Immerse yourself in a supportive, close-knit residential community where you'll craft a novel, story collection or poetry collection under the guidance of award-winning faculty and nationally acclaimed visiting writers.
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Develop your writing at the University of Nevada, Reno, through expert mentorship, workshops, publishing classes, and a faculty-guided thesis. Connect with visiting writers, lead the Nevada Humanities Literary Crawl, and gain hands-on industry experience through press collaborations.
MFA Program Director
Contact Christopher Coake, MFA if you have questions about our program.
Application deadline
Complete your application by December 15 for Fall admission.
Our MFA program is designed to support and empower creative writers with:
Our program typically admits up to 10 students annually—five fiction writers and five poets—offering personalized guidance and an emphasis-specific curriculum outlined in the Graduate Student Handbook.
To complete your MFA, you’ll fulfill our general degree requirements and the additional emphasis-specific curriculum outlined in the Graduate Student Handbook:
Fiction
Hone your writing through workshops, interdisciplinary coursework, and mentorship that situates your work within a broader literary context. The program welcomes writers from diverse backgrounds and styles, celebrating originality and vision, and we are open to all approaches to literary fiction, including work in genres such as fantasy, science fiction, horror, and others.
Poetry
Develop your voice through workshops, interdisciplinary coursework, and close mentorship that encourages innovation and depth. Explore forms ranging from lyric to narrative to experimental, with space to push boundaries and redefine the possibilities of poetic expression.
Graduate school admission requirements
Graduate school admission requirements vary for domestic, international, and graduate special applicants. Select from the options below to learn more.
Virtual open houses
Each fall and spring semester, the Graduate School hosts multiple free, online Virtual Open Houses. Register in advance to learn about the University’s on-campus and online graduate programs and get questions answered by faculty, staff and current graduate students.
Graduate student housing
Interested in living on campus? Learn more about Ponderosa Village, an on-campus community for graduate students and their families.
