bowling green mfa creative writing

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Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Program at Bowling Green State University offers a comprehensive education in the literary arts. Through the program, students will learn to create original work in a distinct personal voice that demonstrates a mastery of literary craft. In addition, students will have opportunities to apply creative writing skills in professional contexts and develop literacy in new media and multi-modal forms of communication. Students in our classes study with working writers and artists, and graduates have gone on to publish work and find employment opportunities in teaching, marketing, advertising, editing, arts administration, and journalism. 

The BGSU Creative Writing Program offers:

• Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, with specializations in Fiction and Poetry
• Minor in Creative Writing
• Minor in Word & Image, in collaboration with the School of Art
• MFA in Creative Writing
• Online Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing

The mission of the program:

• Teaching students the foundations of literary art and craft
• Aiding students in the creation of original work comparable in quality to the published work of contemporary poets and fiction writers
• Guiding students toward an understanding of modern and contemporary literature in all its diversity, and hence toward an understanding of our contemporary world
• Offering students opportunities to learn skills in editing and publishing

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Creative Writing Program  Department of English Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH 43403 Phone: 419-372-2576 Fax: 419-372-0333 Email

English Department

Dr. Stephannie Gearhart, Chair English Department Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH 43403 419-372-7540 [email protected]

Explore Our Programs

Creative writing, watch video.

Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in Creative Writing are expected to be able to:

• Use writing effectively—including current modes and evolving techniques and technologies—to explore subject matter and to communicate;
• Develop understanding of subject matter in relation to larger historical and/or cultural contexts, including multicultural contexts;
• Make connections between theory and practice. Students apply theory to understand texts, solve problems, and teach effectively. Students generalize from experiences with texts, communication situations, and teaching situations;
• Develop skills of creative and/or critical thinking.

Accreditation and/or Program/Cluster Review Bowling Green State University [BGSU] is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission .  BGSU has been accredited by the Higher Learning Commission since 01/01/1916. The most recent reaffirmation of accreditation was received in 2022 - 2023. Questions should be directed to the Office of Institutional Effectiveness . The Creative Writing program went through Program/Cluster Review during the Academic Year 2016-17.

Professional Licensure (If applicable) Bowling Green State University programs leading to licensure, certification and/or endorsement, whether delivered online, face-to-face or in a blended format, satisfy the academic requirements for those credentials set forth by the State of Ohio. Requirements for licensure, certification and/or endorsement eligibility vary greatly from one profession to another and from state to state. The Creative Writing program does not lead to professional licensure.

Gainful Employment (If applicable)       Under the Higher Education Act Title IV disclosure requirements, an institution must provide current and prospective students with information about each of its programs that prepares students for gainful employment in a recognized occupation.

The Creative Writing program is not a recognized occupation that requires a Gainful Employment disclosure.

Updated: 12/03/2024 02:29PM

BGSU MFA in Creative Writing

There are presently no open calls for applications.

YES, WE ARE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS!

If you are here seeking to apply, you must have come from an old link. please note that bowling green state university has moved to a fully-online application system. all required materials are uploaded to your bgsu applicant file when you apply to the university. .

To apply and upload your writing samples and statement of purpose, please visit the link below:

http://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/english/creative-writing/apply-online.html

Applications will be accepted until January 15, 2019.

Please contact jberry at bgsu dot edu with any questions.

Thank you for your interest in the MFA in Creative Writing at Bowling Green State University. We wish you all the best with your writing and look forward to reviewing your application.

Bowling Green State University

Bowling Green , OH

https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/english/creative-writing/master-of-fine-arts.html

Degrees Offered

Fiction, Poetry

Residency type

Program length.

36 semester hours (2 years)

Financial Aid

Writers admitted to the MFA Program receive teaching assistantships: an annual stipend of $11,500 and a waiver of instructional fees for the course of study. Additionally, all MFAs are eligible for four competitive non-service Devine fellowships, each about $2,200 per year, two in poetry and two in fiction. They also receive $50 per year for manuscript submissions. Applicants are asked to complete an application (below) for an assistantship. Typically, Graduate Assistants teach one (1) section of undergraduate English each semester in their first year in the program. In the second year, they teach one (1) section one semester and two (2) sections second semester, usually including a sophomore course in creative writing. There are several opportunities for writers to partially fulfill their assistantships with non-teaching duties, such as interning with Mid-American Review, assisting in the direction of the program, and assisting with the reading series.

Teaching opportunities

Teaching Assistantships, pedagogy of creative writing is part of curriculum

Editorial opportunities

Editing Mid-American Review is a core cours

• Thomas Atkinson MFA 1983
• Matt Bell MFA 2010
• Mark Brazaitis MFA (Fiction) 1995
• James Braziel MFA (Fiction) 1992
• Grant Clauser MFA (Poetry) 1993
• Michael Czyniejewski MFA (Fiction) 1997
• Jim Daniels MFA
• Anthony Doerr MFA (Fiction) 1999
• Brad Felver MFA (Fiction) 2011
• Carolyn Forché MFA 1975
• Charles Fort MFA (Poetry) 1977
• Susan Carol Hauser MFA 1973
• Dustin M. Hoffman MFA (Fiction) 2009
• Marshall Klimasewiski MFA
• Joe Mackall MFA (Fiction) 1996
• Saikat Majumdar MFA (Fiction) 2001
• Teresa Milbrodt MFA 2004
• Dustin Parsons MFA
• Misha Rai MFA (Fiction) 2012
• Patrick Ryan MFA 1990
• F. Daniel Rzicznek MFA
• Jean Thompson MFA 1973
• Anna Rose Welch MFA (Poetry) 2013
• Dara Wier MFA 1974
• Bess Winter MFA (Fiction) 2011

Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected] .

Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories , Best American Essays , Best American Poetry , The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology .

Enrollment in the Creative Writing major is dependent on the successful completion of 2000-level Creative Writing courses, as well as a committee-approved portfolio of original creative work. Once admitted to the program, Creative Writing majors complete 3000- and 4000-level workshops and compose a senior creative thesis, which they present to the campus community.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in creative writing are expected to:

• Use writing effectively-including current modes and evolving techniques and technologies-to explore subject matter and to communicate;
• Develop understanding of subject matter in relation to larger historical and/or cultural contexts, including multicultural contexts;
• Make connections between theory and practice. Students apply theory to understand texts, solve problems, and teach effectively. Students generalize from experiences with texts, communication situations, and teaching situations;
• Develop skills of creative and/or critical thinking.

Out of the four required 3000/4000-level workshops, the student must have at least one in both genres.

BG Perspective (BGP) Requirements

Must complete at least 1 course in each of the following:.

   English Composition and Oral Communication    _____________________________    ________

   Quantitative Literacy    _____________________________    ________

Must Complete at least 2 courses in each of the following:

   Humanities and the Arts    _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________    

   Natural Sciences - at least one Lab Science required    _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________                                                                                      

   Social and Behavioral Sciences    _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________                                                                        

Complete total required BGP credit hours by selecting courses from any of the above categories:

   _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________                                                                                    

University Requirements

Designated courses in Humanities and the Arts and the Social and Behavioral Sciences domains may be used to fulfill both the BGP requirement and one of the following university requirements:

Cultural Diversity in the US    ____________ International Perspective       ____________

Composition Requirement: WRIT 1120                                

Total BGP Credits: Must be at least 36                       

Arts & Sciences Requirements (FL for CW)

Foregin language (___yrs of hs___).

   ________1010_________________    ________  ​   ________1020_________________    ________  ​   ________2010_________________    ________     ________2020/2120____________    ________ 

Lab Science  

   _____________________________    ________ 

Multidisciplinary Component

Select from approved offerings, in consultation with an advisor and a faculty mentor. Four courses total, each with a different subject prefix. At least two courses at 3000/4000 level. Courses applied to the Arts & Sciences MDC may not be used to fulfill other Arts and Sciences degree requirements, nor may they be used to fulfill major, minor, BGP or other program requirements.       _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________     _____________________________    ________  

Major Requirements

• ENG 99 - Creative Writing Common Time (must complete 4 semesters)
• ENG 2040 - Imaginative Writing
• ENG 2050 - Craft of Poetry
• ENG 2060 - Craft of Fiction
• ENG 2090 - Creative Writing Workshop
• ENG 3120 - Poetry Workshop
• ENG 3130 - Fiction Workshop

Choose Two 4000-Level Workshops

• ENG 4120 - Poet’s Workshop
• ENG 4130 - Fiction Writer’s Workshop
• ENG 4140 - Creative Nonfiction
• ENG 4210 - Special Topics in Creative Writing
• ENG 4250 - Graphic Novel Workshop
• ENG 4970 - Senior BFA Thesis Workshop

Literature Courses

• ENG 2610 - World Literature from Ancient Times to 1700
• ENG 2620 - World Literature from 1700 to Present

Choose Three the Following Courses

• ENG 3200 - Modern Poetry
• ENG 3230 - Modern Fiction
• ENG 3300 - Contemporary Poetry
• ENG 3330 - Contemporary Fiction
• ENG 3450 - Literature for Adolescents

Practicum/Vocational/Literary Citizenship

Choose one of following three courses..

• ENG 3870 - Literary Editing and Publishing
• ENG 4890 - Internships in English Studies (Must be 3 Hrs.)
• COOP 50 - Cooperative Internship or Academic Internship

Total Hours: 39-42

Minor requirements.

(Usually 21 Hours; NO Courses in Major Can Be Used in a Minor)

Electives and Non-Credit Courses

For graduation you will need:.

• 122 credit hours minimum.
• Minimum GPA 2.00.
• At least 30 credit hours of BGSU course work.
• 40 credit hours at the 3000/4000 level.
• Completion of all degree requirements, including the BG Perspective Core.
• A major, and if required, a minor, specialization or emphasis.

Any substitution or waiver of courses required for your major or minor program  must  originate in the department/school offering the major or minor and  must  be approved by the College Office.

To ensure a timely graduation, see a  College Advisor  during the semester prior to your intended graduation.

Remember to complete an  Application for Graduation  by the end of the second week of classes during the fall semester or spring regular session, or by the end of the first week of the summer semester. For the specific dates, check your DARS. You may log onto MyBGSU to complete the online application. After the deadlines, you will need to complete an application in person in the College Office.