The M.F.A. in Creative Writing offers advanced degree training to talented students who wish to gain expertise in the writing of poetry, fiction, or creative nonfiction. It assumes that, as in music or the visual arts, the best education for the artist includes: training in the history and traditions associated with the student's discipline, training in theoretical and formal approaches to the craft, and extensive practice with critique of student work by peers and faculty writers. The program combines studio and academic approaches, providing the student with substantial critical workshop experience and a solid background in theory and literature. In addition to a traditional literature based course of study, we offer the Emphasis in Publishing and Editing for those students who wish to gain professional training and experience in the field.<br>Students who study English and Creative Writing at Fresno State explore the power of language and literature around the world. Students in our five degree programs learn to write well in small, collaborative communities where students and instructors work together to analyze, apply, and construct meaning with a wide range of texts and for a variety of professional purposes.<br>Located in the heart of California, the Fresno State MFA Program is home to The Normal School literary magazine, the Philip Levine Prize for Poetry book contest, and lots of Fresno writers.<br><br>The Creative Writing Program enjoys a long history of literary excellence at Fresno State, dating to the late 1950s. Our Master of Fine Arts program was founded in 1995, and it features advanced training in the study of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction.