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The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing provides graduate-level instruction for skilled students pursuing mastery in poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. Like music or visual arts education, this program believes an artist's ideal training involves: studying the historical foundations of their chosen genre, learning theoretical and technical approaches to the craft, and receiving intensive peer and faculty feedback on their work. The curriculum blends hands-on studio practice with academic study, offering rigorous workshop experiences alongside comprehensive literary theory education. Alongside conventional literature studies, we provide a Publishing and Editing Emphasis for students seeking professional preparation in these fields.
Fresno State's English and Creative Writing students investigate language's transformative potential and global literature. Our five degree programs foster strong writing skills through intimate, cooperative learning environments where students and professors jointly examine, implement, and create meaning across diverse texts for multiple professional applications.
Nestled in central California, Fresno State's MFA Program hosts The Normal School literary publication, administers the Philip Levine Poetry Prize competition, and nurtures Fresno's vibrant writing community.
With roots tracing back to the 1950s, Fresno State's Creative Writing Program maintains a distinguished literary tradition. Established in 1995, our MFA program delivers specialized training in poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction studies.
Admission to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program requires: a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a GPA of 3.0 or better in the undergraduate major (foreign students must score 600 or better on the TOEFL).
English language Score: TOEFL – 80 iBT, or IELTS – 6.5, or Pearson’s Test of English - 53, or iTEP – 4.5.