by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 154 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for creative writing students pursuing a master's degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,996 master's degrees in creative writing to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of creative writing for getting your master's degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
The overall quality of a master's degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To take this into account we consider a school's overall Best Colleges for a Master's Degree ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for creative writing students working on their master's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Creative Writing Master's Degree Schools list to help you make the college decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a master's degree in creative writing. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It's hard to beat Johns Hopkins University if you want to pursue a master's degree in creative writing. Located in the city of Baltimore, Johns Hopkins is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Johns Hopkins University
It's difficult to beat Columbia University in the City of New York if you want to pursue a master's degree in creative writing. Columbia is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Columbia University in the City of New York
Northwestern University is a good option for students interested in a master's degree in creative writing. Located in the city of Evanston, Northwestern is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Northwestern University
University of Iowa is one of the best schools in the country for getting a master's degree in creative writing. Located in the city of Iowa City, Iowa is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from University of Iowa
UMN Twin Cities is a very large public university located in the large city of Minneapolis.More information about a master’s in creative writing from University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
UW Seattle is a fairly large public university located in the city of Seattle.More information about a master’s in creative writing from University of Washington - Seattle Campus
Brown is a large private not-for-profit university located in the midsize city of Providence.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Brown University
Located in the city of Cambridge, Harvard is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Harvard University
WUSTL is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Saint Louis.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Washington University in St Louis
Notre Dame is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Notre Dame.More information about a master’s in creative writing from University of Notre Dame
Located in the city of Nashville, Vanderbilt is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Vanderbilt University
UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the city of Austin.More information about a master’s in creative writing from The University of Texas at Austin
Iowa State is a fairly large public university located in the city of Ames.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Iowa State University
Located in the city of Boston, Boston U is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Boston University
NYU is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of New York.More information about a master’s in creative writing from New York University
Located in the suburb of Fairfax, GMU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from George Mason University
Located in the city of Raleigh, NC State is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from North Carolina State University
Located in the town of Oxford, Miami University - Oxford is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Miami University - Oxford
Located in the town of Bowling Green, BGSU is a public university with a large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Bowling Green State University - Main Campus
Located in the city of Syracuse, Syracuse is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from Syracuse University
Located in the city of San Diego, SDSU is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from San Diego State University
Located in the large suburb of College Park, UMCP is a public university with a fairly large student population.More information about a master’s in creative writing from University of Maryland - College Park
University of Arizona is a very large public university located in the city of Tucson.More information about a master’s in creative writing from University of Arizona
Learn about other programs related to Creative Writing that might interest you.
Low-Residency MFA in Fiction and Nonfiction
Harness your passion for storytelling with SNHU's Mountainview Low-Residency MFA in Fiction and Nonfiction. In this small, two-year creative writing program, students work one-on-one with our distinguished faculty remotely for most of the semester but convene for weeklong intensive residencies in June and January. At residencies, students critique each other's work face-to-face, meet with major authors, agents and editors and learn how to teach at the college level.
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Creative Writing Master's Degree Schools award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 26 | Saint Joseph’s University | Philadelphia, PA |
| 27 | Arizona State University - Tempe | Tempe, AZ |
| 28 | Northern Arizona University | Flagstaff, AZ |
| 29 | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Champaign, IL |
| 30 | Texas State University | San Marcos, TX |
| 24 | Lindenwood University | Saint Charles, MO |
| 25 | Pacific University | Forest Grove, OR |
View the Best Creative Writing Master's Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Creative Writing is one of 4 different types of Writing Studies programs to choose from.
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing | 338 |
| Other Rhetoric & Composition/Writing Studies | 151 |
| Rhetoric & Composition | 119 |
| General Writing | 93 |
