Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is a two-year residency program with an emphasis on providing studio time for the writing of poetry or fiction. Less than 15 fiction writers and poets are accepted each year to develop their unique talents through small classes in writing, literature, publishing, and the arts. 

As a community of writers, students read and comment on each other’s work under the guidance of distinguished resident and visiting faculty, who also meet with students in one-on-one tutorials. The program is the one of the first of its kind in the country, developed in 1965 by Robert Watson and Fred Chappell, former Poet Laureate of North Carolina.

master of fine arts in creative WRITING PROGRAM DISTINCTIONS

UNC Greensboro’s Creative Writing program is one of the oldest and most distinguished in the country. The residential faculty at the MFA Writing Program in Greensboro are not only award-winning writers, but also committed teachers who have spent their careers mentoring young writers.

• Faculty organize a Distinguished Writer Series every year for students to learn from, socialize with, and be inspired by lauded writers.
• Graduates have a history of regularly publishing works of poetry and fiction.
• Many graduates have received prestigious literary prizes including multiple Kingsley Tuft Poetry Awards. MFA alumna Kelly Link was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist in fiction. 

Master of Fine Arts in CREATIVE WRITING STUDENT EXPERIENCE

UNCG’s creative writing master’s program is kept intentionally small, enabling students to work one-on-one with faculty in a close-knit community of writers. They collaborate together, learn to expand their creativity, and practice editing to prepare for the real-world publishing experience.   

• 18-24 hours in writing courses are required, including workshop courses for poetry or fiction and tutorials in writing where students work one-on-one with members of the faculty. 
• The program offers fully funded graduate assistantships, including out-of-state and in-state tuition, health insurance, and a stipend. 
• Students serve as fiction and poetry editors for “The Greensboro Review,” the program’s literary journal for more than 50 years. 
• Students learn from working writers who visit UNCG each year for readings, workshops, and master classes with MFA students.

AFTER GRADUATING WITH YOUR MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE WRITING

Graduates of the Creative Writing M.F.A. program go on to become published writers of fiction and poetry. Some also work in education, teaching and mentoring young writers or directing creative writing programs at universities. Others work for publishing companies as editors or in corporate or nonprofit positions that require writing expertise.

• Alumni from the MFA Writing Program at Greensboro have gone on to teach or direct writing programs at such places as Clemson University, Colorado State University, Cornell University, Florida State University, the University of Vermont, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
• Graduates have continued their literary careers with a variety of awards, including the Pulitzer Prize and the Kingsley-Tufts Poetry Award, and numerous grants including those from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

APPLY TO Creative Writing, M.F.A

Students must submit a writing sample of fiction or poetry to be reviewed by all faculty members in the genre. The primary decider of admission is the student’s writing sample. 

• For a full list of application instructions, visit https://english.uncg.edu/mfa/admission-assistantships/ 
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores are no longer required for admission to this program.

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