MFA Creative Writing at University of Wisconsin-Madison

Programme overview

The program in creative writing offers a two-year master of fine arts degree in creative writing in the areas of fiction and poetry. The MFA program is a small program within a large and vibrant writing community. The program typically admits six new students each year.

Department: English | Duration: 42 credits | Study mode: full-time | Intake: Fall (deadline December 15) | Location: Madison, WI, United States

What you will study

The degree requires a minimum of 42 credits. Courses listed in the requirements include ENGL 781 Graduate Fiction Workshop (Fiction Genre); ENGL 782 Graduate Poetry Workshop (Poetry Genre); ENGL 783 Creative Writing Pedagogy Seminar (Both Fiction and Poetry Genres); ENGL 785 MFA Thesis.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) Not required; Letters of Recommendation Required 3; Admission Process. Students who have earned a BA or equivalent degree may apply for admission to the MFA program in fiction or in poetry. Our MFA program has an "alternating genre" admissions policy. The program admits fiction writers in even-numbered years and poets in odd-numbered years. This alternating admissions schedule allows the program to provide a 2-to-1 student/teacher ratio and lets fiction instructors focus entirely on one group of fiction writers, and poetry instructors on one group of poets for the two-year instructional period. All application materials—including transcripts, letters of recommendation, statement of purpose (reasons for graduate study), a writing sample, a CV, and the application fee—must be submitted online in pdf format by midnight, US Central Time, by deadline.

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.

Entry terms (spring, summer or fall) vary by programme and are listed on each programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. An applicant may have active applications in only one entry term at a time.

Application deadlines vary by programme and are listed on the programme's Graduate Guide admissions tab. Applications are submitted through the Graduate School application portal. The application fee is $75 US, non-refundable, payable by credit card (MasterCard or Visa) or debit/ATM; international applicants pay an extra $6 processing fee. Up to three programmes in the same entry term can be applied to for one application fee.

Apply through the official page: https://grad.wisc.edu/apply/requirements/

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