University of Pittsburgh - MFA Creative Writing Posted on April 26th
As part of the oldest creative writing program in the country, the MFA at Pitt continues to be one of the most prestigious. Ours is a three-year degree, providing students with the time and opportunity to produce a book-length final manuscript.
We were also the first and remain one of the few programs to offer a concentration in creative nonfiction (Lee Gutkind who began our program in creative nonfiction, has been called “the godfather behind creative nonfiction” by Vanity Fair). Our core writing faculty have distinguished themselves nationally and internationally through their publications and awards. They include poets Toi Derricotte, Lynn Emanuel, and Tracy K. Smith; fiction writers Cathy Day, Chuck Kinder, Fiona Cheong, and Michael Byers; and creative nonfiction writers Lee Gutkind, Faith Adiele, Jeanne Marie Laskas, and Bruce Dobler. And each year we also have a number of distinguished visiting faculty.
Robinson Jeffers attended Pitt at the turn of the century, and our program has since produced diverse and successful alumni. Among them are poets Gerald Stern (National Book Award, 1999), Jack Gilbert, Li-Young Lee, and novelist Michael Chabon (Pulitzer Prize, 2001). Journalists who have graduated from our program include Al Primo (former Vice President, ABC News), Don DeCesare (Vice President News, CBS), and Virgil Fassio (Publisher, Seattle Post-Intelligencer). Our MFA students have published dozens of books from major publishers, and literally hundreds of articles, poems, and stories in numerous journals and magazines, including The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Nation, Paris Review, Mademoiselle, and The New York Times. During the past 15 years our students have won major book publication and literary prizes, including the Barnard Women Writers Award, the Nelson Algren Award, The Drue Heinz Literature Prize, and the Whiting and Tufts Awards for emerging writers.
Admissions
Every year we admit about 21 applicants, evenly divided among the three genres. Currently there are 61 active students enrolled in the program. For specific information about MFA application requirements, please follow the link for Application Requirements & Forms on the right-hand side of this page.
director
writing program
Chuck Kinder
Office: CL 609-C
412-624-6299
