Admission Requirements
- Comply with the regular admission requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, which includes an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0.
Candidates who already possess the MA will receive preference in admission; however, we also encourage exceptional candidates who hold the bachelor’s degree. Applicants with an undergraduate degree in fields other than literature or writing maybe be admitted conditionally, pending additional course work.
All Applicants must submit:
- Graduate admission application and fee.
- Official transcripts from all previously attended post-secondary institutions.
- MA/MFA English Graduate Program Application Form (writeable PDF).
- A resume or CV.
- A statement of professional purpose describing their interest in the program (and if applying for a teaching assistantship, their preparedness for teaching).
- A critical paper.
- A writing portfolio (see below).
- Three letters of recommendation that speak to their academic abilities (and if applying for a teaching assistantship speaking to their potential as a teacher).
Admission to the program is highly competitive and is determined primarily by the quality and promise of the applicant’s writing. All applicants must submit a writing portfolio in the genre in which they apply. Page requirements are as follows:
Poetry: 10 pages
Fiction: 20-30 pages
Nonfiction: 20-30 pages
Mixed: 20-30 pages of any mix of poetry, creative nonfiction, and fiction
Hybrid: 20-30 pages primary comprised of work that does not fall into traditional genre boundaries or categories, or that blends genres.
Application Due Dates
The application deadline is February 1 of each year, with new student cohorts starting each Fall semester.
MFA in Creative Writing Curriculum
For department information or additional degree requirements, go to the English department page.
Total Credits Required | 48 |
Graduation Requirements
Graduates must meet the requirements of the College of Graduate Studies as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin in addition to the following:
- Complete the minimum number of credits for the degree
- Maintain a 3.0 GPA
- Successfully complete capstone thesis
Master of Fine Arts thesis requirements are as follows:
- Poetry: a minimum of 50 pages of poetry and at least one critical paper of 10 to 20 pages.
- Creative nonfiction, fiction, hybrid or mixed theses: a minimum of 180 manuscript pages of the candidate’s work and at least one critical paper of 10 to 20 pages.
- All thesis credits are devoted to a single project.
Prior to graduation, Master of Fine Arts candidates will read from their theses in a celebration event before faculty and invited guests.
Bulletin Year:
2022 - 2023 Graduate Bulletin
| View the current NMU Catalog.