Program Description

The Master of Arts in Writing program at Johns Hopkins features a flexible structure designed to satisfy the specific needs and broad goals of a wide range of students in Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, and Science-Medical Writing.

The program is not open-admission. Students are chosen through a competitive evaluation of writing samples, a Statement of Purpose, and other items. Select applicants may be allowed to enroll provisionally, but they face a second admissions review of new writing samples after the provisional course or courses. You may apply conveniently online now.

The M.A. in Writing degree requires nine courses. Most students begin with two core courses that establish or hone technique, form, and literary understanding. After this structured start, students move into areas of individual interest through three writing workshops and three electives. The goal is to create a portfolio of diverse work and/or part or all of a book. After these eight courses, the student enrolls in a final course in which selections of the portfolio are revised into a thesis of publishable writing. The thesis is prepared under the direction of an advisor who works one-on-one with the student in the final months of study. The thesis course also provides a capstone experience through the publication of a class literary journal, the review of writing business issues, discussion of the writing life, and a final celebratory public reading. To explore the writing courses, browse the course descriptions.

Students interested in earning the degree quickly can take two courses per term, three terms per year, and finish in about two years. Other students proceed more gradually, enrolling in one course each in the fall and spring semesters and taking a break in the summers. Still others combine the approaches; all have up to five years to finish.

The program is increasingly cognizant of changes in various writing fields. As the border between fiction and nonfiction has blurred in recent years, the Writing Program has responded with new courses examining this change. As formal poetry has surged, the program has created coursework in form. The program also features cross-concentration courses in which students from different fields join together to study identity, revision, description, or other common issues.

Most students are encouraged to take at least one course outside their chosen field. Fiction writers, for instance, may benefit from a poetry course; a nonfiction or science-medical writer may enroll in a fiction techniques course. Advanced applicants may sometimes replace core courses with additional workshops or other courses, and advanced students may apply for independent studies or internships.

For detailed requirements for each concentration, see the course requirements page, or refer to the Student Catalog.