University of Houston · Department of English (Creative Writing Program)

Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature

PhDDoctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing and LiteratureCompetitive full funding

Overview

A campus-based PhD in Houston for poets and fiction writers requiring 45 hours of coursework (workshops, a literary studies specialization, professional development, and electives), two foreign languages or intensive knowledge of one, doctoral exams, and a creative dissertation with a critical afterword. Teaching assistantships run up to five years with guaranteed tuition remission for their duration.

Official program name: Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature
Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Creative Writing and Literature
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: University of Houston — Department of English (Creative Writing Program)
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Houston, TX
Delivery / residency: Campus-based
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity: Not verified
Duration: Teaching-assistantship support for 5 years (10 long semesters)
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits: 45 total hours of coursework (plus exams and dissertation)
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this degree is listed

The official program title names creative writing: Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature (the department lists it separately from its Ph.D. in English).

Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Poetry Fiction

Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Concentrations and tracks

Empire Studies; Critical Studies of the Americas; Critical Poetics; Translingual Studies (graduate curricular specializations)
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Workshops

Creative writing courses include Writers on Literature, a history of poetry/poetics or narrative theory course, two major-genre workshops, and a Master Workshop.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

Reading knowledge of two foreign languages or intensive knowledge of one.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Doctoral exams: two written exams and one oral exam.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

Dissertation with a critical afterword, defended before the full committee.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Erin Belieu
Robert Boswell
Chitra Divakaruni
Nick Flynn
Antonya Nelson
Kevin Prufer
Roberto Tejada
Peter Turchi

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: uh.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: RequiredM.A. in English or M.F.A. in Creative Writing.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Minimum GPA: Required3.5 GPA in graduate studies.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose: RequiredStatement of Intent, 1,000 words or less.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters from people who can assess the applicant's writing.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredUnofficial transcripts with the application; official transcripts if accepted.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample: RequiredCritical manuscript: a scholarly paper written for a literature course (Ph.D. only).
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
International applicants: RequiredThe Graduate School requires proof of English proficiency from all applicants.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Poetry	up to 10 pages	Maximum 10 pages of poetryFormatting: can be single-spacedSource: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fiction	20–25 pages	20-25 pages of fictionFormatting: double-spaced, numbered, single-sided pagesSource: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

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
January 15 (year not printed) · for Fall 2027
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: uh.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.

Category	Amount	Basis and year
In-state — CLASS - Doctoral, resident (consolidated tuition and incidental fees per SCH)From the school's rate table for this level	$320	per credit · 2026-2027Includes feesCalculated$14,400 total = 45 credits × $320 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, residency or travel costs, and any rate change during the program.Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Out-of-state — CLASS - Doctoral, non-resident (consolidated tuition and incidental fees per SCH)From the school's rate table for this level	$848	per credit · 2026-2027Includes feesCalculated$38,160 total = 45 credits × $848 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, residency or travel costs, and any rate change during the program.Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Funding

Full funding (tuition and stipend) is available to selected students only. Admission does not guarantee it. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Competitive full funding

Published stipend: $20,448.36 (9 months (first-year salary))

Funding guarantee: The program makes a serious effort to locate a teaching assistantship for all who apply and seek one.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Tuition coverage: Tuition remission/coverage guaranteed for the full 5 years of the PhD teaching assistantship.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend: First-year PhD salary of $20,448.36 for 9 months.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Expected workload: Teaching load 2/2 the first four years (including first-year facilitation) and 2/0 or 0/0 the final year.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026
International students: For non-Texas residents, assistantships provide eligibility for a waiver of the non-resident portion of tuition.
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We do not judge whether a stipend is sufficient: living costs differ by city, household and year.

Named scholarships, fellowships and assistantships

Inprint fellowships fellowship
Annual competition: 3 fellowships of $10,000, 1 of $5,000 (nonfiction), and 4 of $2,500 · Awards: 8
Eligibility: Students admitted to the graduate creative writing program
How to apply: Annual student competition
Source: uh.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

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

uh.edu/class/english/programs/graduate-studies/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
uh.edu/class/english/programs/graduate-studies/phd-creative-writing/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
uh.edu/class/english/programs/graduate-studies/phd-creative-writing/financial-aid/index.php — Official funding / aid page, verified October 9, 2026
uh.edu/class/english/programs/graduate-studies/phd-creative-writing/how-to-apply/index.php — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
uh.edu/class/english/programs/graduate-studies/phd-creative-writing/program-breakdown/index.php — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
uh.edu/one-stop/financial/graduate/tuition-fees/tuition/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026

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