The Master of Fine Arts in English with a creative writing subprogram features advanced courses in writing fiction and poetry. Students in creative writing study at the Iowa Writers' Workshop, renowned as a pioneer in teaching writers since its founding in 1936.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates will:

• develop expertise in the art of writing through practical, immersive engagement with techniques and principles of craft in fiction or poetry;
• build deep knowledge and broad appreciation of the literary landscape through immersive engagement with diverse literary traditions;
• gain practical experience teaching literature, rhetoric, and/or creative writing at the college level;
• create and revise a significant body of top-level creative work in fiction or poetry;
• develop a strong individual artistic vision; and
• gain exposure to a wide range of career options in both academic and non-academic literary disciplines.

The Master of Fine Arts program in English with a creative writing subprogram requires a minimum of 48 s.h. of graduate credit. Students must maintain a cumulative University of Iowa grade-point average of at least 3.00. The degree is offered through the Creative Writing Program (Iowa Writers' Workshop), a two-year residency program that culminates in a creative thesis, such as a novel, a collection of stories, or a book of poetry.

Throughout the program, workshop students craft their manuscripts and engage in an exchange of ideas about writing and reading with each other and with the renowned teacher-authors who make up the workshop's faculty.

Admission to the program is competitive.

For details about the MFA in English (creative writing) and about the Iowa Writers' Workshop, see Creative Writing (Iowa Writers' Workshop) in the catalog.