Creative Writing, MFA
Embrace your creativity. Develop your craft.
Our MFA offers a flexible, streamlined curriculum with concentrations in poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction or narrative healthcare.
You will specialize in one or two genres while developing your skills in other areas through specialty courses focusing on a wide variety of fields, such as screenplay, digital storytelling and science fiction.
Named for Asheville native Thomas Wolfe, the MFA program offers a strong grounding in literary study, develops craft and encourages creative risk-taking in a supportive and constructive online community.
We welcome students from all fields and contexts, cultural and professional. We understand that when that little voice inside starts saying it’s time to write, it’s time to write. We have students who are surgeons, engineers and real estate agents, as well as students who majored in English in college.
Request Information
Take the next step toward completing your MFA degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
Get StartedTake the next step toward completing your MFA degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University.
"The MFA in Creative Writing program has provided me with a boost of confidence and has dramatically improved my writing by challenging me and through the support of my professors and fellow classmates."
Program Highlights
- A Collaborative, Online Program
We offer an engaging, collaborative online program with small classes and a flexible schedule. Through our program, you will acquire a deeper understanding of your work and expand your skills. You will write, provide feedback and receive guidance from a close-knit community of supportive peers. - Program Overview
You will complete 45 credit hours of study in the MFA program. These include six literary study courses, seven writing workshops and two semesters of creative thesis, the program’s final project. It may be a novel, a collection of short stories, a collection of poems, a volume of creative nonfiction or a collection of works among these genres. - Complete at Your Own Pace
With options to fulfill your credit hours in fall, spring and summer, you can complete the program in two to three years, or you can complete the program at a slower pace. - Narrative Healthcare Certificate
Narrative healthcare is an interdisciplinary field linking medicine with story and poetry. Students include doctors, surgeons, counselors, chaplains, and writers. The certificate program requires four courses. You may complete a creative thesis in narrative healthcare with the program’s approval.
Publishing
Lenoir-Rhyne faculty have experience with all levels of publishing, from the small, independent press and self-publishing to major New York publishers. The Thomas Wolfe MFA Program can steer you toward finding the right agent and right market for your work, or help you navigate the expanding opportunities for writers to publish at all levels, build your brand and achieve success.
Admission Requirements
Applications are accepted for summer and fall terms. Learn more about our admission requirements, including application deadlines and required application materials.
Program Requirements
Offered Online-Synchronous
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, offered by the Thomas Wolfe Center for Narrative at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Asheville, is designed to help students with a passion for writing hone their skills and develop their vision. Students can specialize in fiction, poetry or creative nonfiction. Students may also select classes from the Narrative Healthcare Certificate Program, also offered by the center.
Program Overview
The MFA in creative writing combines literary study and writing workshops to help students develop their skills as critical readers, hone their craft as writers and expand their abilities to improve their own and others' work. At the heart of the program are small, supportive, intensive writing workshop experiences facilitated by experienced writers and teachers. Classes are offered through online, synchronous sessions, allowing students to join the program from anywhere.
Faculty
All faculty in the program are appropriately credentialed. In addition to established writers, a variety of community professionals employed in various relevant settings will provide instruction and guidance.
Program Structure
This program is flexible enough to fit the schedule of anyone, whether entering directly from an undergraduate program, in mid-career or considering a career change. Courses are held in the evenings for the convenience of working students. The length of time to complete this program varies based on class load and the scheduling of classes. The program can be completed on average in three years or can be taken at a pace conducive to the student's schedule.
Program Admission Requirements
Visit Graduate Admission for the most current Program Admission Requirements.
-
Literary Study: (15 hours)
Students must repeat ENG 505 at least four times with different topics and subtitles for 12 of the required 15 hours. Students may repeat ENG 505 a fifth time OR complete WRI 548 once to fulfill the 15 hour requirement.
- ENG 505 - Literary Studies Seminar(Repeated at least four times)
- WRI 548 - Topics in Narrative Healthcare
-
Foundational Writing Workshops (9 hours)
Complete the following courses:
-
Additional Writing Workshops (15 hours)
Students will complete an additional 15 hours of writing workshops. Courses may be repeated with different topics and subtitles.
-
Theses Workshops (6 hours)
- WRI 560 - Creative Theses(to be taken twice for a total of six hours.)
Whether you’re in Asheville on campus or 1,000 miles away like I was, you always feel like you’re part of the program and you shouldn’t hesitate because of distance.
Financial Aid & Tuition
At Lenoir-Rhyne University, we believe that you should have the opportunity to achieve your higher education goals. Enrollment counselors are available through our Admission Office to help you find and apply for financial aid assistance.
Lenoir-Rhyne is competitively priced, and we work with you on payment plans to make the investment in your education affordable and to fit within your budget.
Tuition costs are based on the number of credit hours you are enrolled during each term. For graduate program tuition costs, visit our Financial Aid and Tuition section.
Lenoir-Rhyne is supported by many community partners who offer discounts and benefits to our students. A complete list can be found on the Community Partners page.
