Many schools offer creative writing grad programs.
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is the highest level of creative writing graduate study that most colleges offer. A few universities, however, are beginning to offer creative writing doctoral programs or English doctoral programs with an emphasis on creative writing. The extent to which you pursue your education depends largely on what your career plans are.
Master of Fine Arts
Students who are in creative writing Master of Fine Arts programs can expect to focus on a specific facet or style of writing, such as poetry, fiction, nonfiction or writing for children. A great deal of attention is put on workshops and on editing your creative works in these programs. In fact, many of the top creative writing MFA programs in the nation have the word "workshop" in their title. MFA programs give you the tools to succeed with your writing dreams.
Top MFA Programs
Several U.S. colleges offer MFA programs, so it can be somewhat difficult to choose which school to attend. Some of the top creative writing MFA programs in the nation include the University of Iowa's Writer's Workshop, the University of California at Irvine's writing program, Columbia University's writing program and Boston University's creative writing MFA program. Talk to as many graduates of MFA programs as you can when looking for a school to attend. Their feedback can be extremely valuable.
Creative Writing Doctorate
The MFA was once the terminal degree for creative writers, but doctoral programs in creative writing are beginning to gain popularity. If your goal is to teach creative writing at the collegiate post-graduate level, you may want to think about pursuing your doctorate. These programs are similar to other Ph.D programs in that students are subjected to rigorous comprehensive examinations. As with most Ph.D programs, acceptance tends to be very limited, and without a master's degree in writing or English, you may have great difficulty getting accepted into a program.
Doctoral Programs
Far fewer colleges offer creative writing doctoral programs than creative writing master's programs. The University of Illinois, Chicago; the University of Cincinnati; the University of Utah; the University of Denver; the University of Southern California and Georgia State University are among the colleges offering doctorates in creative writing.
