indiana university m.f.a. creative writing

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Creative Writing major

The creative writing major at UIndy gives you the opportunity to develop and hone your creative writing skills. Whether you're interested in poetry or fiction, our dedicated faculty will help you push your writing endeavors to new heights. With a diverse background of writing skills, our faculty can show you how to make your poems memorable or your short story cohesive and entertaining. Multiple writing workshop courses will help you improve your writing, while literature courses will allow you to explore various genres. Students can also add a creative writing minor to any degree.

Program strengths

• Published authors meet and speak with students in their classes
• Valuable hands-on experience editing and publishing a literary and fine arts magazine, Etchings
• Course topics include advanced poetry and advanced fiction writing workshops, genre writing workshops, and publishing the literary and fine arts magazines
• Career-focused electives help students understand how to market their writing skills
• Faculty have published books in both fiction and poetry
• Opportunities to meet & listen to writers through the Kellogg Writer Series
• Faculty with books published in fiction and poetry

Potential careers in creative writing:

The creative writing program is designed to not only hone your creative writing skills, but also enhance your research, reading and composition skills, which are valuable in many fields, including:

• Professional writer: Many students choose to use their creative writing skills for companies by writing grants, web content or technical documents.
• Professional editor: Many marketing departments rely on editors to review work before it is published.
• Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing: Further develop and hone your creative writing skills by attending graduate school.
• Creative writer: With hard work and dedication, you could become a published author or poet.
• Literary arts administration: Work for community arts organizations that develop poetry in the schools and communities, literacy outreach and writer series programs.
• Advertising and marketing: Advertising, public relations, media and marketing departments depend on good copywriters.

Creative writing might be for you if:

• You enjoy planning, writing and developing your own creative fiction
• You enjoy writing poetry and want to learn how to improve your writing
• You are curious about how you can apply, market and utilize your creative writing talents in the real world
• You want to learn about the styles and techniques of poetry and/or fiction

Creative writing minor

Pairing a creative writing minor with another degree shows future employers that you have studied the art and craft of writing, which is an increasingly common asset in many career fields. Countless businesses require individuals who can effectively manage the flow of written communication, using proper points of view, grammar and structure and well-developed ideas. Completion of this minor requires a minimum of 21 hours of core requirements and electives.

Curriculum Guides

These curriculum guides outline the different classes you will need to take as a creative writing major. The general education guide provides a list of all the class options and requirements that you need in order to fulfill the university's general education requirements. The creative writing guide provides a list of all the classes you will need take in order to fulfill the major's requirements. Be sure you look at both guides in order to get a complete picture of what your classes will look like at UIndy.

• University of Indianapolis General Education curriculum guide
• Creative Writing Major curriculum guide
• Creative Writing Minor curriculum guide

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS The University of Indianapolis ("UIndy") admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at UIndy. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarships and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs. Additional non-discrimination policy information is available at uindy.edu/admissions/non-discrimination-policy .

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Indiana University

Bloomington , IN

https://english.indiana.edu/graduate/master-of-fine-arts-degree/index.html

Degrees Offered

Fiction, Poetry

Residency type

Program length.

60 credits (3 years)

Financial Aid

Fellowships and TAships are available for qualified students.

Teaching opportunities

A typical three-year teaching assignment is as follows. During the first year, the A.I. normally teaches two sections of introductory creative writing: one section during the fall semester, and one during the spring. In the second year, the A.I. teaches a section of 100-level freshman composition during the fall semester, and either two sections of composition or a section of a composition and a 200-level creative writing workshop during the spring. In the third year, the A.I. normally teaches two or three creative writing courses. All third-year A.I.s are eligible to request an assignment to one of several 100-, 200-, or 300-level literature courses, or to serve as a consultant to first-year A.I.s teaching the fall semester sections of our introductory creative writing course. More than half of our third-year A.I.s are awarded reduced teaching loads. The M.F.A. program has also developed a 200-level course in publishing and editing, Literary Editing and Publishing, for our third-year creative writing A.I.s to teach.

Editorial opportunities

Editing positions are available to students with the department’s journal, Indiana Review . These include Editor, Associate Editor, and genre editor positions. The journal also offers students the opportunity to read submissions for decisions on publication.

Cross-genre study

• Carolyn Alessio MFA (Poetry) 1993
• Chad B. Anderson MFA (Fiction) 2009
• Kathleen Balma MFA (Poetry) 2007
• Bradley Bazzle MFA (Fiction) 2010
• Rebecca Black MFA (Poetry) 2002
• Richard Cecil MFA (Poetry) 1985
• Su Cho MFA (Poetry) 2017
• Christopher Citro MFA (Poetry) 2013
• Tenaya Darlington MFA (Fiction) 2000
• Elizabeth Dodd MFA (Poetry) 1986
• Sascha Feinstein MFA (Poetry) 1991
• Megan Giddings MFA (Fiction) 2018
• Jennifer Grotz MFA (Poetry) 1996
• Janet Kim Ha MFA (Fiction) 2013
• Christie Hodgen MFA (Fiction) 1999
• Ming Holden MFA (Fiction) 2013
• Elizabeth Hoover MFA (Poetry) 2010
• Dana Johnson MFA (Fiction) 2000
• Allison Joseph MFA (Poetry) 1992
• Jacqueline Jones LaMon MFA (Poetry) 2006
• Shayla Lawson MFA (Poetry) 2015
• Kiese Laymon MFA (Fiction) 2003
• Cate Lycurgus MFA (Poetry) 2013
• Amos Magliocco MFA (Fiction) 2005
• Khaled Mattawa MFA (Poetry) 1994
• Clint McCown MFA (Fiction) 1984
• Erin McGraw MFA (Fiction) 1986
• Philip Metres MFA (Poetry) 2001
• Angela Pneuman MFA (Fiction) 1997
• Alison Powell MFA (Poetry) 2005
• Keith Ratzlaff MFA (Poetry) 1984
• Lee Ann Roripaugh MFA (Poetry) 1996
• Christine Sneed MFA (Poetry) 1998
• Brian Teare MFA (Poetry) 2000
• Judy Troy MA (Fiction) 1981
• LaWanda Walters MFA (Poetry) 1989
• Alexander Weinstein MFA (Fiction) 2010
• Marcus Wicker MFA (Poetry) 2010

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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Indiana University Southeast Indiana University Southeast IU Southeast

Creative Writing

• All courses and prerequisites fulfilling the requirements for minors or certificates in English must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
• The overall GPA for any English minor or certificate must be 3.0.
• English majors may count no more than two online and/or correspondence courses toward the minor or certificate. Students may request departmental consent for exception.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of Craft Terms and Concepts: The student will become knowledgeable in essential craft terms and concepts in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction.
• Competency in Creative Writing: The student will develop competency in creating original works in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction.
• Competency in Revision: The student will be able to meaningfully revise original creative writing and incorporate suggestions from peers and instructors.
• Competency in Critiquing Creative Writing: The student will learn to meaningfully critique drafts of other student writers applying craft terms and concepts, participate in workshops, and prepare workshop reports.
• Competency in Analyzing Creative Writing: The student will be able to analyze works by major authors of fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction in analytic essays and scholarly articles.
• Appreciation of Literature and Literary Culture: The student will develop aesthetic values and appreciate literature and literary culture by reading important works and analyzing them, participating in university and community events featuring readings and lectures, participating in the university and community literary scene, and attending cross-cultural and cross-media events such as plays and gallery shows, to understand the interrelatedness of the arts.

University Residency Requirement

Students must complete 50% of the required credit hours for a certificate in residence at IU Southeast. Some departments may have additional Residency requirements.

Creative Writing Specific Residency Requirement

English majors may count no more than two online and/or correspondence courses toward the minor or certificate. Students may request departmental consent for exception.

Creative Writing Certificate Requirements

Fifteen (15) credit hours including:

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MFA in Creative Writing

A premier program, designed for you.

Our MFA curriculum is customized to fit your artistic and professional interests in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry.

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A home for writing in the Midwest.

Butler University’s 36-hour MFA in Creative Writing program is supported by a lively Indianapolis literary community. You’ll have opportunities to edit content for our literary magazine , have coffee or a meal with guests of the Visiting Writers Series , and work with top-flight, full-time faculty. The Efroymson Center for Creative Writing, one of the few such dedicated writing centers at any university, provides a cozy home for classes, quiet writing space, or after-hours socializing. Many graduates say they never want to leave the program, noting our emphasis on community over competition.

In addition to building a foundation through graduate workshops in your home genre, you’ll have the opportunity to choose from in-depth elective courses, such as screenwriting, young adult fiction, literary editing, publishing, and teaching creative writing. As a full-time student, you can finish program requirements—10 courses and six hours of formal thesis work—in just two years.

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MFA in Creative Writing FAQs

Butler’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing enhances creative and professional proficiency in the literary arts. Through various fiction and nonfiction writing workshops and enriching lectures by prominent writers and faculty, students are mentored through the diversely creative 36-credit hour program. Butler’s MFA in Creative Writing teaches techniques in all genres and spaces of writing, such as poetry, electives in screenwriting, teaching creative writing, alternative forms, graphic novel, young adult fiction, poetic craft, and literary editing and publishing.

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Our Mission

The Butler MFA Program in Creative Writing is committed to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment that gives each student the tools with which to build a life as a writer and as a citizen of the literary world. In welcoming writers of diverse backgrounds and experiences, and in emphasizing the value both of intense apprenticeship to the craft of writing and service to the community, we aim to be a program that is reflective of, and responsive to, the larger world of which it is a part.

Experienced Faculty

All our faculty are actively publishing writers with strong regional and national reputations in their fields. We have six full-time tenured faculty in creative writing, who have published more than 20 books and countless shorter works in literary and popular journals.

A Focus on Service

All MFA candidates participate in community service projects. Some mentor high school storytellers through Writing in the Schools, or coach students in grades 3–12 during our summer camps and Bridge Program. Through our Creative Writing for Wellness Initiative, students can also teach in hospitals, senior citizen centers, alternative high schools, and prisons.

Student Success

Our students and alumni are a widely diverse group—in age, genre interests, and professional backgrounds. But they all love writing and enjoy supporting one another, and we don’t mind bragging about them.

Visiting Writers Series

The Butler Department of English regularly hosts public readings and Q&A sessions with some of the most influential people in contemporary literature.

Since opening its doors in December 2011, The Efroymson Center for Creative Writing has hosted MFA courses, poetry luncheons, public readings, and literary discussions. It also provides workspace for visiting writers, students, faculty, and alumni. Formerly an elegant private residence, the building was purchased and remodeled with a $1 million donation from the Efroymson Family Fund.

Efroymson Center for Creative Writing 530 West Hampton Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46208

317-940-8733

Chris Forhan

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Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

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Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design

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Research + master your craft

The M.F.A. in Studio Art at the Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design offers artists intensive study and research in ceramics, digital art, fibers, graphic design, metalsmithing and jewelry design, painting, photography, printmaking, and sculpture.

With the support of internationally renowned faculty, the resources of a top research institution, and the diversity of a liberal arts environment, you will have everything you need to push your work forward. Our graduates are esteemed professors, artists, researchers, and creative professionals all over the world.

M.F.A. in Studio Art curriculum

M.F.A. candidates in all studio areas must complete 60 credit hours at the graduate level. Most programs are three years and require a three-year residency.

The following credits are required to fulfill the M.F.A. in Studio Art degree program:

• Studio art (30 credits)
• Electives (8–10 credits)
• Thesis (8 credits)
• Art history/humanities (6–8 credits)
• Seminar (6 credits)

For more information about the M.F.A. in Studio Art program, contact the Graduate Services Coordinator .

Apply to the Studio Art M.F.A. degree program

Degree requirements.

• You must have received a bachelor’s degree with a fine arts major in studio courses or a B.A. in another field with substantial coursework in studio art
• Graduated with a 3.0 GPA or higher in undergraduate program
• Latest undergraduate and graduate transcripts are required. Unofficial copies may be provided at the time of application. Official transcript copies are required for the enrollment in the program upon acceptance
• TOEFL must be taken within the last two years with a score of 90 or above on the Internet-based test (iBT) or IELTS of 7.5 or above
• Unofficial test scores may be submitted at the time of application. An official TOEFL or IELTS test score is required for enrollment in the program if the applicant is offered admission. Official TOEFL score reports should be submitted using school code 1324.
• An English Proficiency test exemption can be requested if an applicant can provide documentation of a 4-year bachelor’s degree or a 3-year bachelor’s degree plus 1 year of a master's degree from one of the of English-speaking countries at OIS here:
• Portfolio must be uploaded to SlideRoom (more details below)
• Incomplete applications and/or items received after the deadline will not be reviewed
• The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is not a requirement

Additional information

• The Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design accepts applications for fall semester only.
• You must choose one area of concentration when applying to the M.F.A. in Studio Art program.
• All studio area programs will require the completion of 60 credit hours. All programs are three years and require a three-year residency.

Application deadlines

Domestic applicants: all application materials must be received by 5 p.m. on January 15, 2024.

International applicants: all application materials must be received by 5 p.m. on December 15, 2023.

Steps to apply

You must send all materials online or by U.S. Mail. Due to the volume of mail, the school cannot notify applicants of missing documents or confirm the receipt of materials.

1. Complete the online application

You must apply for admission to the University Graduate School . Your online application should be submitted at least two weeks before the deadline in order for your recommenders to have the opportunity to respond by the deadline. Your portfolio will not be considered if you do not submit this application. Please notify your recommenders of the deadlines.

You must provide the following information in the online application:

• Academic Program: When asked to indicate your Academic Program, please select “SOAD Fine Arts Studio MFA” in the drop down menu, then choose the Academic Plan “SOAD Fine Arts Studio MFA.” Choose one studio area that you intend to pursue: Ceramics, Digital Art, Fibers, Graphic Design, Metalsmithing & Jewelry Design, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, or Sculpture.
• Statement of intent/artist statement: Submit a written statement (500–700 words) outlining your artistic goals and interest in pursuing graduate study. This statement can be submitted electronically at the end of the online application.
• Resume: Submit a resume including exhibitions, awards, employment, and other related professional pursuits.
• Three letters of recommendation: Submit the contact information (including names, street addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses) of three people who will submit your letters of recommendation via the online application system. The online system will then email your contacts with instructions on how to submit their references online. The online recommendations should address your potential for academic success in a graduate program.

Note: International students must apply through the Office of International Services .

2. Submit your portfolio

Your portfolio should contain 20 images that best represents your work. Images must be saved as .jpg, .png or .gif, up to 2MB each. For good image quality and fast upload, image size should not exceed 1280 x 1280 pixels at 72 dpi. Videos must be in the .flv, .mov, or .wmv format, under 20MB each.

When submitting the portfolio online, click on the “Start a New Submission” button. Then click on “M.F.A. Programs” under the “Categories” heading. Finally, click on the “Apply Now” button next to the area in which you are interested to access the application. It is possible to submit time-based work using Slideroom.com.

The cost to submit your portfolio online is $10.

Submit your portfolio online via Slideroom, an online system that accepts images and short videos. For technical assistance, please contact Slideroom directly at support@slideroom.com .

Submit your portfolio to the area you are interested in:

Ceramics Digital Art Fibers Graphic Design Metalsmithing + Jewelry Design Painting Photography Printmaking Sculpture

3. Pay the application fees

The total cost for submitting the application is $65 for domestic applicants and $75 for international applicants.

The application fee comprises a $55 (domestic applicant) or $65 (international applicant) fee paid upon submission of the online IU application and a $10 fee paid upon submission of the online portfolio.

The application fees are non-refundable.

4. Send your official transcripts

Send official transcripts from all of your undergraduate institutions attended, as well as from any graduate programs (if applicable).

The transcript must demonstrate a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.

For international students, if the original documents are not in English, a verified translation must be sent with your official transcripts in your native language.

If you are in the process of completing a bachelor’s degree when you apply, a transcript showing your current enrollment in your course of study is acceptable. If admitted to IU, you must submit a final, official transcript verifying the completion of your degree and the date your degree was awarded directly to IU prior to your matriculation.

Mail official domestic transcripts to:

Mail official international transcripts (with English translation) to:

For domestic students: If your institution(s) can submit official transcripts electronically, please have them emailed to soadgrad@indiana.edu .

5. Submit your TOEFL results (international students only)

The testing service should report the TOEFL scores directly to Indiana University Bloomington.

IU’s TOEFL code is 1324.

M.F.A. English proficiency minimum score requirements:

TOEFL minimum score 90 or IELTS minimum score 7.5. Learn more about TOEFL requirements .

• If your native language is not English, we require you to take IU’s English Proficiency Examination (IEPE) upon arrival at the university to determine if you must take any English courses. Students must agree to take any English courses prescribed from the results of this examination. Fees for special part-time English courses are the same as for other courses; however, credits earned in these English courses do not meet degree requirements.
• If the results of the proficiency exam indicate that full-time work in English is required, you will be assigned to the Intensive English Program (IEP) . Students enrolled in IEP do not take academic courses until they achieve adequate English proficiency. If you have serious doubts about your English ability and are not financially prepared to undertake the additional time and expense of an intensive English program here, you may consider delaying your application to a future semester.
• Finally, students who are eligible for an associate instructorship position must meet additional English language requirements including passing the Test of English Proficiency for International Associate Instructor Candidates.

Concentrate your practice in one studio area

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Advance your creative + academic prowess

The M.F.A. program at IU offers a personalized education focused on your creative and professional goals. With a liberal arts foundation located in a research institution, our M.F.A. program offers unique opportunities.

Cultivate new collaborations

Investigate beyond your studio area. The liberal arts environment allows you to work with diverse people from different disciplines to forge new research themes and topics.

Study with accomplished artists and designers

Work alongside some of the world’s leading artists. Cultivate lasting relationships with expert faculty and expand your network of art professionals.

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The most profound experiences I have had thus far are in my expanded critical thinking for how my work falls into the larger discourse of contemporary art—one of the benefits of being in a liberal arts program. Molly Evans, M.F.A. in fibers

Thesis exhibition

Your final semester in the M.F.A. program is dedicated to creating, installing, and presenting a thesis exhibition. Held in the  Grunwald Gallery of Art , the thesis exhibition offers a space to showcase a cohesive body of work. And the opening reception is a chance to give a gallery talk about your work to the campus and community.

Take the first step on your creative journey

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