Welcome to the GradSchools wiki mainpage.
This is an attempt by the faculty and students of Grand Valley State University to better organize and share our knowledge about graduate schools (M.A., M.F.A., and PhD) in creative writing and professional writing. Obviously it shall get larger. Our hope is that anyone who comes across this can add their knowledge onto the wiki and it can grow and persist, grow and persist.
Who is in charge of the wiki? Well, all y'all, but your administrators are Austin Bunn and Caitlin Horrocks. Woot!
What can you study in grad school?
- Fiction, Poetry, Non-Fiction, Screenwriting, Playwriting, Journalism (M.F.A.)
- English, Editing and Publishing, Professional Writing, Technical Communication, Rhetoric and Composition (M.A.)
- Creative Writing, English, Rhetoric and Composition, Technical Communication (PhD)
(What do the different degrees mean?)
Why go to grad school in writing?
- Practice the craft and improve your writing
- Get credentialed to teach at colleges
- Improve your secondary-education teaching
- Join a community of writers
- Get exposure to a profession
- Move to a new part of the country, read a lot, and talk about writing more than you ever will again
How long does it take and do I have to pay?
- M.A.: About two years; little financial support offered
- M.F.A.: Between two and four years; between no support and full-support (depending on the school)
- PhD: Five years and up; between some support and full support (depending on the school)
Where should I apply?
Schools specialize — UCLA has a screenwriting M.F.A. but no fiction or poetry program, for example. Some schools cover multiple bases. N.Y.U. has a poetry, fiction, and dramatic writing program. Creative Writing, Rhetoric and Composition, Professional Writing, or Technical Communication may be programs within English deparments or part of stand alone Creative Writing, Writing and Rhetoric or Technical Communication programs. It's worth asking professors what they know about the strong programs in your field; programs and faculty (and funding!) change.
Your faculty at GVSU have degrees from: The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Florida State University, University of Houston, University of Idaho, University of Iowa, University of Louisville, University of Minnesota-Mankato...And this is just the top o the iceberg!
for program rankings, see Blogs and Resources below
APPLYING: What you will need
- A manuscript or other writing sample
M.F.A. programs ask for upwards of 30 pages of original material to evaluate. Hands down, this is the most important aspect of your application. No one gets into creative writing graduate school based on their transcripts. Be sure to send your strongest, polished work.
Graduate programs in English, Rhetoric and Composition, Professional Writing, and Technical Communication may want to see a sample of your academic writing in the discipline.
Plan ahead: you will need to have GVSU mail an official transcript to the schools you're applying to. This can take up to a week. Check here for more.
How-to and Examples of Personal Statements
Purdue OWL Advice on Personal Statements
- Letters of recommendation
How to ask for Recommendation Letters
GREs and Standardized Tests Required
Blogs that may be of interest:
Resources:
NEW: Where have GV alums gone to grad school? We encourage our alums who have gone on to graduate schools to create new pages for individual programs they are attending (or have attended) with descriptive info, how they chose the school, how the students are, and really anything that might be of interest. I'd also encourage our alums to post their contact info so that prospective students could contact them if they have specific questions about the process or programs.
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