Creative Writing, M.F.A.
College of Arts and Sciences
Expand your knowledge and hone your craft with our fully funded, three-year master’s degree in creative writing, which combines the intimacy of a small program with visits by renowned authors from around the world.
Our dynamic MFA program provides a rigorous yet nurturing community where aspiring writers can compose, experiment, learn and evolve. You’ll have the chance to work with stellar faculty, which includes winners of the National Book Award, the PEN Open Book Award, the Berkshire Prize and the Iowa Poetry Prize (to name only a few).
Program Highlights
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Internationally Recognized Faculty
Learn from our diverse and dynamic faculty of inspiring teachers, dedicated mentors and award-winning writers.
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World-Class Visiting Authors
Engage with renowned authors from around the world through the Open Book as well as our Fall Literary Festival and other series.
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Split P
Hone your teaching skills and ignite a love of writing in young learners by visiting local public schools as a Split P fellow.
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Cola Literary Review
Support and promote new literary work by established and emerging authors by editing our annual print journal.
Building Skills
Gain the professional and personal intelligence it takes to have a successful career.
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Writing
Creating professional written content for inclusion in scholarly journal articles, books and reports
Creativity
Thinking imaginatively, generating original ideas and expressing unique perspectives through art and innovation
Aesthetic and Conceptual Awareness
Cultivating an understanding of artistic and abstract concepts, enhancing appreciation for beauty and creative expression
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Teaching
Foster learning by conveying knowledge, skills and concepts to students
Research
Gathering and analyzing information to increase knowledge or solve problems
Critical Thinking
Analyzing and evaluating information to make informed decisions or judgments
Using your degree
Make your college experience the foundation for a successful future.
Learn how alumni use degrees with outcome data from Gamecock GradStats, a service of the University of South Carolina Career Center.
Potential Careers
- Poet
- Fiction Writer
- Creative Writing Professor
- Editor
- Literary Agent
- Journalist / Essayist
Job Titles of Alumni
- Writer and Editor
- Poetry Fellow
- English Teacher
- Assistant Professor
- Communications Specialist
- Freelance Writer
Average Alumni Salary
Five to 10 years after graduation without additional education $76,434
Workplace Settings
- Literary Journals and Magazines
- Small or Large Presses
- Literary Agencies
- Freelance Writing
- Journalism / Commentary
- Higher Education
Employers of Alumni
- Yemassee Journal
- Tulsa Artist Fellowship
- Editorial Consulting
- University of South Carolina
- University of North Carolina at Asheville
- Word Life Editorial
