MFA Program
See writers who attended this program
Full-time Faculty Includes:
J. Mae Barizo, Laura Cronk, Camonghne Felix, Mira Jacob, Luis Jaramillo, Natasha Lennard, Caron Levis, Larissa Pham, Robert Polito, John Reed, Margaret Rhee, Helen Schulman
Part-time Faculty Includes:
Poetry: Mark Bibbins, Laurie Sheck
Fiction: Sidik Fofana, Ann-Marie Hood, Shelley Jackson, James Lasdun, Dale Peck
Nonfiction: Susan Cheever, Zia Jaffrey, James Lasdun, Honor Moore, Brenda Wineapple, Alex Starr
Arts Writing: Emily Flake
Writing for Children and Young Adults: Coe Booth, Ann-Marie Hood, Emily X. R. Pan, Andrea Pinkney
The program offers merit-based scholarships and other funding opportunities, including fellowships and assistant positions. MFA students may also apply to programs such as WriteOn NYC!, a New School–funded fellowship that provides teaching experience in New York City middle and high schools. Evening scheduling additionally allows many students to balance outside employment while enrolled.
The Creative Writing program hosts one of New York City’s preeminent reading series, featuring forums with a diverse lineup of emerging and established writers. Program partners include PEN America, the National Book Critics Circle, Cave Canem, Kundiman, the Center for Fiction, and the Poetry Society of America. Students also have access to peer and alumni gatherings, literary journals and publications, and events with publishing professionals and literary organizations. Embedded in New York City’s literary and publishing culture, the program emphasizes multidisciplinary collaboration, multimedia storytelling, professional development, and rigorous craft study.
The Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing is awarded for the successful completion of 36 credits in one of five concentrations, with the option to pursue a dual concentration. Workshops and seminars are led by internationally recognized faculty actively engaged in contemporary literary communities, with coursework designed to help students develop individual voices while experimenting across forms and genres. Popular graduate minors include Impact Entrepreneurship and Transmedia and Digital Storytelling. Students may also enroll in campus-wide electives in areas such as teaching preparation, languages, publishing, and media practice.
As of 2026, the community of the Graduate Program in Creative Writing welcomes the Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism (CPCJ) MA, creating a configuration of creative writing, reporting, social research, publishing, public scholarship, and design offered by no other school. Shared courses—CPCJ and the MFA—make the New School a one of a kind graduate cohort.
The early decision deadline is January 15. The rolling deadline is May 5.
Each year, alumni of the MFA program publish essays, poems, fiction, nonfiction, and hybrid work in literary journals, magazines, and presses ranging from independent publishers to major national venues. Across genres, graduates remain active contributors to contemporary literary culture, with alumni and faculty collectively publishing more than 40 books annually. Graduates go on to careers as writers, authors, editors, publishers, agents, educators, and media and arts professionals, often continuing to engage with New York City’s broader literary and publishing networks after the program.