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Bowling Green State University · Creative Writing Program, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative WritingFully funded (conditions apply)Editorial selection: Best MFA Creative Writing Programs

Overview

A two-year, studio-based MFA with concentrations in fiction or poetry. The 36-semester-hour program is mostly writing workshops plus courses in techniques, literary editing, and pedagogy, and ends with a book-length thesis and a comprehensive examination.

Official program name
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Awarded degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
Bowling Green, OH
Delivery / residency
Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity
Full-time
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Duration
Two years
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits
36 semester hours
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Start
Fall
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Why this degree is listed

Awarded degree is a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

FictionPoetry

Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Concentrations and tracks

Workshops

  • Every semester includes a Graduate Writers Workshop.
    Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

  • A thesis and comprehensive examination are required; BGSU requires a paper thesis submission.
    Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Teaching opportunities

  • Graduate assistants usually teach two University Writing Program courses in the first year and may teach undergraduate creative writing in the second.
    Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Literary journal opportunities

  • Competitive opportunities to intern with Mid-American Review.
    Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

  • Amorak Huey — Professor; Director, Creative Writing Program

As listed on the program's official page on October 9, 2026. Listing does not mean a faculty member is teaching or supervising new students in a given year.

Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.
Minimum GPA
RequiredMinimum 3.0 overall GPA and at least 3.2 in English courses; an English major is not necessary.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose
RequiredStatement of purpose, 1-2 double-spaced pages.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required3 letters — Three letters uploaded to the Graduate College site by the letter writers.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample
RequiredAn 8-15 page double-spaced sample of academic or professional writing, in the same document as the creative sample.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

GenreLengthRequirement as published
Fiction20–30 pages20-30 pages of fiction; no screenplays or children's stories.Formatting: double-spacedSource: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Poetry10–15 pages10-15 pages of poetry.Formatting: poems single- or double-spacedSource: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test
Not requiredNot required for applicants with an undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 or a previous graduate degree; otherwise GRE General Test or LSAT accepted.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
TOEFL iBT
RequiredInternational applicants whose native language is not English submit TOEFL or IELTS; ELS 112 completion is also accepted.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
IELTS Academic
RequiredAlternative to TOEFL.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate competitiveness: programs rarely publish comparable figures.

Deadlines

Dates are shown with the admissions cycle the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

  • Funding / priority deadline

    January 15th · for Fall 2027

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
    Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its applicant category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-year and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
In-state — Graduate, main campus, Ohio resident, 12-18 credit hours (instructional and general fees)From the school's rate table for this level$6,881.88(basis not stated by the school) · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Out-of-state — Graduate, main campus, non-resident, 12-18 credit hours (instructional, general, and non-resident fees)From the school's rate table for this level$10,876.08(basis not stated by the school) · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

These are the published rates. The program also states tuition coverage for funded students — see Funding below for what is covered.

Funding

Tuition coverage and a stipend are offered to all admitted students, subject to conditions the program publishes (for example satisfactory progress). “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Fully funded (conditions apply)

Funding guarantee
Graduate assistantships (stipend and scholarship) are available for all eligible face-to-face students.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Tuition coverage
100% tuition scholarship covering instructional fees for both years, fall and spring.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend
Graduate stipend; current levels are published on the Graduate Assistant and Tuition Scholarship Information page.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Mandatory fees
Non-resident fee is covered in the first year only; domestic out-of-state students are expected to establish Ohio residency for year two. Students pay other fees and insurance.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Assistantship duties
In most cases, assistants teach two University Writing Program courses in year one, one each semester.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Renewal conditions
Continuation requires good academic standing and meeting assistantship duties.
Source: bgsu.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 9, 2026.
  1. bgsu.edu/academics/creative-writing.html — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  2. bgsu.edu/academics/graduate/creative-writing-masters.html — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  3. bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/english/english-programs/creative-writing.html — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  4. bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/english/english-programs/creative-writing/graduate-student-funding.html — Official funding / aid page, verified October 9, 2026
  5. bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/english/people.html — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  6. bgsu.edu/bursar/Tuition_and_Fees_2026-2027.html — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026

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Similar programs

Same degree level, nearby or in the same format. Listed for discovery, not ranked.

Ohio State University logo

Ohio State University

MFA Program in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Location: Columbus, OH
Format: Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Genres: Poetry · Fiction · Creative Nonfiction
Duration: Three years
Funding: Fully funded (all admitted)$22,000 stipend (nine-month academic year)
Tuition: $854.63 per credit · In-state — Columbus graduate programs not listed separately, instructional fee per credit hour (per-credit fee capped at the cost of 8 credit hours) · 2026-2027
Deadline: November 23, 2026 · Fall 2027
View programSelected in: Best MFA Creative Writing Programs

Creative Writing Programs is independent and not affiliated with Bowling Green State University. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.