best creative writing colleges in texas

Department of English

Creative Writing at UNT

Welcome to Creative Writing at the University of North Texas. We offer a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in creative writing , an M.A. in creative writing , and an undergraduate major with a concentration in creative writing. At UNT, we've fostered a thriving literary community enriched by our Visiting Writers Series and by our national journal, American Literary Review .

Corey Marks Director of Creative Writing [email protected] (940) 565-2126

For more details about the application process, please contact the department's Graduate Office:

(940) 565-2273

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Pictured (L-R): Kimberly Grey, Daniel Peña, Sarah Perry

Click here for creative writing faculty profiles.

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Spring 2024 Events

Unt's visiting writers series presents andrew boryga.

Please join us for the latest installment of UNT's Visiting Writers Series, featuring Andrew Boryga and his debut novel, Victim .

When: Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Where: 4PM - Craft Talk and Q&A in Curry 103

8PM - Reading and Signing in Art 223 (in the CVAD building, located at the corner of W Mulberry and S Welch)

Andrew Boryga began his career writing for a local newspaper in the Bronx at age 16. Two years later, he had worked his way into an internship with The New York Times . Since then, his nonfiction work has appeared frequently in the Times, as well as The New Yorker , The Atlantic , The Paris Review , The Daily Beast , and many other outlets. Now, his debut novel, titled Victim , is being released by Penguin Random House. Find a snippet of it here: https://lithub.com/victim/ .

"A thrilling work that requires a sense of openness and surrender, not only does [Victim] place the onus on us to decide whether Javi is a victim, a victimizer or both, it also forces us to interrogate our own complicity in the commodification of being a casualty." - New York Times

"A pointed satire of the culture of victimhood… Boryga's experiences as a journalist making a name for himself just as society was grappling with diversity inform this razor-sharp satire of the ways race and class can be exploited." - Washington Post

Copies will be available for sale and signing.

Add this date to your UNT Event Calendar here: https://calendar.unt.edu/event/unts-visiting-writers-series-presents-andrew-boryga .

UNT's Alumni Reading Series presents Matt Morton and Jessica Murray

Join us for a reading and book-signing with alumni Matt Morton and Jessica Murray.

Thursday, March 7th, 2024

Where: ART 223 (in CVAD Building)

MATT MORTON

Matt Morton is the author of Improvisation Without Accompaniment , winner of the A. Poulin, Jr. Poetry Prize, selected by Patricia Smith (BOA Editions, 2020), and the chapbook What Passes Here for Mountains (Carnegie Mellon, 2022). His poems have appeared in AGNI , Gettysburg Review , Harvard Review , the Los Angeles Review of Books , Missouri Review , and elsewhere. He has received fellowships and awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Fulbright Program, the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, and the Sewanee Writers' Conference. He holds a BA from the University of Texas at Austin, an MFA from the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars, and a PhD in English from the University of North Texas. He serves as associate editor for 32 Poems and teaches high school English and creative writing in Missoula, Montana.

Website: mattmortonpoetry.com

JESSICA MURRAY

Jessica Murray is the author of the poetry collection Breakfast in Fur (Galileo Press, 2022). Her poems, essays, reviews, and one poetry manifesto appear in the Birmingham Review , The Boiler , Cherry Tree , Cortland Review , Free State Review , Hapden - Sydney Review , Memorious , Painted Bride Quarterly , and other journals. She has an MFA from University of Florida and a doctorate from University of North Texas and lives in Austin, Texas.

Website: murrayjessica.com

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Do you love writing to express yourself? As a creative writing student at Austin College, you will learn how to craft effective stories and poems, build new worlds, and connect to your audience in powerful ways. You will enjoy small workshop classes, hands-on feedback from expert instructors, and opportunities to explore the landscape of publishing. Come and join our vibrant community of writers. Everyone has a story to tell. 

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Student Literary Works

Not Desi Enough

Sonia Charales

Honors Thesis: Poetry Collection

to tell, for the sake of the birds

Carrie Johnson

Honors Thesis: Poetry and Nonfiction Collection

“Build That Wall"? The Price of a Part-Time Citizenship

Larry Ramirez-Quintana

Honors Thesis: Poetry and Prose Collection

The Secret I Was

Leslie Erwin

Honors Thesis: YA Novel

Finish in Four* with the skills to launch your career  Being a great writer is about joining a community, publishing your work, and learning how to think critically about your own writing. Your four-year academic experience will strengthen and refine your skills in communication, critical thinking, and collaboration. With a degree in creative writing studies, upon graduation you will be prepared to:  act as a responsible and valuable member of a community of readers and writers  express yourself in writing for a variety of contexts and audiences    explore ideas from a variety of perspectives with empathy and intellectual curiosity   engage in effective revision of your ideas  write in a wide range of genres and styles  Explore our  Graduate Outcomes  to learn more about what our graduates are doing today. 

Program Highlights

The Lemuel Scarbrough Center for Writing supports a culture of writing at Austin College. The Center for Writing provides free peer writing assistance, writing workshops and resources, and support for the teaching of writing across campus. 

Our Professionalism and the Humanities (PATH) program helps you build career-ready skills, explore the real-world career paths of successful recent alumni, and incorporate project-based learning into your courses that allow you to work with community organizations, develop exhibitions, and learn about the publishing process. 

Suspension is Austin College’s entirely student-led literary magazine. Published once a year in print, Suspension highlights poetry, prose, and art created by Austin College students. Editorial staff are involved in every step of the publication process, from advertising open submissions, judging contest entries, selecting works for publication, and creating the final magazine layout. 

Meet our Faculty

Dr. Tom Blake Jr.

Dr. Meg Brandl

Dr. Alex Garganigo

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Popular Courses

• Fiction Writing 
• Poetry Writing 
• Craft and the Writing Community 
• Creative Nonfiction 
• Form and Theory of Writing 
• Screenwriting  
• Script Writing 

Related Programs

media studies

communication

Michener Center for Writers

Mfa in writing.

The Michener Center for Writers is the only Creative Writing M.F.A. program in the world that provides full and equal funding to every writer—yet it is our extraordinary faculty and sense of community that most distinguishes us. Our program is a three-year, fully-funded residency M.F.A. with a unique multi-disciplinary focus. Writers apply and are admitted in a primary genre—fiction, poetry, playwriting or screenwriting—and study in both their primary and a secondary genre(s). There are no teaching duties, a luxury that allows our Fellows to commit themselves fully to their writing. And because only twelve writers are admitted each year, our faculty can devote ample time and energy to every writer. With unparalleled support and the deeply held belief that literary art matters now more than ever, the Michener Center offers writers 3 years of unencumbered space to make the work that only they can make.

News & Events

2024 emmy nominations: mcw alumni & their work.

The 2024 Primetime Emmy nominations were announced this week. We’re thrilled to see three MCW alumni and their work in the mix!   Shōgun, written… Read more

5 New Books by MCW Alumni to Read This Summer

1. The World After Alice by Lauren Aliza Green “When Morgan and Benji surprise their families with a wedding invitation to Maine, they’re aware the… Read more

Alumn John McManus Wins American Short(er) Fiction Prize

Alumn John McManus (MCW 2004) is the winner of the 2024 American Short(er) Fiction Prize, judged by Dantiel W. Moniz for his story “Jack Sprat’s… Read more

MCW Alumn Monica Macansantos Awarded Shearing Fellowship

MCW Alumn Monica Macansantos (MCW 2013) been awarded a Black Mountain Institute 2024-2025 Shearing Fellowship. The fellowship brings writers to the UNLV campus for one year… Read more

MCW Alumn Rachel Kondo to Receive Austin Film Festival New Voices Award

Rachel Kondo (MCW 2016), co-creator of Shōgun on FX, has been awarded the 2024 New Voice Award from Austin Film Festival. Kondo is being honored alongside… Read more

Alumni Work Streaming This Summer

Look out for MCW alumni work in your feed this summer: TV series Shōgun (FX) and Fallout (Prime Video), and podcast Pack One Bag (Lemonade… Read more

MCW Fellow Darius Atefat-Peckham is Keene Prize Runner-Up

Michener Center Fellow Darius Atefat-Peckham has been named a runner-up for the 2024 UT Keene Prize for Literature, for an excerpt from his forthcoming book… Read more

Alumn Abe Koogler’s Play Opens to Positive Reviews

Michener Center Playwriting Alumnus Abe Koogler‘s play Staff Meal has opened to rave reviews, with recent coverage from The New York Times, Vulture, Observer, New York Theatre… Read more

The Michener Center aims to be a welcoming, inspiring, and invigorating community where writers feel safe and supported to take chances on the page. We are extremely proud that there is no hierarchy here—all students receive equal funding—and we firmly believe that our egalitarian approach fosters a higher level of work that more competitive environments suppress.

Our MFA candidates have come from places as varied as western India, South Korea, eastern Europe, and northern Idaho. Their backgrounds and experiences lend to the pages they produce, which are unique and uniquely vital. We aren’t seeking writers of any particular aesthetic, but rather we are looking for writers whose work is distinct, urgent, and arresting.

Each year, we receive hundreds of applications for twelve seats in the cohort. We accept only full-time, in-residence candidates for the three-year program. There is no low-residency or part-time option.

Applicants must meet the UT Graduate School’s minimum requirements for consideration, which include completion of a Bachelor’s Degree prior to enrollment. The Michener Center no longer requires GRE scores.

James Michener was the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of over 40 books, including Texas , Hawaii , and Tales of the South Pacific . In his final years, he and his wife, Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, moved to Austin, TX, where they endowed the Texas Center for Writers, a three-year MFA in Creative Writing at the University of Texas. The first cohort of Michener Fellows graduated in 1996. After Mr. Michener’s death in 1997, the Center was renamed in his honor.

To ensure both continuity and fresh perspectives, the Michener Center faculty is built with fixed and moving parts. Writers from UT’s departments of English, Theatre and Dance, and Radio-Television-Film comprise our Resident Faculty, and each year we also welcome an exciting roster of distinguished Visiting Faculty. That our faculty members—resident and visiting—are as passionate about their teaching as they are their writing is of the utmost importance. Like our students, our faculty afford the program a wealth of varied experience, an abiding sense of shared enterprise, and deep commitment to the making of literary art. For more on our outstanding faculty in each genre, visit our Faculty page .

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Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

It's a great time to get into Creative Writing and find the best school for your undergraduate Creative Writing degree on our list of the Best Creative Writing Colleges and Universities in Texas.

The University of Texas at Austin

4 Year  •  Austin ,  TX  •  9 reviews

The University of Texas at Austin is a public university based in Austin , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 8,381 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 36 %.

# 1 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

Southern Methodist University

4 Year  •  Dallas ,  TX  •  4 reviews

Southern Methodist University is a private not-for-profit university based in Dallas , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 1,423 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 48 %.

# 2 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

Texas Christian University

4 Year  •  Fort Worth ,  TX  •  3 reviews

Texas Christian University is a private not-for-profit university based in Fort Worth , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 1,955 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 41 %.

# 3 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

University of Houston

4 Year  •  Houston ,  TX  •  5 reviews

University of Houston is a public university based in Houston , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 4,959 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 61 %.

# 4 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

Austin College

4 Year  •  Sherman ,  TX

Austin College is a private not-for-profit university based in Sherman , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 332 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 52 %.

# 5 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

Texas Wesleyan University

4 Year  •  Fort Worth ,  TX

Texas Wesleyan University is a private not-for-profit university based in Fort Worth , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 306 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 34 %.

# 6 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

Stephen F Austin State University

4 Year  •  Nacogdoches ,  TX

Stephen F Austin State University is a public university based in Nacogdoches , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 2,340 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 65 %.

# 7 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

Austin Community College District

2-4 Year  •  Austin ,  TX  •  4 reviews

Austin Community College District is a public university based in Austin , Texas .

# 8 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

The University of Texas at El Paso

4 Year  •  El Paso ,  TX  •  4 reviews

The University of Texas at El Paso is a public university based in El Paso , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 3,583 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 100 %.

# 9 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

McMurry University

4 Year  •  Abilene ,  TX

McMurry University is a private not-for-profit university based in Abilene , Texas . It is an institution with an enrollment of over 246 bachelor’s degree candidates. The admission criteria is somewhat competitive with the acceptance rate of 43 %.

# 10 in Best Creative Writing Colleges & Universities in Texas

B.A. in English Creative Writing Concentration

The Bachelor of Arts in English degree provides a broad foundation in the study of writing and texts, including literature, film and media, and rhetoric. Students with a concentration in Creative Writing choose advanced workshop-style courses in fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and other forms of creative written expression. The degree culminates with a Senior Seminar in Fiction Writing or Poetry Writing.

General Requirements

In addition to general education requirements, all English majors take 36 hours of English courses, which include First-Year English and Sophomore Literature courses.

The following advanced English courses are required for all majors, regardless of concentration:

• Early Literature courses
• Single Author course
• 4000-level course

Students may satisfy multiple requirements with one course.

B.A. in English Creative Writing

• Explore Course Catalog

Creative Writing Certificate Program

Illustration by valerie tran, announcements, admission applications.

The next application window is September 1 - October 1, 2024.  The application link will appear here on this page on September 1.  (Applications are open to full-time undergraduates at UT-Austin only).

Panel Discussion: CAREERS IN CREATIVE WRITING

Thursday, september 12, 4:00pm - 5:00pm, glickman conference center , room rlp 1302e.

What can you do with a Creative Writing Certificate?  Come hear four graduates of the program talk about their literary career paths!  The panel discussion will be followed by a Q&A session with the audience

Sam Babiak earned a B.A. in English Literature with a certificate in Creative Writing with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin. Before joining Aevitas in 2023, she was the Program Director for the Writers’ League of Texas. She loves talking to writers about their craft and has moderated panels and conversations with the WLT, the Texas Book Festival, the San Antonio Book Festival, HavenCon, and BookPeople.

Lindsey Ferris has worked full-time at Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing since 2021, first as a publicity assistant and now as an Associate Publicist.  Prior to that she held internships at Pegasus Books, CLASH Books, and Bat City Review Literary Magazine.  Lindsey graduated from UT-Austin in 2021 with Bachelor Degrees in Linguistics and English Literature, as well as a Certificate in Creative Writing.

J Evan Parks is a writer and creative currently living in Austin, TX. He is a graduate from the University of Texas at Austin, where he studied both English and Japanese, and was inducted into the Japanese National Honor Society in 2020. While at UT, he was the Head Writer and Executive Producer of the show Down to Film  on the University’s student-run television channel,  TSTV . In his spare time, you can find him re-watching old sitcoms or dreaming up critical analyses of the  Rocky franchise.  Evan is currently the Director of Member Services & Digital Content at the Writers' League of Texas.

Olivia Hesse is the Texas Book Festival’s Event Production and Logistics Coordinator, responsible for organizing volunteers, general setup, and assistance with logistics for Festival Weekend and year-round programming. She holds bachelor's degrees in English and Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a Certificate in Creative Writing. She served as the Events Production intern for TBF prior to joining full-time.

2024 Writing Contest Winners Announced

Congratulations to the Winners of the Kruger Fellowships and Parker Prizes for student writing. 

KRUGER Fiction 

1st Place     Lara Palmqvist - "In Another Life"

Runner-up   Stephanie Degnore - "Where the Light Shines Brightest"

Runner-up   Varun Jawarani - "Lakshana"

KRUGER Poetry  

1st Place     Aguilar Alfredo - "After Three Beers My Tia Talks About The Border"

Runner-up   Safiyya Haider - "Assimilation Is Performance Art" 

PARKER Fiction

1st Place      Molly Tompkins - "Bolt from the Blue"

Runner-up    Charlie Sharpe - "A Horse of Course” 

Runner-up    Ashley Rummel - "The Artists" 

PARKER Poetry

1st Place      Leah Piñon - "The World Ends Through the Mirrors in Your House"

Runner-up    Boppana Pradhitha - "Alternate Methods of Crying"

PARKER Lit Crit

1st Place      Molly Tompkins - "Celestial, Beautiful, and Social Bodies" 

Runner-up    Lane Dent - “Our False Perception of Nature”,

Congratulations to all the contest winners and honors thesis students! 

Ongoing Opportunities

Check back often for more links to publishing, contest, and internship opportunities.

• Writer's League of Texas
• Texas Book Festival
• Poets and Writers Magazine
• Tab Option 4
• Tab Option 5

The Writers' League of Texas provides internship, networking, literary, and educational opportunities in Austin and around the state, as well as an annual conference featuring literary agents and editors. 

The Texas Book Festival , one of the largest in the country, takes place annually in late October / early November, but offers volunteer opportunities throughout the year.

Poets and Writers magazine lists contests, fellowships, grants, and literary journals for writers of all levels. 

• College of Liberal Arts
• Creative Writing
• Academic Programs

The University of Texas at El Paso is proud to offer a fully online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. Writers can complete the entire degree from anywhere in the world, as there is no residency requirement.

Our goal is to prepare serious writers for publishing and teaching careers. The degree plan consists of 48 hours of coursework - 42 hours of workshops and literature classes (14 courses), followed by 6 hours of thesis during which students complete a publishable manuscript in poetry or fiction.

We offer a workshop-heavy M.F.A., but we believe in the necessity of a background in theory and form. Our candidates enjoy a wide variety of graduate courses in literature, from the “Form of the Short Story” to “Asian American Poetry.”

We believe that the excellent reputation of our M.F.A. program is created by our faculty and the writers we graduate. Therefore, our primary goal is to connect our students with solid writers who will aid in their artistic and intellectual development.

The main criterion for admission is a writing sample in either fiction or poetry. We look for writers with distinctive or developing voices, a sense of cultural or social awareness, and a yearning to expand one’s use of the craft. It’s simple; if you’re good at what you do, we want you to study with us.

We encourage but do not favor undergraduate degrees in Creative Writing or English. Our students and graduates come from various fields, from physics to theater, and all of them enrich the writing experience. Some of our applicants are establishing themselves as writers, while some already have books published, but need the M.F.A. degree to advance in their teaching careers. Whatever level you find yourself at, we welcome your work.

Our classes and discussions are held in English, however if you feel more comfortable, or feel like exploring language, you may submit your creative assignments in Spanish.

We look forward to hearing from you.

No matter where you are in the world, write with us.

Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny, Advisor for the Online MFA

For questions concerning the M.F.A. curriculum itself, please write us at [email protected]

For questions about the application process, please contact  [email protected]

Maestría en Escritura Creativa en Línea de UTEP

La Universidad de Texas en El Paso se enorgullece en ofrecer la Maestría en Escritura Creativa en línea completamente en español. Ahora también los escritores latinos podrán realizar sus estudios de posgrado con nosotros en tu idioma y desde cualquier lugar del mundo. 

El programa consta de 48 créditos académicos a completar en el curso de tres años. Nuestras materias cubren un amplio rango de tópicos como traducción literaria, guión, crónica, novela corta y prosa poética, entre otros. Además, si eres bilingüe puedes optar por llevar materias en inglés.

Nuestro objetivo es preparar a los escritores para que publiquen y emprendan una carrera como maestros a nivel licenciatura y posgrado. La tesis a desarrollar dentro del programa es un libro en los géneros de poesía, ficción, o no ficción. Así que al graduarte estarás listo para el mundo editorial.

Aceptamos postulantes de cualquier parte del mundo y de diversas carreras. Aunque la gran mayoría de ellos vienen del área de literatura, nuestros alumnos y graduados provienen también de áreas como física, comunicación, y teatro, consolidándose así un diálogo enriquecedor.

Buscamos escritores que tengan conciencia intercultural y social, así como un deseo por ampliar la técnica de su oficio. Todos nuestros profesores son escritores activos y destacados en la escena literaria de las Américas. Cada uno de ellos habrá de contribuir en tu desarrollo artístico e intelectual. Esta es tu oportunidad de discutir tu trabajo con voces experimentadas y consolidar tu progreso literario.

Nuestras clases son impartidas en inglés, sin embargo, nuestro profesorado es bilingüe, esto te permite escribir en el idioma que más te sientas cómodo, español o inglés, como prefieras.

Envíanos tu solicitud, queremos que estudies con nosotros, no importa en qué parte del mundo estés.

Sylvia Aguilar-Zéleny

Consejera del MFA en Línea

Universidad de Texas en El Paso. Para preguntas sobre el programa, por favor contactar a [email protected]

Preguntas sobre el proceso de admisión, por favor contactar a Samantharai Yrigoyen [email protected]

Program Information:

For prospective students, faq’s, step by step process, application check list, for current students, online mfa faculty, connect with us.

The University of Texas at El Paso Department of Creative Writing Education Building, Room 901 Additional Emails English: [email protected] Español: [email protected] MFA Online: [email protected] Undergrad: [email protected] 500 W University Ave El Paso, Texas 79968

E: [email protected] P: (915) 747-5237

6 Best colleges for Creative Writing in Houston, TX

Updated: February 29, 2024

• Art & Design
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Mathematics

Below is a list of best universities in Houston ranked based on their research performance in Creative Writing. A graph of 13.4K citations received by 967 academic papers made by 6 universities in Houston was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of Houston

For Creative Writing

2. Rice University

3. Baylor College of Medicine

4. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

5. University of Houston - Clear Lake

6. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Universities for Creative Writing near Houston

Art & Design subfields in Houston

University Catalogs

• General Information
• Undergraduate
• Search Courses

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Crw - creative writing, creative writing: crw, lower-division courses, crw 315d. playwriting i..

Same as Theatre and Dance 315 . The study and practice of writing plays. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Creative Writing 315D and Theatre and Dance 315 may not both be counted.

CRW 315F. Introducton to Writing Fiction.

Intended for students with minimal prior experience in creative writing. Three lecture hours or one lecture hour and three workshop hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: English 303C (or 603A ), Rhetoric and Writing 306 , 306Q , or Tutorial Course 303C (or 603A ).

CRW 315P. Introduction to Writing Poetry.

Upper-division courses, crw 325. topics in creative writing..

Detailed study and practice of the techniques of biography, creative nonfiction, or other special topics of creative writing; includes reading and analysis of contemporary models. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit when the topics vary. Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315 , English 303D , 316L , 316M , 316N , 316P , or Tutorial Course 303D .

Topic 1: Writing Border Narratives. Same as Mexican American Studies 374 (Topic 34). Examines the United States and Mexico border through the use of the personal essay in its various forms. Students write personal essays that focus on their relationships to the border. Creative Writing 325 (Topic 1) and Mexican American Studies 374 (Topic 34) may not both be counted. Additional prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315, English 303D, 316L, 316M, 316N, 316P, or Tutorial Course 303D.

CRW 325C. Writing Climate Fiction.

Study and practice the techniques of writing climate fiction. Read and analyze contemporary models. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Creative Writing 325 (Topic: Writing Climate Fiction) and 325C may not both be counted. Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315 , English 303D , 316L , 316M , 316N , 316P , or Tutorial Course 303D .

CRW 325E. Personal Essay.

Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Creative Writing 325 (Topic: Personal Essay) and 325E may not both be counted. Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315 , English 303D , 316L , 316M , 316N , 316P , or Tutorial Course 303D .

CRW 325F. Fiction Writing.

Detailed study and practice of the techniques of fiction writing; includes reading and analysis of contemporary models. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315 , English 303D , 316L , 316M , 316N , 316P , or Tutorial Course 303D .

CRW 325M. Creative Writing.

Detailed study and practice of the techniques of fiction, poetry, and other genres of creative writing; includes reading and analysis of contemporary models. Three lecture hours or one lecture hour and three workshop hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315 , English 303D , 316L , 316M , 316N , 316P , or Tutorial Course 303D .

CRW 325P. Poetry Writing.

Detailed study and practice of the techniques of poetry writing; includes reading and analysis of contemporary models. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315 , English 303D , 316L , 316M , 316N , 316P , or Tutorial Course 303D .

CRW 325S. Screenwriting.

Study and practice the techniques of screenwriting. Read and analyze contemporary models. Three lecture hours and one discussion hour a week for one semester. Creative Writing 325S and Radio-Television-Film 333 may not both be counted. Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315 , English 303D , 316L , 316M , 316N , 316P , or Tutorial Course 303D .

CRW 325T. Writing for Black Performance.

Same as African and African Diaspora Studies 330F , American Studies 321Q , and Theatre and Dance 357T (Topic 5). Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: African and African Diaspora Studies 330F , 372E (Topic: Writing for Black Performance), American Studies 321 (Topic: Writing for Black Performance), 321Q , Creative Writing 325T , English 376M (Topic: Writing for Black Performance), Theatre and Dance 357T (Topic: Writing for Black Performance), 357T (Topic 5). Prerequisite: Upper-division standing.

CRW 330. Literature for Writers.

Readings in fiction, poetry, drama, literary criticism, biography, and autobiography from the point of view of a creative writer. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: One of the following: Creative Writing 325 , 325F , 325M , or 325P .

CRW 335. Business of Writing.

Same as English 335P . Study the book publishing landscape including traditional and non-traditional career paths available to writers and those interested in the publishing industry. Analyze the publishing process, from concept to finished book: the acquisition, editorial, publicity, marketing, and sales stages of a book's life. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Creative Writing 335 , English 324 (Topic: Business of Writing), 335P . Prerequisite: One of the following: Comparative Literature 315 , English 303D , 316L , 316M , 316N , 316P , or Tutorial Course 303D .

CRW 340D. Playwriting II.

Same as Theatre and Dance 325 . Emphasis on the form and writing of the full-length play or equivalent. Three lecture hours a week for one semester. Creative Writing 340D and Theatre and Dance 325 may not both be counted. Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, Creative Writing 315D or Theatre and Dance 315 , and consent of instructor.

CRW 340F. Short Story Workshop.

Practice in writing the short story, with study of contemporary models. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Creative Writing 340F and 355F ; or 660 . Prerequisite: Creative Writing 325F or 325M .

CRW 340P. Poetry Workshop.

Practice in writing poetry, with study of contemporary models. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Creative Writing 325M or 325P .

CRW 355D. Playwriting III.

Same as Theatre and Dance 355 . Focus on experiments in revising dramatic text in order to create a common vocabulary around narrative structure. Revision often includes the creation of multiple new drafts, digging through past drafts for abandoned themes, lost focus, and new inspiration as well as exploring character, narrative, and/or language. Three lecture hours a week for one semester, with laboratory hours as required. Only one of the following may be counted: Creative Writing 355D , Theatre and Dance 355T (Topic: Playwriting III), 355 . Prerequisite: Upper-division standing, Creative Writing 340D or Theatre and Dance 325 , and consent of instructor.

CRW 355F. Advanced Fiction Workshop.

A third semester seminar-style workshop in fiction for experienced creative writers. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. Only one of the following may be counted: Creative Writing 340F and 355F ; or 660 . Prerequisite: Creative Writing 340F .

CRW 355P. Advanced Poetry Workshop.

A third semester seminar-style workshop in poetry for experienced creative writers. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Creative Writing 340P .

CRW 660. Intensive Creative Writing.

An accelerated seminar-style workshop for highly motivated students. Designed to be taken over two consecutive summer terms; offered only during the summer semester. Three lecture-workshop hours a week for two semesters. Completion of this course is equivalent to completion of both Creative Writing 340F and 355F . Only one of the following may be counted: Creative Writing 340F and 355F ; or 660 . Prerequisite: For 660A , credit or registration for Creative Writing 325F ; for 660B , Creative Writing 660A .

CRW 370H. Honors Creative Writing Project.

For advanced students already proficient in writing who wish to work under supervision on specific and substantial projects. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. Prerequisite: Consent of the honors adviser.

CRW 375. Conference Course in Creative Writing.

Continue independent work in a creative project with a faculty advisor. The equivalent of three lecture hours a week for one semester. May be repeated for credit twice. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Creative Writing 370H ; approval of written application by supervising instructor and the director of undergraduate creative writing.

Graduate Courses

Professional courses.

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2024 Best Creative Writing Schools

Choosing a great creative writing school, creative writing rankings by degree level, best schools for creative writing in the united states, 25 top schools in creative writing.

There were about 80 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Johns Hopkins in the most recent year we have data available.

There were about 119 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Pitt in the most recent year we have data available.

Develop your creativity and gain practical skills with a creative writing degree program –featuring 100% online classes – through a bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

There were about 12 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Carnegie Mellon in the most recent data year.

There were about 37 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent year we have data available.

There were approximately 174 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Columbia in the most recent year we have data available.

There were about 11 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Northwestern in the most recent year we have data available.

There were about 48 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Brown in the most recent data year.

There were roughly 37 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year.

There were approximately 53 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Iowa in the most recent data year.

There were about 10 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UMN Twin Cities in the most recent year we have data available.

There were roughly 46 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Miami University - Oxford in the most recent year we have data available.

There were roughly 40 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Harvard in the most recent year we have data available.

There were roughly 51 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent year we have data available.

There were approximately 30 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Purdue in the most recent data year.

There were about 50 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UW Seattle in the most recent year we have data available.

There were approximately 28 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at WUSTL in the most recent data year.

There were about 4 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent year we have data available.

There were roughly 6 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year.

There were about 19 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Wellesley in the most recent year we have data available.

There were roughly 100 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

There were about 8 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Iowa State in the most recent data year.

There were roughly 17 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Boston U in the most recent year we have data available.

There were about 53 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UC in the most recent data year.

There were roughly 73 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent data year.

There were roughly 26 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at BGSU in the most recent year we have data available.

Rest of the Top Best Creative Writing Schools

Honorable mentions.

Creative Writing by Region

Other Rankings

Associate degrees in creative writing, master's degrees in creative writing, bachelor's degrees in creative writing, doctor's degrees in creative writing, rankings in majors related to creative writing, majors similar to creative writing.

Notes and References

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Creative Writing (M.F.A.)

M.f.a creative writing.

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• Review Admission Requirements

Program Overview

The M.F.A. program offers students access to incredible resources, including readings and master classes given by acclaimed visiting writers, agent and editor talks, and facilities like the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center in Kyle and the Clark House in Smithville. Each year, two graduates of the program hold residencies in these literary landmarks.

Course Work

The program requires 48 semester hours, including:

• writing workshops
• form and theory
• literary techniques
• minor or cognate (other than creative writing)
• thesis credit leading to the production of a book-length work of literary merit

Students may take literature courses in either poetry or fiction, but workshop classes are limited to students who are studying that particular genre. Students may also receive course credit for work on Porter House Review , the program's literary journal.

What Our Alumni Say

“The Texas State M.F.A. program helped shape the writer I am today. I worked with a faculty of amazing writers and insightful mentors, and I found a community of creatives that has lasted long past graduation. I’m forever grateful for my years at Texas State.”

— Owen Egerton, M.F.A. ’05, Screenwriter and Novelist

Program Details

Recent graduates have won a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford, an AWP prize for Best Novel, and an honorable mention for the PEN/Faulkner Award.

Program Mission

The program provides students with graduate-level knowledge of literature and theory, as well as the skills to function as advanced practitioners within their genre. Students will demonstrate their development as artists through proficiency with the elements of craft in their area of concentration, along with a mature understanding of writerly process and discipline.

Career Options

The M.F.A. is considered a terminal degree, which means that graduates can teach at a university level. Many graduates are working practitioners of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and screenplays and also possess highly-developed writing skills that are valuable in a wide variety of work environments. Graduates of the Texas State program are competitive with literature doctoral students.

Program Faculty

Our program offers students the opportunity to learn from renowned writers and committed mentors. Students workshop with Tim O'Brien, Naomi Shihab Nye, and our Endowed Chair, a position held on a rotating basis by internationally acclaimed writers, most recently by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Tea Obreht, and Karen Russell. They also work closely with our full-time faculty, including Doug Dorst, Jennifer duBois, Tom Grimes, and Debra Monroe in fiction, as well as Cyrus Cassells, Cecily Parks, Kathleen Peirce, Roger Jones, and Steve Wilson in poetry.

Contact us for general questions about your application, funding opportunities, and more. If you have specific questions after reviewing the program details, contact the program's graduate advisor.

Graduate Advisor Debra Monroe [email protected] 512.422.9768 Flowers Hall (FH)

Apply Now Already know that Texas State is right for you?

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Application Process

Review requirements, submit application, upload documents, check status, application deadlines.

This program's deadline is firm. This type of deadline means the application and other application requirements must be submitted by the program's specified deadline day.

Admission Requirements

The items required for admission consideration are listed below.  Additional information for applicants with international credentials can be found on our  international web pages .

Application

• Completed  online application

Review  important information  about the online application.

Application Fee

• $55 Nonrefundable application fee, OR
• $90 Nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials

Review  important information  about application fees.

Transcripts & GPA

• baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
• a copy of an official transcript from  each institution  where course credit was granted
• minimum 2.75 GPA in your  last 60 hours  of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)

Review important information about transcripts. Official transcripts, sent directly from your institution, will be required if admission is granted.

Effective Fall 2024

• a 2.75 overall GPA or 2.75 GPA in your  last 60 hours  of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)

Test Scores

• GRE not required

Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our  exempt countries list .

• official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall
• official PTE scores required with a 52 overall
• minimum individual module scores of 6.0
• official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
• official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall

This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.

Review important information about official test scores.

• How do you hope to use this time to grow as a writer? You might additionally choose to address scholarly goals, professional goals, and/or what you see as the benefits of living and working in a community that embraces individuals from all backgrounds.
• submit as a PDF file
• If you are applying for an Instructional or Teaching Assistantship, all letters should also discuss your potential as a teacher
• Fiction applicants should submit a maximum of 25 double-spaced pages of their work (short stories and/or a novel excerpts)
• Poetry applicants should submit 12-15 poems
• Both Fiction and Poetry applicants may, if they choose, also include one creative nonfiction essay or excerpt in their portfolio, subject to the same 25-page maximum for the manuscript in total

Review important information about documents.

Additional Information

• Application Decisions
• International Applicants
• Reapplication Process

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Best Creative Writing colleges in Dallas - Fort Worth 2024

Best creative writing colleges in dallas - fort worth for 2024.

University of North Texas offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 4 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 4 Master's degrees.

Southern Methodist University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2022, 11 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 11 Bachelor's degrees.

Texas Wesleyan University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 1 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 1 Bachelor's degree.

List of all Creative Writing colleges in Dallas - Fort Worth