Why Choose UW's Creative Writing Program?
UW is one of the few universities that devotes its fully funded MFA program entirely to prose. We offer a wide range of courses and experiential learning opportunities to help our students shine. Ongoing collaborations with literary agents and Wyoming Public Radio provide chances to network and make practical applications from the classroom to the writing desk. In our writing program, students aren’t placed in competition for funding or approval. Our workshops emphasize positive, constructive and open-minded engagement with every writer’s work, encouraging creativity and collaboration. We build from traditional workshops in fiction and creative nonfiction while developing hybrid approaches that allow students to read and write across genres. Specialized seminars help writers expand their skills and career perspectives, while elective options across the university allow for even broader exploration.
For more than 16 years, UW’s MFA has been recognized among the best in the nation. Graduates have published award-winning books and been featured in The Atlantic, Granta, The New Yorker, Orion, Virginia Quarterly Review and The Best American Short Stories, among others. Our students form a tight-knit, supportive community, hosting reading series, working with Wyoming Public Radio and forging lifelong friendships that continue well beyond graduation. Faculty provide close mentorship in both classroom and one-on-one settings, helping each writer discover and realize their creative intent. Through visiting-writer programs and publication workshops, students connect with acclaimed authors, editors and agents while gaining firsthand experience in small-press publishing. We take pride in the diverse paths our graduates pursue and having them carry forward the creative confidence and community spirit that define our program.
Reach out to get your questions answered and learn more about our program or view our student handbook to learn more about the program, including workshop, funding, genres and thesis option information.
Our faculty practice the writing crafts taught at UW. They write novels, public dialogues
and philosophical meditations showing students how life could look post-graduation.
Among our exceptional faculty, Dr. Jeff Lockwood’s mystery series is available at
Barnes & Noble, and you can view his TED-Ed, Are locust plagues unstoppable? online. Dr. Harvey Hix received the Fulbright Distinguished Lectureship and most
recently published Counterclaims: Poets and Poetries. Students have the opportunity
to learn from faculty who have pursued careers in writing and now hold the connections
to help aspiring writers succeed.
Program Requirements
Creative Writing graduate students take a range of courses over two years, including
Practicum in College Teaching, Rhetoric and Composition: History, Theory, Practice
and thesis hours. View all course requirements for Creative Writing.
Admission Requirements
Students will submit an application and are subject to additional requirements from
the Creative Writing Program, including a writing submission.
Look over all the admission requirements, application steps and important dates for our program.
What Can You Do with a Creative Writing Degree?
Writers are experts at creatively wielding their written words to communicate—an important skill employers prioritize in the hiring process. Words can take writers far because long-lasting careers require strong communication. Knowledge of prose can guide graduates through their professional endeavors regardless of the setting.
- Editor
- Technical Writer
- Author
- Proofreader
- Postsecondary Professor or Instructor
- Content Strategist
- Copywriter
- Scriptwriter
- Journalist
- Marketing or Brand Writer
- Grant Writer
- Social Media Manager
- Publishing Assistant
- Public Relations Specialist
- Speechwriter
- Literary Agent Assistant
- Ghostwriter
- Writing Coach or Consultant
- Basecamp Strategy
- The Boundary Waters Journal
- Second Harvest Heartland
- Snow College
- University of Wyoming
- TedX
The job outlook for graduates with an MFA in creative writing is multifaceted, offering both opportunities and challenges. Our program equips students with a wide variety of adaptable skills—such as storytelling, critical thinking, editing, and communication—that are valuable in publishing, education, marketing, media and beyond. Graduates leave prepared to pursue meaningful, creative careers in a range of industries!
Creative writing graduates bring strong communication, storytelling and analytical skills that are valued across many industries. Some of the key industries looking to work with creative writing graduates include:
- Publishing
- Media & Entertainment
- Marketing & Advertising
- Public Relations
- Education
- Journalism
- Nonprofits & Advocacy
- Corporate Communications
- Tech & UX Writing
- Freelance & Consulting
We have a whole page dedicated to FAQs. Check it out and get the information you need!
“In the writing program, we don't put students in competition for funding or for approval. Our workshops stress positive, constructive, open-minded engagement with every student’s work."
