Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Degree in the field of Creative Writing
Program Learning Outcomes for the MFA Degree
Upon completing the MFA degree, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate the ability to integrate creative research into artistic production across genres and media, contributing to innovation in contemporary literature.
- Demonstrate the ability to develop and implement writing projects that engage with diverse communities, addressing real-world issues and fostering collaboration.
- Demonstrate a global and cross-cultural writing practice by studying, translating, and engaging with literary traditions beyond the Anglophone world.
- Develop and demonstrate their personalized approach to teaching creative writing that can respond to diverse learning environments, whether in university classrooms, community settings, or public workshops
Requirements for the MFA Degree
The MFA degree in the field of Creative Writing is a thesis master’s degree. For general university requirements, please see Thesis Master’s Degrees. For additional requirements, regulations, and procedures for all graduate programs, please see All Graduate Students. Students pursuing the MFA degree in the field of Creative Writing must complete:
- A minimum of 18 courses (54 credit hours) to satisfy degree requirements.
- A minimum of 54 credit hours of graduate-level study (graduate semester credit hours, coursework at the 500-level or above).
- A minimum of 48 graduate semester credit hours must be taken at Rice University.
- A minimum residency enrollment of three fall or spring semesters of full-time graduate study at Rice University.
- A maximum of 2 courses (6 graduate semester credit hours) from transfer credit. For additional departmental guidelines regarding transfer credit, see the Policies tab.
- A minimum overall GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework.
- A minimum program GPA of 2.67 or higher in all Rice coursework that satisfies requirements for the thesis master’s degree.
The courses listed below satisfy the requirements for this degree program. In certain instances, courses not on this official list may be substituted upon approval of the program's academic advisor or, where applicable, the department or program's Director of Graduate Studies. Course substitutions must be formally applied and entered into Degree Works by the department or program's Official Certifier. Additionally, these course substitutions must be approved by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and their academic advisors should identify and clearly document the courses to be taken.
Summary
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Total Credit Hours Required for the MFA Degree in the field of Creative Writing | 54 | |
Degree Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| Craft and Practice of Writing 1 | ||
| CRWR 5XX | (THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF LITERARY TRANSLATION) | 3 |
| Select 4 courses from the following: | 12 | |
CRWR 5XX | (THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF POETRY) | |
CRWR 5XX | (THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF NONFICTION) | |
CRWR 5XX | (THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF RESEARCH) | |
CRWR 5XX | (THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF LITERARY TRANSLATION) | |
| Practicum in Community-Engaged Writing | ||
| CRWR 6XX | (PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY-ENGAGED WRITING, 2 semesters required, 1st semester) | 3 |
| CRWR 6XX | (PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY-ENGAGED WRITING, 2 semesters required, 2nd semester) | 3 |
| Creative Writing Pedagogy | ||
| ENGL 510 | PEDAGOGY SEMINAR (2 semesters required, 1st semester) | 3 |
| ENGL 510 | PEDAGOGY SEMINAR (2 semesters required, 2nd semester) | 3 |
| Teaching Practicum | ||
| ENGL 601 | FALL TEACHING PRACTICUM | 3 |
| ENGL 602 | SPRING TEACHING PRACTICUM | 3 |
| Workshop | ||
| CRWR 7XX | (MANUSCRIPT WRITING) | 3 |
| Elective Requirements | ||
| Select 4 courses as Electives at the 500-level or above 2 | 12 | |
| Thesis Requirement 2 | ||
| ENGL 509 | MASTER'S THESIS (2 semesters required, 1st semester) | 3 |
| ENGL 509 | MASTER'S THESIS (2 semesters required, 2nd semester) | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 54 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | 5 courses (15 credit hours) selected from the Craft and Practice of Writing category are required. 1 of the 5 courses (3 credit hours) must be Craft and Practice of Literary Translation. The remaining 4 courses (12 credit hours) can be selected from the other Craft and Practice of Writing courses, which are repeatable for credit. |
| 2 | Students must coordinate their degree planning (including Elective Requirements and the Thesis Requirement) with the Program Director and Advisor. |
Proposed Plan-of-Study
The following plan-of-study represents the current lockstep two-semester sequence in which students pursuing the MFA degree complete the required coursework.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1st Semester | Credit Hours | |
| CRWR 5XX | THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF Writing Elective one 1 | 3 |
| CRWR XXX | Elective one 2 | 3 |
| CRWR 6XX | PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY-ENGAGED WRITING, 2 semesters required, 1st semester | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| 2nd Semester | ||
| CRWR 5XX | THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF WRITING Elective two 1 | 3 |
| CRWR XXX | Elective two 2 | 3 |
| CRWR 6XX | PRACTICUM IN COMMUNITY-ENGAGED WRITING, 2 semesters required, 2nd semester | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Second Year | ||
| 3rd Semester | ||
| CRWR 5XX | THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF WRITING Elective three 1 | 3 |
| CRWR XXX | Elective three 2 | 3 |
| ENGL 510 | PEDAGOGY SEMINAR (2 semesters required, 1st semester) | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| 4th Semester | ||
| CRWR 5XX | THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF WRITING Elective four 1 | 3 |
| CRWR 5XX | THE CRAFT AND PRACTICE OF WRITING Elective five 1 | 3 |
| ENGL 510 | PEDAGOGY SEMINAR (2 semesters required, 2nd semester) | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Third Year | ||
| 5th Semester | ||
| CRWR XXX | Elective four 2 | 3 |
| ENGL 509 | MASTER'S THESIS (2 semesters required, 1st semester) 2 | 3 |
| ENGL 601 | FALL TEACHING PRACTICUM | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| 6th Semester | ||
| CRWR 7XX | MANUSCRIPT WORKSHOP | 3 |
| ENGL 509 | MASTER'S THESIS (2 semesters required, 2nd semester) 2 | 3 |
| ENGL 602 | SPRING TEACHING PRACTICUM | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 9 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 54 | |
Footnotes and Additional Information
| 1 | 5 courses (15 credit hours) selected from the Craft and Practice of Writing category are required. 1 of the 5 courses (3 credit hours) must be Craft and Practice of Literary Translation. The remaining 4 courses (12 credit hours) can be selected from the other Craft and Practice of Writing courses, which are repeatable for credit. |
| 2 | Students must coordinate their degree planning (including Elective Requirements and the Thesis Requirement) with the Program Director and Advisor. |
Policies for the MFA Degree
Department of English and Creative Writing Graduate Program Handbook
The General Announcements (GA) is the official Rice curriculum. As an additional resource for students, the Department of English and Creative Writing publishes a graduate program handbook, which can be found here: https://gradhandbooks.rice.edu/2025_26/English_Graduate_Handbook.pdf.
Transfer Credit
For Rice University’s policy regarding transfer credit, see Transfer Credit. Some departments and programs have additional restrictions on transfer credit. Requests for transfer credit must be approved for Rice equivalency by the appropriate academic department offering the Rice equivalent course (corresponding to the subject code of the course content) and by the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (GPS). Students are encouraged to meet with their academic program’s advisor when considering transfer credit possibilities.
Departmental Transfer Credit Guidelines
Students pursuing the MFA degree should be aware of the following departmental transfer credit guidelines:
- No more than 2 courses (6 credit hours) of credit from another U.S. or international universities of similar standing as Rice may apply towards the degree.
- Transfer courses must be comparable in content and depth to the corresponding course at Rice and must not have counted toward another degree.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the English and Creative Writing website: https://english.rice.edu/.
Opportunities for the MFA Degree
Information regarding resources and opportunities for Department of English and Creative Writing graduate students, including the graduate symposium, funding and award opportunities, certificate and special seminar information, as well as job market resources, is available on the Graduate section of the department website, and can be accessed here: https://english.rice.edu/.
Additional Information
For additional information, please see the English and Creative Writing website: https://english.rice.edu/.