Georgia College & State University - College of Arts and Sciences-Creative Writing

About this program

After you've lived your story, are you ready to tell your story? The GCSU Creative Writing Program offers the MFA in Creative Writing, but more, we offer an intimate, supportive community that supports talented, disciplined creative writers. The college is in the heart of historic downtown Milledgeville, a small college town that features local restaurants, cafes, farmer's markets, and more. The Oconee River Greenway park is a short walk or bike ride away. But Milledgeville is less than two hours from Atlanta, and less than three hours to the beaches of Savannah or the mountains of North Georgia. In our program, you'll find a place to get away and write, but also a place to live after you return from your Peace Corps journey. We offer thesis options in creative nonfiction, fiction, and poetry, as well as other classes that focus on literature, theory, and pedagogy. Learn more about our program, and let us know if you have any questions!

Year partnership began: 2008
Fellowships awarded per year (average): 1 to 2

Application requirements

Online application ($35) and signature page. Three letters of recommendation. ALL college transcripts. Writing sample, Statement of Purpose, Resume or CV. PLEASE see our web site for complete info.

Admissions process

Fellows apply the same as all other applicants, but do need to provide verification that they have successfully completed their Peace Corps residency. Fellows should also include in their resume/CV any experience relevant to teaching/working with young people.

Degrees awarded

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing

Benefits and opportunities

	In-state	Out-of-state
Tuition and fees	$5,200	$20,508
Value of fellowship	$13,800	$29,108
Net cost	$0 + additional benefits	$0 + additional benefits

Net cost is equal to tuition/fees minus fellowship value. For some universities, the fellowship value includes non-tuition/fee benefits such as health insurance or housing. See cost savings details for more.

Estimated annual cost of living: $14,694

Cost savings details

Full-Tuition Waiver (in-state or out-of-state) + $8,600 assistantship stipend. Students only pay mandatory fees (approximately $2,072). All numbers based on 2023-2024 tuition and fees and MFA G.A. stipends (all subject to change).

Internship

Coverdell Fellows in our Program serve as a teacher (year one) and coordinator (year two) in their two-year Coverdell Fellowship with our Creative Writing Early College program. (In their third year, Coverdell Fellows focus on teaching college courses and working on their thesis projects; however, continued involvement with our Early College program is also possible.) GCSU undergraduate and graduate students serve as mentors to Early College seventh graders, teaching and encouraging young writers. GCEC is a public school (grades 7-12) that serves students from Baldwin and Putnam counties with the goal of helping them create a strong path towards college enrollment (and when ready, students can take college level core classes). Our program's creative writing students work all year with the seventh graders, and the culmination of that work is a public reading by the students and a collection of their work in a literary journal called "The Peacock's Feather."

Other opportunities

All MFA students may serve as editorial assistants with our national literary journal "Arts & Letters." In addition to their teaching and other work related to Early College, Coverdell Fellows are also assigned college level courses in composition and literature (ENGL 1101 & 1102: 1 course per semester in year two; 2 courses per semester in year.

Jobs for alumni

Many Coverdell Fellows have graduated from our program. John Teschner (2010) wrote a compelling essay "On Drones" for "The Iowa Review." After graduating, he was a successful grants manager for AchieveMpls, but now lives in Hawaii working on his own writing and as a freelance grants writer. Valerie Wayson (2012) currently teaches at the American University of Iraq-Sulaimani. Read her compelling essay "Fire" in "Cargo Literary Magazine," which takes place in Iraqi Kurdistan. Jennifer Watkins (2020) works for the Writers in the Schools Program in Missoula, Montana.

Nontraditional options

Our program is a traditional residential program, in keeping with GCSU's mission as the public liberal arts university for the University System of Georgia.