St. Louis,
MO,
United States
Type
Public
Degrees offered
Bachelor's Degree
MFA in Creative Writing in Saint Louis United States | University of Missouri-St. Louis
University of Missouri-St. Louis
|
Saint Louis United States
Visit institution website
for more information
Qualification
Masters Degree
Languages
English
Delivery Mode
On-Campus
Tuition (2025)
USD
25,686
Attendance
Full-time
Full-time Duration
24 months
The University of Missouri-St. Louis offers a 39-credit Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program, serving as a terminal degree that provides aspiring authors with immersive training in literary craft. This selective program combines writing workshops in fiction and poetry with seminar courses on writing techniques, along with hands-on editorial experience through Boulevard, an acclaimed international literary journal.
Graduate Writers Association
UMSL's Graduate Writers Association is a student-led group dedicated to fostering graduate writing talent through various initiatives, including writing retreats, educational workshops, and guest appearances by renowned authors and poets.
While some individuals possess natural writing talent, all writers need to refine their abilities to reach professional excellence. UMSL's MFA in Creative Writing helps students achieve this goal, with alumni having published books, earned prestigious awards, and placed works in hundreds of respected literary publications.
Admission to the MFA program requires an undergraduate degree and submission of a writing portfolio: either 10-15 poems for poetry applicants or 20-30 pages of prose for fiction applicants. The curriculum features 15 workshop hours (with 12 focused on your primary genre), plus courses in writing theory, literary journal editing for Boulevard, and a culminating thesis project.
This flexible MFA program delivers specialized training through in-person, online, and hybrid course options. Students learn from accomplished faculty with terminal degrees from top global institutions, gaining the comprehensive skills needed for success in today's interdisciplinary professional environments.
Destination of Study
Subjects of Study
Language Requirements
English
IELTS 6.5
Qualification Requirements
Official transcripts from all universities attended
a. Successful applicants must have at least the equivalent of the B.A. degree before beginning the master's program. At
least 18 hours of English courses above the freshman level and at least nine hours in literature are strongly preferred.
3. Writing sample
a. Submit 15-20 poems or 2-3 short stories for a total of 20-40 pages.
4. Entrance examinations
a. The Graduate Record Examination General Test (optional but required for teaching assistantships) (see
http://www.gre.org/ttindex.html).
b. International students are required to document English proficiency by providing scores from an internationally accepted
standardized examination before a decision is made on admission.
5. Grade Point Average
a. Minimum of 3.00 on 4.0 scale.
b. Students whose GPA is 2.75 to 2.99 may be admitted under some circumstances
To apply to our MFA program (or any MFA program) you must first have an undergraduate degree. Many applicants have undergraduate English or Journalism or Communications degrees, though some students come to the program with Science or Business degrees. Ideally, applicants should have a respectable grade point average and at least 18 credit hours of English courses.
But by far the most important element of your application is the writing sample: 10-15 poems if applying in poetry, 20-30 pages of prose if applying in fiction (roughly two stories or novel chapters). Send us your most compelling, most insightful, most entertaining work. Send us the work that best represents your abilities and your aspirations as a writer.
To begin your application, go to the graduate school's handy How to Apply page. There, you will find the online application portal. Your application should include:
1. Your Writing Sample: 10-15 poems, 20-30 pages of fiction.
2. Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to your professional and/or academic promise and performance.
3. Statement of Purpose: What are your writerly aspirations. How does an MFA fit into them. How does UMSL.
4. Application for Teaching Assistantship: Fill out the application.
5. Sample of Scholarly Work: The Admissions Committee wants to see an example of your critical work as an undergraduate. Please choose work that best demonstrates your critical skills and writing ability. Ideally, we would like to see a critical paper that evaluates some aspect of American, British or World literature. If you don't have such a paper, then please submit a research paper or piece of journalism.
6.Teaching Statement: Tell us how you would approach teaching first-year composition and how you see teaching and tutoring fitting into your graduate career and beyond.
IELTS - 6.5 , TOEFL -79
a. Successful applicants must have at least the equivalent of the B.A. degree before beginning the master's program. At
least 18 hours of English courses above the freshman level and at least nine hours in literature are strongly preferred.
3. Writing sample
a. Submit 15-20 poems or 2-3 short stories for a total of 20-40 pages.
4. Entrance examinations
a. The Graduate Record Examination General Test (optional but required for teaching assistantships) (see
http://www.gre.org/ttindex.html).
b. International students are required to document English proficiency by providing scores from an internationally accepted
standardized examination before a decision is made on admission.
5. Grade Point Average
a. Minimum of 3.00 on 4.0 scale.
b. Students whose GPA is 2.75 to 2.99 may be admitted under some circumstances
To apply to our MFA program (or any MFA program) you must first have an undergraduate degree. Many applicants have undergraduate English or Journalism or Communications degrees, though some students come to the program with Science or Business degrees. Ideally, applicants should have a respectable grade point average and at least 18 credit hours of English courses.
But by far the most important element of your application is the writing sample: 10-15 poems if applying in poetry, 20-30 pages of prose if applying in fiction (roughly two stories or novel chapters). Send us your most compelling, most insightful, most entertaining work. Send us the work that best represents your abilities and your aspirations as a writer.
To begin your application, go to the graduate school's handy How to Apply page. There, you will find the online application portal. Your application should include:
1. Your Writing Sample: 10-15 poems, 20-30 pages of fiction.
2. Two letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to your professional and/or academic promise and performance.
3. Statement of Purpose: What are your writerly aspirations. How does an MFA fit into them. How does UMSL.
4. Application for Teaching Assistantship: Fill out the application.
5. Sample of Scholarly Work: The Admissions Committee wants to see an example of your critical work as an undergraduate. Please choose work that best demonstrates your critical skills and writing ability. Ideally, we would like to see a critical paper that evaluates some aspect of American, British or World literature. If you don't have such a paper, then please submit a research paper or piece of journalism.
6.Teaching Statement: Tell us how you would approach teaching first-year composition and how you see teaching and tutoring fitting into your graduate career and beyond.
IELTS - 6.5 , TOEFL -79
Tuition
USD
25,686