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Preparing for the M.A. Final Project and M.F.A. Thesis

Friday, October 22, 2021 4pm to 5:30pm

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Join The Writers’ Studio and SCAD Libraries to explore the foundations of research and writing at the graduate level, including tips and techniques to prepare for the MA Final Project and the MFA Thesis.  

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ILLU 790 - Illustration M.F.A. Thesis

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The ILLU 790 - Illustration M.F.A. Thesis Research Guides provides access to library books, articles, and other resources for student research. Use the navigation tools on the left to locate resources, services, and tips.

For related resources, visit the Illustration Research Portal .  

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Alexander Hall MFA Thesis Exhibition Application 2024-2025

SCAD's Alexander Hall Gallery seeks proposals for MFA Thesis Exhibitions for the academic year 2024-2025. Students on track for their MFA Thesis Exhibition are able to apply to exhibit during the quarters listed below, and are encouraged to apply as early as possible.

Please note this application is ONLY for MFA Painting OR Photography Thesis Exhibitions for Alexander Hall at SCAD Savannah Campus. Only students who will be based in Savannah at the time of their Thesis Exhibition should apply to this call.  

Deadline for FALL 2024:   June 16th, 2024 at 11:59PM EST.

Deadline for WINTER 2025:   August 25th, 2024 at 11:59PM EST.

Deadline for SPRING 2025: November 10th, 2024 at 11:59PM EST.

If you submit your application after the deadline, your application will not be considered for that quarter.  

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Before submitting your application: 

• You must review your application materials with a professor. This can be an MFA Thesis Advisor, a professor on your thesis committee, the professor of your pre-thesis or thesis course, or a graduate coordinator.

How to prepare your application: 

• Select and gather up to 5 images or videos of works that best represent your practice OR that you would like to include in your exhibition. Each image should only capture one work. 
• The image/video file names must follow this format: Last Name, First Name, "Title," date, media, dimensions. (Ex: Smith, John, “Landscape,” 2023, oil on canvas, 20 x 40 in.).
• Please visit Alexander Hall’s Gallery to understand the space for your exhibition. Refer to the floorplan ( LINKED HERE ) for wall dimensions, but please be advised these dimensions are approximate.

If your submission is accepted:

•  You must be available for installation and de-installation of your exhibition. Installations happen the week before the exhibition’s open date, and de-installations happen the week after the exhibition’s closing. You will be expected to install/de-install your works independently. 
• You must deliver, transport, or arrange the delivery of your works to Alexander Hall. These details will be decided in discussion with SCAD Curators.  

PLEASE NOTE : SCAD reserves the right to reject applications that do not follow the guidelines, procedures, and deadlines outlined above. SCAD also reserves the right to prohibit exhibition of works that appear incomplete by the time of installation , or are different from the work(s) originally proposed in the original application.

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Error message, top 25 animation master of fine arts (mfa) degree programs - 2022 college rankings.

What are the top schools with animation MFA programs for 2022?

For our graduate degree rankings, we have evaluated animation schools and programs with the best Master of Arts (MA), Master of Fine Arts (MFA) and Master of Science (MS) options. To determine which degree matches your career goals, it is important to understand how each qualification differs.

The Master of Arts (MA) is an advanced degree that focuses on areas such as the humanities. MA degrees are typically available in the areas of communications, English, teaching, literature, linguistics, art, and languages. Seminars are the main method of learning for MA programs and many programs do not require a thesis.

The Master of Science (MS) degree option typically focuses on science, technology, engineering,  and math. This advanced degree often includes immersive lab work, scientific research, analysis, and evaluation. Unlike MA programs, most MS programs require a thesis.

The Master of Fine Art (MFA) is academically recognized as a terminal degree and it is typically awarded in the visual, fine and performing arts. The MFA degree demands the highest level of professional competency in these areas and practicing artists must exhibit the highest level of accomplishment through the generation of a body of work.

Below are the Top 25 Animation MFA Programs for 2022.

California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) offers an MFA degree in Experimental Animation. The program is housed in the largest school at CalArts—the School of Film/Video—which focuses on intensive programs that emphasize technical and comprehensive artistic training. The programs are taught by experienced professionals working in CG, traditional, and independent animation.

Students in the CalArts Experimental Animation MFA Program collaborate closely with mentors to master a range of animation approaches, processes, and techniques. Examples include 2D animation, digital production, installation, motion capture, multipane, performance animation, programming, stop motion, and more. MFA course examples include First Year Shorts, Sound for Experimental Animation, and The Digital Path for Animation.

MFA students can expect to participate in independent study, internships, lecture courses, seminars, workshops, and visiting artist lectures. School of Film/Video students will produce a professional portfolio and final project to graduate.

Many California Institute of the Arts graduates go on to successful careers in advertising, animation, film/video, and marketing, while others have launched their own studios.

Students in the Animation Program at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) have access to more than 800 networked computers and a 60,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art digital media center consisting of a green screen lab, in-house theater, and studio environment. At all degree levels, SCAD animation students receive instruction from celebrated professors who have worked at major studios and on award-winning productions such as The Lion King , Ice Age , and Pocahontas .

SCAD animation programs are housed in the School of Animation & Motion. The MFA in Animation is a 90 credit hour program offered in Atlanta, Savannah, and via SCADnow. The pathway requires a graduate internship and completion of three thesis courses. Students in the program can expect to take other courses such as Drawing in Motion, Media Theory and Application, and Storyboarding and Previsualization. Completion of at least seven 500- to 700-level electives are also part of the program.  

From Stop-Motion Animator to Creature Technical Director, SCAD Animation graduates have been recruited by major studios such as 20th Century Fox, Electronic Arts, DreamWorks, Lucasfilm Animation, Pixar, Disney, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and many others.

The MFA Computer Arts Department at School of Visual Arts (SVA) was the first MFA program in the U.S. to focus on computer art. Established in 1986, the program highlights workshops, guest lectures, visiting artists, and internship experiences. During the final year of the program, MFA students will complete academic research and a creative work accompanied by an artist’s statement.

Graduates of the SVA MFA in Computer Arts Program have landed positions at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), MTV, Pixar, Google, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Electronic Arts, and Disney, DreamWorks. Some alumni have gone on to open their own studios or win Academy, Emmy Award, and Grammy awards.

University of California (USC) houses the School of Cinematic Arts, home to the John C. Hench Division of Animation + Digital Arts (Hench DADA), which offers an MFA in Animation + Digital Arts.

The University of Southern California MFA Program provides mini studios for all students. The spaces are provided for animation production and thesis work. Students in the program can expect to master techniques and approaches, from hand-drawn character animation to interactive digital animation. Course examples include Expanded Animation, Animation Production, and Storytelling for Animation. Elective units are an important part of the program, and include titles such as Survey of Interactive Media, Seminar: Avant-Garde Film/Video, and World Cinema Before 1945.

Graduates of the Animation programs at the University of Southern California work for studios such as Digital Domain, Digital Idea, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination Entertainment, Industrial Light & Magic, Nickelodeon Animation Studios, Pixar, and Sony Pictures. Many USC alumni have founded their own independent studios. 

The School of Art at Pratt Institute (Pratt) houses the Graduate School of Art, which offers an MFA in Digital Arts with concentrations in Digital Animation and Motion Arts, Interactive Arts, And Digital Imaging. Department highlights include small class sizes, a collaborative environment, state-of-the art studios and classrooms, and courses taught by experienced artists in the field.

Pratt MFA students can expect to take courses such as Digital Animation Studio, Traditional Animation, and Advanced Digital Animation. Graduate Seminar I-II and Thesis I-II are also part of the program.

Pratt Institute graduates have landed positions at Digital Domain, Gameloft, Walt Disney Animation Studios, NBCUniversal, Industrial Light & Magic, Sony Pictures Imageworks, and other top studios.

Many Pratt alumni have gone on establish academic careers at institutions such as New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), New York University (NYU), Rochester Institute of technology (RIT), Howard University, and American Academy in Rome, to name a few.

University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) is home to the UCLA Animation Workshop. Leading to an MFA, the three-year Workshop guides students through the filmmaking process from beginning to end. Sample required courses include Animation Design, Interactive Animation, Advanced Computer Animation Maya, Writing for Animation, and Visual Thinking and Organization for Animation.

Students in this graduate program will complete one interactive project and several films including a thesis film, traditional film, and computer film.

UCLA Animation Workshop alumni work in a variety of roles at Walt Disney Imagineering, Nickelodeon, Pixar, DreamWorks, and many other major studios.  

The College of Art and Design at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) houses the School of Film and Animation, which offers an MFA in Film and Animation. The program has four options: 2D Animation, 3D Animation, Production, and Screenwriting. All options offer internship opportunities, cooperative education, and experiential learning opportunities.

RIT animation students also have access to the 52,000 square foot MAGIC Spell Studios, along with labs and classrooms outfitted with industry standard technology and software. At all levels, RIT animation students will have the opportunity to participate in the RIT’s Creative Industry Day, where they get to mingle with representatives of studios, design firms, and other creative companies.

Graduates of Rochester Institute of Technology can be found in a variety of positions at Lucasfilm, Electronic Arts, Dolby, Nickelodeon, Sony, DreamWorks, Industrial Light & Magic, Disney, and many others.

Academy of Art University (Academy of Art) houses the School of Animation & Visual Effects (VFX), which offers an MFA in Animation & Visual Effects. Learning takes place in a studio production environment known as StudioX. The School of Animation & VFX is the only school of its kind to teach in this type of environment. Because StudioX mimics most real-world studios, students gain hands-on experience with industry standard equipment, collaborating with other artists and on teams, and managing a production from start to finish.

In addition to several collaborative projects, students will complete an internship and create a professional portfolio.

Academy of Art Animation alumni work at major studios and companies such as Google, Laika, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Marvel, Sony Pictures Animation, CASA VFX, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Riot Games, Weta Digital, Industrial Light & Magic, and many others.

The Film, Video, New Media, and Animation Department (FVNMA) at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has a Studio Program that offers an MFA in Studio. The program has extensive coursework in animation with course titles such as 3D Character Animation, Advanced Drawing for Animation, Motion Graphics and Visual Effects, Puppet Animation, Writing and Art Direction for Animation, Type and Image in Motion, and Intermediate Animation: Experimental Methods.

Other Department highlights include interaction with visiting artists, access to state-of-the-art production studios, the Art Institute of Chicago Museum, and on-campus galleries, and graduate seminars, screenings, and performances. In addition, FVNMA MFA students will participate in Critique Week. This week-long event takes place each semester. The entire faculty, along with invited visiting artists and designers, form panels designed to critique students work. All classes are suspended during this time.

Graduates of SAIC’s FVNMA Department are prepared to seek careers in animation, film, games, digital media, and more.

The College of Computing and Digital Media (CDM) at DePaul University (DePaul) houses the School of Cinematic Arts, home to the Animation MFA Program, which follows the project model. Students will spend their time creating a single project with the assistance of an MFA co-chair and MFA faculty mentors. The program is designed for animators who have earned an undergraduate degree in the visual arts. Animation, Art, Illustration, Graphic Design, and Film are just a few examples.

All animation students may participate in the Los Angeles Quarter Program. This 10-week immersion program allows students to intern at major Hollywood studios such Disney, DreamWorks Animation, Sony Studios, Nickelodeon, The Jim Henson Company, Titmouse Animation, Bix Pix Animation, Warner Brothers, and many others.

Other program highlights include the visiting artist series, where past guests have included artists from Disney and Pixar, access to the Animation Lodge, and participation in Project Bluelight. Students at The Lodge collaborate on group projects, network, and build their portfolios. Bluelight provides hands-on experience in motion picture production to all interested students.

Graduates of the Animation MFA Program at DePaul University have been hired by industry giants such as Electronic Arts, Google, Nickelodeon, Blizzard Entertainment, DreamWorks Animation, Laika Studios, Wargaming, and many others.

The School of Visual Arts & Design (SVAD) at the University of Central Florida (UCF) offers an MFA in Emerging Media with two tracks: Animation & Visual Effects and Studio Art & Design. Students in both tracks have access to the Graduate lab, outfitted with MacPro and Dell Workstations, equipped with dual articulating monitor arms, 22HD Cintiq and 27 4K Monitors and Herman Miller Saly Chairs.

MFA students will have opportunities to complete an internship, portfolio, several projects, and a final thesis film.

Graduates of the UCF SVAD Animation MFA Program are employed with major studios such as Pixar, DreamWorks, Disney, and Electronic Arts, among others.

The Department of Art in Ohio State University’s (OSU) College of Arts and Sciences offers an MFA in Art with an emphasis in Art and Technology. 3D modeling and animation, art games, sound, digital imaging, moving images, and emerging forms are just a few areas students will explore. Course highlights include Computer Animation, New Media Robotics, Internet Art, Moving Image Art, and 3D Modeling.

Also housed in the College of Arts and Sciences is the Department of Design. Established in 1968, the Department offers an MFA with a Digital Animation and Interactive Media Track. To graduate, students must complete 60 credit hours of study in design, the thesis project, and open electives.

Graduates of the Animation programs at OSU have gone on to become Animators, Human-Computer Interaction Designers, Game Designers, Motion Graphics Designers, Mixed Reality Designers. User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX) Designers, Virtual Reality Designers, Multimedia Designers, Art Directors, Interaction Designers, Freelance Artists, College Professors, and many others.

San Jose State University (SJSU) houses the College of Humanities and the Arts, home to the Department of Art and Art History. In collaboration with the SJSU CADRE Institute, the Department offers an MFA in Art with a Concentration in Digital Media Art. CADRE (Computers in Art, Design, Research, and Education) became SJSU’s formal fine arts program in 1985.

The 60-credit hour MFA is a three-year program that includes studio courses, independent study, art history, and seminars. Students in the program will explore animation, sound, computer visualization, multimedia, virtual reality, and other areas. The culminating experience for the program is the MFA Project, worth three credit hours.

SJSU MFA graduates and others have been hired at more than 135 studios and colleges. Just a few include Animation Mentor, Cogswell Institute, Sony/Columbia, Blizzard Entertainment, Disney Interactive, Cartoon Network, Lucasfilm Animation, NBCUniversal Studios, Nickelodeon, Pixar, Zynga, and 20th Century Fox.

The College of Architecture at Texas A&M University (TAMU) houses the Department of Visualization, which offers an MFA in Visualization. The MFA degree is just one of a few programs of its kind in the U.S. and possibly the only one in the State of Texas.

Established in 1989 the TAMU Visualization Program is cross-disciplinary, allowing students to explore interaction, art, design, visualization, and computer graphics. Students at all levels may focus in an area of specialization through electives. Students also have opportunities to participate in the annual career fair and the semester away program in Italy, Germany, and other countries.

Internship opportunities are also available. TAMU Visualization students have interned at animation, game, and graphic design companies.  

Texas A&M University Visualization graduates are often hired for positions at major studios. Examples include Walt Disney Animation Studios, Reel FX, Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, and Industrial Light & Magic.

California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) houses the College of the Arts—one of the universities largest and most popular colleges. Made up of six separate academic units, the College is home to the School of Art, which offers an MFA in Studio Art with an Animation Track.

School of Art highlights include workshops and presentations led by industry professionals, courses taught by experienced animators and illustrators, access to a range of study abroad experiences, and internship opportunities. Graduate students will have the opportunity to customize the program AND choose a track. Graduates will leave the CSULB Animation Program with a focused body of work.

The School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC) at University of Texas at Dallas (UT Dallas) offers an MFA in ATEC. Students in the program may specialize in Animation. All ATEC graduate level programs provide advanced study in computer-based arts, interactive media, digital media, technology, professional practices, and more.

Other ATEC program highlights include guest speakers from Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, and others, seminars and lectures presented by industry professionals, portfolio and project-based exercises, and applied and experimental research in collaboration with instructors in varying areas of expertise.

Graduates of the ATEC programs at UT Dallas are prepared to seek careers in animation, games, film, and television, as well as emerging fields such as medical and scientific visualization.

DigiPen Institute of Technology (DigiPen) offers an MFA in Digital Arts that provides advanced training in animation, 3D modeling, drawing, digital painting, and more. Free electives and independent study provide opportunities for students to customize their pathway. Course highlights include Organic and Hard Surface Modeling, Art Research Methodology, Art Production Process, Character Design, Digital Arts Survey and Analysis, and 3D Concepts and Production.

Digital Arts MFA students will complete the MFA Thesis, which begin with the Thesis Pre-Production course, which lasts a semester. For the final two semesters of the program, students will work with a faculty advisor to complete the Thesis project. Throughout the program, students will also work in teams to create several games, films, and more.

Graduates of the Digital Arts MFA Program are prepared to compete for positions such as Animator, Character Artist, 3D Modeler, Simulation and Effects Animator, Producer, Art Director, Environmental/Asset Artist, UI Designer, Concept Artist, and many others. To date, more than 600 companies worldwide have hired DigiPen Institute of Technology graduates.

DigiPen alumni have landed position at major studios and companies such as Apple, Amazon Game Studios, Walt Disney Imagineering, Google, Blizzard Entertainment, Activision, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, Zynga, Meta (formerly Facebook), DreamWorks Interactive, Sony Online Entertainment, Riot Games, ArenaNet, Disney Online, Electronic Arts, Microsoft, Nintendo, and many others.

Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD) offers an MFA in Visual Arts. This 60-credit hour program operates within a 13,700-square-foot graduate facility that houses individual private studios, a lounge, exhibition space, and faculty offices. In the facility, MFA students may work on individual projects and the thesis in any area of interest. Examples include animation, interactive design, illustration, film, game art, and television. Students may focus in any of these areas through six hours of required art and design electives or even through CCAD’s many minor and concentration options.

Other Visual Arts MFA highlights include small class sizes (the program accepts nine to 15 students per year), internship opportunities with nonprofits and businesses located in places such as New York, Honduras, Chicago, Seattle, Ireland, and Oregon, and the visiting artist series, which welcomes designers and guest artists who teach workshops and seminars, present lectures, and mentor students.

Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) offers an MFA in Visual Studies. The MFA is an interdisciplinary and experimental program, which allows students to focus in one or more areas of interest. Examples include animation, experimental film and video, illustration, drawing and painting, comic arts, and web and multimedia, to name a few. 

Other program highlights include some 50 private studios, smart classrooms, access to state-of-the-art production facilities, and a large gallery space. MCAD MFA students may also participate in the Master’s Trip to NYC, featuring visits to art and design venues, creative agencies, artist studios, and more.

Internship and/or study abroad experiences are available in places such as Italy, the UK, Germany, and Japan. Students have interned at Nickelodeon, MTV, Walker Art Center, Massachusetts Museum of Art, and more.

Potential careers for MCAD Visual Studies graduates include Background Animator, Character Developer, 3D Modeler/Animator, Pixel Artist, Special-Effects Animator, Storyboard Artist Inker/Opaquer/Checker, Producer, Project Manager, Film Editor, Stop-Motion Animator, and Writer, among others.

Parsons School of Design is one of the seven colleges and schools of The New School Parsons (The New School). The School offers an MFA in Design and Technology. The program is a STEM-designated, studio-based degree that requires on-campus study. Students in the program have the opportunity to interact with and work on projects with professionals at places such as Nickelodeon, gameLab, Apple, Samsung, Atari, MTV, and many others.

Graduates of the MFA Program are prepared for success for a wide range of positions in 2D and 3D animation, film and television/digital filmmaking, media art, advertising, game design, VR/AR, UI/UX, graphic arts, interaction design, software design, mobile and application design, web design, and more.

The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences at Clemson University (Clemson) is home to School of Computing, which houses the Division of Visual Computing’s Digital Production Arts (DPA) Program. A 60 credit hour MFA in DPA is offered here.

Course highlights include Technical Foundations, Visual Foundations, 3D Modeling and Animation, Visual narrative, Special Effects Compositing, 2D Game Engine, Virtual Reality, Physically Based Animation, Advanced Animation, and Physically Based Visual Effects. Students in the program will also complete 12 credit hours in Digital Production Studio, where they will work in teams to complete a production project. Graduate Research Studio (six credits) and MFA Thesis (six credits) are also part of the program.

DPA graduates are prepared for a range of roles in the film and animation, video, electronic gaming, and visual effects industries. Graduates have gone on to land positions at DreamWorks, Electronic Arts, Industrial Light & Magic, ReelFX, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Pixar, and Walt Disney Animation Studios.

Arizona State University (ASU) houses the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, home to the School of Arts, Media and Engineering. Here, graduate students can earn an Art MFA that allows them to complete projects in a discipline of their choice in their own private studios. Other program highlights include visiting artist lectures, workshops, and teaching opportunities.

Graduates of the Arizona State University Herberger Art programs work in animation and film, games and game development, cinema and television, AR/VR, illustration, robotics, medical illustration, scientific and data visualization, fine arts and many other areas. ASU alumni are Animators, Creative Directors, Graphic Artists, Multimedia Designers, and Art Directors, among others.

The College of Arts and Sciences at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) houses the School of Art. One of the largest and oldest state art schools in Ohio, the School of Art has five divisions: Graphic Design, Digital Arts, Art History, Studio, and Art Education. School of Art highlights include study abroad opportunities and internship opportunities with local studios and national studios such as Pixar and Disney Animation.

The Division of Digital Arts in the Bowling Green State University School of Art offers an MFA in Art with a Specialization in Digital Arts (Computer Animation, Digital Media, and Interactive Media). The program requires a minimum of 60 credit hours of study, with 21 semester hours within the studio specialization and 12 semester hours of studio electives.

MFA students will complete a body of work and accompanying brochure to be entered into the BGSU MFA Exhibition, held each spring in the Dorothy Uber Bryan Gallery in the Fine Arts Center.

BGSU Division of Digital Arts graduates are routinely hired by major animation and game studios such as Blizzard, DreamWorks Animation, and Epic Games, among others.

The College of Art & Design at Louisiana State University (LSU) houses the School of Art, which offers an MFA in Digital Art that takes two years to complete.

The curriculum for the LSU Digital Art MFA is experimental and allows students to blend courses that explore computational artmaking with coursework in animation, film, computer science, painting, electronic music, and more. Graduate MFA students will complete 60 credit hours, with 12 general electives to be taken in any specialization, and nine in an area of focus. Six credit hours are devoted to Thesis Research.

Students in all School of Art programs at Louisiana State University have access to the Arts, Visualization, Advanced Technologies and Research (AVATAR) Initiative and they may join the Digital Art and Design Association (DADA), which hosts the Annual Animation Jam.

The College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) houses the School of Art & Art History. The School’s MFA in Art provides opportunities to study animation.

This highly interdisciplinary program is a combination of collaborative projects, seminars, individual projects, research, advanced critique courses, and coursework from other Departments at UIC. Course options run the gamut from Drawing and Painting to New Media Arts and Moving Image. Another highlight for the program is the environment—private studio spaces are provided for all MFA students.

During the final year of the program, MFA students will present a public exhibition and complete a thesis or final project. The UIC MFA in Art requires 64 credit hours to graduate.

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Department of English

M.f.a. creative writing.

English Department

Physical Address: 200 Brink Hall

Mailing Address: English Department University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, Idaho 83844-1102

Phone: 208-885-6156

Email: [email protected]

Web: English

Thank you for your interest in the Creative Writing MFA Program at University of Idaho: the premier fully funded, three-year MFA program in the Northwest. Situated in the panhandle of Northern Idaho in the foothills of Moscow Mountain, we offer the time and support to train in the traditions, techniques, and practice of nonfiction, poetry, and fiction. Each student graduates as the author of a manuscript of publishable quality after undertaking a rigorous process of thesis preparation and a public defense. Spring in Moscow has come to mean cherry blossoms, snowmelt in Paradise Creek, and the head-turning accomplishments of our thesis-year students. Ours is a faculty of active, working writers who relish teaching and mentorship. We invite you in the following pages to learn about us, our curriculum, our community, and the town of Moscow. If the prospect of giving yourself three years with us to develop as a writer, teacher, and editor is appealing, we look forward to reading your application.

Pure Poetry

A Decade Working in a Smelter Is Topic of Alumnus Zach Eddy’s Poems

Ancestral Recognition

The region surrounding the University of Idaho is the ancestral land of both the Coeur d’Alene and Nez Perce peoples, and its campus in Moscow sits on unceded lands guaranteed to the Nez Perce people in the 1855 Treaty with the Nez Perce. As a land grant university, the University of Idaho also benefits from endowment lands that are the ancestral homes to many of the West’s Native peoples. The Department of English and Creative Writing Program acknowledge this history and share in the communal effort to ensure that the complexities and atrocities of the past remain in our discourse and are never lost to time. We invite you to think of the traditional “land acknowledgment” statement through our MFA alum CMarie Fuhrman’s words .

Degree Requirements

Three years to write.

Regardless of where you are in your artistic career, there is nothing more precious than time. A three-year program gives you time to generate, refine, and edit a body of original work. Typically, students have a light third year, which allows for dedicated time to complete and revise the Creative Thesis. (48 manuscript pages for those working in poetry, 100 pages for those working in prose.)

Our degree requirements are designed to reflect the real-world interests of a writer. Students are encouraged to focus their studies in ways that best reflect their artistic obsessions as well as their lines of intellectual and critical inquiry. In effect, students may be as genre-focused or as multi-genre as they please. Students must remain in-residence during their degrees. Typically, one class earns you 3 credits. The MFA requires a total of 54 earned credits in the following categories.

12 Credits : Graduate-level Workshop courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction. 9 Credits: Techniques and Traditions courses in Fiction, Poetry, and/or Nonfiction 3 Credits : Internships: Fugue, Confluence Lab, and/or Pedagogy 9 Credits: Literature courses 12 Credits: Elective courses 10 Credits: Thesis

Flexible Degree Path

Students are admitted to our program in one of three genres, Poetry, Fiction, or Nonfiction. By design, our degree path offers ample opportunity to take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses in any genre. Our faculty work and publish in multiple genres and value the slipperiness of categorization. We encourage students to write in as broad or focused a manner as they see fit. We are not at all interested in making writers “stay in their lanes,” and we encourage students to shape their degree paths in accordance with their passions. 

What You Study

During your degree, you will take Workshop, Techniques, Traditions, and Literature courses.

Our workshop classes are small by design (typically twelve students or fewer) and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. No two workshop experiences look alike, but what they share are faculty members committed to the artistic and intellectual passions of their workshop participants.

Techniques studios are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These popular courses are dedicated to the granular aspects of writing, from deep study of the poetic image to the cultivation of independent inquiry in nonfiction to the raptures of research in fiction. Such courses are heavy on generative writing and experimentation, offering students a dedicated space to hone their craft in a way that is complementary to their primary work.

Traditions seminars are developed and taught by core and visiting MFA faculty. These generative writing courses bring student writing into conversation with a specific trajectory or “tradition” of literature, from life writing to outlaw literature to the history of the short story, from prosody to postwar surrealism to genre-fluidity and beyond. These seminars offer students a dynamic space to position their work within the vast and varied trajectories of literature.

Literature courses are taught by core Literature and MFA faculty. Our department boasts field-leading scholars, interdisciplinary writers and thinkers, and theory-driven practitioners who value the intersection of scholarly study, research, humanism, and creative writing.

Award-Winning Faculty

We teach our classes first and foremost as practitioners of the art. Full stop. Though our styles and interests lie at divergent points on the literary landscape, our common pursuit is to foster the artistic and intellectual growth of our students, regardless of how or why they write. We value individual talent and challenge all students to write deep into their unique passions, identities, histories, aesthetics, and intellects. We view writing not as a marketplace endeavor but as an act of human subjectivity. We’ve authored or edited several books across the genres.

Learn more about Our People .

Thesis Defense

The MFA experience culminates with each student writing and defending a creative thesis. For prose writers, theses are 100 pages of creative work; for poets, 48 pages. Though theses often take the form of an excerpt from a book-in-progress, students have flexibility when it comes to determining the shape, form, and content of their creative projects. In their final year, each student works on envisioning and revising their thesis with three committee members, a Major Professor (core MFA faculty) and two additional Readers (core UI faculty). All students offer a public thesis defense. These events are attended by MFA students, faculty, community members, and other invitees. During a thesis defense, a candidate reads from their work for thirty minutes, answers artistic and critical questions from their Major Professor and two Readers for forty-five minutes, and then answer audience questions for thirty minutes. Though formally structured and rigorous, the thesis defense is ultimately a celebration of each student’s individual talent.

The Symposium Reading Series is a longstanding student-run initiative that offers every second-year MFA candidate an opportunity to read their works-in-progress in front of peers, colleagues, and community members. This reading and Q & A event prepares students for the third-year public thesis defense. These off-campus events are fun and casual, exemplifying our community centered culture and what matters most: the work we’re all here to do.

Teaching Assistantships

All students admitted to the MFA program are fully funded through Teaching Assistantships. All Assistantships come with a full tuition waiver and a stipend, which for the current academic year is roughly $15,000. Over the course of three years, MFA students teach a mix of composition courses, sections of Introduction to Creative Writing (ENGL 290), and additional writing courses, as departmental needs arise. Students may also apply to work in the Writing Center as positions become available. When you join the MFA program at Idaho, you receive teacher training prior to the beginning of your first semester. We value the role MFA students serve within the department and consider each graduate student as a working artist and colleague. Current teaching loads for Teaching Assistants are two courses per semester. Some members of the Fugue editorial staff receive course reductions to offset the demands of editorial work. We also award a variety of competitive and need-based scholarships to help offset general living costs. In addition, we offer three outstanding graduate student fellowships: The Hemingway Fellowship, Centrum Fellowship, and Writing in the Wild Fellowship. Finally, our Graduate and Professional Student Association offers extra-departmental funding in the form of research and travel grants to qualifying students throughout the academic year.

Distinguished Visiting Writers Series

Each year, we bring a Distinguished Visiting Writer to campus. DVWs interface with our writing community through public readings, on-stage craft conversations hosted by core MFA faculty, and small seminars geared toward MFA candidates. Recent DVWs include Maggie Nelson, Roger Reeves, Luis Alberto Urrea, Brian Evenson, Kate Zambreno, Dorianne Laux, Teju Cole, Tyehimba Jess, Claire Vaye Watkins, Naomi Shihab Nye, David Shields, Rebecca Solnit, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Susan Orlean, Natasha Tretheway, Jo Ann Beard, William Logan, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, Gabino Iglesias, and Marcus Jackson, among several others.

Fugue Journal

Established in 1990 at the University of Idaho, Fugue publishes poetry, fiction, essays, hybrid work, and visual art from established and emerging writers and artists. Fugue is managed and edited entirely by University of Idaho graduate students, with help from graduate and undergraduate readers. We take pride in the work we print, the writers we publish, and the presentation of both print and digital content. We hold an annual contest in both prose and poetry, judged by two nationally recognized writers. Past judges include Pam Houston, Dorianne Laux, Rodney Jones, Mark Doty, Rick Moody, Ellen Bryant Voigt, Jo Ann Beard, Rebecca McClanahan, Patricia Hampl, Traci Brimhall, Edan Lepucki, Tony Hoagland, Chen Chen, Aisha Sabatini Sloan, sam sax, and Leni Zumas. The journal boasts a remarkable list of past contributors, including Steve Almond, Charles Baxter, Stephen Dobyns, Denise Duhamel, Stephen Dunn, B.H. Fairchild, Nick Flynn, Terrance Hayes, Campbell McGrath, W.S. Merwin, Sharon Olds, Jim Shepard, RT Smith, Virgil Suarez, Melanie Rae Thon, Natasha Trethewey, Philip Levine, Anthony Varallo, Robert Wrigley, and Dean Young, among many others.

Academy of American Poets University Prize

The Creative Writing Program is proud to partner with the Academy of American Poets to offer an annual Academy of American Poets University Prize to a student at the University of Idaho. The prize results in a small honorarium through the Academy as well as publication of the winning poem on the Academy website. The Prize was established in 2009 with a generous grant from Karen Trujillo and Don Burnett. Many of our nation’s most esteemed and celebrated poets won their first recognition through an Academy of American Poets Prize, including Diane Ackerman, Toi Derricotte, Mark Doty, Tess Gallagher, Louise Glück, Jorie Graham, Kimiko Hahn, Joy Harjo, Robert Hass, Li-Young Lee, Gregory Orr, Sylvia Plath, Mark Strand, and Charles Wright.

Fellowships

Centrum fellowships.

Those selected as Centrum Fellows attend the summer Port Townsend Writers’ Conference free of charge. Housed in Fort Worden (which is also home to Copper Canyon Press), Centrum is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering several artistic programs throughout the year. With a focus on rigorous attention to craft, the Writers’ Conference offers five full days of morning intensives, afternoon workshops, and craft lectures to eighty participants from across the nation. The cost of the conference, which includes tuition, lodging, and meals, is covered by the scholarship. These annual scholarship are open to all MFA candidates in all genres.

Hemingway Fellowships

This fellowship offers an MFA Fiction student full course releases in their final year. The selection of the Hemingway Fellow is based solely on the quality of an applicant’s writing. Each year, applicants have their work judged blind by a noted author who remains anonymous until the selection process has been completed. Through the process of blind selection, the Hemingway Fellowship Fund fulfills its mission of giving the Fellow the time they need to complete a substantial draft of a manuscript.

Writing in the Wild

This annual fellowship gives two MFA students the opportunity to work in Idaho’s iconic wilderness areas. The fellowship fully supports one week at either the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS), which borders Payette Lake and Ponderosa State Park, or the Taylor Wilderness Research Station, which lies in the heart of the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. Both campuses offer year-round housing. These writing retreats allow students to concentrate solely on their writing. Because both locations often house researchers, writers will also have the opportunity to interface with foresters, geologists, biologists, and interdisciplinary scholars.

Program History

Idaho admitted its first class of seven MFA students in 1994 with a faculty of four: Mary Clearman Blew, Tina Foriyes, Ron McFarland (founder of Fugue), and Lance Olsen. From the beginning, the program was conceived as a three-year sequence of workshops and techniques classes. Along with offering concentrations in writing fiction and poetry, Idaho was one of the first in the nation to offer a full concentration in creative nonfiction. Also from its inception, Idaho not only allowed but encouraged its students to enroll in workshops outside their primary genres. Idaho has become one of the nation’s most respected three-year MFA programs, attracting both field-leading faculty and students. In addition to the founders of this program, notable distinguished faculty have included Kim Barnes, Robert Wrigley, Daniel Orozco, Joy Passanante, Tobias Wray, Brian Blanchfield, and Scott Slovic, whose collective vision, rigor, grit, and care have paved the way for future generations committed to the art of writing.

The Palouse

Situated in the foothills of Moscow Mountain amid the rolling terrain of the Palouse (the ancient silt beds unique to the region), our location in the vibrant community of Moscow, Idaho, boasts a lively and artistic local culture. Complete with independent bookstores, coffee shops, art galleries, restaurants and breweries, (not to mention a historic art house cinema, organic foods co-op, and renowned seasonal farmer’s market), Moscow is a friendly and affordable place to live. Outside of town, we’re lucky to have many opportunities for hiking, skiing, rafting, biking, camping, and general exploring—from nearby Idler’s Rest and Kamiak Butte to renowned destinations like Glacier National Park, the Snake River, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, and Nelson, BC. As for more urban getaways, Spokane, Washington, is only a ninety-minute drive, and our regional airline, Alaska, makes daily flights to and from Seattle that run just under an hour.

For upcoming events and program news, please visit our calendar .

For more information about the MFA program, please contact us at:  [email protected]

Department of English University of Idaho 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1102 Moscow, ID 83844-1102 208-885-6156

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University of Idaho

Idaho, united states.

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is ideal for those who demand rigorous instruction in fiction, poetry and creative nonfiction from an award-winning faculty. With an MFA from the University of Idaho, you will be prepared to engage in all aspects of a professional career in the literary arts.

Through course selection and choice of thesis topic, you may specialize in fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction. While you must apply to the MFA program only in one genre, you will be encouraged to "cross-pollinate" by exploring new directions and discovering other genres. Students are fully funded for all three years.

As an MFA student, you will undergo intensive theoretical and practical training in fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, editing and publishing. You will form a deep understanding of where your style fits into the continuum of writers of your genre, and you will develop the ability to express with conviction where you would place your work in any of several literary traditions. Candidates for the MFA must complete a thesis, which will take the form of a collection of poetry, short stories, essays, a novel or memoir.

The MFA program--small by design--limits enrollment in graduate workshops to 10-15 students, which allows for an intimate and dynamic learning environment and full access to our nationally recognized faculty.

Contact Information

PO Box 441102 English Department, Brink Hall Rm 200 Moscow Idaho, United States 83844-1102 Phone: 208-885-6156 Email: [email protected] http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/graduate/mfaincreativewriting

Bachelor of Arts in English/Literature +

Undergraduate program director, minor / concentration in creative writing +, master of fine arts in creative writing +, graduate program director.

Through course selection and choice of thesis topic, you may specialize in fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction. While you must apply to the MFA program only in one genre, you will be encouraged to "cross-pollinate" by exploring new directions and discovering other genres.

Daniel Orozco

Whiting Writers' Award. Mrs. Giles Whiting Foundation. 2011

Winner of the 2012 Saroyan Prize for Writing

Top Books of 2011. For Orientation and Other Stories. The Kansas City Star.

Best Books of 2011. For Orientation and Other Stories. The San Francisco Chronicle.

Best Books of 2011. For Orientation and Other Stories. Amazon.com.

Best Fiction of 2011. For Orientation and Other Stories. Kirkus Reviews.

http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/danielorozco

Alexandra Teague

National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, 2011

California Book Award, Gold Medal in Poetry, for Mortal Geography, 2010

Persea Books

Lexi Rudnitsky Prize in Poetry, for Mortal Geography, 2009

Stegner Fellowship in Poetry, Stanford University, 2006 to 2008

http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/alexandra-teague

Brian Blanchfield

http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/faculty-staff/brian-blanchfield

Michael McGriff

http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/graduate/mfa-creative-writing/mfa-faculty/michael-mcgriff

Scott Slovic

http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/graduate/mfa-creative-writing/mfa-faculty/scott-slovic

https://www.cipherpress.co.uk/large-animals

Leah Hampton

https://leahkhampton.com/

Publications & Presses +

Visiting writers program +.

Recent Visiting Writers: Maggie Nelson, Roger Reeves, Luis Alberto Urrea, Brian Evenson, Yaa Gyasi, Kate Zambreno, Dorianne Laux, Teju Cole, Ottessa Moshfegh, David Shields, Rebecca Solnit, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Susan Orlean, Natasha Tretheway, Jo Ann Beard, and others

Reading Series +

Distinguished Visiting Writers ( http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/studentopportunities/distinguished-visiting-writers-program )

Occasional Writing Series ( http://www.facebook.com/pages/Occasional-Reading-Series/214848585194736 )

MFA Visiting Writers ( http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/graduate/mfaincreativewriting/readings )

PEN-Hemingway Winner (Hemingway Festival) ( http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/studentopportunities/connection )

Symposium Reading Series (Student) ( http://www.uidaho.edu/class/english/graduate/mfaincreativewriting/readings )

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