Hone your voice—and make it heard

In DePaul’s flexible master’s in Writing and Publishing, you have the unique opportunity to study across genres and develop and revise your work under the mentorship of acclaimed authors and poets. Choose from courses in poetry, fiction and non-fiction (travel, magazine, memoir, science writing, personal essay, etc). Professional internships give you the opportunity to join Chicago’s vibrant literary scene—and to start a rewarding creative career.

Earn additional graduate certificates 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. The program may be completed in two years.

Request More InfoAdmission EventsApply

Study writing in the city of broad shoulders

Carl Sandburg, Richard Wright, Gwendolyn Brooks, Nelson Algren, Lorraine Hansberry, Saul Bellow: these are just a few of the literary voices that grew out of Chicago—not to mention the many esteemed writers working and living in the city today. While sharpening your skills here, you’ll join the city’s thriving literary and publishing community by engaging with visiting writers and editors and taking part in internships in publishing and teaching.

Application Deadlines

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, though we encourage you to submit your application materials eight to 10 weeks prior to the quarter in which you wish to enroll.
The deadline to be considered for a graduate assistantship is January 15.

Admission Requirements

Submit an online application, official transcripts, current résumé, a 500-700-word reflective essay, letters of recommendation and writing portfolio.

Learn More

Required Courses

You’ll take five writing workshops, one course in language and style, two electives in language, literature, publishing and teaching, and four open electives.

Learn More

 

4

The master’s in Writing and Publishing’s imprint, Big Shoulders Books, has produced four volumes.

 

93%

of College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences graduates were employed, continuing their education or pursuing other goals within six months of graduation.

Learn from award-winning writers

Barrie Jean Borich, associate professor and faculty advisor for Crook & Folly, has won a Lambda Literary Award in Memoir, an IPPY Gold Medal in Essay/Creative Nonfiction, and an IndieFab Bronze Award for Essays. She also won the American Library Association Stonewall Book Award for her book, “My Lesbian Husband.” You’ll have the opportunity to learn from her in one of her creative nonfiction or publishing focused courses.

“When I think of DePaul, I think of the people who welcomed me into their lives and invited me into a space where I could teach and write and contribute to something meaningful. ... I am still in touch with the friends and connections I made at DePaul; they have become the most necessary foundation in a competitive field like mine.”

Raul (MA ’13)

Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, Ithaca College, and Fiction Editor, Prairie Schooner 

Alumni Network

Alumni of the master’s in Writing and Publishing program have published books with major and independent presses such as Simon & Schuster, Steerforth/Random House, Harper Perennial and Sarabande, and their work has appeared in the New York Times, Chicago Review of Books, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train and Salon. Graduates of the program hold editorial positions at National Geographic, New York Magazine, University of Chicago Press and Cricket Media, and have gone on to top MFA and PhD programs in creative writing.

Scholarships & Aid

The English Department offers yearly graduate assistantships that include a stipend. Learn more about the opportunities available to you.

Admission Requirements

??Students with a bachelor's degree in any field will be considered for admission. For admission, a student must also present the following:

• A strong record of previous academic achievement.
• Relevant course work in creative writing or experience with creating writing gained on the job or through endeavors such as publishing original work and/or participating in a writers' circle or group.

To apply, please submit the following:

• A completed application.
• Official transcripts detailing course work from all colleges and universities you have attended. If you send transcripts directly to DePaul, they must be in a sealed envelope with the official registrar's stamp across the envelope flap.
• 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 MA in Writing and Publishing program and your plans for the future. The admissions 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) of representative creative writing. You may submit creative nonfiction (including narrative or feature journalism), 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. 
• An application fee of $40. 
• 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.
• International students should also see International Admission. We follow the LAS Graduate College's requirements for English proficiency. Visit this page to see the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo scores you must meet for admission to our graduate program.

APPLICATION INFORMATION

We accept applications all year round, and students may begin their studies in any academic term. We strongly suggest that students submit their applications eight to ten weeks prior to the quarter in which they wish to begin their studies (late June for fall entry, late October for winter entry, mid-January for spring entry). Those students who wish to apply for graduate assistantships should submit their application materials no later than January 15 prior to the academic year for which they wish to receive an assistantship.

ALL application materials should be sent to the following address:

Office of Graduate Admission
College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
2400 N. Sheffield Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614

Application materials can also be emailed to the Office of Graduate Admission at GradDePaul@depaul.edu.  Colleges and universities that provide official electronic transcripts services should send transcripts to Gradtranscripts@depaul.edu.  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.

Learn more about Graduate Admission.

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

Writing Workshop:  20 hours

• 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
Select five from the following:		20
ENG 480	INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING
ENG 484	WRITING WORKSHOP TOPICS (May be repeated with different 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:  4 hours

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
Select one from the following:		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:  8 hours

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
Select two from the following:		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 (Variable)
ENG 477	TOPICS IN PUBLISHING (Variable)
ENG 478	TOPICS IN TEACHING (Variable)
ENG 496	TOPICS IN EDITING (May be repeated with a different topic)
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:  16 hours

Course	Title	Quarter Hours
Select four from the following:		16
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 Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse Department
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

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 offerings. 

Content displayed from this DePaul University catalog page.