Graduate
M.A. in English | M.F.A. in Creative Writing
Our M.A. and M.F.A. fields of study are grounded in our core values: academic excellence, innovative instruction, a collaborative and engaged learning environment, and a commitment to every student’s professional success.
Four 2-year MAs | One 3-year MFA
Innovative & Engaged
We offer four different two-year graduate programs and a three-year M.F.A. within the CSU English Department.
Why pursue an M.A. or M.F.A. at CSU?
At CSU English, graduate study is built around mentorship, intellectual curiosity, and professional growth. Our programs feature small cohorts that allow for individualized attention and meaningful relationships with nationally and internationally recognized faculty.
You’ll join a supportive community of scholars, writers, and teachers engaged in interdisciplinary work and committed to graduate student success. Beyond the classroom, you’ll have access to extensive professional development opportunities, including career workshops, colloquia, internships, teaching experiences, certificate programs, and our nationally recognized Graduate Teaching Assistant program.
Located in Fort Collins, CSU offers the benefits of a vibrant small city with a thriving arts and humanities scene, from public art and speaker series to First Friday celebrations, poetry slams, and community engagement opportunities.
Ready to apply to a graduate program?
Learn more about our GTA program
Begin your GTA Application
Opportunities & Resources
The Community Literacy Center’s primary mission is to create and facilitate literacy opportunities that invite community members—particularly people experiencing confinement or in recovery—to engage in innovative and supportive writing spaces and to value the writing and art that emerges through conversation and circulation.
This internship allows graduate students the chance to teach creative writing in local elementary classrooms to 4th, 5th, or 6th graders. Participants are eligible for 1 internship credit for leading eight one-hour sessions in a participating elementary classroom. The program also offers a $300 honorarium for all participating interns. Email graduate coordinator Sean Waters sean.waters@colostate.edu to learn more.
The Organization of Graduate Student Writers (OGSW) consists of representatives from the Creative Writing MFA and is dedicated to providing students with opportunities to practice, enjoy, and participate in the creative writing community. We do this by organizing readings, workshops, visiting speakers, and other free events and services for the CSU community.
The Creative Writing Reading Series hosts distinguished literary voices to share their work and to engage with the local community each semester. Visiting writers hold audience question-and-answer sessions, book signings, other outreach activities, and salons.
The purpose of the TEFL/TESL Student Association (TTSA) is to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and raise awareness about the field of TEFL/TESL in the Colorado State University community and the greater Fort Collins community. Members are active throughout the year arranging social and professional events, and organizing their annual “Advocacy Week” event, which takes place during the spring semester and features a keynote speech from a leading figure in the TESOL field. This event offers students an opportunity to conduct events on and off campus to advocate for the field of TEFL/TESL and English language learners. Past speakers who have delivered talks during this event have been Andrew Cohen, Dana Ferris, Eli Hinkel, Paul Matsuda, Fredricka Stoller, and Bill Van Patten (among others).
The English Grad Student Association is a student-led group within the English department. We welcome all English grad students to join us for monthly meetings where we talk about events, community, academics, and support. We also have free food! One of the goals of the EGSA is to provide a cross-departmental space for English grads of every focus to come together and support one another through the adventure of grad school.
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Future Students
Interested in learning more about our graduate programs?
Contact the English department at the button below to get answers to your specific questions about our programs, people, and possibilities.
Skip the fee and apply for free: Explore fee waivers for qualifying applicants
CSU supports options for students to apply for free as part of our commitment to access. We have options for graduate students to apply for free through fee waivers.
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New & Current Students
Are you a new graduate student at CSU?
The following site serves as a digital handbook for use throughout your student journey. Bookmark this page to quickly access essential academic, professional, and well-being resources, as well as important information about graduate student responsibilities.
Want to explore the wide-range of graduate courses we offer in the English department?
Check out the Course Catalog or browse our current course offerings below.
Student Perspectives
“I personally felt like CSU’s program reached out to me instead of vice versa. I had made connections before I even began the program with both faculty and other students thanks to the English Department’s accepted-graduate student day, and it felt like home. CSU was the clear choice for my graduate education, offering ongoing opportunities for funding smaller endeavors like conference travel, as well as options for funding the degree through internships of all kinds. I’ve worked harder than I’ve ever worked, and I’ve had the most fun at the same time—I can’t say that about anything else!”
– Joni Hayward, M.A. English: Literature
“Eight short months into my MFA in Creative Writing, I can say with conviction that I am a radically altered poet and thinker, led by faculty and peers both to new vantages as to new fathoms. My time here affords me a deeply considered, even ethical understanding of the real work of the poem that has moved me out of the sole limits of the written word into the world itself.”
-Kylan Rice, M.F.A. Creative Writing
Robust professional development and career preparation
Professional development is woven throughout the graduate experience. You’ll build meaningful mentoring relationships with faculty while exploring opportunities that align with your academic, creative, and career goals.
Graduate students benefit from workshops on topics such as presenting research at conferences, grant writing, publishing, pursuing doctoral study, exploring careers beyond academia, and communicating scholarly work to broader audiences. You’ll also have access to internships in a variety of professional settings, funding to attend and present at conferences, and regular announcements about scholarships, awards, jobs, and internship opportunities.
Hands-on teaching and professional experience are central to our programs. Students may serve as Graduate Teaching Assistants, work as Writing Center consultants, assist faculty in undergraduate courses, or participate in CSU’s Teaching Certificate program through The Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT). In addition, specialized career advising for humanities graduate students provides personalized support as you prepare for your next step, whether in academia, the nonprofit sector, publishing, industry, or public service.