MFA in Writing

The Master of Fine Arts in Writing (MFAW) at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) welcomes writers of all genres—fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and playwriting—and visual artists who work with language as an integral component of their practice. The two-year program provides a rigorous yet flexible curriculum to challenge and accommodate individual explorations of process and form. Located within a vibrant school of contemporary art and design, SAIC’s MFAW program is committed to offering deep explorations of diverse writing practices within SAIC’s interdisciplinary environment, and students are free to engage with studio and fine arts electives from across SAIC to discover and hone a practice that is uniquely suited to their own interests.

The MFAW draws on a distinguished faculty passionate in their disciplines and with diverse artistic and intellectual backgrounds. Our students often work as editors and journalists on SAIC’s F Newsmagazine, as well as on independently edited and produced publications. They create podcasts for Free Radio SAIC, a student-run radio station, which broadcasts daily to a global audience. MFAW students who demonstrate a studio practice may take part in the annual school-wide MFA thesis exhibition or time-arts events. 

Our program alumni write and publish books, stage plays, perform, teach, and establish galleries, small presses, independent theater spaces and salons nationally and internationally.

The application deadline for fall 2025 is January 10. Apply now.

Faculty: Sally Alatalo / Jesse Ball / Mark Booth / Sara Levine / Ruth Margraff / James McManus / Jose Moctezuma / Beth Nugent. 

Recent Visiting Artists and Scholars: Christian Campbell / Eduardo C. Corral / Emil Ferris / Amitav Ghosh / Cathy Park Hong / Juan Martinez / Maggie Nelson / Claudia Rankine / Layli Long Soldier / Mai Der Vang / Ocean Vuong.

About the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
For more than 150 years, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) has been a leader in educating the world’s most influential artists, designers, and scholars. Located in downtown Chicago with a fine arts graduate program consistently ranking among the top programs in the nation by US News and World Report, SAIC provides an interdisciplinary approach to art and design as well as world-class resources, including the Art Institute of Chicago museum, on-campus galleries, and state-of-the-art facilities. SAIC’s undergraduate, graduate, and post-baccalaureate students have the freedom to take risks and create the bold ideas that transform Chicago and the world—as seen through notable alumni and faculty such as Michelle Grabner, David Sedaris, Elizabeth Murray, Richard Hunt, Georgia O’Keeffe, Cynthia Rowley, Nick Cave, Jeff Koons, and LeRoy Neiman. For more information, please visit saic.edu.