About the MFA in Creative Writing
- Our MFA program is three years. We offer full and equitable funding for all students through Teaching Assistantships and tuition waivers.
- We admit 2 to 4 students per genre each year (9 students per cohort, on average). Our program is small by design, ensuring that community and mentorship are central to the experience of our degree candidates.
- All admitted students gain real-world skills through classroom teaching.
- We offer flexible degree paths in Poetry, Fiction, and Nonfiction, and encourage cross- and multi-genre study or single-genre study, depending on a student’s artist goals.
- Our faculty value student-centered classroom spaces where mentoring, community, and reciprocity are tightly held values. All classes are taught by working writers who have a passion for teaching.
- The Distinguished Visiting Writers Series brings field-leading authors to campus to read from their work, interface with students and the community, and lead MFA seminars.
- Fellowship opportunities include participating in Writing in the Wild at Taylor Ranch in the Frank Church Wilderness Area; University Fellowships at the Centrum Writers Conference; the Hemingway Fellowship for fiction writers; and the Academy of American Poets University Prize.
- Students have the opportunity to serve as editors for our esteemed national literary journal Fugue.
- Over the past three decades, our distinguished alumni have published over 100 books with our country’s finest trade, independent, and university presses. Students and alumni are the lifeblood of our storied MFA program.
- The natural splendor of our region—the Palouse—provides ample access to beautiful wilderness areas during all four seasons.
- Moscow, known as the “Heart of the Arts,” is a small, walkable town boasting a world-class farmer’s market, a longstanding natural food co-op, an arthouse cinema, an independent art gallery, a wonderful restaurant scene, and several other local and regional amenities.
- See our current MFA Program Brochure for more details [link to “2024 MFA Program Brochure”