unlv mfa creative writing faculty

Plan Description

The MFA international program at UNLV enables writers to begin recognizing themselves and their art in relation to a larger understanding of writing. The program’s commitment to world literature provides a unique MFA experience that differs from many traditional creative writing programs. Admitted students follow a three-year program that includes literature and writing courses, time abroad, completion of a poetry or fiction manuscript, a literary translation, and a critical essay. In addition, the MFA program at UNLV is the nation’s only creative writing program that gives credit to students who wish to spend their time abroad in the Peace Corps. The program’s international emphasis is derived from the belief that the best writing is done by individuals who know that literature is something created from more than mere self-expression, and that great books are written by the few who know their gift is connected to the world they live in and strive to create dialogue between private imagination and public concern. Graduates of UNLV’s MFA program have gone on to secure tenure track teaching jobs, gain admission to Ph.D. programs in creative writing, publish books, and enter the workforce as editors, writers, and arts administrators. UNLV also routinely supports recent graduates with part-time teaching opportunities in the department.  

For more information about your program, including your graduate program handbook and learning outcomes please visit the Degree Directory .

Plan Admission Requirements

Application deadlines

Applications available on the UNLV Graduate College website .

• All domestic and international applicants must review and follow the Graduate College Admission & Registration Requirements .
• A strong manuscript of either poetry or fiction for consideration, of approximately 10-15 pages for poetry and 20-30 pages for fiction. The primary consideration for admission is the quality of the manuscript as judged by the Creative Writing faculty.
• A letter of application to the Graduate Committee that includes a statement of purpose and reasons the applicant wants to study creative writing at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  
• Applicants must send one official set of transcripts from all colleges or universities attended to the Graduate College and one unofficial set directly to the English Department.
• Two letters of recommendation to be sent directly to the department. There is a wide range of acceptability with regard to an applicant’s previous record of studies and major field of specialization as an undergraduate.
• Scores for the Verbal portion of the General test of the Graduate Record Examination.

Students are accepted into a degree program as described in the Graduate Catalog. The faculty and corresponding sub-disciplines and sub-plans within the described programs are subject to change at any time.

Plan Requirements

  See Subplan Requirements below.    

Subplan 1: International Focus Track Subplan 2: Peace Corps Track

Subplan 1 Requirements: International Focus Track

  Total Credits Required: 54  

Course Requirements    

  Creative Writing Course – Credits: 12

 Complete 9 credits in the chosen genre of concentration (either poetry or fiction) and 3 credits in another genre.   

ENG 705 - Creative Writing Workshop    

  Required Courses – Credits: 6  

ENG 739 - M.F.A. Translation    

ENG 749 - M.F.A. Critical Essay    

  Forms of Fiction or Poetry Course – Credits: 9    

ENG 729 - Forms of Fiction, Literary Nonfiction, or Poetry    

Elective Courses – Credits: 9

Complete 9 credits of graduate literature courses not offered by the creative writing faculty of the Department of English.  

  Independent Study – Credits: 6  

ENG 794 - Independent Study - International Focus    

  Thesis – Credits: 12  

ENG 790 - M.F.A. Thesis    

 Degree Requirements    

• 3 credits for the completion of a significant translation of superior quality from a language other than English and 3 credits for the writing of a substantial scholarly essay of at least 5,000 words on some aspect of a major world writer or field of literary study.
• The strong international emphasis of the M.F.A. in Creative Writing requires all students to spend at least one semester or summer abroad in a non-English speaking country and to earn at least six credits toward the M.F.A. by enrolling in a university, school, or institute abroad and/or by Independent Study guided and monitored by a member of the Creative Writing faculty. For applicants with strong experience and demonstrable study and residency in a non-English speaking country and with significant foreign language skills, the study abroad requirement may be waived at the discretion of the Creative Writing faculty and of the Graduate College. The six required credits must then be earned in some other way.
• In consultation with his/her advisor, a student will organize a thesis committee of at least three departmental members. In addition, a fourth member from outside the department, known as the Graduate College Representative, must be appointed. An additional committee member may be added at the student and department’s discretion. Please see Graduate College policy for committee appointment guidelines.
• All candidates for the M.F.A. degree are required to write a creative thesis in either poetry or fiction and to complete at least 12 credits toward the creative thesis requirement by intensive work in conference with members of the faculty. The creative thesis for the M.F.A. will be a book-length manuscript and must conform to the guidelines set forth by the Graduate College in this catalog and in its Thesis and Dissertation Manual. The M.F.A. creative thesis will only be passed and the M.F.A. degree granted when the creative thesis is judged to be a substantial creative work of high seriousness and literary merit in the opinion of the Creative Writing faculty and the student’s creative thesis committee.  

    Graduation Requirements    

•   The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College and then apply for graduation up to two semesters prior to completing his/her degree requirements.
• The student must submit and successfully defend his/her thesis by the posted deadline. The defense must be advertised and is open to the public.
• Student must submit his/her approved, properly formatted document to the Graduate College, and submit the approved electronic version to ProQuest by the posted deadline.

Subplan 2 Requirements: Peace Corps Track

  Total Credits Required: 42

Course Requirements    

Creative Writing Course – Credits: 12

Complete 9 credits in the chosen genre of concentration (either poetry or fiction) and 3 credits in another genre. 

Required Courses – Credits: 6

Forms of Fiction or Poetry Course – Credits: 9

Elective Courses – Credits: 6

Complete 6 credits of graduate literature courses not offered by the creative writing faculty of the Department of English.

Thesis – Credits: 9

Degree Requirements    

• Through the Peace Corps Master’s International Partnership, students must apply to the Peace Corps during their first or second year in the program.
• The entire program is a four-year obligation. Students complete their course work in two years instead of the usually required three, and write a thesis during their two-year Peace Corps assignment.
• Students receive an MFA when they complete their Peace Corps assignment, receive a resettlement allowance, and experience the Peace Corps firsthand.
• All candidates for the M.F.A. degree are required to write a creative thesis in either poetry or fiction and to complete at least 12 credits toward the creative thesis requirement by intensive work in conference with members of the faculty. The creative thesis for the M.F.A. will be a book-length manuscript and must conform to the guidelines set forth by the Graduate College in this catalog and in its Thesis and Dissertation Manual. The M.F.A. creative thesis will only be passed and the M.F.A. degree granted when the creative thesis is judged to be a substantial creative work of high seriousness and literary merit in the opinion of the Creative Writing faculty and the student’s creative thesis committee.

Graduation Requirements    

• The student must submit all required forms to the Graduate College.
• Have faculty submit a grade change form for any X grades
• Apply for graduation and pay the fee
• If the student cannot graduate in the semester in which they return, they must enroll in 6 graduate credits in the next semester

Plan Graduation Requirements

Refer to your subplan for Graduation Requirements

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University of Nevada Las Vegas

Las Vegas , NV

https://www.unlv.edu/degree/mfa-creative-writing https://www.unlv.edu/english

Degrees Offered

Fiction, Poetry, CNF

Residency type

Program length, financial aid.

Fully supported – $15,000 base Graduate Assistantship for ALL students, plus other funding opportunities, including average $4,000 + for International Focus Experience requirement – all tuition is also paid – graduate student health insurance is also paid, which represents an approximate $2,800 added value; access grants and other funding usually raises the amount of the base G.A. by $1,000 + in the 2nd and 3rd years; and 2nd and 3rd year students may apply for $500 in travel support from the English Department for research and/or to attend conferences. The BMI-Ph.D. with Creative Dissertation is a fellowship Ph.D., which offers $26,000, of which $17,000 is a base Ph.D. G.A. and $9,000 is a Black Mountain Institute Fellowship (with graduate student health insurance also paid at approximately $2,800 per year). ALL tuition is paid. Ph.D. students typically divide their duties between teaching and editing (about 50-50). The only deduductions from the G.A. amounts for both the M.F.A. and Ph.D. are apprximately 12% in various university fees taken out of G.A. stipends per semester.

Teaching opportunities

Almost all students teach to fulfill G.A. duties; but some prefer work tutoring students in our Writing Center and/or editorial duties or administrative roles in the department – most students split teaching with another duty

Editorial opportunities

About one-third of our M.F.A. students are engaged in some part of their G.A. duties with one of the journals/magazines published by the English Department or the Black Mountain Institute – “Witness”, “Interim”, or “The Believer” – and gain valuable skills in literary publishing.

Cross-genre study

Cross-genre work is required – ALL M.F.A. students are required to take at least 1 workshop in a genre other than the major genre. (Ph.D. students are not required to do this, but many do anyway).

• Olivia Clare PhD (Poetry) 2016
• Sarah Kokernot MFA (Fiction) 2011
• Olufunke Ogundimu MFA (Fiction) 2018
• Maegan Poland PhD (Fiction) 2018
• Vu Tran PhD (Fiction) 2006

Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected] .

Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories , Best American Essays , Best American Poetry , The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology .

University of Nevada - Las Vegas MA in Creative Writing

Featured programs, how much does a master’s in creative writing from unlv cost, unlv graduate tuition and fees.

Does UNLV Offer an Online MA in Creative Writing?

Unlv master’s student diversity for creative writing, male-to-female ratio.

Of the students who received their master’s degree in creative writing in 2019-2020, 46.7% of them were women. This is less than the nationwide number of 66.6%.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

Around 26.7% of creative writing master’s degree recipients at UNLV in 2019-2020 were awarded to racial-ethnic minorities*. This is higher than the nationwide number of 24%.

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University of Nevada Las Vegas Fully Funded MFA in Creative Writing

University of nevada las vegas.

University of Nevada Las Vegas is located in Las Vegas, NV offers a three-year fully funded MFA in creative writing. The MFA program is an intensive studio arts terminal degree with a strong international emphasis and requires the writing of a book-length creative thesis in either fiction, literary nonfiction, or poetry. The goal of the three-year course of studies is to prepare the student for a teaching career. All MFA students admitted to the Creative Writing International program at UNLV are offered Graduate Assistantship funding of $15,000 per year.

• Deadline: Jan 15, 2025 (Confirmed)*
• Work Experience: Any
• Location: North America
• Citizenship: Any
• Residency: United States

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MFA at UNLV

By Kratistos February 23, 2017 in Literary

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I have a job opportunity in Las Vegas after I graduate college. I was wondering if I were to take this job if the UNLV creative writing program was any good? 

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heliogabalus

Because there aren't too many creative writing PhDs, UNLV's PhD program seems to get more attention, but its MFA should be good as well. Same professors, everyone gets funding, and--if you like--you probably have a better shot at getting into their PhD once you've done well in their MFA. Sounds good to me.

• 1 month later...

A professor recently recommended it to me, actually. Apparently it's an up-and-coming program with respected faculty. They have a strong international focus and require that MFA students study/write abroad for a semester, which could be a plus or a negative depending on your preferences. I like the lit mag they put out ( Interim,  which you can find online). 

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• Creative Writing

Cathy Linh Che Joins Antioch MFA as Core Faculty in Poetry

• Posted by by Antioch University
• June 25, 2024

The Antioch MFA in Creative Writing is proud to announce that Vietnamese American writer and multidisciplinary artist Cathy Linh Che has joined the MFA in Creative Writing program as Core Faculty in Poetry. Che comes to Antioch with over a decade of teaching experience at institutions including New York University, Fordham University, 92nd Street Y, and the Polytechnic University at NYU. She was Distinguished Visiting Professor and Writer in Residence at Sierra Nevada College and a member if the faculty in the low residency MFA program at the University of Nevada, Reno. For the past nine years, Che was the Executive Director of Kundiman, a national organization dedicated to the creation and cultivation of Asian American creative writing.

“We are delighted that Cathy is joining our team. Her incredible body of work, leadership skills, work ethic, and alignment with our program’s values and goals make her a wonderful addition to our team and to our community,” said Lisa Locascio Nighthawk , Chair of the MFA in Creative Writing Program. “Cathy has a powerful track record as an advocate for writers, making her uniquely qualified to take on this important role within our program with its motto of ‘Community, Not Competition’! I look forward to working with her.”

Che is the author of  Split , winner of the Kundiman Poetry Prize, the Norma Farber First Book Award from the Poetry Society of America, and the Best Poetry Book Award from the Association of Asian American Studies, and the co-author, with Kyle Lucia Wu, of the children’s book  An Asian American A to Z: a Children’s Guide to Our History . 

Che’s writing has been published in  The New Republic, The Nation, McSweeney’s, Best American Poetry , and  Poetry magazine. She has received awards from MacDowell, Bread Loaf, Tin House, and Sewanee Writers’ Conference. 

Che is working on a poetry manuscript, a creative nonfiction manuscript, and a short documentary on her parents’ experiences as refugees who played extras on  Apocalypse Now . Her video installation  Appocalips  is an Open Call commission with The Shed NY. 

“I’m thrilled to join the Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Program as Core Faculty in Poetry at Antioch, which is rooted in community engagement and the pursuit of social justice,” says Che.

Cathy Linh Che holds an MFA in Creative Writing in Poetry from New York University, an English Single Subject Teaching Credential from California State University, Long Beach, and a BA in English with a French Minor from Reed College.

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MFA in Creative Writing Info Session | AULA

August 10 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am pdt.

Attend our upcoming  Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing  Information Session to chat with faculty and learn more about the program and genres you can choose from: Fiction, Poetry, Creative Nonfiction, Writing for Young People, Writing for the Screen, Playwriting, Genre Jumping – Mixed Genre Experience, and Dual Concentration – Double-Genre!

This info session will be held online using Zoom on  Saturday, August 10, 2024, 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM PDT . We’ll send an e-mail before the event with the link and details on how to connect!

AULA Admissions

(310) 578-1080 ext. 3100

admissions.aula@antioch.edu

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Minor in Creative Writing

Jump to section:, learning outcomes, career possibilities, requirements.

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The minor in Creative Writing at UNLV involves 21 credits of advanced coursework in writing and literature.

Accreditation

For information regarding accreditation at UNLV, please head over to Academic Program Accreditations .

• Students will demonstrate the ability to read, write, and think critically.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to write and rewrite fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry.
• Students will demonstrate the ability to debate and discuss and critique the work of classmates.
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Department of English

The Department of English provides programs that transform students into engaged and informed citizens who enrich the vitality of their local and global communities. Our majors explore literature as an artistic medium from theoretical and historical perspectives. In the process, students hone their analytical and writing skills.

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The College of Liberal Arts offers students a well-rounded education in the humanities and social sciences. Students develop strong analytical and communication skills for a lifetime of learning and discovery that can be applied to a wide variety of careers.