CREATIVE WRITING AND PUBLISHING (MFA)
Tell your story in long-form
DePaul’s MFA in Creative Writing and Publishing will prepare and empower you to write a novel or memoir, or a collection of poetry or stories while at DePaul. You’ll work across genres under the mentorship of distinguished authors and poets. With courses in Copyediting, Book Publicity, Book Design, Teaching Creative Writing, and Teaching English you’ll have the choice of a career in publishing or teaching. The Creative Writing and Publishing MFA culminates with a required master’s thesis of publishable quality.
You may also earn a graduate certificate in
- Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)
- Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges
- Digital Humanities
Courses are offered weekday evenings on the Lincoln Park Campus or online. You can earn the degree in as little as two years.
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Tap into a creative community
You’ll have the chance to get editorial and publishing experience with publications like Big Shoulders Books, Poetry East, Crook & Folly and Slag Glass City. Internship opportunities exist at Chicago-area community colleges as well.
Application Deadlines
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, though we encourage you to submit your application materials 10 to 12 weeks prior to the quarter in which you wish to enroll.
Admission Requirements
Submit an online application, official transcripts, current résumé, a 500–750-word reflective essay, letters of recommendation and writing portfolio.
Required Courses
You’ll take six workshop courses, one topic course, four electives, and complete a thesis.
93%
of College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences graduates were employed, continuing their education or pursuing other goals within six months of graduation.
Alumni Network
With a network of 8,900 fellow College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences master’s-level graduates in Chicago and beyond, you have a variety of opportunities to grow your professional and academic connections.
Scholarships & Aid
Graduate school is an investment in your future. Learn more about the financial aid and scholarship opportunities available to you.
Admission Requirements
??For both the MFA and MA, a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution is required. For admission, a student should have:
- A strong record of previous academic achievement.
- Relevant course work in creative writing or experience such as publishing original work and/or participating in a writers’ group that has resulted in a body of creative writing.
Students apply to both the MA and the MFA simultaneously. MA students may apply to the MFA after two quarters of graduate study with the recommendation of the faculty and an updated writing sample.
To apply, please submit the following:
- A completed online application.
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended.
- A résumé that summarizes your education and relevant experience.
- A reflective essay, from 500 to 750 words long, describing your objectives in applying to DePaul’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing and Publishing and your plans for the future. Please also discuss any long-form projects you are planning to write while a student at DePaul (e.g. novel, collection of short stories, memoir, etc.). In addition, please identify a faculty member within the Creative Writing and Publishing program with whom you would like to study. The admission committee takes this statement seriously, so please be as specific as possible about how and why this program would help you reach your creative and professional goals.
- A portfolio (approximately 25 pages, double-spaced) of representative creative writing. You may submit creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, or a combination. If you are submitting poetry, please ensure that at least half of your portfolio contains samples of your prose writing.
- Two letters of recommendation.
- Students applying for graduate assistantships must submit two letters of recommendation attesting to the candidate's ability to succeed in graduate study.?
Students educated outside of the U.S. must provide a credit evaluation and proof of English proficiency by submitting a TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo score. Visit go.depaul.edu/lasinternational for more information.
How to Apply
Online applications can be submitted at go.depaul.edu/apply. Application credentials can be submitted through the online application or by email to graddepaul@depaul.edu. Additionally, official electronic transcripts can be emailed to gradtranscripts@depaul.edu directly by the issuing institution. Please make sure your name is on all documents. Letters of recommendation must be emailed directly from the recommender as an attached pdf document on letterhead with the recommender's signature.????
Transcripts and other required credentials also can be mailed to:
The Office of Graduate Admission
College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
DePaul University
2400 N. Sheffield Ave., Chicago, IL 60614
Application Deadlines
We accept applications all year round, and students may begin their studies in any academic term. We strongly suggest that students submit their applications 10 to 12 weeks prior to the quarter in which they wish to begin their studies (i.e., June for fall entry, late October for winter entry, early January for spring entry).
Learn more about Graduate Admission.
Degree Requirements
MFA Course Requirements
Writing Workshop
- All workshops, except for ENG 480, ENG 487, ENG 490, ENG 491, and ENG 497, are reserved for graduate students in the Department of English
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
Choose six courses from the following list: | 24 | |
ENG 480 |
INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING | |
ENG 484 |
WRITING WORKSHOP TOPICS | |
ENG 487 |
TRAVEL WRITING | |
ENG 490 |
WRITING FOR MAGAZINES | |
ENG 491 |
SCIENCE WRITING | |
ENG 492 |
WRITING FICTION | |
ENG 493 |
WRITING POETRY | |
ENG 497 |
WRITING THE LITERATURE OF FACT |
Literature
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
Choose one course from the following list: | 4 | |
ENG 411 |
CHAUCER | |
ENG 412 |
STUDIES IN ARTHURIAN LITERATURE | |
ENG 413 |
STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL LITERARY FORMS | |
ENG 419 |
TOPICS IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE | |
ENG 421 |
STUDIES IN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE PROSE | |
ENG 422 |
STUDIES IN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE POETRY | |
ENG 423 |
STUDIES IN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE DRAMA | |
ENG 426 |
THE ESSAY: HISTORY, THEORY, PRACTICE | |
ENG 427 |
MILTON | |
ENG 428 |
STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE | |
ENG 429 |
TOPICS IN RENAISSANCE LITERATURE | |
ENG 431 |
STUDIES IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY NOVEL | |
ENG 432 |
STUDIES IN RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY DRAMA | |
ENG 434 |
STUDIES IN RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY AUTHORS | |
ENG 439 |
TOPICS IN RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LITERATURE | |
ENG 441 |
STUDIES IN ENGLISH ROMANTIC PROSE | |
ENG 442 |
STUDIES IN ENGLISH ROMANTIC POETRY | |
ENG 443 |
STUDIES IN VICTORIAN PROSE | |
ENG 444 |
STUDIES IN VICTORIAN POETRY | |
ENG 445 |
STUDIES IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH FICTION | |
ENG 446 |
NINETEENTH-CENTURY IRISH LITERATURE | |
ENG 449 |
TOPICS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE | |
ENG 451 |
STUDIES IN THE MODERN BRITISH NOVEL | |
ENG 452 |
STUDIES IN MODERN BRITISH POETRY | |
ENG 453 |
STUDIES IN MODERN DRAMA | |
ENG 455 |
MODERN IRISH LITERATURE | |
ENG 456 |
CONTEMPORARY IRISH LITERATURE | |
ENG 459 |
TOPICS IN MODERN BRITISH LITERATURE | |
ENG 464 |
STUDIES IN AMERICAN AUTHORS | |
ENG 465 |
STUDIES IN THE MODERN AMERICAN NOVEL | |
ENG 466 |
STUDIES IN MODERN AMERICAN POETRY | |
ENG 467 |
STUDIES IN AMERICAN DRAMA | |
ENG 469 |
TOPICS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE | |
ENG 472 |
LITERARY THEORY | |
ENG 475 |
TOPICS IN LITERATURE | |
ENG 476 |
TOPICS IN GENRE AND FORM |
Electives in Language, Literature, Publishing and Teaching
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
Choose two courses from the following list: | 8 | |
ENG 400 |
STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH | |
ENG 401 |
HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE | |
ENG 407 |
LANGUAGE AND STYLE FOR WRITERS | |
ENG 408 |
STYLISTICS | |
ENG 426 |
THE ESSAY: HISTORY, THEORY, PRACTICE | |
ENG 473 |
TEACHING CREATIVE WRITING | |
ENG 474 |
TEACHING LITERATURE | |
ENG 476 |
TOPICS IN GENRE AND FORM | |
ENG 477 |
TOPICS IN PUBLISHING | |
ENG 478 |
TOPICS IN TEACHING | |
ENG 496 |
TOPICS IN EDITING | |
Any courses in literature if not used to satisfy the Literature category requirement, above |
||
Courses from other programs may be substituted only with approval of program director. |
Open Electives
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
Choose two courses from the following list: | 8 | |
ENG 500 |
INDEPENDENT STUDY | |
ENG 509 |
INTERNSHIP | |
Any graduate-level courses in writing, literature, criticism, publishing, and teaching offered by the English department and not used to satisfy other requirements, above |
||
Up to two graduate level courses offered by the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Discourse. |
||
Courses from other programs may be substituted only with approval of program director. |
||
Note: No more than two courses from outside of the English Department may count toward Open Electives. |
Thesis Requirement
Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
---|---|---|
Near the end of your second year, you will be required to register for ENG 501 THESIS RESEARCH. You will need to choose a thesis director and a second reader for your final thesis. | ||
ENG 501 | THESIS RESEARCH | 4 |
Online Degree Option
The MFA/MA program is committed to offering at least 3 online and/or remote-enabled courses every regular academic quarter. Yearly offerings will include 4-5 workshops, 2 publishing courses, 1-2 literature courses, and a variety of electives. Online summer session and December intercession courses can also count toward your degree. Check with the program director or www.english-exlibris.com for online course offerings.
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