Rutgers University-Newark · MFA Program in Creative Writing, School of Arts and Sciences-Newark

MFA Program in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative WritingFunding not verified

Overview

A full-time, two-year MFA of 36 credits: four workshops, two thesis courses and six electives, with fiction and poetry tracks and cross-genre craft and literature classes. The second year centers on one-on-one thesis mentorship.

Official program name: MFA Program in Creative Writing
Awarded degree: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: Rutgers University-Newark — MFA Program in Creative Writing, School of Arts and Sciences-Newark
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Newark, NJ
Delivery / residency: Campus-based
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity: Full-time, Part-time
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Duration: 2 years
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits: 36 credits (12 courses)
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)
Start: Fall
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Why this degree is listed

A dedicated MFA in Creative Writing with fiction and poetry tracks and a creative thesis.

Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Fiction Poetry

Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Workshops

12 workshop credits (4 courses), one workshop each semester.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

6 thesis credits: Thesis Independent Study and Thesis in Conference in the second year, with one-on-one faculty mentorship.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Teaching opportunities

Graduate students can teach writing courses in the creative writing minor or the composition program.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Community and outreach

Partnerships with The Newark Museum, Newark Public Library, NJPAC and the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Alice Elliott Dark — Program Director
Rigoberto González
James Goodman
Naomi Jackson
Akil Kumarasamy
John Keene
Simeon Marsalis
Brenda Shaughnessy
Salamishah Tillet

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: sasn.rutgers.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”.

Personal statement: Required1-2 pages on yourself, your goals and why Rutgers-Newark.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters from people who know you in an academic, creative or professional capacity.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
CV / résumé: RequiredResume.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee: Required$70 — Rutgers University-Newark Graduate School application, $70 fee.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredOfficial academic transcripts from all institutions attended.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Poetry	up to 15 pages	15 pages maximum, single spaced, 10-12 poems.Formatting: single spaced; pagination and full name on each pageSource: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fiction	up to 20 pages	20 pages maximum, double spaced: a novel excerpt or up to three short stories.Formatting: double spaced; pagination and full name on each pageSource: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: RecommendedPreferred but not required; strongly encouraged for TA applicants (scores from the past 5 years).
Source: sasn.rutgers.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.

Application deadline
December 15, 2026 · for Fall 2027
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Upcoming

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.

Tuition: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

Funding

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Funding not verifiedPolicy year: Fall 2027 cycle

Funding guarantee: Funding is offered to all admitted full-time students over two years.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Assistantship duties: Teaching Assistantship positions exist; TA applicants are encouraged to submit GRE scores.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other: Full funding applies to full-time applicants; part-time students are not eligible for funding packages.
Source: sasn.rutgers.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 9, 2026.

sasn.rutgers.edu/mfa — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026

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