The Next Chapter: Graduate Schools for Creative Writing Students

How most university grads feel

Graduating from university can be scary. Trust me, I know.
However, graduating as a creative writing undergrad can be even scarier because there are so many options out there that you don't know where to start looking. I created this post as a starting point for anyone who might be looking into graduate programs in creative writing.
    As writers, we're often told to start with what we know. So, my first pick is something found in my own backyard--the Masters in Creative Writing offered at the University of New Brunswick. It can be completed in 20 months.

UNB Fredericton Campus

Like most Creative Writing MA's, this program is intense. In those twenty months, you complete two writing workshops and three academic courses. You also have to take some research methods courses, and work on your thesis (in whichever genre you choose). Another  feature of the Creative Writing MA is that you are able to go onto a doctoral program in English if you chose to do so. For more info, you can click here: http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/arts/graduate/english/index.html

The next thing you should check out is the Creative Writing program at the University of British Columbia. This is said to be the best program in Canada. At the Vancouver campus, UBC offers a MFA (Master in Fine Arts). The advantage of the MFA program is they focus on original writing instead of the study of literature. You would also look into eleven different genres of writing.
And if that doesn't make you want to go, the creator of  the TV show Bones is a grad of the MFA program. They also have an off-campus option and joint MFA's in Screenwriting and Playwriting.
If you want to know more, click here: http://creativewriting.ubc.ca/prospective-students/graduate/
For info on the off-campus program, choose this: http://creativewriting.ubc.ca/prospective-students/graduate/optional-residency-mfa-program/

UBC Vancouver Campus

My third and final pick would be the MFA program offered at New York University. Like the MFA program offered at UBC, this program allows students to intensively focus on their writing. It also allows them to choose from a wider selection of courses that will help them develop as writers. It's also tailored towards students who might want to apply for creative writing positions at universities.
NYU also offers a MA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing similar to the one at UNB. It, too allows students to apply to a PhD program and to teach creative writing at a high school level.
Also, all students who apply to the Creative Writing program will receive scholarships ranging from half to full-tuition coverage. Who doesn't want free money?
Want more info? Click here: http://cwp.fas.nyu.edu/page/graduate    

Free money? Why not?

Just remember, this is just a starting point. Happy hunting!