Publishing – Creative Writing

Candidate must submit:

• An official transcript of the bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university showing recommended 3.0 cumulative GPA or higher.
• An 800- to 1,000-word personal statement describing the applicant’s experience and commitment to writing. This statement should include a self-assessment of qualifications for admission to Western’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing for the chosen degree and concentration.
• A writing sample in the appropriate genre, double spaced and numbered, or properly formatted for the appropriate genre:
  • The Genre Fiction concentration sample should include 20 to 25 pages, ideally from a single work.
  • The Screenwriting concentration sample should include a screenplay of 15-30 pages.
  • The Nature Writing concentration sample should include 20 to 25 pages, in any creative writing genre or a mix of genres.
  • The Poetry concentration sample should include 10 to 15 pages of poetry.
  • The Publishing concentration sample should consist of a 3- to 5-page critical assessment of a story’s suitability for publication (story to be provided to applicant during application process).
• Two letters of professional recommendation from those capable of assessing the applicant’s preparation to succeed in graduate-level work. All letters must be originals submitted on letterhead, must be signed by the person giving the recommendation, and must be less than a year old.

Provisional Admission to the MA in Creative Writing

An applicant who does not meet the requirements for full admission to the Master of Arts in Creative Writing may be considered for provisional admission upon the recommendation of the program director and approval by the Dean of Graduate Studies. A provisionally admitted student will have a maximum of one calendar year to complete any pre-requisite academic coursework. The program director or Dean of Graduate Studies may set additional timeline requirements.

Admission Requirements & Application

Western’s Graduate Program in Creative Writing considers applications on a rolling basis from August 1 through May 22, and all admitted students begin their coursework in early June, with online courses. Once a cohort has filled for the coming year, applications will be waitlisted or pushed to the following year’s cycle.

We make admissions decisions on all completed applications within 4 weeks of receipt. Students may be accepted, accepted with provisions (e.g. a requirement to finish their undergraduate degree before matriculating in the graduate program at Western), waitlisted (with a notification of a final decision by May 1) or rejected.

MA

Full-time enrollment in the MA extends over 15 months, including required attendance at two summer residencies. Students may also attend half-time or take a leave of absence if necessary.

*Mandatory graduate student fees per credit hour
$63.00 Graduate Studies Administrative Operations Fee
$6.50 Library Fee
$3.90 IT Services Fee

**Mandatory graduate student flat fees
New Student Matriculation Fee: $50.00 Charged in the Fall Semester
Summer Residency Fee: $600.00 Charged each summer the student attends the GPCW Summer Residency

For both the MA and MFA programs, students have a maximum of five years for completion of a master’s degree from initial enrollment as a graduate degree seeking student. In order to maintain active status, graduate students must register in at least one graduate course per academic year.