University of Utah · Department of English, Creative Writing Program

English MFA - Creative Writing

MFAMFA in English (Creative Writing)Competitive full funding

Overview

A campus MFA in which students take at least nine courses, including four creative writing workshops, and write a book-length thesis (a novel, a story collection, or a poetry collection). A modular track lets students take courses in Environmental Humanities, the American West, or Book Arts. Teaching assistantships with a tuition waiver are awarded competitively.

Official program name: English MFA - Creative Writing
Awarded degree: MFA in English (Creative Writing)
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School: University of Utah — Department of English, Creative Writing Program
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Delivery / residency: Campus-based
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity: Not verified
Duration: Two years (recommended timeline)
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits: A minimum of nine courses of at least three credit hours each, plus at least 6 hours of thesis research
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language: English (not separately stated)
Start: Fall
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Why this degree is listed

The department lists the degree as an English MFA, but the Creative Writing Program presents it as one of its two graduate degrees in creative writing, with four workshops and a book-length creative thesis required; the department offers no non-creative MFA.

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

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Poetry Fiction Creative Nonfiction

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

Concentrations and tracks

Modular track: Environmental Humanities, American West, or Book Arts
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Workshops

Four creative writing workshops are required.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Craft courses

Narrative Theory and Practice or Theory and Practice of Poetry, depending on thesis genre.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Literature courses

Four other courses, including at least two literary history courses.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Thesis / dissertation

Book-length thesis: a novel, a story collection, or a poetry collection.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Internships

Publishing internships may be available with FC2, Eclipse, University of Utah Press, Red Butte Press/Book Arts, and other local journals and presses.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other

An ESRR Distinguished Visiting Writer teaches graduate and undergraduate workshops each year.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Sam Boyer
Katharine Coles
Lindsey Drager
Michael Mejia
Jacqueline Osherow
Paisley Rekdal
Rone Shavers — 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: english.utah.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: RequiredBA or BS degree from an accredited college or university
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Minimum GPA: RecommendedSuccessful applicants generally have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Statement of purpose: RequiredStatement of purpose
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three academic letters of recommendation
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample: RequiredCritical writing sample of at least six pages
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

Genre	Length	Requirement as published
Any / all genres	—	Creative writing sample in poetry, fiction, or nonfiction (approximately 10 pages), only in the genre of applicationSource: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

GRE General Test: Not required
Source: english.utah.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 · for Fall
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: english.utah.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

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 fundingPolicy year: 2026-2027

Funding guarantee: Teaching assistantships are awarded to MA and MFA students on a competitive basis.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Tuition coverage: Teaching assistants receive salaries at or above Graduate School levels plus a 100% tuition waiver.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Assistantship duties: Graduate Teaching Assistants must teach three courses a year to qualify for a tuition waiver.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Renewal conditions: MFA students may be reappointed for a second year, contingent on satisfactory teaching and progress.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Separate application: All applications are considered for funding; no separate funding application.
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Named scholarships, fellowships and assistantships

Center for American West / J.W. Marriott Special Collections Fellowship (modular MFA) fellowship
First-year tuition and fees up to $12,400, with possibility of the same for a second year
Eligibility: Modular MFA students interested in the American West and/or Book Arts/New Media, after acceptance
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Environmental Humanities half-teaching fellowship (modular MFA) fellowship
Covers half of tuition expenses and fees
Eligibility: Modular MFA students primarily interested in Environmental Humanities
Source: english.utah.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

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

english.utah.edu/_resources/documents/_graduate-handbook/graduate-student-handbook-oct-2026.pdf — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
english.utah.edu/graduate/creative-writing.php — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
english.utah.edu/graduate/how-to-apply.php — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026

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