Creative Writing at UM

Great writing is great thinking. In creative writing courses at the University of Montana, you can practice telling your story (or stories)!

Dedicated instructors will help you sharpen your diction, improve grammar, or arrange a plot. You'll probably share your work with peers. And you will revise, many times, until one day you realize you've brought the ideas swirling around your head into being. 

"A creative writing class may be one of the last places you can go where your life still matters."  -Richard Hugo

Although the University of Montana first offered the M.F.A. degree in creative writing in 1967, the program began in 1920 when H.G. Merriam introduced undergraduate creative writing courses to the curriculum. The program is one of the oldest and most prestigious in the country, shaped by presences such as Leslie Fieldler, Patricia Goedicke, Richard Hugo, and William Kittredge. We offer student writers instruction and mentorship by a committed and diverse group of faculty, visiting writers, alumni, and peers.

Video: Creative Writing BFA at the University of Montana

Learn about the program through the eyes of faculty and students, what type of career you can have with a creative writing degree, the Oval Magazine, and more!