Creative Writing, MFA

Admission Requirements

Application Website

Application for admission to the Graduate School is made to a specific program for a specific degree. For the MFA in Creative Writing, applicants must fulfill both the Graduate School admission requirements and the specific requirements for the MFA in Creative Writing. See sections I and II for details on these requirements. Please note that applications for Admission to the MFA in Creative Writing are made to the MFA in Creative Writing Program and not to the Graduate School.

Electronic official transcripts from any undergraduate and graduate institutions you have attended should be sent to the Stony Brook University Graduate School Office of Admissions, at gradadmissions@stonybrook.edu.

Or snail-mailed directly to the graduate school:

For questions, please call Margaret Grigonis at (631) 632-5028

Admission to the MFA in Writing 

Applicants for the MFA program in Writing  must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. The program accepts applications from candidates whose undergraduate degrees were taken in areas other than the humanities.

Admission to the program is based on the evaluation of a portfolio of the applicant’s writing, made in conjunction with a review of the candidate’s entire academic career, and letters of recommendation. The portfolio may include works in any written form including fiction, creative non-fiction, poetry, scripting, or other genre. Results from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) are not required.

In addition to the Graduate School Admission requirements, the MFA in Writing requires the following:

• Letters of recommendation from three instructors or writing professionals familiar with your written work.
• A statement discussing your reasons for graduate study (1-2 pp, submitted with the online application)
• A writing sample consisting of up to 10 pages of poetry, single-spaced, or 30 pages of prose, double-spaced (submitted with the online application). Your name should appear on the writing sample.
• A single sheet listing your address, phone number, email address, and title(s) of submission(s).
• A copy of your résumé or c.v. (submitted with the online application)

Any deficiencies in these or the Graduate School admission requirements shall not automatically bar admission, but it is understood that inadequacies in undergraduate preparation normally will require the student to take additional work, the amount to be determined by the appropriate graduate advisory committee. Additional work may not be used to fulfill MFA degree requirements.

Degree Requirements

The MFA in Writing degree requires 40 credits of course work and a six credit thesis for a total of 46 credits. Following are the specific requirements.