Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

The University of Arizona has offered one of the preeminent MFA programs in the country for the study of creative writing. With workshops and craft seminars in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, we offer intensive instruction in literary craft and the study of literature from a writer's perspective, as well as opportunities to strengthen professional skills and flourish as a writer. The program requires three years in residence, the completion of 42 academic units, including workshops and craft courses. A student's studies culminate in the production of an aesthetic statement and a thesis manuscript. The program is fully funded at 21,750 a year, with teaching assistantships offered to all incoming MFA students and the opportunity to apply to teach creative writing. Assistantships include salary, health insurance and a complete tuition waiver.
Supportive Literary Environment:
A writer engages in the world. With this in mind, we invite students to develop a course of study parallel to the page, whether it is in the University, the city of Tucson, the Sonoran desert, or beyond. You have the chance to volunteer with and/or have a for-credit internship with such organizations as the UA Poetry Center, Sonora Review, Fairy Tale Review, Diagram, New Michigan Press, Edible Baja Arizona, terrain.org, Kore Press, and the poetry collective POG. The Field Studies in Writing program sends three students to write and research in residence at the UA-Mexico border.
The literary community here is strong. Please look into the offerings at the Poetry Center, our partner in many adventures. In addition to the Poetry Center Readings & Lectures Series, the creative writing faculty curates the UA Prose Series, which brings in four writers a year. MFA students run the Works-in-Progress (WIP) Reading Series. The University of Arizona is the home to the Sonora Review, one of the oldest student-run literary magazines in the country. Every year, the program sends out the Look Book to agents and editors, introducing them to our current graduating class' work. For more information, please investigate our Student Guide, as well as Alumni News.

Letters of Recommendation
Statement of Purpose - Submit a 300-500 word statement expressing your goals and/or reasons for pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Arizona.
Transcripts - Unofficial transcripts for all college-level work should be uploaded into your application. If you are accepted into the program you will then be required to send your official transcripts.
Resume - Include a resume listing employment, publications, prizes, awards, and honors.
Standardized Tests - No GRE required.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) - minimum composite score of 7, with no subject area below a 6
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) - minimum score of 79 iBT (or 60 on the revised PBT with no section score lower than 15). Individual MyBest scores must also be dated within 2 years of the enrollment term to be considered valid.
Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) - 3.00