Creative Writing has been a vital part of the Vanderbilt English Department for nearly a century, since the poet and critic John Crowe Ransom’s famous class which he called “a practical course in writing various types of prose, including the short story.” Notable writers who have studied at Vanderbilt include Robert Penn Warren, Randall Jarrell, Peter Taylor, Ellen Gilchrist, and James Dickey.  Vanderbilt’s writing tradition continues today with the English Department’s Master of Fine Arts Program.

The M.F.A. at Vanderbilt is a two-year program involving four semesters of graduate work in writing workshops and seminars. Students enrolled will take a workshop and two seminars each semester, until their final semester, when work on the thesis will take the place of the seminars. The thesis will be a substantial piece of creative writing: a novel, a collection of short stories or creative non-fiction, or a collection of poems.  All first year students word as Writing Consultants in the Vanderbilt Writing Studio, and second year students teach an introductory creative writing workshop in their genre.

Venues for creative writers to share their work at Vanderbilt include an annual, The Vanderbilt Review. Another yearly event is the competition for the Academy of American Poets Prize, given for the best poem submitted by a student enrolled in Vanderbilt. Each semester the Gertrude Vanderbilt and Harold S. Vanderbilt Visiting Writers Series brings writers to campus to read from their work and visit classes. In the spring, the literary symposium gathers writers around a theme for two days of readings and panel discussions. Every other year a distinguished writer in residence visits for a semester and teachers a workshop in his or her genre. Vanderbilt's literary life is an ongoing resource for creative writers.

Some of the highlights of the program include:

n      All of students in the MFA program are fully funded.  Each receives full-tuition remission, health insurance, and a stipend.

n      Applicants with exceptionally-high GRE scores and undergraduate academic records are eligible to be nominated for topping-up awards that increase the amount of their fellowship.

n      Travel support to AWP Conference (and other academic conferences) is available from the Graduate School for MFA students who are presenting.

n      Our faculty of nine creative writers works closely with a total of twelve students, half in poetry, and half in prose.

n      Our twelve MFA students work harmoniously and productively alongside their fellow graduate students in the English doctoral program.  A highlight of this harmony is the English Department's Graduate Reading Series, which takes place during spring semesters, and features the work of one MFA student and one Ph.D. student each week.

n      The graduate English program in which our MFA is located was recently ranked number one in the country for small, prestigious programs. 

Vanderbilt’s Central Campus lies in the center of Nashville, just a few blocks from Music Row and less than a mile from downtown.  The 350 acres on which our campus sits – surrounded by magnolia trees and brick walls – is a registered National Arboretum.  It is a gorgeous and fragrant year round respite for all who study and work here.