Creative Writing

Master of Arts Program

The Creative Writing track allows students to combine the writing of fiction, drama, or poetry with the advanced study of literature. Upon completion of this program, some students may choose to enter a PhD program in literature with or without the option of a creative dissertation; such a course of study would prepare the student to teach literature or creative writing at the college level. Other students may choose to write and to support their writing by using the MA as a basis for teaching Creative Writing and some literature at a college or a community college.

Faculty in Creative Writing are nationally recognized for their fiction and poetry, and all are dedicated teachers and mentors. As a group, they work closely with faculty who specialize in literary and cultural studies, so that each graduate student's individual program of study is dynamic and relevant.

Doctoral Program

Students who come to UC for their PhD in English quickly discover how truly collegial and collaborative the program is. The doctoral program at UC, in contrast to larger programs, fosters close interaction among graduate students as a community, and between graduate students and professors.

Students' essays are read thoroughly, annotated completely, and always approached as work that may be revised for publication. Students are thoroughly oriented in the profession, encouraged to give conference papers, and often funded for these presentations. The overwhelming majority of our graduates take tenure track positions within two years of completion of the PhD.

The program draws on a strong faculty well-versed in literary criticism and theory and creative writing. Students take seminars that combine intensive study of literary works with attention to the powers and limitations of a current of ideas and theoretical paradigms.

The curriculum is enriched by such special resources as the Elliston Poetry Fund, the Taft Foundation and Center for the Humanities, the Ropes Lecture Series, and the Weinberger Center for the Study of Drama and Playwriting. The Department publishes a renowned journal, The Cincinnati Review. Our teaching training program is nationally regarded, and all doctoral students participate. Students may also take advanced pedagogy courses in teaching literature and teaching creative writing. Advanced doctoral students gain further experience by teaching literature and creative writing courses.


The typical time to degree is four years. The culmination of studies leads to completion of either a scholarly dissertation or a creative dissertation combined with a critical essay suitable for publication in a scholarly journal.

Creative Writing Resources
Academic Resources