MFA in Creative Writing

The MFA degree with a major in Creative Writing promotes a combination studio/academic course of study allowing degree candidates to hone their skills as writers and grow as artists through rigorous application of craft. Students receive critical feedback on poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction in writing workshops, scrutinize aspects of genre in special topics classes and investigate larger theoretical and historical contexts for creative work in Literature and Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics classes.The program culminates in a thesis project comprised of a book length manuscript of original creative work. While the MFA is an ideal stepping stone for those students who plan to teach creative writing at any level and those who wish to pursue a PhD degree with a major in English, concentration in Creative Writing, the faculty of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Tennessee believes that study and practice of literary arts is intrinsically valuable and our program is designed first and foremost for those students who wish to dedicate their lives to writing well.