PLEASE NOTE: Applications materials for the MA, MFA and PhD should be submitted in accordance with the VCU Graduate School application guidelines (see: http://www.vcu.edu/graduate/ps/apply_options.html). In short, the following items should be mailed directly to The Graduate School (P.O. Box: 843051, Richmond, Virginia 23284):

• Paper application or signature page from Web application
• Transcripts
• Test scores

Supplemental application materials, including references, resumes, copies of personal statements/essays, writing samples and portfolios should be mailed directly to the program at:

Graduate Programs Director
VCU Department of English
P.O. Box 842005
Richmond, VA 23284-2005

Application Information
Application to the MA in English is made through the School of Graduate Studies, with applications accepted for spring (deadline November 15) and fall (deadlines March 1). On the application form, applicants should specify the concentration, "literature" or "writing and rhetoric," to which they are applying.

Application to the MFA in Creative Writing is made through the School of Graduate Studies, with applications accepted for fall entry only (deadlines February 1, or January 15 for those seeking fellowship support). On the application form, students should specify the concentration, "fiction" or "poetry," to which they are applying.

Creative Writing Application Checklist

Application to the PhD Program in Media, Art and Text is made through the School of Graduate Studies, with applications accepted for fall entry only (deadline March 1st). The program will admit students already holding an M.A., M.A.E., or an M.F.A. in an appropriate field of study (English, Art History, Studio Art, Poetry, Mass Communications, etc.). The interdisciplinary nature of this program requires an incoming class made up of students from diverse disciplines including the creative arts, traditional academic fields, and communications.

Note: GREs are required for all graduate programs. The school code is 5570, and the department code is 2503.

For application forms for these programs, see http://www.vcu.edu/graduate/ps/apply_options.html.

Additional Application Materials, MFA in Creative Writing
In addition to the School of Graduate Studies application, applicants to the MFA in Creative Writing must submit a portfolio of recent work, consisting of either eight to ten poems or twenty to fifty pages of fiction. The portfolio may consist of a combination of these, and it may also include drama or nonfiction. Applicants should be certain, however, that it includes only their best work, and that it contains a sufficient amount of work in the genre to which they are applying. Portfolio material may be sent directly to the Creative Writing program at

Graduate Programs Coordinator
MFA Program
VCU Department of English
P.O. Box 842005
Richmond, VA 23284-2005

Additional Application Materials, PhD in MATX
In addition to the application, transcripts and test scores, the selections committee requests all candidates submit the following: 1) a writing sample that demonstrates the applicant's ability to write clearly, analyze effectively, and perform graduate-level seminar work; 2) letters of recommendation from three present or former instructors or other individuals qualified to evaluate the applicant’s ability to engage in interdisciplinary graduate study in media, art, and text; 3) a written personal statement describing the applicant’s interest, motivation, education, and goals in pursuing this degree. In this statement, the applicant needs to speak specifically to the importance of interdisciplinarity to his or her academic goals and also offer evidence of his or her suitability to pursue such a degree.

Perhaps most importantly, candidates who plan to work in the studio arts will also need to submit an e-portfolio (i.e. CD, DVD, slides or equivalent) of past work that demonstrate their ability to do graduate-level work in new media.

All of the above materials may be sent directly to the program at:

MATX Program
VCU Department of English
P.O. Box 842005
Richmond, VA 23284-2005

Financial Aid
Many students in the graduate programs are funded through Graduate Teaching Assistantships (see below). However, due to the competitive nature of the process, VCU can not offer such assistantships to all applicants. For additional forms of financial aid, see http://www.vcu.edu/enroll/finaid/.

For current student tuition and fees, see http://www.vcu.edu/enroll/sa/.

Graduate Assistantships for MA and MFA Programs
Many students in the graduate programs in English and Creative Writing are funded by Graduate Teaching Assistantships available through the Department of English. These are awarded on a competitive basis and are generally renewable for up to two years for students in the MA in English and for up to three years for students in the MFA in Creative Writing.

The funds cover the cost of tuition and provide a stipend (currently about $11,000 per year) in return for the equivalent of twenty hours of work per week in the writing center, computer center, or classroom. MA and MFA applicants must make separate application for graduate assistantships. The application must be submited by Jan 15th and may be sent directly to the Department of English at

Graduate Programs Coordinator
VCU Department of English
P.O. Box 842005
Richmond, VA 23284-2005

NOTE: Those MA and MFA applicants wishing to be considered for graduate assistantships/fellowships must submit both the graduate application and the separate graduate assistantship application.

Graduate Assistantships for Phd MATX Program
All PhD applicants are considered for merit-based graduate assistantships (no separate graduate assistantship application required). Awards can cover one or two years, come with full tuition waivers, and provide a range of stipends ($4,000-$15,000).

Additional Fellowships and Assistanships
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing awards a number of fellowships each year to outstanding new students in fiction and poetry. The fellowships cover the cost of tuition and fees and provide a stipend (currently $15,000 for the full calendar year) in return for the equivalent of ten hours of work per week in the writing center, computer center, or classroom. To be considered for fellowship support, applications must be received by January 15.

David Baldacci, VCU alumnus and Richmond writer (Total Control, Absolute Power), graciously funded a graduate student fellowship from 2004 to 2007 to help establish the First Novelist Award. The Baldacci Fellowship was awarded to a second-year MFA fiction student to assist in administering the First Novelist Award.

Starting in the fall of 2008, the Cabell Associates of VCU's University Libraries will underwrite the annual fellowship. Named after the famed Richmond author James Branch Cabell, the Cabell Fellowship provides year-long assistance in the administration of the competition and in making the arrangements for the First Novelist Award ceremony each November.

Finally, the School of Graduate Studies offers one-year fellowships on a competitive basis for students in their last year of the MA, MFA and PhD (MATX) programs who have completed all program requirements but have yet to complete the thesis. These fellowship also cover the cost of tuition and fees and provide a stipend (currently $15,000 for the academic year). They require no work in return. Each respective program may nominate eligible students.

Other scholarship support may be available to qualified students from the School of Graduate Studies. See http://www.vcu.edu/graduate/pops/p_ext_funded.html