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Creative Writing
Degrees and fields of study.
- M.F.A. in Creative Writing - Fiction
- M.F.A. in Creative Writing - Poetry
- M.F.A. in Creative Writing - Creative Nonfiction
- M.F.A. in Low Residency Writers Workshop in Paris Program - Fiction
- M.F.A. in Low Residency Writers Workshop in Paris Program - Poetry
- M.F.A. in Low Residency Writers Workshop in Paris Program - Creative Nonfiction
Application Deadlines
Applications and all supporting materials must be submitted online by 5PM Eastern Time. If a listed deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or U.S. federal holiday, then the next business day will be the actual deadline.
Creative Writing Programs
- December 18 : Fall admission
Writers Workshop in Paris Programs
- September 1 : January residency (January term application)
- March 1 : July residency (summer application)
Requirements
In addition to the general application requirements, the department specifically requires:
Test Scores
- Please do not send GRE test scores — they will not be reviewed by our Admissions Committee.
TOEFL/IELTS
Applicants must submit official TOEFL or IELTS scores unless they:
Are a native English speaker; OR
Are a US citizen or permanent resident; OR
Have completed (or will complete) a baccalaureate or master's degree at an institution where the language of instruction is English.
Statement of Academic Purpose
In a concisely written statement, please describe your past and present work as it relates to your intended field of study, your educational objectives, and your career goals. In addition, please include your intellectual and professional reasons for choosing your field of study and why your studies/research can best be done at the Graduate School of Arts and Science at NYU. The statement should not exceed two double-spaced pages.
Writing Sample
A creative writing sample is required. It should not exceed 25 double-spaced pages for fiction and nonfiction applicants and 10 single-spaced pages for poetry applicants. The font size should be 12 point or larger.
Useful Links
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- Back to Programs, Requirements and Deadlines
The Graduate School of Arts and Science reserves the right to change this information at any time. This page supersedes all previous versions.
Last updated October 2024.
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- Master's in Professional Writing Online
Master's (MS) in Professional Writing Online
100% online study option.
Fully online and 36 credits, the MS in Professional Writing pairs the convenience of learning from any location with the quality of an NYU graduate degree. Real-world assignments in core and elective courses allow you to build a comprehensive, digital writing portfolio before you graduate. MS in Professional Writing students develop their creative abilities with a focus on dynamic careers across a range of industries and evolving fields. Our curriculum encourages students to leverage new technologies while they confidently craft content that has measurable impact.
You are the future of writing. We are your people.
It’s almost impossible to explain the odd, wonderful, frustrating compulsion that drives the creative writing impulse. If you are a pocket-journal scribbler, a life-long learner, or a lover of words (of arranging them, deleting them, and sometimes even inventing them), the MS in Professional Writing is the gold-standard to level up or pivot into a passion-fueled career.
Our flexible, online MS in Professional Writing prepares the next generation of writers for a broad spectrum of senior-level writing careers , preparing students with irreplaceable expertise in a world of A.I. innovations.
Develop the skills for innovative full-time and freelance writing careers in technical writing/UX writing, science writing, business communications, writing for digital media/content creation, medical writing, financial writing, grant writing and more.
Degree Advantages
Anyone can learn writing skills, but not everyone is born with the drive and instinct to tell stories. We go beyond typical writing instruction to elevate your writing practice and natural storytelling abilities.
- Be the human voice: In a world of AI-generated content language, learn to champion humanity in your work.
- Precision in every word: Craft messages, strip away jargon, break down complexity, and let your message shine.
- Radically empathetic writing: Step into your audience's shoes, immerse yourself in their world, and track how well your messages resonate with them.
- Weave integrity into your words: Use your talents ethically and respect your audiences with a commitment to honest and accurate content.
- Be a chameleon of communication: Shape-shift your style for the canvas at hand. Develop an unstoppable command of unique tones, styles, and voices for traditional and digital spaces.
- Proofreading finesse: Edit, refine, revise, and polish prose to create content that wins hearts and minds.
Program At-A-Glance
- Flexible, fully online
- Complete in 3 semesters (full-time) or 6 semesters (part-time)
- Core curriculum : Foundational courses give you the safety and confidence that comes with a firm command of the basics, allowing you to dive deeper into your writing and editing practice.
- Electives: Elective courses provide an extensive and nuanced understanding of your industry specific styles, supporting your personal, professional writing goals.
- Internship or Directed Study: Earn course credit for real-world experiences with professional internships or a mock-freelance-directed study.
- Thesis and Digital Portfolio: Your hard work culminates in your final semester with an original thesis project and an individual digital writing portfolio, showcasing your unstoppable work.
Curriculum and Degree Requirements
You can find the full curriculum details for this program on this page of the University Bulletin. All other content, including this web page is for informational purposes only.
Quick Links:
Ms in professional writing: information session.
Join the MS in Professional Writing program for an online Information Session and meet our Academic Director. Learn about our curriculum, online community, alumni career outcomes, and the admissions process:
6:00 PM until 7:00 PM EDT
MS in Professional Writing & MS in Translation: Information Session
Learn about the Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts' two fully online graduate degrees: the MS in Professional Writing and the MS in Translation & Interpreting. In addition to an introduction to NYU SPS, you'll hear about the Center for Publishing and Applied Liberal Arts (PALA) as a leader in online education before joining breakouts for each program. Speak to faculty, learn about our alumni career outcomes, and ask individual questions. All attendees will receive a free application fee waiver.
6:00 PM until 7:00 PM EST
Discover NYU SPS: Graduate Admissions Information Session
Join an online session to learn more about our graduate degree programs, including the Master's in Professional Writing. Our admissions team will give you insights into the NYU SPS experience, share details about the application process, and offer tips for creating a successful application. Current students will also share their personal experiences, providing a firsthand perspective on life as an SPS student.
7:00 PM until 8:00 PM EST
Application Deadlines
Want to start in the Fall, Spring, or Summer? Make sure your application is complete and submit before the deadlines below:
Fall: July 1 Spring: January 5 Summer: March 1
What is the application process?
- This isn’t required but is a great way to get more information on the program and application process. We’ll also waive the $150 application fee when you attend an Information Session.
- Complete the online application
- Request one reference letter
- Upload your college/university transcripts
- Upload your resume
- Upload your personal statement (500 words)
- Pay $150 application fee (waived when you attend an Information Session!)
- Upload a writing portfolio with samples of your work (submit 10-15 pages of writing that you are proud of)
For additional application details, visit the NYU SPS Admissions page or contact the team at 212-998-7100 or [email protected] .
Flexible Courses
Our master’s degree in professional writing offers a weekly guided structure that keeps you on track with optional opportunities to engage live, around your schedule. In each of our tech-forward and small-sized online writing classes , you get the most from our flexible workshop-model curriculum. Guided by industry-expert faculty members, you will work through assignments that target corporate, academic, and real-world audiences to build your professional-quality writing portfolio.
Career-Focused Curriculum
It’s an exciting time for professional writers! Over the next 10 years, career opportunities for professional writers are projected to grow at a faster rate than average according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Our core courses equip you with powerhouse writing skills while our electives prepare you to be a fiercely competitive applicant for specific industries like:
- Environment
- Public Relations
- Corporate Communications
- Advertising
- Grants and Fundraising
Writing Community
Mirroring the increasingly digital, global, and collaborative work environment of today’s professional world, the MS in Professional Writing brings faculty members, students, and guest lecturers together as part of an interactive, online educational community. Learn, write, edit, and revise writing projects with a cohort of classmates from NYC, across the country, and around the world.
Students join our program from all academic, professional, creative writing, and technical backgrounds. So whether you are hoping to graduate into senior writing positions, to feel confident about your writing skills, to advance your current career, or to pivot into a new professional path that feeds your passion, our professors support and mentor you towards your personal and professional goals.
Connect With Us
Your request has been submitted, department highlights, the hybrid orientation experience of an mspw student, mspw event recap: sharpen your digital networking skills, embracing every hue: liberating imposter syndrome, intersectionality, & borders through storytelling, finding a place to rest: fostering brave spaces to find and utilize our voices, 2024 nyu mspw convocation award recipients, mspw guest speaker: kavitta ghai, co-founder and ceo at nectir, ms in professional writing (mspw) celebrates 10th anniversary, scribe at spirit week: the translated and queer/banned book expo, 2023 website prototype projects by ms in professional writing students, ai in the professions: professional writing, translation, and the new face of content creation, joining the mspw teaching team: introducing sophie plitt, joining the mspw teaching team: introducing simon mullin, joining the mspw teaching team: introducing patrick gray, professional writer at work: interview with megan diamondstein, acting deputy director of marketing and communications & digital director for the center for reproductive rights, frequently asked questions, what is professional writing.
Professional writers are employed in many job titles and professional writing is everywhere! Just consider how much writing you see all day long. Depending on the context, professional writing can be clear and concise or creative and expansive. It can be organized for quick access or meandering for maximum storytelling impact. From brand voice to SEO keywords, professional writers are hard at work shaping messages, persuading audiences, and measuring impact.
From the marketing email in your inbox, to the political policy being read on TV, to the brand experience campaign in Times Square, to the website you're reading right now: all of that is professional writing.
Ranging from creative writing to technical writing, professional writers are paid for travel writing, blogging, documenting research, writing pamphlets, developing white papers, producing public relations strategies, sellings products with ad copy, creating annual reports, working on communication plans, and cracking jokes on social media.
In full-time writing positions, part-time jobs, and freelance writing careers, professional writers produce strategic copy for companies and clients in ways that leverage new and emerging technologies to reach target audiences.
What is an MS in writing?
An MS in Writing is a Master of Science degree in Writing. Earning this degree prepares graduates with advanced education and training in writing, style, and rhetoric with in-depth explorations of emerging communication practices, document design, and the principles of effective communication. We pride ourselves on a curriculum that has real-world relevance and prepares confident writers with the skills to craft strategic, ethical copy for companies and clients across industries.
Who should apply for the MS in Professional Writing?
Turn your passion for writing into a lucrative career. A masters in professional writing is a springboard to a myriad of flexible career opportunities. Our workshop-model curriculum is an exciting fit for English majors, journalists, liberal arts majors, creative writers, educators; those working in technology, medicine, and the sciences; as well as individuals in the fields of digital media and advertising or business communications.
If you love writing and want to build a career with your words; if you are ready for communication leadership roles; or if you are looking to pivot full-time to a passion project/industry you care about, we look forward to reviewing your application.
You can also use your time in the program to try a range of industries and writing roles before launching a career that matches your writing strengths and interests.
Is a professional writing degree worth it?
For those looking to make a career in writing, higher education is a wise investment to unlock new career paths and secure better job opportunities. As technology advances to produce lazy, canned copy in seconds, the world recognizes the value of better writers with a mastery of different styles now more than ever. While many feared AI-generated content would cannibalize writing jobs, employment opportunities are projected to increase over the next 10 years for talented and creative writers with technical skills and proven abilities. However, now that generative language can do the job of a junior role in seconds, the labor market will likely require writers to come in with a powerful human voice and unique command of language. Our faculty know this and our curriculum is geared for these shifts. Our classes help students leverage new technologies while they hone advanced storytelling techniques, precise editing skills, and critical communication practices. Words have power and professional writers have impact.
What industries hire professional writers?
Almost all industries have a need for writers. Our master’s degree prepares graduates for active and engaging professional writing careers in sectors that include: technical writing, government, technology, education, financial, grant writing, nonprofit/fundraising, marketing copywriting, medical/healthcare/wellness, science/environment/energy, and corporate communications.
What kind of jobs do people with a master's in professional writing apply for?
The alumni from the MS in Professional Writing program at NYU SPS have moved into the following job titles:
- Technical Editor/Technical Writer
- Senior Director of Institutional Partnerships
- Content Designer/UX Writer
- Senior Medical Editor/Writer
- VP, Marketing & Communications
- Head Writer, In-house Marketing
- Head of Content
- Assistant Director of Communications & Engagement
- Freelance Writer/Editor
- Marketing Copywriter
Why do I need a graduate degree in Professional Writing?
Earning an MS in Professional Writing from NYU will move you forward in your professional writing career—at any stage. Our coursework will help you improve your craft as a writer and you will graduate with a professional-quality writing portfolio and access to a network of professional peers. For those looking to make a career in writing, higher education is a wise investment to unlock new career paths and secure better job opportunities. Find out why in the “Is a professional writing degree worth it?” question above.
Does every student graduate with a writing portfolio?
Yes! Every MS in Professional Writing student curates their most exciting writing projects into an engaging, digital, professional-quality portfolio in their final semester to showcase their expert writing skills. Every class has multiple real-world assignments that could be included in a digital writing portfolio.
How long does it take to earn an MS in Professional Writing?
The MS in Professional Writing is a 36 credit degree program. If you choose to study full-time, you can complete your degree in as little as 3 semesters. Most part-time students complete the MS in Professional Writing degree in 6 semesters.
Is Financial Aid available for the MS in Professional Writing?
Yes! We encourage our applicants to explore the financial aid and resources available to them. This includes a unique scholarship opportunity for first-semester MS in Professional Writing students.
What’s unique about the MS in Professional Writing program at NYU School of Professional Studies?
Our students! With each class you take, you will build connections and cultivate an online writing community that will grow into your professional network. Students join the MS in Professional Writing program with a variety of interests, experiences, and individual goals. They know that their writing can foster understanding, communicate important messages, and create change in the world. And they have fun along the way.
A few other things that make our MS in Professional Writing unique:
- High-touch, innovative workshop curriculum designed to match the flexible scheduling and tech-forward working life of professional writers. Learn more about the online courses available in the MS in Professional Writing.
- Specialized electives for industry exploration allow students to explore a range of interests and different styles of writing in their coursework. If students know what industry they're interested in, they can cluster their electives in that area to do a deep dive.
- Industry-experienced faculty members who are leaders in their professions and care deeply about impacting the next generation of writers in their fields. Faculty and industry leaders work together to continuously update our courses, preparing you with the latest communication skills and technical writing abilities needed to be a trailblazer in your work.
- Technology-infused and career-focused curriculum combines traditional writing development and communication theories with emerging writing practices and platforms. While in the program, students explore media making and AI content generating tools, developing their ability to think strategically and lead communication projects confidently as they hone their writing craft.
We partner with the NYU Wasserman Center for Career Development at NYU SPS to provide career coaching and connection to a global network of peers and professionals.
What are the benefits of our online Master's degree in Professional Writing?
- Advance your skills to unlock new and exciting job opportunities for writers
- Pursue your individualized career goals
- Leverage the 600,000+ member NYU alumni network
- Expand your writing skills, styles, and portfolio range
- Transform creative writing skills and personal interests into lucrative career options
- Learn to use technology and AI content generating tools to speed and support your writing practice
What will you learn in the online Master's degree in Professional Writing?
You will learn the elevated skills to graduate into senior-level writing positions in a variety of industries. Our core courses equip you with a firm writing foundation, while our electives sharpen your skills to be fiercely competitive in the job market as an in-house full-timer or a powerhouse freelancer.
Is it OK to get an online Master's degree?
In today's dynamic educational landscape, advancing your knowledge has evolved beyond the confines of traditional classroom settings. Online learning provides unparalleled flexibility, increases access, and enables diverse communities of writers from across the globe to collaborate and learn together. Experienced faculty members leverage interactive forums and the latest technology to engage the classroom. Learning in the digital space also gives students essential technical skills vital to modern writing jobs. From navigating version control across remote teams to mastering online research techniques, students in online programs develop proficiencies that are directly applicable to the ever-evolving landscape of writing and communications.
Accredited online programs maintain the same curricular rigor and employ the latest innovative technology to instruct, inspire, connect, and prepare students for the professional world. Today, many higher education institutions leverage online degrees to meet increasing demand for flexible learning options.
What master's degree do you need to be a writer?
There are lots of programs for aspiring writers. The best option for you depends on your career goals.
The best writing degree for someone who wants to work in a professional setting (marketing, public relations, medical writing, corporate communications, research, policy, technical writing) is a master's in professional writing.
Should I get a master's degree in writing?
Pursuing a master's program in writing can be a smart strategy to future-proof your career and take advantage of a growing demand for expert writers. While AI-generative technology may encroach on junior-level writing positions, the career outlook for skilled writers is strong. Master’s degree graduates will be equipped with the portfolio-proven skills to be fiercely competitive in a growing labor market for experts in writing, editing, content strategy, and communications. The most successful employers know that investing in powerhouse writing skills is essential for success. Businesses depend on professional writers to create change-making policy documents, engaging social media posts, stand-out website copy, persuasive grant writing, influential annual reports, and the list goes on and on. Our workshop-model curriculum is designed to help writers hone their skills and develop nuanced understandings of specific industries.
Take the next step
Learn more about your program of interest and apply.