Bowling Green State University offers a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Writing. Students will be expected to concentrate in either poetry or fiction and are requested to postmark and mail all materials to our office by February 15 prior to the fall semester they wish to enter the Program. Please follow the guidelines carefully when preparing your application. Thank you for your interest in our program.

Those applying to the Program should take the following steps:

  1. Submit a portfolio of writing. This should consist of 20 pages minimum, 30 pages maximum of fiction or poetry (do not mix genres) on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper (double-spaced for fiction). Submit the portfolio to:

    Creative Writing Program
    Department of English
    Bowling Green State University
    Bowling Green, Ohio 43403

    The manuscript must be typed, double-spaced (for fiction), on 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper. Your name must appear on all pages. If the manuscript is to be returned to you, it must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Admission to the Program will be determined primarily on the basis of the manuscript submitted. Please do not submit screenplays, children's stories, fantasy or science fiction.

  2. Submit a description of your motivations for coming to graduate school, what you hope to achieve in your area of interest, and your aspirations following the receipt of the graduate degree, to the Creative Writing Program.
  3. Mail a sample of critical writing to demonstrate academic competence to the Creative Writing Program.
  4. Please ask three (3) reference writers to give their evaluation of you as a writer and prospective graduate student. You do not need to provide reference writers with a form. Ask them to prepare their letters on letterhead and send them directly to the Creative Writing Program. Important note: If you are applying for a teaching assistantship, please ask your reference writers to also address your qualifications and/or potential to teach undergraduate-level English courses.
  5. Apply to the Graduate College (which is in addition to our application form below) online at: http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/gradcol/page24959.html. Applicants will be expected to meet the admission requirements of the English Department and the Graduate College. Based on a 4.0 grading scale, the minimal grade-point-average to be accepted for an assistantship is 3.0 overall, and at least 3.2 in English courses taken, although an English major is not necessary.
  6. Results of the general aptitude sections of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are required from all applicants seeking admission to a degree program in the Graduate College. Information regarding the GRE may be obtained from: Graduate Record Examinations, Educational Testing Service, PO Box 6000, Princeton, NJ 08541, 609-951-6506, or from the Graduate Admissions Office at BGSU, 419-372-7924. Please note that the Literature in English Advance Test of the GRE is not required for admission into the MFA Program.

Four summer non-service Fellowships are awarded yearly to winners of the Devine Memorial Awards, regardless of other financial support.

The MFA Program in Creative Writing is a composite of a total of 40 hours, consisting primarily of writing workshops, including a minimum of one course in techniques, one in literary editing, and the remainder in recommended courses or electives. A typical student's program consists of:

Required
Eng 632 Writers' Workshop 16 semester hours
Eng 630/631 Techniques Course 3 semester hours
Eng 782 Advanced Writer's Workshop 3 semester hours
Eng 633 Editing the Mid-American Review 3 semester hours
Eng 699 Thesis Research Hours 6 semester hours
TOTAL: 31 semester hours
Electives 9 semester hours
GRAND TOTAL: 40 semester hours

Total hour requirements may be reduced for a student who is able to apply credit from previous graduate work; however, approval for the transfer hours must happen prior to matriculation. In all cases, a student is required to take a minimum of thirty (30) hours in residence, with a minimum of one workshop in their major area per semester after being accepted into the Program.

In recognition of the value that interdisciplinary studies has for artistic development and intellectual enrichment, graduates may choose electives from a wide range of fields, such as philosophy, cultural studies, science, history, and art. Students must choose a body of electives early in the program, and show a clear relationship between their electives and their specific goals as writers.

For detailed Graduate College requirements for preparing the thesis, click here.

Questions? Contact Michele Nagel, Program Secretary, e-mail, mnagel@bgsu.edu.

Or write, call, or Fax:

Creative Writing Program
Department of English
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, Ohio 43403

Telephone: (419) 372-8370
Fax: (419) 372-6805

Financial Assistance
Graduate Assistantships
Graduate Assistantships are awarded to students who can demonstrate outstanding academic competence and potential to teach undergraduate-level English courses. Interested students are asked to complete an application (below) for an Assistantship. In addition, applicants are required to take the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) and have their scores sent to the Graduate College at BGSU.

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. Currently, the contract amount for an assistantship is $8,656 for the academic year plus a full tuition waiver and $50 refund per semester for health insurance.

Files must be complete. Applications and supporting materials for Assistantship applications must be postmarked and mailed to our office by February 15.

Additional Financial Aid
Students may also wish to apply for educational loans available through the Office of Student Financial Aid. Guaranteed Student Loans are available through private banks.

Students interested in Financial Aid beyond the Assistantships mentioned above should contact the Student Financial Aid Office directly at 419-372-2651.

MFA Application

(Please note: After completing the form and pressing the submit button, you will see an image containing a security code and a text box to enter the code. You must enter the code and press the confirm and send button before we can receive your application.)

Type your e-mail address here:
(Enter a valid address for form to work; e.g., xxx@xxx.xxx)

Request for graduate assistantship:
Yes      No

Note: If you do not wish to apply for the Assistantship, you still need to submit an application to the Program. Complete applications must be postmarked and mailed by February 15 preceding the scholastic year for which admission and appointment is desired.

Name:

Social Security number:

Address:

City:

State/Province:

Zip Code (U.S.):
(or other postal code)

Country:

Phone number with area code:
(Outside U.S., include country and area code)

Specialty within discipline of interest to you:
Poetry      Fiction

References: List three (3) persons acquainted with your academic, or related experience, who have been requested to send letters of recommendation.

  1. Name:

    Title or Position:

    Address:

  2. Name:

    Title or Position:

    Address:

  3. Name:

    Title or Position:

    Address:

Baccalaureate Degree
School:

Year (Secured/Expected):

Master's Degree
School:

Year (Secured/Expected):

Honors/Awards:

Honorary or Professional Societies:

Desire this appointment to begin:

     
Thank you for your interest in Bowling Green State University's Creative Writing Program. Please remember that, in addition to submitting this on-line form, you must do the following to complete the application process:
  1. Mail a portfolio of writing, minimum 20 pages, maximum 30 pages of fiction or poetry to the Creative Writing Program, Department of English, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, 43403.
  2. Mail a description of your motivations for coming to graduate school, what you hope to achieve in your area of interest, and your aspirations following the receipt of the graduate degree, to the Creative Writing Program.
  3. Mail a sample of critical writing to demonstrate academic competence to the Creative Writing Program.
  4. Arrange for three letters of recommendation to be mailed, on letterhead, to the Creative Writing Program.
  5. Complete an application for the Graduate College and take the GRE general test.

If you have further questions, please contact Graduate Secretary Michele Nagel via e-mail or at 419-372-8370.

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