hunter mfa creative writing

Creative Writing

Official name of program, department(s) sponsoring program, degree designation, nysed program code.

Hunter’s Creative Writing MFA is a highly selective program in which students work closely with distinguished writers to perfect their writing skills. The course comprises workshops, craft seminars, one-on-one supervisions with faculty, and literature classes. There are three concentrations: fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry. Most years there are twelve students per concentration. Each year, several students are named Hertog Fellows (fiction and creative nonfiction) and Thomas Hunter Fellows (poetry). These students are paired with established writers, for whom they conduct research for one semester.

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Hunter College / CUNY

New york, united states, contact information.

695 Park Avenue Dept. of English/Creative Writing New York New York, United States 10065-5024 Phone: (212) 772-5176 Email: [email protected] http://hunter.cuny.edu/creativewriting

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Hunter College

New York , NY

http://www.hunter.cuny.edu/creativewriting

Degrees Offered

Fiction, Poetry, CNF

Residency type

Program length.

36 credits (2 years)

Financial Aid

Fellowships are available for qualified students.

Teaching opportunities

At the end of their second semester, students are eligible to apply to teach the undergraduate course “Introduction to Creative Writing.”

Editorial opportunities

Each Spring Semester, one MFA student interns as an editorial assistant at the literary journal The Threepenny Review, learning a variety of skills such as proofreading and evaluating manuscripts. Hunter pays a cool $5,000 to each intern.

• Emily Bass MFA (CNF) 2009
• Ryan Berg MFA 2008
• Sangamithra Iyer MFA (CNF) 2010
• Meng Jin MFA (Fiction) 2014
• Swati Khurana MFA (Fiction) 2015
• Phil Klay MFA (Fiction) 2011
• Nick Neely MFA (CNF)
• Chaitali Sen MFA (Fiction) 2005
• Gary Shteyngart MFA (Fiction) 2002
• Jamie L. Smith MFA 2020
• Maria Venegas MFA (CNF) 2009
• Amy Yee MFA (Fiction)

Send questions, comments and corrections to [email protected] .

Disclaimer: No endorsement of these ratings should be implied by the writers and writing programs listed on this site, or by the editors and publishers of Best American Short Stories , Best American Essays , Best American Poetry , The O. Henry Prize Stories and The Pushcart Prize Anthology .

Hunter College is pleased to announce a $500,000 Challenge Grant from Susan and Roger Hertog in support of the MFA in Creative Writing Program at Hunter College.

In order to ensure the Program’s continued success, Susan and Roger Hertog have challenged Hunter to raise matching funds for their $500,000 gift over four years. The money raised will go towards supporting all aspects of the program, including student fellowships, funds to recruit and retain the most outstanding faculty, and to bring high-caliber writers to campus as part of the Distinguished Writers Series.

We thank you in advance for your support of the Program and the next generation of emerging writers.

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The Rita and Burton Goldberg MFA Playwriting Program at Hunter College is a highly selective, rigorous, and affordable two-year playwriting program located in the heart of New York City. We seek writers eager to develop their craft and challenge assumptions about what theatre is and will become. 

The Program

The program at Hunter is focused on helping writers hone their voice and aesthetic while taking risks and experimenting with form. Students study with award-winning writers, working theatre professionals, and esteemed guest artists in a program that offers intensive, hands-on writing workshops and fosters a collaborative, close-knit artistic community.

There are five students in each cohort, which allows our instructors to give students generous individual attention. Each semester, students take three courses that meet in the evenings, which enables students the flexibility to work during the day. Teaching Assistantships are available to students in their second year. To supplement coursework, the program provides a series of Master Class workshops each semester with playwrights, directors, and industry professionals, as well as free or affordable tickets to a wide range of New York City productions to facilitate a robust connection with the New York theatre community. 

The capstone project of the program is the Hunter MFA Playwrights Festival , a week-long workshop with professional directors and actors which culminates in a public reading attended by agents, literary managers, producers, and other industry professionals. You can read about our 2024 MFA Playwrights Festival HERE .

The Hunter MFA Playwriting program is both affordable and accessible. The cost of in-state tuition for one semester is $4,230, and the program is often able to provide partial or full tuition waivers to incoming students. Additionally, all students are offered paid Teaching Assistantships in their second year.

Instructors

Current and recent playwriting faculty include: david adjmi (stereophonic, stunning) clare barron   (dance nati on, you got older), eboni booth (primary trust, paris) lisa d’amour  (detroit, airline highway).

Chisa Hutchinson  (Somebody's Daughter, Whitelisted) Lloyd Suh  (The Far Country, The Chinese Lady) Maria Striar  (Clubbed Thumb) Anne Washburn  (Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play, The Internationalist)

Visiting Artists

2023-2024 visiting artists: hansol jung, haruna lee, tina satter, lloyd suh, and mfoniso udofia.

Photos from the 2022 MFA Playwrights Festival

Student & Alumni News

April 19, 2024

Minna Lee (’24) is awarded the Lanford Wilson Award for early career playwrights.

April 4, 2024

T. Adamson's  (’17) play Usus will premiered in Clubbed Thumb Summerworks 2024.

February 8, 2024

Ryan Drake's  (’21) play you don’t have to do anything premieres at HERE Arts Center.

January 25, 2024

Minna Lee's  ('24) play premieres at San Francisco Playhouse. My Home on the Moon 

January 18, 2024

Ian Robles (’23) is awarded a Tow Foundation Playwright Residency grant with Teatro Círculo for the world premiere production of Lío in Spring 2024.

June 27, 2023

Phillip Christian Smith (’23) is announced as a member of New Dramatists.

June 5, 2023

John J. Caswell Jr.’s (’20) play Wet Brain  premieres at Playwrights Horizons.

​ May 26, 2023

Diana Ly (’23) named as member of the Orchard Project Greenhouse Lab.

April 4, 2023

Maya Lawson’s (’21) play Por Du is receives a reading in the Bushwick Starr Reading Series.

​ October 13, 2022

T. Adamson (’17) is awarded the  Vineyard Theatre’s 2022-3 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award.

​ September 7, 2022

Jesse Jae Hoon  (’22) is named as a 2022-23 Playwrights Realm Writ ing Fellow.

​ July 13, 2022

Hayley Stahl  ('19) and  Chad Kaydo  ('22) are named as finalists  for the Clubbed Thumb Biennial Commission.

​ June 16, 2022

Diana Ly (’23) announced as a debut member of the Universal Writers Lab.

May 20, 2022

Jesse Jae Hoon (’22), Liqing Xu (’21), and Garrett Zuercher (’22) will be part of the 2022 Orchard Project Adaptation Lab

May 17, 2022

Mara Velez-Mendelez’s (’19) Notes on Killing Seven Oversight, Management and Economic Stability Board Members premieres at Soho Rep.

March 16, 2022

Lindsey Ferrentino (‘14) will write and direct film version of Amy and the Orphans for Netflix.

March 1, 2022

John Caswell Jr.’s (’20) Man Cave produced by Page 73 premieres at the Connelly Theatre.

February 9, 2022

Charly Evon Simpson’s (’17) Sandblasted premieres at the Vineyard Theatre in a co-production with WP Theater.

January 31, 2022

Liqing Xu’s (‘21) Yellow Dream$ produced in Second Stage’s 2022 Judith Champion New Voices Series.

January 18, 2022

Liz Appel’s (’21) Bells Like Hooves produced in Roundabout Theatre Com pany’s 2022 Underground Reading Series.

September 23, 2021

Justice Hehir (’18) and Hannah Novak (’18) receive Clubbed Thumb Constitution Commissions.

September 15, 2021

Garrett Zuercher  (‘21) produces and directs Deaf Broadway’s concert production of Into the Woods  for Restart Stages at Lincoln Center.

May 22, 2021

Garrett Zuercher  (‘22) wins the Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting Award at the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

September 24, 2020

John J. Caswell Jr.  (‘20) received the Vineyard Theatre’s 2020 Paula Vogel Playwriting Award.

I am incredibly grateful for my time in the Hunter Playwriting MFA program.   I wanted the opportunity to focus and deepen my craft, to work with undergraduates in preparation for future teaching, and to stay in NYC and involved with theater in the city. This program allowed me to do all three of those things and more while working with professors and fellow students I greatly admired.   It pushed me in the ways I need to be pushed in order to grow as a playwright.

- Charly Evon Simpson, Class of 2017

Read the MFA Playwriting Program’s 2023-2024 Newsletter HERE

Admission  requirements.

You must meet the following minimum requirements in order to be considered for admission. Meeting these minimum requirements does not guarantee acceptance to the program.​

Interviews will be conducted with a select group of candidates after the initial review of application is completed. (Only matriculated students are eligible to take MFA courses.)

A bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution comparable in standard and content to a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College.

Play Manuscript - Submit a full length play at least 45 pages as a PDF. A digital copy of the manuscript needs to be uploaded in the online applications system before submitting the application

Two letters of recommendation from appropriate academic or professional references.

A statement of purpose of approximately 500-750 words answering the following questions: Why do you choose playwriting as a literary form? Discuss your background in the theatre, the playwrights and productions that have influenced you, and what you hope to bring to the stage.

Applicants whose native language is not English and who have taken all or part of their undergraduate education in a country where English is not the native language are required to submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The following minimum scores must be obtained:

Paper Based Test: 550

Computer Administered Test: 213

Internet Based Test: 60 (less speaking component)

FALL 2023 DEADLINE: January 15, 2024

Questions? Contact the Director of the Rita & Burton Goldberg MFA Playwriting Program, Christine Scarfuto, at [email protected] .

Ready to start your application? Click the button below!

Degree Requirements

This two-year program encourages playwrights to discover and develop their unique voices.  Students should expect a thorough grounding in theatre history, dramatic literature and theory, and the craft of playwriting. They will also have the opportunity to take electives and learn from well-known guest artists. At the end of the first year, students will have a reading with a professional director and actors. The second year of the program culminates in a 29-hour workshop of a new play and a public, staged presentation of the students’ work.

Required Courses

MFA Playwriting I:  Developing Your Voice THC 73100

MFA Playwriting II:  The Art of Revision THC 73200

MFA Playwriting III: New Play Workshop THC 73300

MFA Playwriting IV: Thesis Project THC 73400

MFA Production Workshop I: Adaptation THC 73500

MFA Production Workshop II: The Playwright Prepares THC 73600

History of Theatre I THC 75100

History of Theatre II THC 75200

Play Analysis THC 79000

Electives (9 credits)

Sample Program of Study

First Semester

History of Theatre I

MFA Playwriting I: Developing Your Voice

MFA Production Workshop I: Adaptation

Second Semester

History of Theatre II

MFA Playwriting II: The Art of Revision

Third Semester

MFA Playwriting III: New Play Workshop

Play Analysis

Fourth Semester

MFA Production Workshop II: The Playwright Prepares

MFA Playwriting IV: Thesis Project

Christine Scarfuto Program Director [email protected]

The Director of the Rita and Burton Goldberg MFA in Playwriting is Christine Scarfuto. Christine is a dramaturg with over a decade of experience in new play development. She was the Literary Manager of Long Wharf Theatre from 2015-2019 and has worked with Second Stage Theater, LCT3, Signature Theatre, Lark Play Development Center, Playwrights Center, Clubbed Thumb, Playwrights Realm, Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, Williamstown Theatre Festival, and the Kennedy Center. Christine was educated entirely in public schools including the University of Iowa, where she received her MFA in Dramaturgy.

Gregory Mosher Senior Associate Dean for the Arts [email protected]

The Program is part of the Hunter Department of Theatre, which is chaired by Tony Award-winning producer and director Gregory Mosher, who has produced over 100 world or American premieres at the Lincoln Center and Goodman Theaters, on Broadway, and in the West End. Writer colleagues in these productions include David Mamet, John Guare, Elaine May, Emily Mann, John Leguizamo, Richard Nelson, Mbongeni Ngema (Sarafina), Arthur Miller, David Hare, the Nobel Prize-winners Derek Walcott and Wole Soyinka, Tennessee Williams, Samuel Beckett, and many more.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of our MFA Playwriting Program will be able to:

Create, revise, and develop full-length dramatic works that expresses students’ own artistic aesthetic. 

Collaborate with directors, designers, actors, and other theater artists.

Develop constructive workshop practices and demonstrate the ability to closely observe, analyze, and respond constructively to the writing of workshop participants.

Analyze a variety of dramatic structures, techniques, methods, and approaches with the aim of enriching students’ own work.

Demonstrate a sophisticated knowledge of theater history and practice with the aim of enriching students’ own work.

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• Waiting it Out

Hunter MFA creative writing freak out

• creative writing

By Gmaurer March 24, 2018 in Waiting it Out

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!!!!! Applied to Hunter’s MFA with a concentration in poetry and still waiting to hear back - has anyone heard yet?

I saw some acceptances for MFA in painting went out so now I’m itchin!!! Good luck y’all!!

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It's comforting to know I'm not the only Poetry applicant in this situation, I submitted my Application in December and I have yet to hear anything either and I've seen nothing on here for Poetry yet, just Nonfiction and Fiction. I called the advisor Mr. Packard a while back and was put to voicemail. I also sent an E-mail to him with no reply as well. Hunter was the only school I applied to for Fall 2018, so I empathize with you on this, and hopefully we hear the answer we're looking for soon...

On 3/26/2018 at 11:29 AM, I.Macks said: Hunter was the only school I applied to for Fall 2018, so I empathize with you on this, and hopefully we hear the answer we're looking for soon...

I'm curious to know, why did you only apply to one program? I applied to relatively few, 4 programs (I've seen posters who report having applied to as many as 17) because I only applied to the schools I knew I would seriously go to. But applying to one is considerably risky!

14 hours ago, oonalaine said: I'm curious to know, why did you only apply to one program? I applied to relatively few, 4 programs (I've seen posters who report having applied to as many as 17) because I only applied to the schools I knew I would seriously go to. But applying to one is considerably risky!

The reason behind it was behind I hadn't really considered applying to any for Fall 2018, I haven't taken the GRE yet so that kind of limited my scope, I had planned to apply to UBC as well as Hunter, but Hunter was the most feasible and felt like the program that I had the best shot at getting into. My mother is an alumna, I'm from New York so I'd get full funding if I were accepted, and it's in a part of NYC that I see myself being in and achieving my best as a student and writer. 

It is risky indeed, but a colleague of mine only applied to SUNY Purchase, which he was accepted to, so to each their own, and Hunter is the only place I'd seriously go to at this juncture in my life...

1 hour ago, I.Macks said: I'm from New York so I'd get full funding if I were accepted, and it's in a part of NYC that I see myself being in and achieving my best as a student and writer. 

I hear you, the other CUNYs with MFA programs are in Queens and Brooklyn - you may not see yourself there. Hunter also has an amazing faculty.

Incidentally, the person who reported having applied to 17 programs was declined at every one! That is one enormous price tag in application fees for something they were evidently not ready for.

All the best!

Still waiting on news, anyone else hear back yet?

Just got the rejection e-mail, disappointed but at least I have closure, the job search truly begins now, best of luck to the remaining candidates.

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Anyone in the Creative Writing MFA program?

I did my undergrad at Hunter for Creative Writing and am going to apply for their MFA program. Wondering if anyone has any advice on applying or even some wizardly trick to just get accepted?

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Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Program overview.

Named one of the “Five Innovative/Unique Programs” creative writing programs by The Atlantic , the master of fine arts in creative writing is one of two programs offered by UNLV’s Creative Writing International Program with genre concentrations in fiction, literary nonfiction, and poetry. By providing an innovative curriculum and fostering an educational environment where students can perfect their art, our graduates become globally-engaged writers that demonstrate socially-engaged and active writing practices.

Program Outcomes

Students receive a strong theoretical foundation in their selected genre concentration, as well as an appreciation for the art and theory across various genres, thereby expanding their creative abilities. Moreover, they develop a nuanced understanding of canonical contexts and the historical evolution of literature, which provides valuable insights into new writing. Through exposure to international writing and literary translation, students cultivate a practical appreciation for diverse linguistic traditions beyond English, enriching their creative perspectives. 

A high percentage of our graduates have widely published fiction, literary nonfiction, journalism, and poetry with mainstream presses, indie presses, and nationally esteemed venues such as:

• W. W. Norton & Company
• Grove Press
• The Best American Poetry
• McSweeney’s
• The New York Times
• The Los Angeles Times

Program Structure

Our students follow a three-year course of study that includes writing workshops, genre forms courses, literature classes, a residency abroad, completion of a literary translation, and completion of a book-length manuscript that meets the standard of publishable works. Students also have the opportunity for teacher training and practical experience in literary publishing.

Additionally, our department, in partnership with the Black Mountain Institute, offers the Doctorate of Philosophy in English with a Creative Dissertation, supported by a graduate assistantship combined with the Black Mountain Institute fellowship.

Program Funding

All MFA students are fully funded by UNLV and the Black Mountain Institute (BMI) for three years of study towards their degrees. 

• Graduate Assistantships of $21,000/year 
• Opportunities for additional funding from BMI
• In-state tuition 
• Student health insurance.

Duties for the Graduate Assistantship are 20 hours per week, usually fulfilled through a combination of teaching, tutoring in the Writing Center, and working for English Department or Black Mountain Institute publications.

Our Faculty

Maile chapman, ph.d..

Wendy Chen, Ph.D.

Claudia Keelan

Roberto Lovato

David Morris, MFA

Douglas A. Unger

The MFA Student Experience

The UNLV creative writing program offers a supportive and immersive experience to its students. From day one, students become part of a vibrant community of writers where creativity thrives and collaboration flourishes. Whether students aspire to publish their writing, pursue further study, or embark on diverse career paths within the literary world, UNLV provides the resources, support, and community they need to thrive and succeed.

Activities and Events With the Black Mountain Institute

The UNLV Department of English has a longstanding relationship with the Beverly Rogers, Carol C. Harter Black Mountain Institute (BMI). This allows our students to receive opportunities to engage in creative and literary activities with visiting BMI fellows in socially meaningful literary events for the city of Las Vegas and its greater community. Recent BMI fellows and national and international award-winning visitors include:

• Percival Everett
• Melissa Febos
• Layli Long Soldier
• Jaquira Díaz
• Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

See the Black Mountain Institute's website for more information.

Academic and Literary Journals

The creative writing concentration helps students develop their writing craft and critical thinking skills through a workshop setting and literature courses. It equips them with professional skills for various industries and prepares them for graduate studies in English and creative writing.

Founded by M.F.A. alumna Kat Kruse in 2010, Neon Lit is a completely student-run reading series featuring writing of students currently in the Creative Writing programs at UNLV. Events are held on the last Friday of each month usually at the Writer’s Block, an independent bookstore and community center in downtown Las Vegas. See Neon Lit’s website and YouTube Channel for more information.

Writing Series

Breakout writers series.

The “Breakout Writers Series” or Emerging Writers Series features writers just emerging on the literary scene. Writers who visit and read for this series are chosen entirely by the students in the M.F.A. and Ph.D. programs.

Alumni Reading Series

The yearly Alumni Reading Series celebrates the literary successes of graduates of the program. Recent alumni readers include Marianne Chan, Jean Chen Ho, Clancy McGilligan, Alissa Nutting, Juan Martínez, Sasha Steensen, and Mani Rao.

Admission Requirements

• Fiction: 20-30 pages
• Literary nonfiction: 20-30 pages
• Poetry: 10-15 pages
• A letter of application to the Graduate Committee detailing a statement of purpose and reasons for choosing UNLV
• Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges or universities 
• Two letters of recommendation

Applicants must choose the International Focus subplan, unless they have already been accepted to the Peace Corps Master's International Partnership program.

International Applicants

Each year, our program admits several international writers with high competency in writing in English that immensely contribute to our literary community. Our diverse student body fosters a rich exchange of ideas and perspectives, creating a dynamic learning environment that prepares graduates for success in the global literary landscape. Furthermore, UNLV's creative writing program values inclusivity and encourages applicants from diverse backgrounds and life experiences to contribute to the vibrant tapestry of voices within our community.