unc creative writing

Graduate Coordinator: Dr. Melissa Crowe

The Department of Creative Writing offers an intensive studio-academic apprenticeship in the writing of fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction leading to the Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing. Courses include workshops in the three genres, special topics and forms courses, as well as a range of courses in literature. While students are accepted in, and expected to demonstrate mastery of one genre, they are encouraged to study, and must show proficiency in, a second genre. Students, in consultation with their advisors, tailor their course schedules to their own professional and educational interests, selecting a variety of courses in creative writing, literature, criticism, rhetoric and composition, film studies, and applicable cultural studies. Though the M.F.A. is a terminal degree designed for writers wishing to pursue various career paths in teaching, writing, publishing, and community arts organization, students are urged to pursue the degree primarily as a way of mastering their art by rigorous study and practice among a community of other dedicated writers. The M.F.A. degree without supporting publication credentials does not guarantee employment.

Admission Requirements

Applicants seeking admission to the Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing are required to submit the following five items to the Graduate School before the application can be processed.

• A typed manuscript in the applicant’s primary genre, labeled “poetry,” “fiction,” or “creative nonfiction”: 10 pages of poetry, 30 pages of fiction, or 30 pages of creative nonfiction (double-space prose, single-space poetry). The manuscript should demonstrate mastery of basic craft and unmistakable literary promise. Applicants are advised not to apply with a mixed-genre manuscript.
• An application for graduate admission.
• Official transcripts of all college work (undergraduate and graduate).
• At least three recommendations from individuals in professionally relevant fields addressing the applicant’s achievement and promise as a writer, and ability to successfully complete graduate study.
• An essay (300-500 words) on the applicant’s goals in pursuing the M.F.A., including previous educational experience.

An applicant must have successfully completed an appropriate undergraduate degree (usually, but not necessarily, a B.A. in English or a B.F.A in creative writing), with at least a “B” average in the major field of study. Acceptable fulfillment of all the above constitutes the minimum requirements for, but does not guarantee, admission to the M.F.A. program.

In general, we are seeking candidates who show artistic commitment and literary promise in their writing, and whose academic background indicates they are likely to succeed not only in graduate study but as publishing professional writers. Therefore, in evaluating candidates, the admissions committee places great emphasis on the quality of the manuscript.

Applications must be received by the published deadline . All interested applicants will be considered for graduate assistantships, which will be awarded on a competitive basis as they become available.

Degree Requirements (48 total credit hours)

• An M.F.A. candidate must successfully complete a minimum of 48 credit hours of graduate study: 21 credit hours in writing ( CRW 530   ,  CRW 540   ,  CRW 542   , CRW 544   , CRW 546   , CRW 548   , CRW 550   ); six credit hours of thesis ( CRW 599   ); and 21 credit hours in other graduate literature courses, ( CRW 501   , CRW 503   , CRW 523   , CRW 524   , CRW 525   , CRW 543   , CRW 545   , CRW 547   , CRW 560   , CRW 580   , CRW 581   , CRW 591   , CRW 594   , CRW 598   ; ENG 502   , ENG 504   , ENG 505   , ENG 506   , ENG 507   , ENG 508   , ENG 509   , ENG 511   , ENG 513   , ENG 514   , ENG 560   , ENG 561   , ENG 564   , ENG 565   , ENG 566   , ENG 572   , ENG 580   ) with an option of substituting up to six of those credit hours of study in a related discipline, as determined by the student’s advisor, the M.F.A. coordinator, and the chair of the Department of Creative Writing.
• An M.F.A. candidate is required to complete at least 12 credit hours of writing workshop courses in a primary genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction).
• An M.F.A. candidate is required to complete a minimum of six credit hours in a secondary genre, which must include at least one 3-hour writing workshop ( CRW 530   , CRW 542   , CRW 544   , CRW 546   , CRW 548   , CRW 550   ). Forms courses ( CRW 543   , CRW 545   , CRW 547   ) may be used to fulfill the remaining hours.
• A maximum of 9 credit hours in secondary genre(s) workshop courses will count toward fulfilling the 21 hour writing requirement.
• A minimum GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) must be maintained in all graduate course work; a “B” average is required for graduation.
• An M.F.A. candidate must complete a substantial book-length thesis manuscript of literary merit and publishable quality acceptable to the thesis committee: this ordinarily will be a novel; a novella; a collection of short stories, poems, or essays; a single long poem; a long nonfiction narrative; or some combination of the foregoing within the primary genre.
• An M.F.A. candidate must pass the Master of Fine Arts examination.
• A maximum of six credit hours of graduate course credit may be transferred from another regionally accredited institution in partial fulfillment of the M.F.A. UNCW regulations will be applied in determining the transferability of course credits, and requests for transfer credit must be approved by the M.F.A. coordinator, the chair of the Department of Creative Writing, and the Graduate School.
• The M.F.A. program is designed to be completed in three calendar years. All requirements must be completed within five calendar years.

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Spartan Alert

Creative writing, m.f.a.

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. Our students develop their particular 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. 

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.
• Graduates have published more than 200 works of poetry and fiction since 2008.
• Many graduates have received prestigious literary prizes. For example, MFA alumna Kelly Link was a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist in fiction. 

THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE

• The program is kept intentionally small, enabling students to work one-on-one with faculty in a close-knit community of writers.  
• 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. 
• Each year the faculty also invites writers and editors to visit the campus for readings, workshops, and master classes with MFA students.

AFTER GRADUATION

• 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

*Only required if there are additional admission requirements

• 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.
• 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. 

Get more information

Want more information let’s get started, program details.

Degree Type: Master's

College/School: College of Arts and Sciences

Program Type: Majors & Concentrations

Class Type: In Person

Learn More About the Department of English

Similar Degree Offerings

• English, M.A.
• English, Ph.D.

Terry Kennedy Director of MFA in Creative Writing Department of English [email protected] 336-334-5459

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MFA in Creative Writing

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The Master of Fine Arts in creative writing is a two-year full residency program with an emphasis on providing studio time for the writing of poetry or fiction. Our students develop their particular talents through small classes in writing, literature, and publishing. As part of a community of writers, students read and comment on each other’s work under the guidance of distinguished faculty, who also meet with students in one-on-one tutorials.

Join Our Community of Writers

• Full funding
• 2-year residency program
• Cohorts of 10-12 writers
• Assistantships & internships in teaching and editing
• One-on-one faculty tutorials
• Workshops & seminars in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, literary editing, and publishing

Recent MFA News

Jennine capó crucet fiction reading, michael parker: the last lecture, the history the uncg mfa program.

The MFA Writing Program at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro is one of the oldest such programs in the country. During the early years, the University had among its faculty noted writers such as Allen Tate, Caroline Gordon, John Crowe Ransom, Hiram Haydn, Peter Taylor, and Randall Jarrell. They invited other distinguished authors to campus to meet with students and read from their work; these writers included Saul Bellow, Robert Frost, Robert Lowell, Flannery O’Connor, Robert Penn Warren, and Eudora Welty.

In 1965, under the leadership of Robert Watson, creative writing offerings were formalized. Since that time, the faculty has intentionally kept the program small, enabling students to work one-on-one with faculty in a community of writers.

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Phone: 336-334-5311 Fax: 336-334-3281 Email: [email protected]

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Creative Writing Core

Choose from: ENGL 120, ENGL 116, or CMPL 120-124

Choose from:ENGL 117, ENGL 121, ENGL 122, ENG 124, ENGL 129, CMPL 130-134, CMPL 142

Choose from: ENGL 225, ENGL 230, ENGL 250, ENGL 320, ENGL 340, CMPL 220, CMPL 223, CMPL 225

2024-25 University Catalog

Creative writing, m.f.a..

The M.F.A. in Creative Writing, one of the oldest and most prestigious programs of its kind in the nation, is offered to a limited number of students with superior ability in writing original works of poetry or fiction. The program requires 36-48 credit hours and permits students to develop particular talents in small classes and in conferences with writers in residence and distinguished visiting writers.  The most talented students are considered for fellowships as well as graduate assistantships. The M.F.A. is a residency program for full-time students.

For information regarding deadlines and requirements for admission, please see https://grs.uncg.edu/programs/ .

In addition to the application materials required by the Graduate School, applicants must submit a writing sample by January 1 to be considered for Fall admission.

Degree Program Requirements

Required:  36-48 credit hours

Usually in English or American literature.

May be a novel, a collection of short stories, or a volume of poetry.

Elective Academic Courses

Students may, with permission of the Director of the M.F.A. Writing Program, take 500- and 600-level courses offered by other departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, most often in the departments of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Media Studies, and Art.

Students who plan a career in college teaching should take as many courses as possible in literature, criticism, and composition and rhetoric, including ENG 680 Teaching Internships in English .

Students who plan careers in publishing and editing should select courses focusing on contemporary publishing:

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Take an inside look at the Writing Center: What Happens During A Writing Coaching Session

The Writing Center is a great place to get in depth help on essays and papers. I come to the Writing Center twice a week to get a jump start on essays so that I am not cramming at the last minute. It helps to get an extra set of eyes on your work. Blake Bozymski

Overcoming Procrastination:

• Don’t let your paper become overwhelming! Break your writing tasks up into the smallest possible chunks and tackle them one at a time.

Editing and Proofreading:

• Read your paper aloud, or get your computer to read it to you using text-to-speech. It’ll change your writing life.

Writing Concisely:

• Eliminate redundant words, delete unnecessary qualifiers, and reduce prepositional phrases.

The Importance of a Good Introduction:

• You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The opening paragraph of your paper will provide your readers with initial impressions of your argument, your writing style, and the overall quality of your work.

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Welcome to the Great Smokies Writing Program

The Great Smokies Writing Program is a joint effort between the UNC Asheville departments of English, Creative Writing, and the Asheville Graduate Center. The program offers opportunities for writers of all levels to join a supportive learning community in which their skills and talents can be explored, practiced, and forged under the careful eye of professional writers.

The program is committed to providing the community with affordable university-level classes led by published writers and experienced teachers. Each course carries academic credit awarded through UNC Asheville.

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We are always looking for new instructors to enrich the program. If you’re interested, please complete our online interest form (including a CV and a description of the workshop or class you’d like to teach).

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Creative Writing Concentration

The Creative Writing concentration offers students support in developing their writing through a sequence of workshops combined with literature surveys, genre studies, and a selection of special topics courses. The goal of the program is to foster confident undergraduate writers who work with a sound knowledge of their own literary tradition and who can produce works of publishable quality.

Students receive individual assistance in understanding and extending their skills in writing poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, and/or playwriting, with responsibility for growth and achievement resting ultimately on the student. The instructor will encourage, critique, suggest opportunities, and recommend authors to read, but the students themselves provide the spark and will to progress.

Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing with Teaching Licensure

The Creative Writing with Teaching Licensure track is designed especially for prospective teachers. This special curriculum supplements the core requirements of the concentration in creative writing to prepare students in the broad range of areas expected of English teachers, including literature, composition, and the history of the English language. This program has rigorous requirements, and planning ahead is wise. Student teaching, the senior thesis, and comprehensive exams all converge in the senior year, along with other courses that may be needed outside the major. Students who undertake this path need to work closely with their advisors to ensure their success.

Creative Writing Minor

Students may minor in Creative Writing by completing 20 hours of specified courses, including LANG 260 and LIT 240, 4 hours from LIT 325, 326, 327 or 330, and 8 additional hours from LANG 361, 363, 365, or 366. Students can declare a minor online .

The concentration in Creative Writing offers students the opportunity and incentive to develop their writing in a workshop setting and to support their writing with a strong background in literary studies. The goal of the program is to foster confident undergraduate writers who work with a sound knowledge of their own literary tradition. Students in the program will learn to write in multiple genres: fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. Scaffolded workshops at the 200, 300, and 400 levels will help them hone their craft throughout their undergraduate experience.

I. Required courses in the major—44 hours, including:

• LANG 260 - Introduction to Creative Writing (4)
• LIT 240 - Introduction to Literature (4)
• LIT 324 - American Literary Traditions (4)
• LIT 334 - Western Literature: Ancient to Renaissance (4)
• LIT 335 - Western Literature: Enlightenment to Modern (4)

Two different courses from 300-level LANG:

• LANG 361 - Poetry Writing Workshop (4)
• LANG 363 - Fiction Writing Workshop (4)
• LANG 365 - Playwriting Workshop (4)
• LANG 366 - Creative Non-Fiction Workshop (4)

Two different courses from 400-level LANG:

• LANG 460 - Advanced Creatuve Writing Workshop (4)
• LANG 487 - Thematic Approaches to Creative Writing (4)
• LANG 494 - The Creative Writing Professional (4)

One course from:

• LIT 325 - Readings in Drama (4)
• LIT 326 - Readings in Fiction (4)
• LIT 327 - Readings in Poetry (4)
• LIT 330 - Readings in Film (4)
• LIT 328 - Ethnic Literatures (4)
• LIT 329 - Southern Literature (4)
• LIT 346 - Readings in Gender and Sexuality (4)
• LIT 363 - Appalachian Literature (4)
• LIT 364 - Postcolonial Literature (4)
• LIT 369 - World Literatures (4)

II. Required courses outside major—None

Iii. other departmental requirements:.

Major competency is demonstrated by successful completion of two 400-level LANG courses.

Liberal Arts Core (LAC)

For additional information about the Liberal Arts Core and the specific courses that fulfill the requirements, visit the Office of the Registrar website, https://registrar.unca.edu/liberal-arts-core .

Liberal Arts Core Requirements

Courses that satisfy some of the following LAC requirements can be found throughout the curriculum and may be used to fulfill multiple requirements.  

DISCUSSION SECTION FOR "INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING FOR NON-MAJORS"

• Kara Mae Brown

Course Description

Discussion Section for W&L CSW 15, Section 1