University of Houston

Texas, United States

Residential program

The Department of English advances the intellectual and cultural life of our thriving global city and furthers a national and international dialogue on narrative, poetics, history, and culture. Our faculty in literature, creative writing, rhetoric and composition, linguistics, and folklore produce scholarly and imaginative works that bridge a wide spectrum of disciplinary fields and shape our social surroundings. We educate students to be active, innovative citizens in an information age defined by cultural diversity, interconnection, and boundless interactive possibilities.

The faculty and staff of the University of Houston Creative Writing Program work hard to ensure that their students have a rich and engaging graduate education. The staff provides support for both faculty and students, and the faculty are dedicated to providing a graduate education that helps students grow as writers and people of letters. Through workshops, independent studies, and literature courses, the faculty work with students to challenge their understanding of themselves as writers and to deepen and critically reflect on the aesthetic, ethical, and political assumptions behind their writing. The faculty and staff seek, above all else, to provide students with a community in which writers can flourish.

The UH Creative Writing Program works hard to provide financial support to all of its students.

Teaching Assistantships:

MFA students can receive a teaching assistantship for 3 years (6 long semesters); PhD students can receive a teaching assistantship for 5 years (10 long semesters).

For MFA students the teaching load is 2/2 the first two years (which includes year 1 facilitation) and 2/1 the final year. Salary for first-year MFAs is $18,235.89 for 9 months.

For CWP PhDs the teaching load is 2/2 the first four years (which includes year 1 facilitation) and 2/0 or 0/0 the final year. Salary for first-year PhDs is $20,448.36 for 9 months.

All first-year teaching assistants in the Department of English will facilitate rather than teach courses. In this context, facilitate means that the TAs manage designated Blackboard forums in which the TAs interact regularly and asynchronously with undergraduate students. Facilitators do not grade the students’ writing in Blackboard forums, but guide and support the students, offering strategic feedback.

As part of the assistantship, students are awarded either a Graduate Tuition Fellowship, which remits tuition, or a Creative Writing Program Fellowship, which covers the cost of tuition. The tuition remission/coverage is guaranteed for all 3 years of the MFA teaching assistantship and for the full 5 years of the PhD teaching assistantship.

Sustaining the Writing Life Fellowships

Appointments are for one year with a partner organization, renewable depending on the student and organization. These fellowships are open to current MFA and PhD students. The mix of partner organizations shifts annually, though generally there are between four and six.

Research Assistantships

These have a similar time commitment to a Teaching Assistantship, though do not always involve teaching. Students have worked in an editorial capacity, for example, for Arte Público Press, but also taught courses or done research for Women’s Gender & Sexuality Studies.

Non-standard Teaching Assistantships

These involve the same baseline time commitment but have different teaching and work expectations.

Gulf Coast Editorships. Three of these are available each year and the positions are typically held for two years and begin only after one year of graduate study. Positions include Editor, Managing Editor, and Digital Editor. These are appointed by application to the Gulf Coast Board. Gulf Coast is an independent non-profit.

Glass Mountain Teaching Assistantship. Work with undergraduate literary magazine, Glass Mountain, on production and reading series and fundraising, and help organize Boldface Conference (comes with an extra summer stipend). TA teaches only one class each semester for the year it is held (one creative writing course and one 2300 course). Available to MFAs and PhDs and offered through CWP and the Faculty Advisor for Glass Mountain.

Unsung Masters Series Editorship. Co-edit volume on a writer whose work has been overlooked, alongside series co-director Kevin Prufer (with Wayne Miller of the University of Denver) and a well-known writer-editor chosen by the series’ Board of Directors. TA teaches only one class the year it is held. Generally, this is an editorship for PhDs.

Student Fellowships, Awards

There are three types of fellowships and awards: 1) Recruitment monies that we grant in varying combinations to give everyone adequate (read: full) funding for the duration of either their MFA or PhD; 2) fellowships students apply for once enrolled; 3) those for which students may be nominated.

Recruitment Fellowship Funding Package components offered through the CWP.

a. Recruitment Fellowships

b. African American Studies Fellowships

c. CJ Fellowships

d. Inprint Fellowships

i. Inprint International Student Support

e. Provosts Graduate Scholarships

f. Presidential Fellowships

g. Dean’s Recruitment Funds

h. Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center Fellowships

Fellowships and Awards for which students can—and should–apply.

a. CWP Research Fellowships. These are available through a CWP standing committee on a rolling basis. Amounts range from $75-1500 and are meant to underwrite student participation in writing conferences, colloquia, symposia, as well as research-related travel. Students can receive these grants multiple times, but students who have not received one are prioritized.

b. Inprint Student Writing Awards. This is a set of annual competitions available to all students after their first year and total about $50,000. You cannot win the same award twice. Awards are between $2,500 and $10,000.

c. AWP Funds. These are granted through the CWP by request to underwrite travel, lodging, and registration at the AWP Conference. You can receive this funding multiple times.

d. Ucross Fellowship. Also offered through the CWP, one Ucross Fellowship is offered annually, for students in the PhD track or faculty. Includes $5,000 stipend and one-month summer residency at Ucross Foundation in Sheridan, Wyoming ($10,000 value).

e. Napa Writers’ Conference. Two summer residencies offered annually. Available to MFA and PhD-track candidates, also through the CWP.

Fellowships by Nomination.

a. CLASS Dissertation Completion Grant. A $25,000, final-year grant offered through CLASS. This is meant to release you from all teaching so you can work on your dissertation.

b. Dissertation Buyout. A $27,000, final-year grant from the Creative Writing Program. This is meant to release you from all teaching so you can work on your dissertation. These buyouts are based on funds available and so are not guaranteed though we do our best to split them fairly and fund all final-year PhDs.

c. CLASS Summer Fellowship for Research Excellence and Diversity. Competitive, college-wide awards for thesis and dissertation support: $6,000 PhD, $3,000 MFA, up to $1,500 for travel support.

Contact Information

4800 Calhoun Rd
229 Roy Cullen Building, English Dept.
Houston
Texas, United States
77204-3015
Phone: (713) 743-3014
Email: cwp@uh.edu
http://class.uh.edu/cwp/

DEGREE PROGRAMS

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing+

Graduate Program Director

Kevin Prufer
Director
3687 Cullen Blvd
229 Roy Cullen Bldg, English Dept.
Houston
Texas, United States
77204
Email: cwp@uh.edu
URL: http://class.uh.edu/cwp/

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Building on emerging excellence in creative writing, the MFA student should work toward increased sophistication in his/her art. Correspondingly, the MFA student should have training in literary history and the intellectual and artistic debates that inform current literature. The MFA degree features focused attention on creative writing in a specific genre combined with study of a broad and diverse range of literatures in English. This degree is not a studio degree. It offers preparation for creative publication; for expert teaching in creative writing and literature; for leadership in communication for business, education, and arts organizations; or for advanced studies in literature and creative writing on the PhD level.

Minimum Requirements for Admission

- BA degree

- 3.0 GPA in undergraduate studies

- One foreign language (may be completed while in residence for the degree)

- Application Deadline: January 15

Degree Requirements

- 36 hours of coursework (four semesters of full-time study) in this distribution:

- 3 hours of Writers on Literature (ENGL 7324)

- 15 Hours in creative writing, including 9 workshop hours in the primary genre, 3 hours of Forms and Techniques (ENGL 6320 or 6321), and 3 hours of Master Workshop (ENGL 8322 or 8323)

- 12 hours of English or American literature, divided between early and later literatures.

- 6 hours of electives

- One foreign language

- MFA thesis

Application Materials

- Online application and application fee.

- Three letters of recommendation from people who know your creative or academic work well. Letters will be solicited by the UH Admissions Office and submitted electronically.

- Official academic transcripts (sealed in the issuing envelope)

from every university or colleges you have attended.

Official transcripts should be sent directly to the UH Graduate

Admissions Office (University of Houston, Graduate

Admissions, P.O. Box 3947, Houston, TX 77253-3947).

- Copies of official transcripts with degrees posted, uploaded to online application.

- Your Statement of Intent (1000 words, double-spaced). State why you wish to pursue graduate studies in creative writing; which writers in your genre you are reading and their importance to your work; and whether you have taught before and intend to pursue teaching as a career.

Note: submitting more than the recommended amount is strongly discouraged and could adversely affect the evaluation process.

Type of Program: Studio/Research
Largest Class Size: 12
Smallest Class Size: 6
Genres: Fiction, Poetry
Duration of Study: 3 years
Unit of Measure: Credits
Workshop: 15
Literature: 9
Other: 12
Thesis: 6
Total Units for Degree: 42
Other Requirements: Foreign language proficiency.
Application Requirements: Transcripts, Writing Sample, Application Form, Letters of Recommendation

PhD in Creative Writing+

Graduate Program Director

Kevin Prufer
Director
3687 Cullen Blvd
229 Roy Cullen Bldg, English Dept.
Houston
Texas, United States
77204
Email: cwp@uh.edu
URL: http://class.uh.edu/cwp/

Building on excellence in creative writing and a record of excellence in the student’s MA preparation in the broad range of English and American literature or MFA preparation in creative writing and literature, the PhD student in literature and creative writing should work toward increased sophistication as a writer/scholar.

The PhD in Creative Writing and Literature offers innovative, multidisciplinary curriculum; dedicated advising and mentorship from the English department’s dynamic faculty; and solid preparation for expert teaching in the university classroom. The Creative Writing and Literature PhD curriculum is comprised of professional development courses, courses in a curricular area stream, elective courses, and creative writing workshops. As part of their curricular plans, all English department PhD students must enroll in one of five curricular area streams:

Critical Studies of the Americas

Critical Poetics

Empire Studies

Translingual Studies

Rhetoric, Composition, and Pedagogy (For RCP students only; these students will be automatically enrolled in this area stream.)

Each area stream balances training in foundational disciplinary knowledge with opportunities for specialization that engender creative research and independent thinking. Area stream selections also support PhD students by providing dedicated faculty advising and an intellectual community of faculty mentors and graduate student colleagues. The degree offers preparation for creative and scholarly publication and for success in a variety of arts and humanities professions.

Minimum Requirements for Admission

- MA in English or MFA in Creative Writing

- 3.5 GPA in graduate studies

- One foreign language (may be completed while in residence for the degree)

- Application Deadline: January 15

Degree Requirements

1) 45 hours of coursework (five semesters of full-time study) in this distribution:

6 hours of Professional Development

- 3 hours Intro to Doctoral Studies

- 3 hours Master Workshop

12 hours Area Stream

- Empire Studies

- Critical Studies of the Americas

- Critical Poetics

- Translingual Studies

12 hours Creative Writing Workshops

- 3 hours History of Poetry and Poetics OR Narrative and Narrative Theory

- 3 hours Writers on Literature

- 6 hours Major Genre Workshop**

15 hours Elective Courses, each contributing to the student’s area of expertise. Students should select each of these courses in consultation with his/her faculty mentors.

- 3 hours Early Literature (pre-1900)

- 3 hours Later Literature (post-1900)

If students have taken a course or courses (up to 9 hours) that meet requirements in their MA, the requirements will be waived, allowing students to take additional elective courses (but not reducing the total required hours toward the degree).

2) Doctoral Exams

- 2 written exams (one major field; one sub-field)

- 1 oral exam

- Foreign Language (reading knowledge of two foreign languages or intensive knowledge of one foreign language)

- Dissertation Prospectus

- Dissertation

Application Materials

- Online application and application fee.

- Three letters of recommendation from people who know your creative or academic work well. Letters will be solicited by the UH Admissions Office and submitted electronically.

- Official academic transcripts (sealed in the issuing envelope) from every university or colleges you have attended. Official transcripts should be sent directly to the UH Graduate Admissions Office (University of Houston, Graduate Admissions, P.O. Box 3947, Houston, TX 77253-3947).

- Copies of official transcripts with degrees posted, uploaded to online application.

- An original creative writing sample (10 pages for poetry, 20-25 pages for prose). Fiction and nonfiction manuscripts should be double-spaced, on numbered, single-sided pages; poetry may be single-spaced and formatted as desired. Note: submitting more than the recommended amount is strongly discouraged and could adversely affect the evaluation process.

- A critical manuscript (no more than 20 pages), usually a scholarly paper written for a literature course.

Type of Program: Research/Theory/Studio
Largest Class Size: 8
Smallest Class Size: 6
Genres: Fiction, Poetry
Duration of Study: 5 years
Unit of Measure: Hours
Workshop: 12
Literature: 12
Other: 21
Thesis: 6
Total Units for Degree: 51
Other Requirements: Foreign Language (reading knowledge of two foreign languages or intensive knowledge of one foreign language)
Application Requirements: Transcripts, Writing Sample, Application Form, Letters of Recommendation, Other

FACULTY

Robert Boswell

Tumbledown, The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards, Century's Son, American Owned Love, Mystery Ride, The Geography of Desire, Crooked Hearts, Living to Be 100, The Half-Known World.

http://www.class.uh.edu/cwp/people_faculty_boswell.html

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Shadowland: Book III of the Brotherhood of the Conch,The Palace of Illusions, The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming Queen of Dreams, California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century, The Conch Bearer, Neela: Victory Song, Vine of Desire, The Unknown Errors of Our Lives, Sister of My Heart, The Mistress of Spices, Leaving Yuba City, Arranged Marriage, Black Candle, The Reason for Nasturtiums

http://www.class.uh.edu/cwp/people_faculty_divakaruni.html

Nick Flynn

Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, Some Ether, Blind Huber, The Ticking is the Bomb, The Captain Asks for a Show of Hands, The Reenactments, My Feelings, Alice Invents a Little Game

http://www.class.uh.edu/cwp/people_faculty_flynn.html

Antonya Nelson

Funny Once, Bound, Nothing Right, Some Fun, Female Trouble, Living to Tell, Nobody's Girl, Talking in Bed, Family Terrorists, In the Land of Men, The Expendables

http://www.class.uh.edu/cwp/people_faculty_nelson.html

Alexander Parsons

Leaving Disneyland, In the Shadows of the Sun.

http://www.class.uh.edu/cwp/people_faculty_parsons.html

Martha Serpas

The Diener, Cote Blanche, The Dirty Side of the Storm.

http://www.class.uh.edu/cwp/people_faculty_serpas.html

Kevin Prufer

The Art of Fiction, How He Loved Them, Churches, In a Beautiful Country, National Anthem, The Finger Bone, Strange Wood, Fallen from a Chariot.

http://www.class.uh.edu/cwp/people_faculty_prufer.html

Pete Turchi

A Muse and a Maze, Maps of the Imagination: The Writer as Cartographer; Suburban Journals: The Sketchbooks, Drawings, and Prints of Charles Ritchie, in collaboration with the artist; a novel, The Girls Next Door; a collection of stories, Magician; and The Pirate Prince.

https://uh.edu/class/english/people/faculty/turchi/