The MFA at USC is a three-year, 45-hour program, and provides broad exposure to literary studies and literary theory as well as the more traditional creative writing curriculum.

For our students, particularly those who seek to teach at the college or university level, this enhanced curriculum translates into stronger qualifications for a wider array of academic jobs, as well as a deeper understanding of the interplay between those who produce literary texts and those who study and analyze them.

All MFA students pursue the following curriculum:

• 15 hours of workshop courses
• 9 hours of literature courses
• 3 hours of theory
• 12 hours of approved electives
• 6 hours of MFA project writing
• Oral defense of project

MFA Project

A book-length work (a novel, a collection of short stories, or a collection of poems) of a quality that compares favorably with work being published by university presses, commercial trade publishers, or independent literary presses.