Earn your Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing: Poetry at Carlow

You can begin the journey toward becoming a published poet with a MFA in Poetry from Carlow University. You will explore your creativity, refine your voice, collaborate with other students and work with acclaimed and published poets. 

Poetry degree curriculum

Carlow’s MFA in Poetry program includes four 11-day residencies in Pittsburgh and Dublin, Ireland, that feature workshops, master classes, seminars, lectures and readings. Practicum work will be on a writing and reading plan designed with your mentor; you will submit work for critique, review and collaborative feedback. By the end of the program, you will create a book-length manuscript of publishable poetry.

Quick facts

• Develop your critical engagement with poetry
• Prepare a publishable body of work
• Cultivate connections with peers and faculty
• Adapt your learning experience to your schedule

MFA in Creative Writing grad says Carlow helped her confidence

“The experience has sharpened my perspective, not just in the written expression but also in my perspective on life and the realization of the power of my voice to function as a transformative force for change.”

— Sheila Carter-Jones, MFA ’22

Admission requirements and application process

You can apply for free online, and must submit the following materials:

An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred; however, provisional admission is also possible if you do not meet all of the admission criteria but exhibit a strong possibility of academic success.

Be a part of the Carlow Community

Creative writing graduate student Phillip Border ’22 said he’s amazed by the program’s ability to maintain such a strong sense of community despite many challenges. “Every member of the poetry, fiction and CNF programs all feel like extended family members to me. They are always checking up on me to see what’s new with my writing and to keep up on all of my forthcoming publications.

Earn your master’s in fiction writing 

You can develop your author’s voice and explore your creativity with an MFA in Creative Writing with a fiction focus. You can write historical fiction, flash fiction and young adult fiction. Experienced, published faculty will guide you on your writing journey in a supportive literary community.

Master’s in fiction writing curriculum 

Carlow’s MFA in fiction program includes four 11-day residencies in Pittsburgh and Dublin, Ireland, that feature workshops, master classes and mentor conferences. In a required practicum, you will work on a writing and reading plan and submit work for critique, review and collaborative feedback. 

By the end of the program, you will produce and defend a publishable, book-length fiction manuscript. Lectures and readings in all genres are also available.

Quick facts

• Elevate your work with literary experiences and mentorships
• Build close connections with faculty and peers
• Expand your reading horizons and learn to critique fiction
• Create a publishable body of work

Admission requirements and application process

Expand your writing opportunities with an MFA in creative nonfiction

Experienced, published faculty will guide you on your writing journey in this program. You can explore memoirs, personal essays, short narrative work and lyric essays. A mentor will guide you to find the voice and structure that best suits your story.

You can take your writing skills to the next level and explore your creativity within a supportive literary community.

Nonfiction MFA curriculum

Carlow’s MFA in creative nonfiction program includes four 11-day residencies in Pittsburgh and Dublin, Ireland, that feature workshops, master classes and mentor conferences. Practicum work will be on a writing and reading plan designed with your mentor; you will submit work for critique, review and collaborative feedback. 

By the end of the program, you will create a book-length work of publishable creative nonfiction. Seminars, lectures and readings in all genres are also available.

Quick Facts

• Elevate your learning with small class sizes and a strong literary community
• Cultivate connections with peers and faculty
• Adapt your learning experience to your schedule
• Learn to critique creative nonfiction

Admission requirements and application process

An undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher is preferred; however, provisional admission is also possible if you do not meet all of the admission criteria but exhibit a strong possibility of academic success.

Writer found a home among her Carlow peers and mentors

Creative writing graduate student Georgia Hertz ’23 loved the community she found at Carlow. “Writing – like any artform – can be a lonely path to tread, but it doesn’t have to be done in isolation. Never have I felt such warmth and compassion from a group of writers as I have from my peers and mentors at Carlow University, both in Pittsburgh and in Dublin. We all delight in our growth as writers and we celebrate each other’s successes with love, as if they were our own.”