Online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Access faculty made up of award-winning, world-renowned poets and fiction writers in one of the only 100% online MFAs in Creative Writing. No GRE is required.

Become a Published Author. Pursue a Career in Writing/Teaching.

This is a highly competitive program for serious writers who have the potential for great literary significance. It’s perfect if you:

  • Want to work full-time and want to go on to pursue a career in writing or teaching at the university level.

  • Are a serious writer who wants to publish your work.

  • Need to learn strategies to become a better writer.

  • Want to be a part of an international community of writers without borders.

We help you achieve your goal by creating an exclusive community that includes well-known literary personalities and published authors. Note that we also offer an optional low-residency opportunity every summer in Europe, in such cities as London, Paris and Madrid.

Learn With Award-Winning Faculty

Our department is filled with world-renowned, award-winning, bilingual faculty who bring their talent to the classroom; among our ranks are Andrea Cote Botero, José de Piérola, Tim Z. Hernandez, Sasha R. Pimentel, Jeff Sirkin, Lex Williford, Sylvia A. Zéleny and Daniel Chacón. We currently have two visiting faculty members: Jessica Powers and JD Pluecker, who teach children’s/YA literature and poetry respectively. In the past, we have had award-winning writers who have served as visiting faculty and shared their expertise with our students: this list includes Natalie Diaz, Laurie Ann Guerrero, Heather Hartley and Carolina Ebeid.

Learn More

Learn how UTEP Connect can help you earn the degree or certificate you need.

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  • 100% online
  • One of the only fully online MFAs in Creative Writing
  • Designed for writers with great talent and drive in fiction and poetry
  • Provides a graduate degree needed to teach at the university level
  • Provides access to a stellar faculty including world-renowned poets and fiction writers
  • No GRE required
  • Highly affordable and flexible program
  • Tuition: $490/credit hour (in-state students) or $575/credit hour (out-of-state students)

Meet Selected Faculty

Andrea Cote-Botero

Cote-Botero is the author of the poetry collections: “La ruina que nombro” (2015), “Port in Ashes,” “Fragile Things” and “Chinatown 24 hours” (Object Book). She has also published books of prose: “A Nude Photographer: A Biography of Tina Modotti” and “Blanca Varela or Writing From Solitude.” She has obtained the following recognitions: The National Prize of Poetry from the Universidad Externado of Colombia (2003), the Puentes de Struga International Poetry Prize (2005) and the Cittá de Castrovillari Prize (2010) to the Italian edition of Port in Ashes. Her poems have been translated into English, French, German, Catalan, Italian, Portuguese, Macedonian, Arabic, Polish and Greek. Her first poetry book, “Puerto Calcinado,” was published in French by the prestigious Quebecois press Ecrist de Forge. This book was presented at the 2015 International Poetry Festival of Montreal.

Tim Hernandez

An award-winning writer and performance artist, Hernandez has written three volumes of poetry, two novels, and most recently, a documentary novel based on the 1948 Los Gatos plane crash. As a performance artist, he has worked with Grammy Award-winners, hip-hop performers and Latin Rock artists; his work has been featured in a variety of venues including the Getty Center. Hernandez’s first poetry collection and first novel both won awards—the 2006 American Book Award and the 2010 Premio Aztlán Literary Prize respectively. In 2011, the Poetry Society of America named him one of sixteen New American Poets and he has been featured extensively in news media including the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, CNN, C-Span Book TV, Public Radio International, and National Public Radio.

Connect to Your Future

Application deadlines are approaching. Learn more today!