Creative Writing

Florida Atlantic stands out for its hands-on, workshop-driven approach and its focus on both craft and professional development. Undergraduate students can pursue honors in creative writing, culminating in a substantial thesis project and close mentorship. Graduate students in the MFA program benefit from small cohorts, opportunities to teach, and the chance to work on Swamp Ape Review, the university’s national literary magazine. The program’s location in South Florida brings energy, diversity, and a vibrant literary scene, connecting you to opportunities both on campus and in the wider community.

Degrees Offered at Florida Atlantic

Undergraduate

  • Bachelor of Arts in English (with Creative Writing Honors option)

Graduate

  • Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing

Explore Degree Programs in Creative Writing

Educational Objectives & Student Outcomes

1. Develop advanced skills in writing fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction.
2. Gain experience in literary analysis and critical reading.
3. Complete a substantial creative thesis project under faculty mentorship.
4. Prepare for professional opportunities in writing, teaching, editing, and related fields.

1. Produce original, high-quality creative work in your chosen genre.
2. Demonstrate the ability to critique and revise your own and others’ writing.
3. Understand the literary landscape and engage with contemporary published works.
4. Build a portfolio that supports applications for graduate study, teaching, or careers in writing and publishing.

FAQs

Applications are due January 15. We don't accept students for spring or summers. See the Admission Procedures page for more details.

These documents can be uploaded electronically as part of the online submission process. If you have trouble with this, you can contact the Graduate College (561-297-3624 or graduatecollege@fau.edu) or you are welcome to send application materials to the English Department directly. See the Admissions Procedures page for the address.

Full time status for graduate students is nine credit hours (three classes). Tuition costs vary year to year. See Â鶹ŮÀÉ's tuition breakdown. To find out how much classes cost, multiply the total fee by the number of credits for which you'd like to enroll. See our Tuition page for more information.

The MFA in Creative Writing degree (Program Requirements) at Â鶹ŮÀÉ is a three-year program (with full-time attendance). It is comprised of 48 credit hours. See the advising checklist; MFA students must take 21 credit hours of creative writing workshops and 18 credit hours of literature/theory classes, plus one required course, ENG 6009: Research Methods for Advanced Literary Study. At the end of your time in the program, you'll enroll in six thesis hours, during which time you'll complete the thesis project.

The thesis project is a creative work. For fiction students this means a novel, novella, or collection of short stories; poetry students complete a collection of poems; and creative nonfiction students write an essay collection, memoir, or work of literary journalism. The thesis project is discussed at length with your thesis committee chair.

Typically, we accept about 10 students.

All of our MFA students qualify for a position as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, which typically entails teaching two sections of English Composition per semester (Fall and Spring only – a limited number of courses are available during the summer). Students who have taken CRW 6024: Teaching Creative Writing also qualify to apply to teach our Community Creative Writing Workshops and to assist in teaching the undergraduate course CRW 3010: Creative Writing.

The GTA position comes with a tuition waiver (however, students are still responsible for paying university fees) and a stipend. The standard stipend is $12,000, but some enhanced stipends are available. All students who indicate that they would like to be considered for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship will automatically be considered for these enhanced stipends. Some students opt to work at the University Center for Excellence in Writing. Students can also search for student employment at Â鶹ŮÀÉ.

Please see our Faculty Information page for information on the current projects, interests, and publishing of our faculty.

Each semester there are between four and five creative writing workshops offered, as well as five to ten literature and theory classes. MFA students must take 21 credit hours of creative writing workshops and 18 credit hours of literature/theory classes, plus one required course, ENG 6009: Research Methods for Advanced Literary Study. Please check out our course descriptions, course schedule, and advising checklist.

See our page on Student Opportunities

Yes! Please check out , our national literary magazine. Our MFA students produce this magaizne with the help of Professor Becka McKay, the faculty advisor.

Terminal means that it's the final degree of specialization in a field. With a terminal degree, you will be qualified to teach at the collegiate level and apply for tenure track positions. While there are some doctoral programs in Creative Writing, this is a relatively new trend, and at this point an MFA suffices as a terminal degree. A terminal degree often also means that you will be paid more at the collegiate level than a peer candidate with an MA degree.

Take a look at our New Student information Guide for information on Boca Raton and our surrounding areas.

Yes, most graduate students live off campus. However, on campus housing is available. You can check it out here.

The cost of living in Boca Raton is somewhat high, so we recommend finding a roommate to help with rent. (Please feel free to contact Erin Kiley to get in touch with current students if you are accepted into the program.) Students also live in nearby towns; Delray Beach has a very active downtown strip and is a popular night spot. You can read a little about it and .

An MFA degree qualifies you for any kind of work that requires critical thinking, reading, and writing skills. Our graduates have gone on to tenure track, professorial positions as well as jobs in curriculum construction, technical writing, and law; they have been literary magazine founders and editors, middle and high school teachers, and worked for nonprofit organizations. With an MFA degree, you are qualified to seek employment in editing, business management, content development, teaching, and many other fields. Our Internship Program will introduce you to jobs outside of academia and help you make connections with businesses in our community.

Honors Program

CRW 4932: Honors Creative Writing Seminar which is designed to facilitate the completion of the creative writing thesis and expand students' understanding of the craft of writing. In addition to workshopping drafts, students will also be reading (and writing about) important works in all three genres of creative writing along with advanced craft essays. The class will also spend time discussing professional development—the next steps you might take with your writing.  Course prerequisites include CRW 3010 and at least two 4000-level creating writing workshops, one of which must be in the genre you are working in for your thesis.

Note:  Students will receive the designation "Honors in Creative Writing" at the time of graduation, upon satisfactory completion of the following requirements:

  1. Fulfillment of all normal field distribution requirements for the English major.
  2. Completion of the Honors Seminar in Creative Writing with a grade of "B" or higher, which includes the completion of a thesis of substance and quality that meets with the approval of the course instructor and a second faculty reader (assigned by the Department of English).
  3. Achievement of an overall GPA of at least 3.0 and a GPA of at least 3.5 in all English courses at the time of graduation.

Students in the Honors Track in Creative Writing who complete all of the requirements but do not meet the GPA requirements for honors at the time of graduation, will receive credit for all work completed but will not be certified as having received honors. Students who engage in academic dishonesty will be dismissed from the Honors program and face additional penalties.

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  • Minimum overall GPA of 3.0 and a GPA of 3.5 in English major courses
  • Students must have already completed at least 60 credits
  • Successfully completed CRW 3010 (Introduction to Creative Writing) and at least two 4000-level creative writing workshops. At least one of these workshops must be in the genre (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction) in which you are applying.

    Note:  Students who don't quite meet the GPA requirements or who have not taken a second 4000 level workshop may apply for the course and may be admitted if their application is considered strong enough. However, in order to receive the honors designation upon graduation, students must meet the GPA requirements.

Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

The College of Arts & Letters offers degree programs and certificates in the performing arts, fine arts, languages and social sciences.