades indicating ability for successful graduate work in the department. Applicants for all degrees must submit all application forms required by The Graduate School, a sample of academic writing, a statement of purpose, and at least two satisfactory letters of recommendation from persons familiar with their academic achievement.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Graduate applications are accepted for Fall, Spring and Summer terms; Fall applications open the prior September, Spring applications open in January and Summer applications open in May.

The graduate application fee is $50 per primary application, reinstated effective August 1, 2026. Deadlines are programme-specific. The Moore School of Business, the Arnold School of Public Health and the College of Nursing use their own applications; the Moore School charges an additional $50 application fee for graduate programmes.

Apply through the official page: https://www.sc.edu/admissions-at-sc/applications/index.php

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