cornell university creative writing mfa

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Creative writing m.f.a. (ithaca), field of study.

English Language and Literature

Program Description

The M.F.A. Program.

The Creative Writing program in the department of Literatures in English offers an M.F.A. degree only, with concentrations in either poetry or fiction. Each year the department enrolls only eight students, four in each concentration. Our small size allows us to offer a generous financial support package, details of which are outlined on our department website. At the same time, we have a large and diverse graduate faculty with competence in a wide range of literary, theoretical, and cultural fields.

Students participate in a graduate writing workshop each semester and take 6 additional one-semester courses for credit, at least four of them in English or American literature, Comparative Literature, literature in the modern or classical languages, or cultural studies (typically two per semester during the first year and one per semester during the second year). First year students receive practical training by working as Editorial Assistants for Epoch, a periodical of prose and poetry published by the Creative Writing staff of the department. The most significant requirement of the M.F.A. degree is the completion of a book-length manuscript: a collection of poems, short stories, or a novel.

The Special Committee. Every student selects a Special Committee who will be responsible for providing the student with a great deal of individual attention. The University system of Special Committees allows students to design their own courses of study within a broad framework laid down by the department, and it encourages a close working relationship between professors and students, promoting freedom and flexibility in the pursuit of the graduate degree. The student's Special Committee guides and supervises all academic work and assesses progress through a series of meetings with the student.

Teaching. Teaching is considered an integral part of training for the profession. The Field requires a carefully supervised teaching experience as part of the training for the degree. The Department of English, in conjunction with the John S. Knight Institute for Writing in the Disciplines , offers excellent training for beginning teachers and varied and interesting teaching within the university-wide First-Year Writing Program. Graduate students are assigned to writing courses under such general rubrics as "Portraits of the Self," "American Literature and Culture," "The Mystery in the Story," "Shakespeare," and "Cultural Studies," among others. Serving as a Teaching Assistant for a lecture course taught by a member of the Department of English faculty is another way graduate students participate in the teaching of undergraduates.

Contact Information

250 Goldwin Smith Hall Cornell University Ithaca, NY  14853

Concentrations by Subject

• creative writing

Visit the Graduate School's Tuition Rates page.

Application Requirements and Deadlines

Dec. 15 (Fall term admission only)

Requirements Summary:

  (includes Graduate School Requirements )

  The application must be submitted online. Detailed requirement summaries for applicants are available on the  MFA in Creative Writing Program website.

• Application and fee
• Academic Statement of Purpose
• Personal Statement
• Creative Writing Sample
• Three letters of recommendation
• Transcripts
• English Language Proficiency Requirement  for all applicants

Learning Outcomes

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Creative writing MFA students represent literary magazine at annual industry bookfair

Thanks to a gift from the Ronald Whittier Family Foundation, creative writing graduate students had the chance to attend the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP) conference in Seattle in March. This annual conference gathers thousands of writers, students, editors, and publishers. “Experiencing such a breadth of authors and poets from across the world coming together for the love of all things literary was very inspiring and energizing,” said Meredith Cottle, MFA student in poetry.

Writers gave a wide range of readings and talks. “Each left me feeling inspired and excited to sit down and write," said Imogen Osborne (poetry).

The heart of the event is the Bookfair, where small presses exhibit and sell books, magazines, and other merchandise. It’s a great opportunity for students to meet their peers at other institutions, for editors to exchange advice, and for everyone to read up on what’s new in the field. Aishvarya Arora   (poetry) said that their favorite part of the AWP conference was “the opportunity to build community with and learn from many of the writers I admire.” 

This was EPOCH ’s first year as an official Bookfair participant, and Cornell MFA students staffed the table, sold copies of the magazine, and did some professional networking. They also had the opportunity to sample magazines that they might someday submit to. 

The EPOCH team is especially proud of the newest issue. Each year, Cornell’s cohort of first-year MFA students work as assistant editors for the magazine. In addition to providing new students with funding—which helps to make Cornell’s MFA program a fully-funded one—working for the magazine is a unique professional experience. Jianchen Wang   (fiction) said he was delighted to meet numerous Cornell graduates at the Bookfair, along with one of the authors featured in the latest issue of EPOCH .

“What a dream it's been to spend the past few days talking and thinking about writing at AWP,” said Samantha O’Brien (fiction).

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Last Updated

• Schedule of Classes - May 19, 2024 7:32PM EDT
• Course Catalog - May 19, 2024 7:07PM EDT

ENGL 7890 Pedagogical and Thesis Development

Course description.

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2023-2024 .

This is a required course for students pursuing an MFA degree in Creative Writing. The course will focus on the pedagogical methodology and philosophical approaches to teaching creative writing. The workshop format will include readings, guest speakers, lesson plan development, and the vetting of syllabi. Graduate students in both poetry and fiction will share ideas on teaching and thesis development.

When Offered Spring.

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: MFA Fiction and Poetry students.

View Enrollment Information

  Regular Academic Session.  

Credits and Grading Basis

3 Credits Stdnt Opt (Letter or S/U grades)

Class Number & Section Details

17788 ENGL 7890   SEM 101

Meeting Pattern

• R 2:00pm - 4:30pm Goldwin Smith Hall 158
• Jan 22 - May 7, 2024

Instructors

Hutchinson, I

To be determined. There are currently no textbooks/materials listed, or no textbooks/materials required, for this section. Additional information may be found on the syllabus provided by your professor.

For the most current information about textbooks, including the timing and options for purchase, see the Cornell Store .

Additional Information

Instruction Mode: In Person

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Available Syllabi

About the class roster.

The schedule of classes is maintained by the Office of the University Registrar . Current and future academic terms are updated daily . Additional detail on Cornell University's diverse academic programs and resources can be found in the Courses of Study . Visit The Cornell Store for textbook information .

Please contact [email protected] with questions or feedback.

If you have a disability and are having trouble accessing information on this website or need materials in an alternate format, contact [email protected] for assistance.

Cornell University ©2024

NYC event connects MFA students to publishing world

Creative writing program

By | Kathy Hovis , A&S Communications

Second-year MFA students in Cornell’s creative writing program were given the chance to read their works in front of editors, agents and publicists at a Nov. 12 event in New York City, thanks to the generosity of David Picket ’84.

The David L. Picket & Cornell Creative Writing Program Literary Reading in NYC was held at the Cornell Club and included readings by nine MFA students, as well as a reading by poet Ishion Hutchinson, assistant professor of English.

“It was sort of thrilling to receive compliments on my work from the people who read for a living,” said Emily Mercurio, who read five of her poems. “Even if nothing comes of the immediate connections from that night, which remains to be seen, I’m feeling quite confident in my voice because of it.”

The event has been a priority for Picket for some time, he said.

“These gifted writers need to know that they can earn a living as novelist or poet; that the world values the work they are doing,” Picket said. “Hopefully if we can open the door to the folks who are in charge of the business of writing, they will feel more secure about their future and will continue to produce more of the outstanding work we heard today.”

Back row, from left, David Picket with students Peter Gilbert, Lindsey Warren, Carl Moon, Neal Giannone and Chris Berardino (an MFA/PhD dual candidate); front row, from left, students Cristina Correa, Shakarean Hutchinson, Weena Pun, Emily Mercurio and Hema Surendranathan (an MFA/PhD dual candidate).

Students were “thrilled” with the opportunity to present their work, said Helena María Viramontes, professor and director of the creative writing program, who added that professors in the department helped by inviting their contacts in the publishing world.

“When I was an MFA student, there was only an emphasis on making your project as strong as possible,” Viramontes said. But with changing times and a reconfigured publishing world, it’s more difficult than ever to find people who can open doors for new writers.

The publishing process often begins with students sending stories and poems to magazines to be published, Viramontes said. “This is where the editorial work they do with Cornell’s Epoch magazine really pays off,” she said. “Students begin to see how writers and poets present themselves. The experience and training is invaluable.” The next step is usually for a writer to find an agent, Viramontes said, although the publishing process can be different for each writer.

“This event was mostly about exposure,” Viramontes said. “This was for students to have a conversation with an agent or editor and ask questions.”

The event was able to attract well-known editors and agents because of the reputation of Cornell’s program and the success of its alumni, Viramontes said. “People who couldn’t come wrote me to say ‘Please keep me on your radar next time.’ “

Poet Cristina Correa said the Cornell Club’s A.D. White Room provided an intimate venue for the reading.

“You walk into the Cornell Club and realize that you’re part of something big, but the room was a lovely space where you could actually see everyone’s faces,” she said. “The most striking thing about an event like the one in New York was seeing how lit up everyone was to gather in this space and honor each other.”

Correa said the evening helped students remember why they are doing the work they do.

“It’s not so much only in our heads and under scrutiny, but it reminds us that our work can be shared— that it should be something we give to someone else,” she said.

“Without editors, agents, and publishers, all the time and energy we spend on our writing would never see the world outside of our Documents folders,” Mercurio said. “In any industry, success is so much about who your connections are, and having an evening like this where you are able to share your work with the people who can actually do something with it— that’s a pretty rare opportunity.”

“Readings like this focus you to be hyper-critical of your work because it isn't just something on the page anymore, it's something out in the world,” said fiction writer Shakarean Hutchinson. “You want it to be as good as possible so others can enjoy it.”

The Picket family has a long history of support for Cornell, especially within the English department, where they have endowed the Picket Family Chair in the Department of English. The College renamed the English department offices in their honor in 2015.

David Picket has a keen interest in the MFA students, getting to know them and providing funds to support them in various ways, including through summer writing fellowships.

“The Pickets have been so generous to us, not only with financial support but in terms of ideas,” Viramontes said. “David Picket loves to take the students out to dinner and talk to them about their work.”

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Creative Writing

With a minor in creative writing, you’ll take five courses in creative writing, literature and cultural studies. You can concentrate in a single genre (fiction or poetry), or freely study both.

• Program website

Associated interests

• Language and culture

Related disciplines

• Humanities and Arts

Full list of majors and minors

Cornell University

Ithaca , NY

http://www.arts.cornell.edu/english/graduate/mfa/

Degrees Offered

Fiction, Poetry

Residency type

Program length, financial aid.

All M.F.A. degree candidates are guaranteed two years of funding

Teaching opportunities

At Cornell, teaching is considered an integral part of training for a career in writing. The Department of English, in conjunction with the First-Year Writing Program, offers excellent training for beginning teachers and varied and interesting teaching in the university-wide First-Year Writing Program. These are not conventional freshman composition courses, but full-fledged academic seminars, often designed by graduate students themselves. The courses are writing-intensive and may fall under such general rubrics as “Portraits of the Self,” “American Literature and Culture,” “Shakespeare,” and “Cultural Studies,” among others. A graduate student may also serve as a Teaching Assistant for an undergraduate lecture course taught by a member of the Department of English faculty.

• Diane Ackerman MFA 1973
• Gilbert Allen MFA (Poetry) 1974
• Donald Anderson MFA (Fiction) 1989
• John Brehm MFA (Poetry) 1981
• Jason Brown MFA (Fiction) 1995
• H. G. Carrillo MFA (Fiction) 2007
• Katherine Lien Chariott MFA (Fiction) 1999
• Susan Choi MFA (Fiction) 1995
• Chris Drangle MFA (Fiction) 2013
• Junot Díaz MFA (Fiction) 1995
• Chanda Feldman MFA (Poetry) 2003
• Alice Fulton MFA (Poetry) 1982
• Aisha Gawad MFA (Fiction) 2013
• Estella Gonzalez MFA (Fiction) 2009
• Gabriel Gudding MFA (Poetry) 2000
• Stephen D. Gutierrez MFA (Fiction) 1987
• Edward Hardy MFA (Fiction) 1988
• Terrence Holt MFA (Fiction) 1979
• Christopher Kempf MFA (Poetry) 2009
• John Landretti MFA (CNF) 1993
• Beth Lordan MFA (Fiction) 1987
• Sally Wen Mao MFA (Poetry) 2012
• Kenneth A. McClane MFA (Poetry) 1976
• George McCormick MFA (Fiction) 2006
• Lorrie Moore MFA (Fiction) 1982
• Manuel Muñoz MFA (Fiction) 1998
• Téa Obreht MFA (Fiction) 2009
• Daniel Peña MFA (Fiction) 2013
• Adam O'Fallon Price MFA (Fiction) 2014
• Mark Rader MFA (Fiction) 2002
• Rob Roensch MFA (Fiction) 2002
• Elizabeth Lindsey Rogers MFA 2011
• Anne Marie Rooney MFA (Poetry) 2010
• Abby Rosenthal MFA
• Julie Schumacher MFA (Fiction) 1986
• Wendy S. Walters MFA (Poetry) 1995
• Autumn Watts MFA (Fiction) 2005
• Crystal Williams MFA (Poetry) 2000
• Cori Winrock MFA (Poetry) 2007
• Jake Adam York MFA (Poetry) 1997
• Alexi Zentner MFA (Fiction) 2009

Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected] .

Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories , Best American Essays , Best American Poetry , The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology .

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Graduate Admissions: Art

Apply now for Cornell AAP's Graduate Programs

• Master of  Fine Arts, Creative Visual Arts (Full-time residential) (M.F.A. Creative Visual Arts)
• Master of  Fine Arts, Image Text (Low-residency) (M.F.A. Image Text)

Master of Fine Arts, Creative Visual Arts (M.F.A. Creative Visual Arts)

The Department of Art has the following admissions requirements for the M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts program:

• Applicants must have a four-year bachelor's degree, but it does not have to be related to art.
• The M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts program does not accept transfer credits from other institutions.

Application and Portfolio Requirements

The deadline for receiving application materials to the M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts program is January 15 . This includes the portfolio, which is submitted in SlideRoom . There is no spring semester admission. Students interested in the M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts program must submit an online application with supporting documentation including:

• Three letters of recommendation.
• Resume and statement of purpose.
• Interviews are not required as part of the initial application process; however, shortlisted candidates will be asked to interview either in person or via Skype. Applicants interested in meeting with a member of the art department faculty should contact the faculty directly . Students interested in arranging a tour of the campus should contact the Program Assistant at (607) 255-6730. Learn more about visiting the campus here .
• GRE scores are not required for admission to the M.F.A. in Creative Visual Arts program. 
• The TOEFL/IELTS exam is required for non-native English applicants. Foreign applicants whose native language is not English but who have studied full-time for two or more years at a college or university where English is the language of instruction, located in a country where English is the native language, are exempt from this requirement. All other foreign applicants must submit TOEFL scores.

All applicants must submit a portfolio with their application. The portfolio should consist of no more than 20 electronic files. These may include any combination of still images, videos, URLs, sound-based work, web-based work, or other work. Directions for properly preparing these materials are below, please follow these instructions exactly. Submitted portfolios that do not conform to the instructions below will not be reviewed. Portfolios are to be submitted through Cornell AAP SlideRoom .

• Still Images: Still images must be in JPG or TIFF format with maximum dimensions of 1280 x 1024 at 72 dpi. No image may exceed 1024 pixels in height (including portrait images) or 1280 in width (including panoramic images). File sizes larger than 4 MB will neither be opened nor reviewed.
• Videos: Video, video installation, performance, kinetic sculpture, and/or gaming/interactive work are also to be submitted through SlideRoom, which accommodates links from YouTube, Vimeo, and SoundCloud. Each video should be no longer than five minutes in length. Please note that each video is to be considered as one file within the 20-file requirement.
• Web-based Work: Web-based work submitted for consideration must be uploaded and operative on the World Wide Web for the duration of the application process (until you are notified of acceptance or rejection). Please note that each URL is to be considered as one file within the 20-file requirement.
• Sound-based Work: Sound-based work should be submitted in AIFF or MP3 format. Each selection should be restricted to five minutes. Please note that each sound file is to be considered as one file within the 20-file requirement.
• Other: For any work you may wish to submit that does not fall into the above categories, please contact the AAP Office of Admissions at (607) 255-4376.

Master of Fine Arts, Image Text (M.F.A. Image Text)

The Department of Art has specific requirements for the M.F.A. in Image Text program:

• Admission is open only to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and individuals with current valid U.S. immigration status.  Individuals who would require immigration status and sponsorship to enter the U.S. are not eligible for this hybrid degree.  Please note that no Student Status Visa(s) or student immigration documentation can be issued at this time.
• Applicants must have a four-year bachelor's degree. We welcome applicants with backgrounds in writing, photography, film/video, digital and studio arts practices, and artists working across these forms and disciplines.
• The M.F.A. in Image Text program does not accept transfer credits from other institutions.

The priority review deadline for receiving application materials for this program is February 5.   All materials must be received by the appropriate deadline, including the portfolio which is submitted in SlideRoom . Applications received after posted deadlines will be reviewed at the discretion of the Directors. There is no spring semester admission. Students interested in the M.F.A. in Image Text program must submit an online application with supporting documentation including:

• Two recommendations.
• Statement of goals. The statement of goals should address why you are applying to M.F.A. Image Text and what you would hope to learn and achieve as a graduate student in the program. Please limit to 500 words. Statements should be uploaded via  Cornell AAP SlideRoom .
• Statement of creative work. The statement of creative work is an artist statement; it is an opportunity to frame and give context to the work that you are submitting in your portfolio. Please limit to 500 words. Statements should be uploaded via  Cornell AAP SlideRoom .
• All applicants must submit a portfolio with their application. The portfolio should consist of a PDF of no more than 20 pages. There are no word or image count requirements beyond the 20-page limit. Additionally, applicants may submit links to no more than 3 supplemental work samples in any media (websites, Vimeo URLs, etc.). Portfolios are to be submitted through Cornell AAP SlideRoom .
• Interviews are not required as part of the initial application process; however, shortlisted candidates will be asked to interview via Zoom. Applicants interested in meeting with the program directors should contact them directly. Students interested in arranging a tour of the campus should contact the Program Assistant at (607) 255-6730. Learn more about visiting the campus here .
• GRE scores are not required for admission to the M.F.A. in Image Text program. 
• Substantial partial tuition scholarships are available on a competitive basis.