Creative Writing (MFA)

Department Website

Program Description

The MFA Program in Creative Writing consists of a vibrant community of writers working together in a setting that is both challenging and supportive. This stimulating environment fosters the development of talented writers of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. The program is not defined by courses alone, but by a life built around writing.

Through innovative literary outreach programs, a distinguished public reading series, an exciting public student reading series, special literary seminars with visiting writers, and the production of a high-quality literary journal, students participate in a dynamic literary community actively engaged in all aspects of the literary arts—writing, reading, teaching, publishing and community outreach. Students also have the opportunity to enjoy America's most literary terrain; New York University is situated in the heart of Greenwich Village, a part of the city that has always been home to writers.

The MFA in Creative Writing is designed to offer students an opportunity to concentrate intensively on their writing. This program is recommended for students who may want to apply for creative writing positions at colleges and universities, which often require the MFA degree. The MFA program does not have a foreign language requirement.

Admissions

All applicants to the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS) are required to submit the general application requirements, which include:

• Academic Transcripts
• Test Scores (if required)
• Applicant Statements
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Letters of Recommendation, and
• A non-refundable application fee.

See Creative Writing for admission requirements and instructions specific to this program.

Program Requirements

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
Major Requirements
Select four graduate creative writing workshops 1		16
Select one to four craft courses taught by the members of the CWP faculty: 2		4-16
CRWRI-GA 1950	The Craft of Poetry
CRWRI-GA 1960	The Craft of Fiction
CRWRI-GA 1930	The Craft of Creative Nonfiction
Additional Courses
Select courses from any department 3		12-16
Total Credits		32

¹

Taken in four separate semesters. Students are required to take workshops in the genre in which they were admitted to the program.

²

Craft courses may be repeated provided they are taught by different instructors.

³

With the permission of that department and of the director of the CWP. 

Additional Program Requirements

Special Project

A creative special project in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction consisting of a substantial piece of writing—a novel, a collection of short stories or essays, a memoir, a work of literary nonfiction, or a group of poems—to be submitted in the student’s final semester. The project requires the approval of the student’s faculty adviser and of the director of the CWP.

Program Information

The MFA degree may also be earned through the Low Residency MFA Writers Workshop in Paris. Under this model, degree requirements remain the same, although Craft courses and Workshops take the form of intensive individualized courses of study with the faculty, including three substantial packet exchanges of student work per semester. All students earning the MFA degree through the low-residency program must also participate in five ten-day residencies in Paris, which involve a diverse series of series of craft talks, lectures, readings, special events, faculty mentorship meetings, and professional development panels.

Sample Plan of Study

Please note: The following is a sample plan of study for a student enrolled in the poetry track. Fiction and creative nonfiction plans of study would parallel the below, substituting the Workshop requirements accordingly (i.e., Workshop in Fiction or Workshop in Creative Nonfiction, respectively).

Plan of Study Grid

1st Semester/Term		Credits
CRWRI-GA 1910	Workshop in Poetry I	4
CRWRI-GA 1950	The Craft of Poetry	4
	Credits	8
2nd Semester/Term
CRWRI-GA 1910	Workshop in Poetry I	4
General Elective or CWP Craft Course		4
	Credits	8
3rd Semester/Term
CRWRI-GA 1910	Workshop in Poetry I	4
General Elective or CWP Craft Course		4
	Credits	8
4th Semester/Term
CRWRI-GA 1910	Workshop in Poetry I	4
General Elective or CWP Craft Course		4
	Credits	8
	Total Credits	32

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will have achieved the following learning outcomes:

1. Graduate students in the Creative Writing Program at NYU work intensively with faculty mentors in writing workshops and individual conferences to learn and master the basic elements of the craft of fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry.
2. Students are expected to read widely and deeply, and to acquire a broad practitioner’s knowledge of literature in their declared concentration (poetry, creative nonfiction, or fiction).
3. Students are taught to read carefully and critically, and in doing so learn to read as writers. By studying great novels, poems, and works of literary nonfiction by other writers, students learn how to write their own.
4. The two-year program of intensive study culminates in the completion of a creative thesis— a novel, a collection of stories or essays, or a collection of poems. The thesis manuscript, ideally, is a working draft of a first book. Many program alumni go on to publish books and win awards for their writing.

Policies

Program Policies

Grading and GPA Policy

To qualify for the degree, a student must have a GPA of at least 3.0, must complete a minimum of 24 points with a grade of B or better, and may offer no more than 8 points with a grade of C (no more than 4 points with a grade of C in creative writing workshops). A student may take no more than 36 points toward the degree.

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

Graduate School of Arts and Science Policies

Academic Policies for the Graduate School of Arts and Science can be found on the Academic Policies page.