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Creative WritingPrograms

Texas State University · Department of English

MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Major in Creative WritingPartial funding

Overview

A three-year, 48-credit-hour MFA in fiction or poetry in San Marcos, combining 12 hours of workshop, form and theory and literary techniques courses, English graduate electives, a 9-hour minor, and a 6-hour thesis. Most admitted students are offered assistantship funding; MFA scholarships include a waiver of the out-of-state portion of tuition.

Official program name
MFA in Creative Writing
Awarded degree
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) Major in Creative Writing
Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School
Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
San Marcos, TX
Delivery / residency
Campus-basedClasses and workshops meet in person on campus throughout the program.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity
Not verified
Duration
Three years
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits
48 credit hours
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Why this degree is listed

Awarded degree is a Master of Fine Arts with a major in Creative Writing, offered with fiction and poetry concentrations (one degree, two concentrations).

Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

FictionPoetry

Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Concentrations and tracks

Workshops

Craft courses

Thesis / dissertation

Other

  • 9-credit minor or cognate outside creative writing.
    Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
  • Thesis students may receive manuscript feedback from a writer chosen from the Adjunct Thesis Faculty.
    Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Teaching opportunities

Faculty listed by the program

  • Cyrus Cassells — Regents' Professor
  • Cecily Parks — Professor
  • Charlotte Pence — Associate Professor; Program Director
  • William O'Brien — Professor
  • Doug Dorst — Associate Professor
  • Jennifer duBois — Professor
  • Lindsay Stern — Assistant Professor
  • James Mattson — Assistant Professor
  • Ada Limon — Professor
  • Jonathan Escoffery — Professor - University Chair

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: english.txst.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”.
Prior degree
RequiredBaccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university.
Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Minimum GPA
Required2.75 overall GPA or 2.75 in the last 60 undergraduate hours (institutional master's minimum).
Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose
RequiredStatement of purpose, maximum 750 words, in two parts (writing goals; teaching potential).
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required3 letters — Three letters addressing academic qualifications, collegiality, and teaching potential.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
CV / résumé
RequiredResume or CV.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee
Required$55 — $55 application fee ($90 with international credentials).
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee waiver
OptionalFee waiver may be requested from The Graduate College.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts
RequiredCopies of official transcripts from each college attended.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

GenreLengthRequirement as published
Fictionup to 25 pagesMaximum of 25 double-spaced pages (short stories and/or novel excerpt); may include one creative nonfiction piece within the limitFormatting: double-spaced; single PDFSource: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Poetry—12-15 poemsFormatting: single PDFSource: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

TOEFL iBT
Required — minimum 78Applicants without an exempting degree; 78 iBT if taken on or before January 21, 2026 (new-scale score of 4 after that date).
Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026
IELTS Academic
Required — minimum 6.5Academic; minimum individual module scores of 6.0.
Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Duolingo English Test
Required — minimum 110
Source: mycatalog.txstate.edu · verified October 9, 2026
PTE Academic
Required — minimum 52
Source: mycatalog.txstate.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

    February 1 (priority; year not printed) · for Fall 2027

    The school does not print a year with this date.

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

  • Application deadline

    Rolling admission · for Fall 2027

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
    Rolling

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, resident, 9 hours, Fall 2026 (tuition and fees)From the school's rate table for this level$4,514.49per semester · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: sbs.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Out-of-state — Graduate, non-resident, 9 hours, Fall 2026 (tuition and fees)From the school's rate table for this level$8,363.49per semester · 2026-2027Includes feesSource: sbs.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Funding

Some scholarships, assistantships or awards exist for some students; full funding is not stated. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Partial funding

Funding guarantee
Most admitted students are offered assistantship funding.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Tuition coverage
All MFA scholarships waive the out-of-state portion of tuition.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend
Assistants teach (lecture assistants and teachers of record) and receive a monthly stipend.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Separate application
All applicants are automatically considered for assistantships and MFA scholarships.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other
Almost 90% of interested students receive funding as assistantships and scholarships.
Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Named scholarships, fellowships and assistantships

  • Rose Scholarship scholarship

    Nearly $70,000 in support throughout the three years

    Eligibility: Incoming MFA students

    Source: english.txst.edu · verified October 9, 2026

  • Graduate College thesis travel scholarship grant

    Up to $2000

    Eligibility: Thesis students

    How to apply: Application

    Deadline: November 15 (Spring) and June 30 (Fall)

    Source: english.txst.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. mycatalog.txstate.edu/graduate/liberal-arts/english/creative-writing-fiction-mfa/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 9, 2026
  2. mycatalog.txstate.edu/graduate/liberal-arts/english/creative-writing-poetry-mfa/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 9, 2026
  3. english.txst.edu/mfa.html — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  4. english.txst.edu/mfa/faculty/permanent-faculty.html — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  5. english.txst.edu/mfa/program/program-outline.html — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  6. english.txst.edu/mfa/prospective-students/apply.html — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  7. english.txst.edu/mfa/prospective-students/funding-details.html — Official funding / aid page, verified October 9, 2026
  8. sbs.txst.edu/sbs-policies/tuition-breakdown/graduate-rates/fall-2026-graduate-rates.html — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026

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