The W’s Creative Writing MFA nationally ranked
Mississippi University for Women’s low-residency Master’s of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing program has been recognized on a national scale by Intelligent.com, which ranked the program 10th in the country.
“We are thrilled to be recognized as number 10 on Intelligent’s ranking of the top 50 MFA programs. This places our low-residency program among prestigious traditional MFA programs such as Harvard, The University of Iowa (both ranked higher), and the University of Alabama (which ranked lower this year), and we seem to be the highest ranked low-residency program,” said Kendall Dunkelberg, chair of the Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy and director of the MFA program.
To determine rankings, Intelligent compiles information from various sources including U.S. News & World report, BestColleges.com, U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to name a few.
While proud of the program’s top-10 ranking, Dunkelberg acknowledges that it is subjective.
“We also recognize that any ranking is subjective and cannot consider everything a prospective MFA student will consider. Intelligent’s ranking prioritizes ‘flexibility, faculty, course strength, cost and reputation,’ all areas at which we strive to excel. We want to be the number one option for the students who choose us,” he said.
The W’s MFA in Creative Writing expects around 28 students for the fall semester, as it kicks off its 10th year.
The program is a hybrid between online and in-person classes. Much of the course load is achieved through synchronous online classes during the regular semester. There are also four shorter residency classes held on location, such as campus for the Eudora Welty Writers’ Symposium or at the annual Association of Writers and Writing Program conference.
“We also encourage students to take coursework in more than one genre, and we include cross-genre experiences in our residencies. In addition to the typical MFA offerings of Poetry, Fiction and Creative Nonfiction, our program has a vibrant Playwriting track that has benefitted greatly from collaboration with the MFA in Theatre Education. The W’s low tuition with no out-of-state fees, makes us an attractive option. And our faculty, students and alumni stand out for their many achievements, publications in magazines, books and performances of plays written by our playwrights,” Dunkelberg said.
Career paths for an MFA in Creative Writing vary, but writing is almost always at the core.
Dunkelberg added, “An MFA degree is considered a terminal degree, meaning that it qualifies you to teach at the university level. We also encourage our students to seek careers in publishing and other careers that involve writing. Our graduates are teaching in community colleges and universities, working in PR or social media marketing, working for arts organizations, such as the Mississippi Arts Commission, among many other careers.”
To learn more about The W’s MFA in Creative Writing, please visit www.muw.edu/mfacreativewriting/.