University of Southern California · Department of English, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

Ph.D. in Creative Writing & Literature

PhDPh.D. in Creative Writing & LiteratureFully funded (all admitted)

Overview

A five-year, full-time, in-residence PhD with 56 units of coursework (32 in literature, 24 in creative writing) and 8 units of dissertation work. Students apply in one genre (fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) and write a book-length creative manuscript plus a critical component. All incoming students receive five years of funding with tuition remission and health insurance.

Official program name: Ph.D. in Creative Writing & Literature
Awarded degree: Ph.D. in Creative Writing & Literature
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: University of Southern California — Department of English, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Delivery / residency: Campus-based
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity: Full-time
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Duration: Five years
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits: 64 units: 56 units of coursework (32 in Literature, 24 in Creative Writing) and 8 units of dissertation work
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)

Why this degree is listed

The official program and degree title names creative writing: Ph.D. in Creative Writing & Literature, with coursework in creative writing and literature and a creative plus critical dissertation.

Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Fiction Creative Nonfiction Poetry

Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

Dissertation: a book-length creative manuscript plus a critical component of approximately 60-80 pages.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Literature courses

First-semester seminar ENGL 501 and field examinations in three fields.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

Foreign language translation proficiency is required; may be met by a creative translation project.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Each incoming student is assigned a faculty mentor.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Up to 12 units may be transferred from an MFA or a master's in English.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Aimee Bender — Director of Creative Writing
Geoff Dyer
Percival Everett
Mark Irwin
Dana Johnson — English Department Chair
Anna Journey
Robin Coste Lewis
Susan McCabe
Maggie Nelson
Danzy Senna
David St. John
David Treuer

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: dornsife.usc.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: RequiredBachelor's degree; a master's degree is not required
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredUniversity minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose: RequiredStatement of purpose, no more than 3 pages single-spaced
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Interview: Not requiredNo interviews
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredUnofficial transcripts uploaded; official transcripts sent to USC Graduate Admission
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample: RequiredScholarly critical work, 10-25 pages; book reviews not accepted
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Fiction	—	Fiction or nonfiction: approximately 25 pages; do not send entire manuscriptsSource: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Creative Nonfiction	—	Fiction or nonfiction: approximately 25 pagesSource: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Poetry	10–12 pages	Poetry: approximately 10-12 pagesSource: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not requiredNo longer required as of August 15, 2022
Source: dornsife.usc.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 1 (each year) · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: dornsife.usc.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.

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

Funding

The program states that every admitted student receives tuition coverage and a stipend for the normal length of the program. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Fully funded (all admitted)

Funding guarantee: All incoming students receive five years of guaranteed funding: three years of fellowship and two of teaching assistantship.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Tuition coverage: Funding packages cover full tuition remission and health insurance.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Stipend: Fellowships and assistantships include a stipend at the current rate; amount not printed.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Years guaranteed: Fellowship years are the first, second, and fourth years.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Health insurance: Year-round health and dental benefits.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other: Funded students may not take on contemporaneous employment or equivalent external commitments.
Source: dornsife.usc.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

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

dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd/application/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd/contact-us/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd/financial-support/ — Official funding / aid page, verified October 9, 2026
dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd/frequently-asked-questions/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
dornsife.usc.edu/cwphd/ph-d-requirements/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026

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