MFA in Creative Writing in Tucson United States | University of Arizona

The University of Arizona boasts one of the nation's most distinguished MFA programs for creative writing. Our curriculum features workshops and craft seminars across fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, providing deep immersion in literary techniques and analytical approaches from a writer's viewpoint, alongside professional development opportunities. This three-year residential program mandates 42 academic units, combining workshops with craft courses, culminating in both an artistic statement and a thesis manuscript. All admitted MFA students receive full funding at $21,750 annually through teaching assistantships, which cover salary, health benefits, and full tuition remission, with opportunities to teach creative writing courses.
Vibrant Literary Community:
Writers thrive through engagement with their surroundings. We encourage students to explore complementary studies across campus, throughout Tucson, in the Sonoran Desert landscape, or further afield. Opportunities include volunteer work and credit-bearing internships with renowned organizations like the UA Poetry Center, Sonora Review, Fairy Tale Review, Diagram, New Michigan Press, Edible Baja Arizona, terrain.org, Kore Press, and the POG poetry collective. Our Field Studies in Writing program selects three students annually for writing residencies along the UA-Mexico border.
Tucson's literary scene flourishes with activity. We collaborate closely with the Poetry Center on numerous initiatives. Beyond their Readings & Lectures Series, our faculty organizes the UA Prose Series, hosting four visiting writers each year. Graduate students manage the Works-in-Progress (WIP) Reading Series, while Sonora Review - among America's longest-running student-edited literary journals - calls our campus home. Annually, we distribute the Look Book to literary agents and editors, showcasing our graduating class's work. For additional details, explore our Student Guide and Alumni News sections.