texas state university creative writing

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Creative Writing (M.F.A.)

M.f.a creative writing.

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Program Overview

The M.F.A. program offers students access to incredible resources, including readings and master classes given by acclaimed visiting writers, agent and editor talks, and facilities like the Katherine Anne Porter Literary Center in Kyle and the Clark House in Smithville. Each year, two graduates of the program hold residencies in these literary landmarks.

Course Work

The program requires 48 semester hours, including:

• writing workshops
• form and theory
• literary techniques
• minor or cognate (other than creative writing)
• thesis credit leading to the production of a book-length work of literary merit

Students may take literature courses in either poetry or fiction, but workshop classes are limited to students who are studying that particular genre. Students may also receive course credit for work on Porter House Review , the program's literary journal.

What Our Alumni Say

“The Texas State M.F.A. program helped shape the writer I am today. I worked with a faculty of amazing writers and insightful mentors, and I found a community of creatives that has lasted long past graduation. I’m forever grateful for my years at Texas State.”

— Owen Egerton, M.F.A. ’05, Screenwriter and Novelist

Program Details

Recent graduates have won a National Endowment for the Arts Literature Fellowship, a Wallace Stegner Fellowship from Stanford, an AWP prize for Best Novel, and an honorable mention for the PEN/Faulkner Award.

Program Mission

The program provides students with graduate-level knowledge of literature and theory, as well as the skills to function as advanced practitioners within their genre. Students will demonstrate their development as artists through proficiency with the elements of craft in their area of concentration, along with a mature understanding of writerly process and discipline.

Career Options

The M.F.A. is considered a terminal degree, which means that graduates can teach at a university level. Many graduates are working practitioners of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and screenplays and also possess highly-developed writing skills that are valuable in a wide variety of work environments. Graduates of the Texas State program are competitive with literature doctoral students.

Program Faculty

Our program offers students the opportunity to learn from renowned writers and committed mentors. Students workshop with Tim O'Brien, Naomi Shihab Nye, and our Endowed Chair, a position held on a rotating basis by internationally acclaimed writers, most recently by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, Tea Obreht, and Karen Russell. They also work closely with our full-time faculty, including Doug Dorst, Jennifer duBois, Tom Grimes, and Debra Monroe in fiction, as well as Cyrus Cassells, Cecily Parks, Kathleen Peirce, Roger Jones, and Steve Wilson in poetry.

Contact us for general questions about your application, funding opportunities, and more. If you have specific questions after reviewing the program details, contact the program's graduate advisor.

Graduate Advisor Debra Monroe [email protected] 512.422.9768 Flowers Hall (FH)

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Application Process

Review requirements, submit application, upload documents, check status, application deadlines.

This program's deadline is firm. This type of deadline means the application and other application requirements must be submitted by the program's specified deadline day.

Admission Requirements

The items required for admission consideration are listed below.  Additional information for applicants with international credentials can be found on our  international web pages .

Application

• Completed  online application

Review  important information  about the online application.

Application Fee

• $55 Nonrefundable application fee, OR
• $90 Nonrefundable application fee for applications with international credentials

Review  important information  about application fees.

Transcripts & GPA

• baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university (Non-U.S. degrees must be equivalent to a four-year U.S. Bachelor’s degree. In most cases, three-year degrees are not considered. Visit our International FAQs for more information.)
• a copy of an official transcript from  each institution  where course credit was granted
• minimum 2.75 GPA in your  last 60 hours  of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)

Review important information about transcripts. Official transcripts, sent directly from your institution, will be required if admission is granted.

Effective Fall 2024

• a 2.75 overall GPA or 2.75 GPA in your  last 60 hours  of undergraduate course work (plus any completed graduate courses)

Test Scores

• GRE not required

Approved English Proficiency Exam Scores

Applicants are required to submit an approved English proficiency exam score that meets the minimum program requirements below unless they have earned a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or the equivalent from a country on our  exempt countries list .

• official TOEFL iBT scores required with a 78 overall
• official PTE scores required with a 52 overall
• minimum individual module scores of 6.0
• official Duolingo scores required with a 110 overall
• official TOEFL Essentials scores required with an 8.5 overall

This program does not offer admission if the scores above are not met.

Review important information about official test scores.

• How do you hope to use this time to grow as a writer? You might additionally choose to address scholarly goals, professional goals, and/or what you see as the benefits of living and working in a community that embraces individuals from all backgrounds.
• submit as a PDF file
• If you are applying for an Instructional or Teaching Assistantship, all letters should also discuss your potential as a teacher
• Fiction applicants should submit a maximum of 25 double-spaced pages of their work (short stories and/or a novel excerpts)
• Poetry applicants should submit 12-15 poems
• Both Fiction and Poetry applicants may, if they choose, also include one creative nonfiction essay or excerpt in their portfolio, subject to the same 25-page maximum for the manuscript in total

Review important information about documents.

Additional Information

• Application Decisions
• International Applicants
• Reapplication Process

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• Faculty Experts

TXST Creative writing graduate student wins prestigious international short story prize

Student Experience

Julie Cooper | July 28, 2022

Idza Luhumyo, a second-year student in Texas State University’s MFA Creative Writing program, has been awarded the 2022 AKO Caine Prize for African Writing.  

She was honored for her short story “Five Years Next Sunday,” described by the judges as “an incandescent story.” The award was announced July 18 at a ceremony in London. Luhumyo is the fifth Kenyan to win the prize. The AKO Caine Prize, introduced in 2000, is a literature prize  given to an African writer of a short story published in English.  

“Five Years Next Sunday” appeared in the Short Story Day Africa anthology titled Disruption (Catalyst Press, 2021). It tells the story of “a young woman with the unique power to call the rain in her hair. Feared by her family and community, a chance encounter with a foreigner changes her fortunes, but there are duplicitous designs upon her most prized and vulnerable possession.”

For her win, Luhumyo will receive a cash award of £10,000 (about $12,000) while the other four finalists receive £500 ($600). The five stories will appear in the 2022 AKO Caine Prize anthology published later this year by Cassava Republic Press.

“I’m thrilled that the judges chose this story as the winner of this year’s prize. The win not only exposes the story to more readers, but also motivates me to keep pursuing the ideas that interest me,” Luhumyo said.

At Texas State, Luhumyo holds the Rose Fellowship and has been awarded the Clark Scholarship. She was also among 10 women awarded the 2022-2023  Philanthropic Educational Organization (P.E.O.) International Peace Scholarship.

Luhumyo’s work has appeared in numerous journals, including Popula, Jalada Africa, The Writivism Anthology, Baphash Literary & Arts Quarterly, MaThoko’s Books, Short Story Day Africa, the New Internationalist , and African Arguments . Her work has been shortlisted for the Short Story Day Africa Prize, the Miles Morland Writing Scholarship, and the Gerald Kraak Award. She is the inaugural winner of the Margaret Busby New Daughters of Africa Award (2020) and winner of the Short Story Day Africa Prize (2021).

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26 Best colleges for Creative Writing in Texas

Updated: February 29, 2024

• Art & Design
• Computer Science
• Engineering
• Environmental Science
• Liberal Arts & Social Sciences
• Mathematics

Below is a list of best universities in Texas ranked based on their research performance in Creative Writing. A graph of 70.1K citations received by 6.4K academic papers made by 26 universities in Texas was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

1. University of Texas at Austin

For Creative Writing

2. Texas A&M University - College Station

3. University of Houston

4. Texas Tech University

5. University of North Texas

6. Rice University

7. Baylor University

8. University of Texas at San Antonio

9. Southern Methodist University

10. Texas State University

11. Texas Christian University

12. Trinity University

13. University of Texas at Dallas

14. University of Texas at El Paso

15. University of Texas Medical Branch

16. University of Texas at Arlington

17. Baylor College of Medicine

18. Texas Woman's University

19. University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

20. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi

21. Sam Houston State University

22. University of Houston - Clear Lake

23. Texas A&M University - Commerce

24. University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

25. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

26. Stephen F Austin State University

Closest to Texas states to learn Creative Writing

Art & Design subfields in Texas

University Writing Center

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Supporting current students, faculty, and staff.

  All writing. All majors and genres. Any stage in your writing process.

Did You Know? 

We will open for fall 2024 on tuesday, september 3. .

Flexible Options for Everyone: Whether you prefer in-person or the convenience of online, we've got you covered! Join us on campus or connect with us through Zoom.

We're Here to Support You: Our team is eager to assist you with all your writing needs, from essays to scholarship applications. 

Start Your Writing Journey: Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your writing skills with expert peer guidance. We look forward to welcoming you!

You can have up to 50 minutes of appointments a day. After 2 missed appointments, the scheduling system will block future appointments.

How to Book an Appointment

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View this profile on Instagram TXST University Writing Center (@ txstwc ) • Instagram photos and videos

Texas State University Writing Center

University Writing Center

• How Consultations Work
• Mission Statement
• Meet Our Team
• Graduate-Level Writing Workshops

Creative Writers' Circle

• Revising for Scholarly Publication
• Workshop Schedule
• Workshops for Your Classes
• Previous Essay Contest Winners
• Formatting Help for Thesis & Dissertation Submission
• Pre-Law Application Support
• Tours for Your Classes
• Statement for Your Syllabus
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• APA Resources
• MLA Resources
• Chicago/Turabian Resources
• AP Style Resources
• Military-Connected Resources

Social Media

• Current Students
• Faculty & Staff
• Family & Visitors

About CWC 

Creative Writers’ Circle is a weekly workshop that provides writers with an open space to be creative and produce literary work. Any creative writer in the Texas State community may bring their own in-progress works, use provided prompts, or free-write.   

• This workshop allows for written expression in an environment that is safe and allows writers to set aside time in their busy schedules to consistently write. 
• Great for writers of all calibers, Creative Writers' Circle welcomes any student, faculty, or staff member who wants to write.  
• Feel free to follow us on social media and use the University Writing Center web page to make appointments with our consultants for creative writing and other writing assignments!

Our Creative Writing Coordinator

Kale Hensley

Best Creative Writing colleges in Texas 2024

Best creative writing colleges in texas for 2024.

The University of Texas at Austin offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 100 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 81 Certificates, and 19 Master's degrees.

University of Houston offers 3 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 14 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 8 Doctoral degrees, and 6 Master's degrees.

University of North Texas offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 4 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 4 Master's degrees.

Southern Methodist University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a large, private not-for-profit, four-year university in a large suburb. In 2022, 11 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 11 Bachelor's degrees.

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a midsize city. In 2022, 12 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 12 Master's degrees.

The University of Texas at El Paso offers 3 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 44 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 28 Master's degrees, and 16 Bachelor's degrees.

Sam Houston State University offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a faraway town. In 2022, 4 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 4 Master's degrees.

Texas State University offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a small city. In 2022, 20 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 20 Master's degrees.

The University of Texas at San Antonio offers 1 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a very large, public, four-year university in a large city. In 2022, 4 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 4 Certificates.

University of Houston-Victoria offers 2 Creative Writing degree programs. It's a small, public, four-year university in a small city. In 2022, 7 Creative Writing students graduated with students earning 7 Master's degrees.

Find local colleges with Creative Writing majors in Texas

List of all creative writing colleges in texas.

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Minor in Writing

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• B.A. Major in English
• B.A. Major in English (Creative Writing Concentration)
• B.A. Major in English (Film Concentration)
• B.A. Major in English (Secondary Education;​ Teacher Certification in English Language Arts and Reading, Grades Seven through Twelve, with Double Major in B.A. Education)
• B.A. Major in English (Writing and Rhetoric Concentration)
• Minor in English
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The minor in Writing requires 24 semester credit hours. Students may choose an emphasis in creative writing or professional writing, or they may take courses in both types of writing. Students should check course descriptions for prerequisites to ENG 3348 , ENG 3349 , ENG 4348 , and ENG 4349 .

Students majoring in English may not minor in writing.

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2024 Best Creative Writing Schools in Texas

Choosing a great creative writing school, pick your creative writing degree level, best schools for creative writing in texas, top texas schools in creative writing.

There were approximately 100 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

There were approximately 14 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UH in the most recent data year.

Embrace your passion for storytelling and learn the professional writing skills you'll need to succeed with our online MFA in Creative Writing. Write your novel or short story collection while earning a certificate in the Online Teaching of Writing or Professional Writing, with no residency requirement.

Related Programs

There were approximately 20 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent year we have data available.

There were about 44 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UTEP in the most recent year we have data available.

There were approximately 4 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UNT in the most recent year we have data available.

There were roughly 4 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at SHSU in the most recent data year.

There were roughly 12 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UT Rio Grande Valley in the most recent data year.

There were approximately 23 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at SFASU in the most recent data year.

Best Creative Writing Colleges in the Southwest Region

Other Rankings

Bachelor's degrees in creative writing, doctor's degrees in creative writing, master's degrees in creative writing, creative writing related rankings by major, most popular majors related to creative writing.

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MFA in Creative Writing

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How does an MFA benefit a writer?

The MFA at Texas State will give you three years to experiment and grow as a writer. Your work will be carefully read and commented on by your peers, by a distinguished and widely published faculty , by a visiting Endowed Chair , and by a notable published author who will comment on your thesis manuscript. You will also have the chance to meet and study with 18 visiting writers, all of whom will give two readings, hold a Q&A session, and teach a master class.

I've heard a lot about studio programs. What are these, and are they a better choice for young writers?

Studio programs primarily focus on workshop. At Texas State, our students take four workshops, but also take courses on literature and craft. We believe that in order to write literature, you have to read literature. Our program prepares you to be a better reader, a better writer and, if you apply for and are awarded a teaching fellowship, a better and more qualified teacher of literature and writing.

What about the argument that writing programs create a generic style?

Aesthetic diversity is a cornerstone of Texas State’s creative writing program. Faculty members teach and write in various modes, as do the students with whom you’ll workshop. We vary in age, ethnic and cultural identification, socioeconomic background, life experience, and taste in literature. You write whatever you choose to write. Your peers and teachers are there to help you achieve your own individual goals as an artist.

I didn't major in English as an undergraduate. Does this put me at a disadvantage?

No. Many of our students majored in other subjects and disciplines. Admission is based exclusively on the quality of your portfolio.

What are you looking for in the portfolio?

Please send us work that speaks most to your potential as a writer. The writing sample need not be unified by theme or subject.

Is there a separate application procedure for the Rose Fellowship?

No. All applicants are considered for all MFA scholarships.

However, Instructional Assistantships and Teaching Assistantships, which comprise the majority of our funding. Please follow the link for more information on the  Assistantship application  or write to [email protected] .

Can I take both fiction and poetry workshops?

Students may take craft courses across genres, provided there is space available, but workshops are limited to those studying a specific genre. This allows the workshop to function at the highest possible level, both in the work put up for discussion and in the discussion itself. Our course in creative nonfiction, however, is open to fiction writers and poets in equal numbers. Fiction writers and poets also collaborate to produce our literary journal, Porter House Review.

I write genre fiction. Is there a place for me at Texas State?

Our program does not focus on commercial genre fiction; we teach “literary” (character-driven) fiction, but have had many students produce work with a fantasy, magical realism, or science fiction bent. The delineation between “genre” and “literary” is not always clear, after all. Ultimately, the quality of your writing and your storytelling are what count.

Are there a minimum number of classes I need to take each semester?

Students with assistantships must be enrolled full-time—that is, they must take a minimum of nine hours, or three classes, each semester and a total of eighteen hours, or six classes, each academic year. Each class counts for three hours of degree credit. Instructional assistants (IAs) must complete eighteen English credit hours in order to be promoted to a teaching assistant (TA) in the following year.

Students without assistantships may study part-time, taking one or two classes (three to six credits) per semester. Part-time students must complete the MFA degree in four years, rather than three.

I've heard about this study abroad program. Can I get credit toward my MFA by attending?

Yes. The English department at Texas State offers summer study in Ireland every year. Student participants will earn six credit hours abroad to go towards their degree.

If you are offered a teaching or instructional assistantship, we recommend that you meet with the department’s administrative assistant to discuss your degree plan and ensure that the summer session will not impact your full-time status during the academic year. That being said, many of our IA and TA students have studied in Ireland before, and it has not been a problem.

What best qualifies me for a teaching assistantship?

Applications for assistantships are very competitive. Please be as thorough as possible in providing all the material we request: university employment forms, transcripts from each four-year institution or program you attended, a resume or CV, three letters of recommendation, and a statement of purpose. Your statement of purpose, also called a teaching statement, is perhaps the most important document in your assistantship application. It should address your desire to teach, your qualifications to teach, and why you believe that you would be a superb freshman- and sophomore-level teacher.

Applicants to the MFA program are automatically considered for Instructional Assistantships. No additional application is necessary.    Please review our application page for guidelines. 

Is it possible to live on the assistantship stipend?

Living costs in San Marcos are reasonable for the area. It is possible to get a one-bedroom apartment for $800 a month or under; if you decide to live in San Marcos with a roommate, you might pay anywhere from $450-670 per month in rent. If you choose to live in Austin, your costs would be higher: one-bedroom apartments in South Austin range from $800-1,000, while a two-bedroom might cost $1,100-1,400 in total ($550-700 per roommate).

Please see our  Funding graphic   page for a first-year IA's sample monthly budget.

Many students work as instructional assistants during the summer to increase their income. (Summer work is not guaranteed, however.) Some students take out small student loans if they wish to live more comfortably.

For more information on funding your graduate education, please see the website for the Financial Aid Office .

How much is tuition?

Find more information on tuition and fees for the upcoming semester. If you plan to enroll as a full-time student, please look under the column for “9” (i.e. nine hours); if you plan to enroll part-time, please look under the column for “3” or “6,” depending on whether you wish to take one or two classes per term.

If you are offered an assistantship or scholarship by the MFA program, you are eligible for the in-state tuition rate, which will be about 50% of the out-of-state rate. Currently, 100% of our students pay in-state tuition.

What is the teaching load for the assistantship?

Instructional assistants (IAs) spend each semester helping an English professor with one of his or her survey classes, approximately 100-200 students. This may take the form of grading student essays, proctoring exams, assisting with classroom audiovisual equipment, or giving a lecture once each semester.

Teaching assistants (TAs) are instructors of record for their own freshman composition classes. They teach two classes of ENG 1310 in the fall semester and one class of ENG 1320 in the spring semester. Each class is limited to 21 students, and averages 19 students.

Can you tell me more about your visiting writers series?

Please follow the links to find more information on this year's  list of visiting writers , and a  graphic on our visiiting writers series .

The Therese Kayser Lindsey reading series brings eight writers annually. Each writer gives a campus reading and signing, a public reading and signing, a closed-door Q&A with MFA students, and a master class in their genre (poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction). Our students have the chance to introduce authors at events, drive them around town, and even have dinner with the visiting writers.

Why should I move to the Austin-San Marcos area?

San Marcos is an exciting, historic community in the heart of central Texas. More than a college town, San Marcos is a close-knit community of independently owned restaurants, bars, coffee houses, and shops. For nature enthusiasts, the San Marcos River—spring-fed, crystal clear, and accessible all throughout the city—is a recreational paradise for swimming, tubing, kayaking; the city also boasts Purgatory Creek, a gorgeous, sprawling greenbelt for hikers.

Texas State is about half an hour south of Austin, where many of our students and faculty live. Austin has a worldwide reputation for its live music, quirky coffeeshops and bars, and festivals. The city is consistently ranked among the top three cities in which to live in the country by a number of publications, for myriad reasons. Check out other reasons why Austin is among the best places to live in the U.S.

How much does it cost to be a full-time student? In-state? Out-of-state?

To be a full-time student, you must enroll in three courses (nine credit hours) per semester. In state tuition for the full 2017-2018 academic year would be $7,491.76. Out-of-state tuition for the full year would be $14,961.76.

You can find up-to-date tuition and fee rates at the Graduate College website .

Is there any way to get in-state tuition if I’m an out-of-state student?

Yes. All students are eligible for in-state tuition if they receive a competitive scholarship of $1000 or more during an academic year.

Is there a part-time option?

Yes! You have the option to complete your degree in four years as a part-time student. In order to graduate on time, you would need to take two classes (six credit hours) every semester.

Do I have to pay all of my tuition at once?

No. While you certainly can pay for tuition all at once, Student Business Services offers a payment plan that allows you to pay in three increments. Note that your first tuition payment is due before the start of the semester.    Request more information  about the plan on our Graduate College website.

Does FAFSA work for graduate school? What are the dates for that?

Absolutely, FAFSA can be used for graduate school. The Texas cutoff date is March 15th each year, but you can apply as early as December for the following academic year. If you apply after March 15th, you will still be eligible for FAFSA but not for any state grants.

What are my scholarship options beyond what I'm offered by the MFA program?

Please see our funding page for a  complete listing of scholarship options .

You have a few options for applying to scholarships through Texas State, as well as outside of the university.

The Graduate College offers two scholarships for current and incoming MFA students: The Celebrity Classic Scholarship and The Graduate College Scholarship . Both scholarships open on November 1st and close on March 1st. You may apply for and receive both.

The English department offers a variety of scholarships for graduate students. Find more information on  list of available scholarships .  There is only one application (on the top of the page) that you download and turn in. The scholarships are traditionally due during the first week of March. Please check with the website about due dates for the 2016-2017 year.

There are plenty of outside options to which you may apply for graduate funding. Please be aware that many scholarships have different dates and requirements. If your scholarship application requires a letter of recommendation, please be considerate and give your letter writers plenty of time to reflect on your merits.

Note that there are various kinds of scholarships, from various Texas State entities. MFA Program scholarships do not require a separate application. However, Graduate College and English Department scholarships do require a separate application.

Does the scholarship I’m awarded in my first year transfer over to the next year?

The Rose Fellowship and the Celebrity Classic Scholarship roll over every year. Students must reapply for the Graduate College Scholarships and departmental scholarships every spring. All other scholarships are for one year only

What is an IA/TA position?

An Instructional Assistant works with a professor in the English department to help with an undergraduate survey course. IA duties may include grading student assignments, preparing the classroom or needed equipment, and otherwise helping the lead professor with whatever she or he needs. Occasionally, IAs will be allowed to give guest lectures in class.

A Teaching Assistant is an instructor of record. They teach their own sections of composition courses without another instructor. Generally, one must be an IA before they can become a TA. Both positions are under nine-month contracts and pay a monthly stipend, issued on the first of the month.

As a first-semester IA, you must enroll in a practicum course that will count for university credit. As a first-semester TA, you must enroll in another practicum course. This course does not count towards university credit, nor do you pay tuition for it.

If you are not awarded an IA assistantship for your first year, you may reapply for your second or third year. All IAs and TAs are assigned for fall semester before the semester begins.

As a first-semester IA, you must enroll in a practicum course that will count for university credit. As a first-semester TA, you must enroll in another practicum course. This course does not count towards university credit.

Are there other options for working on campus? Where can I find these?

There are other jobs available on campus. You can reach out to the Writing Center or SLAC for possible work opportunities. Many of our students have chosen to work as writing tutors with these offices. You can also check with the Career Services Center, or their job boards at Jobs4Cats , for information on other jobs. Graduate Assistantships are widely available and confer an in-state tuition waiver.

What is the difference between a job and an assistantship?

An assistantship is a type of funding that requires you to work. The only assistantships offered in the English department are IA, TA, GA (Graduate Program Assistant), or GRA (Graduate Research Assistant) positions. All assistantship recipients are eligible for in-state tuition. A job would be any other employment position obtained on campus, and it does not guarantee in-state tuition to out-of-state students.

Do I get paid the same amount every month? Including over winter break?

All IA/TAs will receive a stipend on the 1st of the month. The salary that is offered to IAs is the same every month. The same is true for TAs. GRAs and GAs are also paid monthly.

All positions receive a set salary from October through June. There is an option to have a 12-month salary spread. If you choose to do this, there is a form you will need to complete. Generally, there will be a workshop at the beginning of the school year to go over stipend plans and other issues concerning payment.

Is there an option for work during the summer?

There are a limited number of IA opportunities over the summer for Summer I and II sessions. There are no TA teaching opportunities during the summer. Other campus jobs may have work over the summer.

Am I full time for all three years?

Not quite. If you do not have an assistantship (such as an IA/TA) then you will take three classes a semester (full time) for your first two years. During your third year, you will only take two classes per semester (part time.) This will cover all your required classes. If you have an assistantship, you may take a class (such as a practicum) that you will not be charged for but that will not count towards your graduation. During your third year, you will take three classes during one semester and two classes plus a waiver in your other semester. This is will show you as full time. However, you will not pay for the waiver as a class. You will only pay for the two classes you are enrolled in.