Started in 1980, the Graduate Creative Writing Program at George Mason University has earned a national reputation. The core faculty consist of internationally-recognized writers, and graduates of the program have published with both major and small presses and in national commercial and literary magazines. Faculty are active in such organizations as PEN/Faulkner, which annually awards its prestigious prize in fiction, and the Association of Writers & Writing Programs, which has its national headquarters on Mason's campus. Students write for and edit several nationally-circulated literary magazines.

Admission is competitive. Each year, more than 300 applicants seek the 38 places (15 each in fiction and poetry, up to 8 in nonfiction). The most important factor in gaining admittance is the quality of the portfolio.

The master of fine arts in creative writing has three concentrations: poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. Students should apply to only one concentration, although a student turned down by one concentration may subsequently apply to another or to that same concentration in a subsequent year.

Nondegree Enrollment

Students interested in taking individual courses or in applying in the future to the MFA program are welcome to apply to take classes as non degree students; such enrollments are allowed only with the instructor’s permission. Students already admitted as non degree students who are interested in taking a specific creative writing course should submit a brief letter of introduction and a writing sample to the professor at least one week before the start of classes. Students who are not already admitted as non degree students first need to apply for non degree status. Students who have been denied admission to the MFA program may not take courses as non degree students.

Reduction of Credit

With the approval of the MFA faculty, the program director, and the dean, the number of credits required for an MFA may be reduced by a maximum of 20 credits on the basis of graduate course work before admission.