Creative Writing, Specialization in Poetry, MFA

E-mail: english@bgsu.edu

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at BGSU is widely recognized as one of the country’s most prestigious. For more than fifty years, graduates of BGSU’s Program in Creative Writing have contributed to contemporary literary culture and published hundreds of books.

The MFA in Creative Writing program gives a comprehensive and rigorous education in the professional writing, editing, and marketing of poetry and fiction. Artistic development, craft knowledge, and professional presentation are guiding principles. 

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the MFA degree, students in the Creative Writing with a specialization in Fiction or Poetry program are expected to be able to:

• Develop individual, original approaches to writing fiction and/or poetry
• Produce a book-length thesis comparable in quality to the published work of contemporary poets and fiction writers
• Develop an understanding of their work’s place within the context of contemporary literature 
• Collaboratively assess literary work for publication 
• Apply craft knowledge to produce and distribute a literary journal through relevant technologies 
• Develop pedagogical skills sufficient to design and teach courses at the college level 

Admission Requirements

Application deadline is January 15 for Fall Semester. Since application reviews may begin immediately after the deadline, we recommend submitting your application and providing all required documents before the deadline.
Documents required:

• Applicants below a 3.00 GPA must submit a GRE score unless they have already completed a master’s degree. Enter your GPA and GPA Scale with your undergraduate degree under the Academic History tab.
• Three Letters of Recommendation
• Statement of Purpose (1-2 pages)
• Writing Sample - Upload a single, continuous document, paginated sequentially and comprised of two parts:
  1. A fiction or poetry sample (20 - 30 double-spaced pages of fiction, or 10 - 15 pages of poetry with poems single- or double-spaced)
  2. An academic or professional writing sample (8 - 15 pages, double-spaced)

Please do not submit screenplays, children’s stories, fantasy or science fiction.

International applicants are required to submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), or the Pearson Test of English Academic (PTEA). Successful completion of ELS 112 will also be accepted for this requirement. 

Additionally, Duolingo test scores will be accepted for applications through Summer 2025. Applicants of the Graduate College who have completed a previous degree (associate, bachelor’s master’s or doctorate) from a U.S. college/university or are from a country (click here for a complete list) in which instruction was delivered in English (and attended the university for at least two years) are exempt from providing these test scores.

Please review the Creative Writing MFA program’s Application page at http://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/english/creative-writing/apply-online.html for detailed information about application materials.

Application Requirements

Admissions Categories and Grade Point Average Requirements

International Application Information

Degree Requirements