MFA in Creative Writing-Nonfiction

About the MFA program

Columbia College Chicago’s MFA in Nonfiction features an intensive study of nonfiction writing and the theory of nonfiction in an urban campus setting with access to Chicago’s lively cultural scene.  Thesis seminars and one-on-one advising will help students complete the program with a book-length manuscript of publishable quality.  Students will also have the opportunity to work as readers or editors on the Nonfiction Program’s nationally distributed literary magazines.


Fellowship, Financial Assistance and Career Opportunities

Columbia’s tuition and fees are far lower than those of most other private institutions. Several incoming students receive fellowships covering the majority of tuition costs, and continuing students apply for awards ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars.  College-wide scholarships offer thousands of dollars for the completion of creative projects.

Paid work opportunities include teaching, tutoring and other on campus positions.


Grad Student Instructors

Students accepted into the GSI program enroll in Composition Theory and Praxis in the fall semester and begin paid teaching positions in the spring.


Creative Nonfiction Week

Creative Nonfiction Week is an annual collaboration among the English, Fiction Writing and Journalism departments at Columbia College Chicago. The goal is to bring audiences a range of voices, familiar and new, renowned and emerging, all helping to define and redefine the genre of creative nonfiction. The five day event offers readings and panel discussions from internationally recognized authors such as Jamaica Kincaid, Art Spiegelman, Alex Kotlowitz, Joanna Frueh and others.


See also:
Three-Year Plan and Course Requirements by areas of study
Course Descriptions
Core Faculty
Creative Nonfiction Magazines