M.F.A. Creative Writing

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences
Masters of Fine Arts: Creative Writing

Degree Options:

  • MFA in Creative Writing (emphases in Literary Fiction, Popular/Genre Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, and/or Poetry)

Who Would Be Interested in This Program?

  • This program is for any person with an undergraduate degree seeking to improve his or her creative writing abilities in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction for the purposes of publication or simply for personal fulfillment.
  • The MFA in Creative Writing is also a terminal degree that can make you eligible for promotion in English or Language-Arts-related secondary education positions (consult your school district for their policies).
  • The MFA in Creative Writing is also a terminal degree that can make you eligible to teach in English, Composition, and Creative Writing-related programs at the college level, as an adjunct, instructor, or tenure-track professor. However, it should be noted that permanent tenure-track positions are incredibly competitive in this field, and generally depend on significant successful publications and teaching experience before graduates will be considered.
  • The Bluegrass Writers Studio is a low-residency program, meaning most of our courses are taken online. However, students must complete 12 credits of Residencies, or in-person workshops. Residencies occur twice a year, with a January Winter Residency in Lexington, KY and a June-July Summer Residency overseas in Lisbon, Portugal. Students may choose which residencies to attend.

What Are the Requirements to be Admitted to the Program?

  • Applicants should submit a portfolio of work in their preferred creative genre (poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction).

  • The writing sample should consist of:

    • A two-page statement of purpose addressing the applicant's reasons for applying to the program.
    • Approximately 15 pages of poetry or 20 pages of prose (fiction or creative nonfiction).
  • Applicants should have completed an undergraduate bachelor's degree, with (in most cases) at least a minor in English, though exceptions can be made for students with outstanding writing samples.
  • Ordinarily, a 3.0 standing GPA should have been achieved in upper-division English courses at the undergraduate level. 
  • Applicants must meet the general requirements of the EKU Graduate School, and they must achieve satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination (400/150 in Verbal, and 4.0 in Analytical). Applicants who achieved an undergraduate GPA of 2.5 or higher are not required to submit GRE scores. Applicants who achieved an undergraduate GPA of less than 2.5 are required to submit GRE scores.
  • The MFA Admissions Committee reserves the right to waive any of the above requirements in the event that a writing sample is deemed exceptional. 

Where Are Recent Graduates of the Program Employed?

  • The MFA in Creative Writing is generally considered a program that students undertake for personal fulfillment rather than for any particular career goals. Many of our students are already employed in a wide range of fields when they begin the program, and these fields are often unrelated to creative writing.
  • Many of our graduates work in education, generally at the secondary or college level.
  • Adjunct or instructor teaching positions at colleges across the United States.

How Do I Get More Information?