yale creative writing graduate program

Yale Creative Writing

• English Department

Students from all disciplines in Yale College enroll in the department’s creative writing courses. For students who wish to try their hand at learning basic elements of craft, the department recommends  English 123, Introduction to Creative Writing . This course, combining the small workshop format with lectures and readings by distinguished writers, offers hands-on experience in fiction, poetry, and drama. It is open to all undergraduates, without prerequisite or application.  Read more …

A comprehensive list of readings at Yale can be found  here .

News and Events

TYR Fiction Writers Announced as Finalists for ASME’s 2023 National Magazine Awards

Anne Fadiman in Harper's on Bunky the Frog

Yale Henry Fellow Emil Sands' article in The Atlantic

Louise Gluck delivers 2022 Foundational Courses Lecture

Yale Younger Poets Prize winner Mary-Alice Daniel '08

Lillie Lainoff ('18) Publishes Debut Novel: One For All

Pictures from some of our recent events can be found here .

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About the graduate writing lab.

The Graduate Writing Lab supports GSAS and professional school students as researchers, writers, and communicators. Our programs augment coursework and traditional academic training, creating community around writing and helping graduate students develop the skills, habits, and mindsets of successful scholars and professionals.

Graduate Writing Lab Programs

Writing consultations.

Receive feedback on work in progress during a free, 1-on-1 meeting with a Graduate Writing Lab Fellow. We’ll meet with you to discuss any writing project at any point in the writing process. Your consultant will listen to your goals for your project and work with you to achieve them. Our Fellows hold over 2500 consultations every year with graduate students from across the disciplines.  Schedule a consultation or visit our Writing Consultations page for more information.

Workshops and Panels

The Graduate Writing Lab offers over 100 workshops and panels every year. Our interactive workshops cover such topics as “Research adn Writing,” “Presenting Engagingly,” “Applying for Fellowships,” and “Styling your Academic Writing.” Panel sessions feature experts on a range of topics related to research, writing, and communication. Visit our Workshops and Panels page for a list of upcoming events.

Peer-Review Groups

Peer-review groups improve the quality, motivation, and pleasure of academic writing by creating a supportive community of scholars working on similar projects. Each year more than 30 groups of 5–7 graduate students participate in semesterlong peer-review groups covering such projects prospectuses, dissertations, and fellowship applications. Visit our Peer-Review Groups page for more information.

Gain focus and motivation by writing in the company of other graduate students. The Graduate Writing Lab offers three half-day “All Writes” per month during the academic year, a long-weekend writing retreat at the start of each term, and a weeklong “write into summer” retreat every May. You supply your research and writing materials and we’ll supply food, coffee, and structure to keep you writing. Learn more and check for upcoming events on our Writing Retreats and Study Halls page .

Public Speaking Resources

Practice a lecture, speech, or presentation in the Graduate Writing Lab’s Public Speaking Studio .  Our PitchVantage software will give you feedback on nine elements of your delivery, with links to tips on how to improve. PhD students can receive intensive help on their presentation skills by completing the Poorvu Center Certificate for Public Communication .

Before submitting your paper, use Turnitin to check that you’ve cited your sources fairly and accurately. Join the Canvas course where you can upload your paper or visit our Turnitin page for more information.

Online Writing Resources

The Graduate Writing Lab’s collection of online resources includes downloadable English Grammar Tutorials for non-native speakers; guides on dissertation writing , fellowship writing , publishing , and using sources ; and collections of resources for Law School and Divinity School students.

YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN

For graduate students looking for expert advice on planning, drafting, and revising their research paper, dissertation, presentation, or any other writing project.

Reserve a Room

The Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning partners with departments and groups on-campus throughout the year to share its space. Please review the reservation form and submit a request.

Learn about Peer-Review groups and how they can amplify your writing progress! We offer groups for dissertation writing, research paper writing, and fellowship writing.

Professional and Career Development

Approach your professional and career development as an integral part of your time in graduate school. Alongside your research and teaching, develop leadership skills that will prepare you for success, whether you pursue a career inside or outside the academy.

Yale supports your professional and career development through two complementary offices: the GSAS Assistant Dean for Professional Development and the Office of Career Strategy . Together, we offer one-on-one advising, a range of workshops, online resources, and varied experiential learning opportunities that will make you more successful during graduate school and better prepared for the job search. Professional and career training can help you clarify your career thinking, find ways to develop professional skills, build professional networks, understand the world of work, and prepare for a successful job search.

Jump-start your career and professional development in years 1-3 

• Learn about professional and career development and make a one-on-one appointment with an advisor. 
• Plan for success:  Outline your goals and develop a strategy to achieve them 
• Hone your professional skill set through workshops and resources. 
• Gain professional experience on campus and beyond to develop skills and learn about careers. 
• Learn how to build a supportive mentoring team 
• Explore diverse career options that fit with your priorities, interests and skills 

Solidify career options and identify opportunities in years 4+ 

• Explore careers through online resources and networking 
• Continue to network with professionals in careers/companies of interest 
• Continue to build professional skills and experience 
• Meet with an adviser to clarify how to communicate your professional identity and highlight your strengths to employers 
• Prepare for job applications, interviewing and job talks, and negotiation 

Learn more about GSAS Professional Development

Learn more about Office of Career Strategy

Additional Resources

Poorvu center: teaching development and initiatives.

https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/graduate-students/about-teaching-development-graduate-and-professional-school-students

The Teaching Development and Initiatives team provides opportunities for you to develop your pedagogical skills while you're here at Yale and as you prepare to teach at other institutions. You can earn a certificate that affirms your expertise, join in community with other graduate teachers, and compete for an opportunity to develop your own course alongside a faculty member. PhD students are also eligible to become McDougal Graduate Teaching Fellows, in which position you can further develop your teaching by facilitating workshops for your fellow graduate students and postdocs.

Digital Humanities (DH) Lab

https://dhlab.yale.edu/

The Digital Humanities Lab (DHLab) is uniquely positioned to support graduate student professional development through its programs. The DH Certificate allows you to complete coursework, training, and project work to demonstrate digital humanities competencies. The DH Dissertation Fellowship provides a stipend, space, community, mentorship, and mini-grant funding for students building a digital dissertation component.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

The 3-Minute Thesis competition challenges Yale PhD students to describe their thesis clearly and persuasively to a broad audience – in 3 minutes! Create a professional asset that is just as critical for academic conferences and job talks as it is for a job search outside of the academy.

Poorvu Center: Graduate Writing Lab

https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/writing/graduate

The Poorvu Center’s Graduate Writing Lab supports Yale graduate students in all aspects of written, oral, and visual communication. You can discuss a draft with a GWL Fellow in a 1–1 writing consultation; write with other graduate students at an All Write or Retreat; or join a peer-review group to give and receive support as you make progress on your dissertation, prospectus, or fellowship application. The GWL also offers over 100 workshops per year and a suite of public speaking programs. Alongside these resources, the GWL strives to promote a culture among graduate students that centers writing as a process of developing, refining, and disseminating knowledge, nurtured within a supportive community of scholars.

Yale Library Workshops

https://schedule.yale.edu/calendar/instruction?cid=4960&t=d&d=0000-00-00&cal=4960&inc=0

Yale Library offers workshops and events on a range of subjects that allow you to familiarize yourself with the library's resources and support your use of scholarly tools and online platforms. Workshop topics include: getting started with Zotero; syncing your online bibliography; cleaning messy data using Excel; literature searching; using LaTex; and curating your online scholarly profile. Workshops are sequenced to support every level of familiarity with scholarly tools, from beginner to proficient.

Featured Resource

Office of Career Strategy (OCS)

https://ocs.yale.edu/channels/phds-postdocs/

The Office of Career Strategy (OCS) supports GSAS students from every discipline and at every stage of their time at Yale through career advising, programming and resources aimed at the specific career interests and needs of PhD and Master’s students. At OCS, graduate students can explore diverse career paths; build professional skills and experience; identify opportunities; and get help with job search strategies, application materials, and interviewing in preparation for a successful job search within and beyond the academy. Services offered by OCS for Master’s and PhD students are part of a suite of resources supported by the Graduate School to foster professional and career development.

Suzanne Young

Assistant Dean for Professional Development

• [email protected]
• 203-432-8895
• Founders Hall 185

Yale Writers' Workshop

You are here, welcome from the yale writers' workshop director, jotham burrello.

Director's welcome to the Yale Writers' Workshop!

From First to Final Draft, Find Your Voice at Yale

The Yale Writers’ Workshop brings together the experience and expertise of leading teachers, authors, editors, agents and publishers in a series of panels and workshops for the benefit of writers the world over. We are offering three sessions (one on campus and two remote) that will enhance the writing skills of any serious writer. Our faculty provides unique, tailored, and transformative experiences to all participants.

The Yale Writers' Workshop experience offers:

• An immersive creative environment
• An experienced faculty of writers and editors
• Small workshops limited to 10-12 participants
• Access to industry professionals

"Sometimes I feel that writing is exactly like breathing to me, but it’s like I’ve been going through life scared to breathe. I never really gave myself a chance, but this week allowed me to do that. I used to get so panicked when people asked me what my book was about and now I’m genuinely excited to talk about it."

"I had a wonderful time and learned so much! This was a fantastic opportunity and I'm so glad to have been a part of it."

Courses & Programs

• Courses at Yale
• Yale Summer Online
• The English Language Institute
• Conservatory for Actors
• About the Yale Writers' Workshop
• Faculty Bios
• Dates & Costs
• Alumni Corner
• Yale Young Writers' Workshop
• Programs Abroad

MFA Program in Creative Writing

The Creative Writing Program offers the MFA degree, with a concentration in either poetry or fiction. MFA students pursue intensive study with distinguished faculty committed to creative and intellectual achievement.

Each year the department enrolls only eight MFA students, four in each concentration. Our small size allows us to offer a generous financial support package that fully funds every student. We also offer a large and diverse graduate faculty with competence in a wide range of literary, theoretical and cultural fields. Every student chooses a special committee of two faculty members who work closely alongside the student to design a course of study within the broad framework established by the department.

Students participate in a graduate writing workshop each semester and take six additional one-semester courses for credit, at least four of them in English or American literature, comparative literature, literature in the modern or Classical languages or cultural studies (two per semester during the first year and one per semester during the second year). First-year students receive practical training as editorial assistants for  Epoch, a periodical of prose and poetry published by the creative writing program. Second-year students participate as teaching assistants for the university-wide first-year writing program. The most significant requirement of the MFA degree is the completion of a book-length manuscript: a collection of poems or short stories, or a novel, to be closely edited and refined with the assistance of the student’s special committee.

MFA program specifics can be viewed here: MFA Timeline Procedural Guide

Special Committee

Every graduate student selects a special committee of faculty advisors who works intensively with the student in selecting courses and preparing and revising the thesis. The committee is comprised of two Cornell creative writing faculty members: a chair and one minor member. An additional member may be added to represent an interdisciplinary field. The university system of special committees allows students to design their own courses of study within a broad framework established by the department, and it encourages a close working relationship between professors and students, promoting freedom and flexibility in the pursuit of the graduate degree. The special committee for each student guides and supervises all academic work and assesses progress in a series of meetings with the students.

At Cornell, teaching is considered an integral part of training for a career in writing. The field requires a carefully supervised teaching experience of at least one year for every MFA candidate as part of the program requirements. The Department of English, in conjunction with the First-Year Writing Program, offers excellent training for beginning teachers and varied and interesting teaching in this university-wide program. These are not conventional freshman composition courses, but full-fledged academic seminars, often designed by graduate students themselves. The courses are writing-intensive and may fall under such general rubrics as “Portraits of the Self,” “American Literature and Culture,” “Shakespeare” and “Cultural Studies,” among others. A graduate student may also serve as a teaching assistant for an undergraduate lecture course taught by a member of the Department of Literatures in English faculty.

All MFA degree candidates are guaranteed two years of funding (including a stipend , a full tuition fellowship and student health insurance).

• Graduate Assistantship with EPOCH . Students read submissions, plan special issues and assume other editorial and administrative responsibilities.
• Summer Teaching Assistantship, linked to a teachers' training program. Summer residency in Ithaca is required.
• Teaching Assistantship
• Summer Fellowship (made possible by the David L. Picket ’84 Fund and The James McConkey Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing Award for Summer Support, established by his enduringly grateful student, Len Edelstein ’59)

Optional MFA Lecturer Appointments Degree recipients who are actively seeking outside funding/employment are eligible to apply to teach for one or two years as a lecturer. These positions are made possible by an endowment established by the late Philip H. Freund ’29 and a bequest from the Truman Capote Literary Trust.

Admission & Application Procedures

The application for Fall 2024 admission will open on September 15, 2023 and will close on December 15, 2023 at 11:59pm EST. Please note that staff support is available M-F 9am-4pm.

Eligibility : Applicants must currently have, or expect to have, at least a BA or BS (or the equivalent) in any field before matriculation. International students, please verify degree equivalency here . Applicants are not required to take the GRE test or meet a specified GPA minimum.

To Apply:  All applications and supplemental materials must be submitted on-line through the Graduate School application system . While completing your application, you may save and edit your data. Once you click “submit,” your application will be closed for changes. Please proofread your materials carefully. Once you pay and click submit, you will not be able to make any changes or revisions.

DEADLINE: Dec. 15, 11:59 p.m. EST . This deadline is firm. No applications, additional materials or revisions will be accepted after the deadline.

MFA Program Application Requirements Checklist

• Academic Statement of Purpose Please use the Academic Statement of Purpose to describe, within 1000 words: (1) your academic interests, (2) your academic background, preparation, and training, including any relevant professional experiences, (3) your reasons for pursuing graduate studies in this specific program, and (4) your professional goals.
• Personal Statement Your Personal Statement should provide the admissions committee with a sense of you as a whole person, and you should use it to describe how your background and experiences influenced your decision to pursue a graduate degree. Additionally, it should provide insight into your potential to contribute to a community of inclusion, belonging, and respect where scholars representing diverse backgrounds, perspectives, abilities, and experiences can learn and work productively and positively together. Writing your Personal Statement provides you with an opportunity to share experiences that provide insights into how your personal, academic, and/or professional experiences demonstrate your ability to be both persistent and resilient, especially when navigating challenging circumstances. The statement also allows you to provide examples of how you engage with others and have facilitated and/or participated in productive collaborative endeavors. Additionally, it provides you with an opportunity to provide context around any perceived gaps or weaknesses in your academic record. Content in the Personal Statement should complement rather than duplicate the content contained within the Academic Statement of Purpose, which should focus explicitly on your academic interests, previous research experience, and intended area of research during your graduate studies. A complete writing prompt is available in the application portal.
• Three Letters of Recommendation Please select three people who best know you and your work. Submitting additional letters will not enhance your application. In the recommendation section of the application, you must include the email address of each recommender. After you save the information (and before you pay/submit), the application system will automatically generate a recommendation request email to your recommender with instructions for submitting the letter electronically. If your letters are stored with a credential service such as Interfolio, please use their “online application delivery” feature and input the email address assigned to your stored document, rather than that of your recommender’s. The electronic files will be attached to your application when they are received and will not require the letter of recommendation cover page. Please do not postpone submitting your application while waiting for us to receive all three of your letters. We will accept recommendation letters until December 30,11:59pm EST . For more information please visit the Graduate School's page on preparing letters of recommendations .
• Transcripts Scan transcripts from each institution you have attended, or are currently attending, and upload into the academic information section of the application. Be sure to remove your social security number from all documents prior to scanning. Please do not send paper copies of your transcripts. If you are subsequently admitted and accept, the graduate school will require an official paper transcript from your degree-awarding institution prior to matriculation.
• English Language Proficiency Requirement All applicants must provide proof of English language proficiency. For more information, please view the  Graduate School’s English Language Requirement .
• Fiction applicants:  Your sample must be between 6,000 and 10,000 words, typed, double-spaced, in a conventional 12- or 14-point font. It may be an excerpt from a larger work or a combination of several works.
• Poetry applicants:  Your sample must be 10 pages in length and include a combination of several poems, where possible.

General Information for All Applicants

Application Fee: Visit the  Graduate School for information regarding application fees , payment options, and fee waivers . Please do not send inquires regarding fee waivers.

Document Identification: Please do not put your social security number on any documents.

Status Inquiries:  Once you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email. You will also be able to check the completion status of your application in your account. If vital sections of your application are missing, we will notify you via email after the Dec. 15 deadline and allow you ample time to provide the missing materials. Please do not inquire about the status of your application.

Credential/Application Assessments:  The admission review committee members are unable to review application materials or applicant credentials prior to official application submission. Once the committee has reviewed the applications and made admissions decisions, they will not discuss the results or make any recommendations for improving the strength of an applicant’s credentials. Applicants looking for feedback are advised to consult with their undergraduate advisor or someone else who knows them and their work.

Review Process:  Application review begins after the submission deadline. Notification of admissions decisions will be made by email or by telephone by the end of February.

Connecting with Faculty and/or Students: Unfortunately, due to the volume of inquiries we receive, faculty and current students are not available to correspond with potential applicants prior to an offer of admission. Applicants who are offered admission will have the opportunity to meet faculty and students to have their questions answered prior to accepting. Staff and faculty are also not able to pre-assess potential applicant’s work outside of the formal application process. Please email [email protected] instead, if you have questions.

Visiting: The department does not offer pre-admission visits or interviews. Admitted applicants will be invited to visit the department, attend graduate seminars and meet with faculty and students before making the decision to enroll.

Transfer Credits: Transfer credits are not available toward the MFA program.

Admissions FAQ

For Further Information

Contact [email protected]

MFA in Creative Writing Graduation Readings

• Quick Contacts

Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Writing programs.

SAL2 Writing Programs include office hours with a writing coach, writing retreats, and writing workshops. These program is designed to help FAS ladder faculty in all disciplines develop sustainable writing routines, overcome writing blocks, engage new audiences, and address other writing-related goals and challenges.

Office Hours with a Writing Coach

Eligible faculty members can sign up for a 30-minute appointment with writing coach Anne Amienne from Scholars and Writers Consulting.

Office hours are an opportunity for one-on-one conversations and individualized guidance about writing goals and challenges, ranging from writing habits and mindset to craft and public engagement. You might also want to follow-up from a group workshop or talk over what writing coaching can do for you in the longer term.

Office hours are offered several times each semester. Dates will be announced to eligible faculty via email.

In addition, eligible FAS faculty members may request support through Coaching for Success  at any time. This program provides faculty with 1-on-1 support from professional coaches. To date, 300+ FAS faculty members have worked with coaches on areas that range from developing leadership skills to establishing sustainable research routines; from building mentorship networks to balancing the demands of research and teaching; from learning new technical skills to writing for new audiences.

Writing Retreats

The FAS Dean’s Office offers writing retreats to provide opportunities for faculty to work on their writing goals for a period of uninterrupted time. Optional workshops intended to guide the writing process will be available throughout the day. Breakfast, lunch, and prepared take-home family meals are provided. 

Writing Workshops

Offered in partnership with Scholars and Writers Consulting, writing workshops include topics such as writing routines, writing rituals, engaging readers, building clarity into your writing, goal-setting, and establishing boundaries around dedicated writing time. Future writing workshops will be announced via email.

Eligibility

Any ladder faculty member with a primary or fully joint appointment in an FAS department or program may participate. 

Fellowships

T HE YALE REVIEW IS A HOME for Yale University students interested in learning about public writing, editing, and publishing. Through our student programs, Yale undergraduate and graduate students receive in-depth training in key aspects of print and digital media, as well as the opportunity to work with professional writers, editors, and publishers. Over the course of the academic year, students read submissions, digitize work from the archives, help with social media , and assist with events. Each semester, TYR holds seminars and professional training sessions in skills such as magazine editing, fact-checking, podcasting, and pitching articles, to which all students are invited. We invite undergraduate and graduate students at Yale to apply for the following positions:

Undergraduates

UNDERGRADUATE READERS At the start of each academic year, TYR selects at least fifty undergraduate readers to help evaluate submissions. This volunteer program gives students exposure to the inner workings of a literary magazine. Students read submissions and write reader reports, meet with editors, attend special issue launch parties, and have their names listed in the journal. Students are also invited to the professional development seminars and talks TYR hosts with leading editors, publishers, and writers. Positions for the 2024-2025 academic year will open in August 2024. Questions about the program can be addressed to deputy editor Elliott Holt at [email protected] .

UNDERGRADUATE FELLOWS Our paid undergraduate fellowship offers students entry-level training in magazine publishing. Working four hours per week during the academic year, TYR Undergraduate Fellows usually take on a specialized role within the organization, such as social media intern, archives intern, or editorial assistant, as well as providing general help to the staff of TYR . Our undergraduate fellows also evaluate submissions to the journal, helping to select essays, short stories, and poems for publication. They sometimes assist with fact-checking, promotional copy, and special projects. All students with a serious interest in writing and publishing are invited to apply, whether or not they have taken creative writing classes or worked on a Yale student publication. Many of our paid fellows begin as volunteer readers, so we encourage students interested in working for TYR to join our reading program.

SUMMER INTERNSHIPS The Yale Review offers paid internships for eight-week periods every summer. Summer interns read submissions, digitize pieces from the archives, provide research and production assistance, and more. A call for applicants goes out in February of each academic year. This position qualifies for the Arts Apprenticeship program. Applications are now closed for Summer 2024 .

Graduate Students

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FELLOWSHIPS Graduate students have the opportunity to apply for a paid semester-long assistant editor position in lieu of serving as a teaching fellow. This position, renewable for a second semester, is open to Yale Ph.D. students who are in their teaching years. Professional development fellows work closely with senior editors, receiving training and robust hands-on experience, acquiring the skills needed to work in publishing through reading and evaluating submissions, fact-checking, writing promotional copy, editing, building archival packages, and performing other, related tasks. Professional development fellows are expected to make a commitment of twenty hours per week to TYR. We encourage Ph.D. candidates who have a serious interest in publishing and public writing to apply. Click here to apply for the Fall 2024 semester. Applications are due by Monday, March 25, 2024. Questions can be sent to deputy editor Elliott Holt at [email protected] .

ART FELLOW In this academic-year-long paid position, a graduate student in art or design works approximately five hours a week with our art editor and managing editor to find art, secure rights, assist in cover production, and keep track of captions for each print issue and our website. The art fellow occasionally designs graphics for print and the web, and supports our editors in finding art for online-only stories. Applications are open on a rolling basis. Interested graduate students should email a cover letter, résumé, and portfolio to managing editor Will Frazier at [email protected] .

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Creative Writing and Literature Master’s Degree Program

Online Courses

11 out of 12 total courses

On-Campus Experience

One 1- or 3-week residency in summer

$3,220 per course

Unlock your creative potential and hone your unique voice.

Build a strong foundation in literary criticism and writing across multiple genres — including fiction, nonfiction, and drama — in our live online writing and literature program with an in-person writers’ residency at Harvard.

Program Overview

Through the master’s degree in creative writing and literature, you’ll hone your skills as a storyteller — crafting publishable original scripts, novels, and stories.

In small, workshop-style classes, you’ll master key elements of narrative craft, including characterization, story and plot structure, point of view, dialogue, and description. And you’ll learn to approach literary works as both a writer and scholar by developing skills in critical analysis.

Program Benefits

Instructors who are published authors of drama, fiction, and nonfiction

A community of writers who support your growth in live online classes

Writer's residency with agent & editor networking opportunities

Personalized academic and career advising

Thesis or capstone options that lead to publishable creative work

Harvard Alumni Association membership upon graduation

Customizable Course Curriculum

As you work through the program’s courses, you’ll enhance your creative writing skills and knowledge of literary concepts and strategies. You’ll practice the art of revision to hone your voice as a writer in courses like Writing the Short Personal Essay and Writing Flash Fiction.

Within the creative writing and literature program, you will choose between a thesis or capstone track. You’ll also experience the convenience of online learning and the immersive benefits of learning in person.

11 Online Courses

• Primarily synchronous
• Fall, spring, January, and summer options

Writers’ Residency

A 1- or 3-week summer master class taught by a notable instructor, followed by an agents-and-editors weekend

Thesis or Capstone Track

• Thesis: features a 9-month independent creative project with a faculty advisor
• Capstone: includes crafting a fiction or nonfiction manuscript in a classroom community

The path to your degree begins before you apply to the program.

First, you’ll register for and complete 2 required courses, earning at least a B in each. These foundational courses are investments in your studies and count toward your degree, helping ensure success in the program.

Getting Started

We invite you to explore degree requirements, confirm your initial eligibility, and learn more about our unique “earn your way in” admissions process.

A Faculty of Creative Writing Experts

Studying at Harvard Extension School means learning from the world’s best. Our instructors are renowned academics in literary analysis, storytelling, manuscript writing, and more. They bring a genuine passion for teaching, with students giving our faculty an average rating of 4.7 out of 5.

Bryan Delaney

Playwright and Screenwriter

Talaya Adrienne Delaney

Lecturer in Extension, Harvard University

Elisabeth Sharp McKetta

Our community at a glance.

80% of our creative writing and literature students are enrolled in our master’s degree program for either personal enrichment or to make a career change. Most (74%) are employed full time while pursuing their degree and work across a variety of industries.

Download: Creative Writing & Literature Master's Degree Fact Sheet

Average Age

Course Taken Each Semester

Work Full Time

Would Recommend the Program

Professional Experience in the Field

Pursued for Personal Enrichment

Career Opportunities & Alumni Outcomes

Graduates of our Creative Writing and Literature Master’s Program have writing, research, and communication jobs in the fields of publishing, advertising/marketing, fundraising, secondary and higher education, and more.

Some alumni continue their educational journeys and pursue further studies in other nationally ranked degree programs, including those at Boston University, Brandeis University, University of Pennsylvania, and Cambridge University.

Our alumni hold titles as:

• Marketing Manager
• Director of Publishing
• Senior Research Writer

Our alumni work at a variety of leading organizations, including:

• Little, Brown & Company
• New York University (NYU)
• Bentley Publishers

Career Advising and Mentorship

Whatever your career goals, we’re here to support you. Harvard’s Mignone Center for Career Success offers career advising, employment opportunities, Harvard alumni mentor connections, and career fairs like the annual on-campus Harvard Humanities, Media, Marketing, and Creative Careers Expo.

Your Harvard University Degree

Upon successful completion of the required curriculum, you will earn the Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Extension Studies, Field: Creative Writing and Literature.

Expand Your Connections: the Harvard Alumni Network

As a graduate, you’ll become a member of the worldwide Harvard Alumni Association (400,000+ members) and Harvard Extension Alumni Association (29,000+ members).

Harvard is closer than one might think. You can be anywhere and still be part of this world.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Affordability is core to our mission. When compared to our continuing education peers, it’s a fraction of the cost.

After admission, you may qualify for financial aid . Typically, eligible students receive grant funds to cover a portion of tuition costs each term, in addition to federal financial aid options.

What can you do with a master’s degree in creative writing and literature?

A master’s degree in creative writing and literature prepares you for a variety of career paths in writing, literature, and communication — it’s up to you to decide where your interests will take you.

You could become a professional writer, editor, literary agent, marketing copywriter, or communications specialist.

You could also go the academic route and bring your knowledge to the classroom to teach creative writing or literature courses.

Is a degree in creative writing and literature worth it?

The value you find in our Creative Writing and Literature Master’s Degree Program will depend on your unique goals, interests, and circumstances.

The curriculum provides a range of courses that allow you to graduate with knowledge and skills transferable to various industries and careers.

How long does completing the creative writing and literature graduate program take?

Program length is ordinarily anywhere between 2 and 5 years. It depends on your preferred pace and the number of courses you want to take each semester.

For an accelerated journey, we offer year round study, where you can take courses in fall, January, spring, and summer.

While we don’t require you to register for a certain number of courses each semester, you cannot take longer than 5 years to complete the degree.

What skills do you need prior to applying for the creative writing and literature degree program?

Harvard Extension School does not require any specific skills prior to applying, but in general, it’s helpful to have solid reading, writing, communication, and critical thinking skills if you are considering a creative writing and literature master’s degree.

Initial eligibility requirements can be found on our creative writing and literature master’s degree requirements page .

Harvard Division of Continuing Education

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The MFA Program in Creative Writing consists of a vibrant community of writers working together in a setting that is both challenging and supportive. This stimulating environment fosters the development of talented writers of poetry , fiction , and creative nonfiction . The program is not defined by courses alone, but by a life built around writing.

Our renowned faculty are Catherine Barnett , Jeffrey Eugenides ,  Nathan Englander , Jonathan Safran Foer , Terrance Hayes , Katie Kitamura , Hari Kunzru, Deborah Landau , Joyce Carol Oates , Sharon Olds , Claudia Rankine , Matthew Rohrer , Darin Strauss , and Ocean Vuong . Visiting faculty members in 2022-2023 will include Nuar Alsadir, Cris Beam , Marie-Helene Bertino , Alex Dimitrov , Uzodinma Iweala , Jonas Hassen Khemiri , David Lipsky , Sally Wen Mao , Leigh Newman , Julie Orringer , Rowan Ricardo Phillips , Parul Sehgal ,  Saïd Sayrafiezadeh , Brandon Taylor , Hannah Tinti , Phillip B. Williams , and Monica Youn.

Through innovative literary outreach programs, a distinguished public reading series, an exciting public student reading series, special literary seminars with visiting writers, and the production of a high-quality literary journal, students participate in a dynamic literary community actively engaged in all aspects of the literary arts—writing, reading, teaching, publishing and community outreach. Students also have the opportunity to enjoy America's most literary terrain; New York University is situated in the heart of Greenwich Village, a part of the city that has always been home to writers.

Over recent years, program alumni have received many of the nation's most distinguished literary honors, including the Pulitzer Prize , the National Book Award , the National Book Critics Circle Award , the Guggenheim Fellowship , The MacArthur Fellowship ,  The National Endowment of the Arts Literary Fellowship ,  The Wallace Stegner Award , The Whiting Award , the Yale Series of Younger Poets , and the National Poetry Series , among many others. NYU CWP alumni include  Aria Aber, Amir Ahmadi Arian, Julie Buntin, Nick Flynn, Nell Freudenberger, Aracelis Girmay, Isabella Hammad, Ishion Hutchinson, Mitchell S. Jackson, Tyehimba Jess, Raven Leilani, Dana Levin, Robin Coste Lewis, Ada Limón, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Maaza Mengiste, John Murillo, Gregory Pardlo, Morgan Parker, Nicole Sealey, Solmaz Sharif, Peng Shepherd, Ocean Vuong, Jenny Xie,  and  Javier Zamora . 

The annual application deadline is December 18. We do not require GRE test scores. For further information about how to apply, please visit the GSAS Application Resource Center's useful online publication, " Application Requirements and Deadlines for Departments and Programs ." Specific departmental requirements can be found  here . You may also contact the Creative Writing Program at (212) 998-8816 or  [email protected]

  Saïd Sayrafiezadeh

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Creative Writing Awards

One of our students’ assignments during their first clinical experience is to begin a journal. Through their journal they can watch their own transformation. Through their writing we can understand contemporary nursing and midwifery through the eyes, hands, and feelings of these remarkable students and soon-to-be APRNs.

YSN’s annual Creative Writing Awards are enlivened by the inspirational presence of YSN Professor Linda Honan. Yale nursing students submit their narratives, journal entries, and other creative writing for consideration of one of three significant student awards. This annual gathering, beloved by our community, also features prominent writers and thinkers.

Poetry and prose submissions are currently being collected for the Creative Writing Awards: Centennial Edition. Check out full details here and submit your poetry or prose by 11:59 pm on March 25, 2024.

Department of African American Studies

Fas and fas-affiliated faculty have received awards for research, writing, service, and creative activities across fields that represent the breadth and depth of the fas:.

Faculty Honors:

Shane Vogel , Professor of English and African American Studies, received the 2023 Oscar G. Brockett Essay Prize from the American Society for Theater Research for his essay “Waiting for Godot and the Theater of the Absurd,” published in PMLA , 2022.

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Once you secure your experience, you may find the employer needs additional information to finalize your employment or, if applicable, secure your work visa. See below for how OCS can help when an employer requests details about academic credit or a letter of support for a U.S. based or international internship.

NOTE : If you need verification of your enrollment, that must go through the University Registrar’s Office . The process is simple, visit the Registrar’s website and click the “Verifications” link on the right for instructions. Please plan ahead and allow up to 5 business days for processing.

Academic Credit Letters

In some instances, organizations may ask that interns receive academic credit as a form of compensation for their work. Yale College has a policy that  may allow a student to apply their summer experience toward credit for independent study at Yale. Upon request, the Office of Career Strategy is able to provide a letter explaining this policy to an employer. The majority of organizations have accepted this policy letter without reservation.

This policy is not unique to Yale; it is shared by many other institutions and broadly accepted across multiple industries.

This letter states that a Yale College sophomore, junior, or senior whose previous academic record is satisfactory may be eligible to undertake an Independent Study for course credit, for which the student’s internship experience serves as a foundation for research, higher level course discussion, and relevant term projects. Students who participate in an internship during the summer or while on leave of absence from Yale College may subsequently enroll in an Independent Study course. That course must be approved by the relevant DUS, must be taken during the very next term of enrollment in Yale College, and cannot exceed the number of independent study courses allowed within that term or during their time at Yale.

Furthermore, the letter clarifies expectations that students and internship sponsors understand that certain criteria must apply in order for the intern to not be considered an employee under the  Fair Labor Standards Act  and therefore not required to be compensated for the hours worked.

Click here to Request a Credit Letter

Prac 471/472 (fieldwork practicum analysis).

Yale College recognizes that experiential learning is a valued and integral part of the Yale College academic experience, enabling students to transition from the classroom into their post-graduate professional careers. This experience is acquired through a variety of means, including but not limited to internships, volunteer opportunities, independent projects, and research opportunities. Some employers require students to demonstrate that the work or internship experience is related to their academic major, and some students want to demonstrate to future employers that they have done field work. PRAC 471/472 are graded pass/fail courses that allow a student to receive credit for the application of summer experience toward this structured curricular engagement.

• All Yale College students who wish to enroll in one of the PRAC courses must have completed the Project Proposal Form .
• Qualifying fieldwork experiences must last a minimum of four consecutive weeks.
• PRAC 471 is offered for the Fall term; PRAC 472 is offered in the Spring. Interested students should enroll in the PRAC course most nearly following their fieldwork experience.
• U.S. Citizens or U.S. Permanent Residents : Your Project Proposal Form will be reviewed by both DUS and Practicum faculty for approval and acceptance into the next available Practicum.
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• Students on leave of absence : term-time fieldwork experience can be associated with a PRAC course pursued within the first term of re-enrollment.

International Internships: Letters of Support

International employers may ask the intern for a letter of support from their school stating that the student has an internship with the organization during the summer academic holiday. Others are more specific; for example, employers in France ask interns for a convention de stage  signed by the employer, the intern, and Yale. If any of these documents are required of you, please  contact OCS .

NOTE : If you need verification of your enrollment that must go through the University Registrar’s Office . The process is simple, visit the Registrar’s website and click the “Verifications” link on the right for instructions. Please plan ahead and allow up to 5 business days for processing.

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• Post published: March 26, 2024

WRAC Faculty and Graduate Students Collaborate to Teach Undergraduate Writing Courses

Before enrolling in a writing course at MSU, undergraduates might view writing as a solitary act: performed alone by a creative professional, or as a one-way conversation between an author and invisible readers. But across the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures (WRAC), faculty invite their students to challenge these traditional notions. 

In both graduate and undergraduate settings, WRAC courses push beyond one-dimensional conceptions of writing in favor of collaboration and community-building. Whether they’re pursuing a Minor in Writing (MiW), a Professional and Public Writing (P2W) degree, or simply fulfilling a writing requirement, students from all majors have the opportunity to develop their definitions of writing and apply them to their professional aspirations. 

In the spirit of collaboration, Assistant Professors Dr. Margaret Morris and Dr. Bree Straayer teamed up with Ethan Voss and Mary Murdock , both graduate students in the Master of Arts (MA) in Rhetoric and Writing program , to teach two P2W courses this spring semester: 

• Writing in Corporate Contexts (WRA 333), taught by Dr. Morris and Voss
• Writing in the Public Interest (WRA 331), taught by Dr. Straayer and Murdock

These graduate-faculty partnerships enrich the experiences of undergraduates and the learning outcomes of all involved. 

WRA 333: Writing in Corporate Contexts

In WRA 333, Dr. Morris and Voss invite students to read, analyze, and produce the kinds of writing that function as “glue” in corporate communications: from public-facing messages and crisis response to business emails and even group chats. 

Through a series of four projects, students reflect on prior experiences and apply their unique knowledge sets to their future roles, professional contexts, and responsibilities. Together, Dr. Morris and Voss engage students in a mixture of audience analysis, writing production, and presentations, with a continual emphasis on professionalism and corporate leadership.

Dr. Morris frames conversations about corporate work with Dare to Lead , written by researcher, professor, and storyteller Brené Brown . After reading Brown’s book, students are asked to present core concepts from the text and articulate their strengths and opportunities for leadership development. Through this work, “students begin to take on their own markers of leadership, and hopefully begin to understand that leadership – and writing – isn’t about being perfect, but rather vulnerable and self-correcting,” Dr. Morris said. 

These aims are reinforced by the students’ final two projects, which ask them to create plans for success as future leaders and writers in corporate environments. Each student reflects on the course in a letter, in which they articulate their intentions as young writers entering a fast-changing workforce.

A Partnership Built on Past Experiences

Dr. Morris brings real-world corporate experience and over twenty years of teaching experience to her classroom. This is her second time teaching WRA 333 as well as collaborating with Voss; last fall, the duo co-taught WRA 370, an introductory course in grammar and editing.

As an undergraduate at the University of Minnesota, Voss’ two favorite courses were “Technical and Professional Writing” and “Editing, Critique, and Style.” In addition to sharing relevant knowledge from his undergraduate years, Voss offers his perspectives as a young adult and current student to connect with undergraduates in WRA 331, many of whom are seniors. 

“I was in their position not too long ago, so I’m often asking: ‘How can we prepare these students to launch into the next phase of life?’” Voss said. 

As a former writer in a corporate setting, Dr. Morris also understands the particular nature of corporate environments that many of her students will enter after graduating this spring. 

“When students get to the workplace, they’re going to be writing a lot,” Dr. Morris said. “In a corporate setting, you have to be in good relationships with people across the organization, so you can gather the information you need and write it up in a way that meets the needs and expectations of your audience.”

In anticipation of these demands, Dr. Morris and Voss ask their students to write across different modes of writing while attending closely to their audiences, which involves analysis and research to better understand the needs of hypothetical readers. In the classroom, peers function as readers and supporters, so Dr. Morris and Voss strive to foster a communal space where students feel comfortable sharing, brainstorming, and writing together. 

“One of my primary aims as a P2W Professor is to create a small community in every classroom where people really know each other, their strengths and weaknesses, and trust in the process of sharing their writing,” Dr. Morris said. 

Intentional community-building is especially vital in classrooms with varied academic interests. In WRA 333 alone, represented majors include Neuroscience, Textile and Apparel, Japanese, Communications, Political Science and Theory, and Experience Architecture. Students often enroll in P2W courses like WRA 333 to fulfill requirements for the MiW or complete a writing elective, so P2W faculty – and teaching assistants like Voss – work with students from diverse backgrounds.

By getting to know these students “on a more granular level,” Dr. Morris said, she can tailor their activities and teams to align with their educational goals and personal needs. “Every class, we check in and try to be honest with each other. We share a lot of laughter, and then we forge forward.”

Co-Teaching = Co-Learning

Collaborating with Voss – who will complete his MA in Rhetoric and Writing this spring and begin a Ph.D. program next fall – “lets me perceive new ways to come into the classroom and infuse it with life and knowledge,” Dr. Morris reflected. She attributes the success of their collaboration to shared pedagogical values, enthusiasm, and overall “synergy.” 

“Ethan and I have complementary values of building community, listening to students, and centering students in our pedagogy,” Dr. Morris described. She contends that the students in WRA 333 also benefit from their collaboration, as they get to work with both a long-time professor and former corporate professional and a younger educator with newer theory and praxis. 

Both Dr. Morris and Voss bring their enthusiasm for relationship-building via writing, as well as their shared belief in the value of pedagogical partnerships in higher education. “In teaching settings, there’s so much value in observation, but even more in the process of actively engaging your ideas and putting them into practice,” Dr. Morris said. “Most of the time, students are so eager to learn that they’re forgiving about your learning process as a teacher.” It can take years to develop one’s “teacherly identity,” Dr. Morris noted – and she’s still doing it alongside Voss. 

Preparing Students for Future Work – and Future Writing

The impending job search can feel daunting for many students, so Voss and Dr. Morris take measures to ground their class in the present moment with supportive check-ins and a “Dumb Question of the Day” – usually supplied by Voss – that imbue the classroom with honesty and a therapeutic dose of humor. 

These pedagogical moves support the professional and personal success of undergraduates, as well as Voss’ personal journey as a graduate student. After completing his Ph.D., Voss sees himself teaching in a First-Year Writing Program and eventually working as a Director. From there, he plans to eventually transition into other leadership roles, but always circling back to his original love for higher education, classroom community, and the students who define this work.

In this specific course and across his pedagogy, Voss views the classroom as a space to gather and “foster the development of genuinely good people: ones who can leave as leaders and understand the importance of engaging with other people, exactly as they are.” 

“Regardless of whether they go into a corporate setting or somewhere else, we want students to make genuine changes in the spaces they enter,” Voss said. 

Voss and Dr. Morris recently submitted a presentation proposal to talk about their co-teaching experience at the Spring 2024 Teaching and Learning Conference , hosted by the Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation. They look forward to completing the semester together and sharing about their collaboration with a larger community of teachers, researchers, and writers.

WRA 331: Writing in the Public Interest

Across the hall, Murdock and Dr. Straayer teach undergraduates about nonprofit writing in WRA 331. While acknowledging their roles as teachers first, they also wear “the hats of clients, such that students are creating deliverables that would be used in a nonprofit communications strategy or a real community,” Murdock reflected. 

Dr. Straayer offered a similar sentiment. “As a class, we’re really invested in understanding what reading and writing look like in community spaces, and not just in higher education.” 

In keeping with this community-centric vision, Dr. Straayer and Murdock incorporate a mixture of projects and learning modalities into WRA 331. Across assignments, they emphasize hands-on creation and thinking about the complexities of writing for nonprofit organizations, especially compared to corporate settings. 

The course is structured around five assignments, beginning with an introductory project that asks students to analyze and adjust an example of nonprofit communication with significant room for improvement. Students get a chance to play with design in a low-stakes environment, familiarize themselves with writing in the nonprofit sphere, and “make constructive changes and see what challenges arise in the process,” Dr. Straayer described. Students find that while “it’s easy to critique a writing sample, it’s much harder to make it ‘right,’” she said.  

This foundational assignment prepares students for the remaining four projects, which collectively ask them to consider the role of audience, storytelling, and personal values when communicating on behalf of a nonprofit organization. The course simulates the challenges and affordances of writing for nonprofits, whether on a freelance or in-house basis: through case studies, rhetorical analysis of common documents, project management, and ongoing reflection. 

In the students’ third project, which explores the role of storytelling in the nonprofit world, Dr. Straayer asks students to consider the ethics of communicating other people’s stories. “We consider what it looks like to give others agency in the composition practice – because in the nonprofit world, so much of writing is storytelling,” Dr. Straayer said. In this specific project but also throughout the course, Dr. Straayer and Murdock focus on preparing students to enter a nonprofit setting with care and intention. 

“We want to prepare students to listen and understand their own positionality and lens through which they view the world, so when they’re working with communities, they understand how to work with a certain kind of sensitivity and thinking,” Dr. Straayer described. “When we tell stories in nonprofit spaces, we want to honor the people we’re working with and show them in the fullness of who they really are, and ensure that we’re not just shedding one light.”

Replicating Community Work in the Writing Classroom

Prior to teaching in WRAC, Dr. Straayer worked for three years at the Literacy Center of West Michigan and oversaw their program for parents learning English. As a graduate student at MSU, Dr. Straayer worked with English Language Learners at Bethany Christian Services; and during the summers, she taught at Grand Rapids Community College as an English Fast Track Instructor. These highly immersive experiences – centered around one-on-one relationships – continue to inform Dr. Straayer’s teaching philosophy in WRA 331.

Dr. Straayer also has ample experience mentoring younger professionals like Murdock, who originally got involved in WRA 331 to fulfill the internship requirement for her MA concentration in Professional Writing and Technical Communication. On a more personal level, Murdock views this internship as an opportunity to expand the definition of teaching, particularly as it relates to her professional interests in nonprofit work.

“Teaching happens everywhere,” Murdock said. “Even though I’m not currently interested in classroom teaching as a career, I find that teaching happens across professional spaces and roles: in nonprofit leadership, project management, even user experience and design work.”

Murdock incorporates various pedagogical tools and experiences from her work in the Cube – a publishing and user experience research center in WRAC – to give undergraduates in WRA 331 an experience she called “workplace-light.” 

“When you’re presenting something to a client, explaining ‘here’s what we did, and here’s why,’ or running workshops to get feedback on a prototype – these conversations are pedagogical in a lot of ways,” she said. 

Collaboration, Community, and Cross-Cultural Communication

This Spring semester, the majority of students in WRA 331 are non-writing majors, ranging from Studio Art to Political Science. The course bridges a range of learners and experiences, enhancing the relevance of collaboration and cross-cultural understanding in the classroom. 

Outside the classroom, Dr. Straayer and Murdock collaborate regularly to plan for their next class and reflect on the last. “We’re both learning to teach this class for the first time,” Murdock explained. “It’s been really cool to bring my knowledge and experiences to this setting and see students practice project management, especially since undergraduates don’t usually get asked to take on these roles in their classes.”

As she looks forward to graduating in the spring, Murdock is actively applying to communications roles in mission-driven organizations. Reflecting on her development as a writer and professional, she loves helping undergraduates recognize and honor their passions, interests, and abilities. “A lot of this co-teaching experience has involved confidence-building: helping students recognize their own affinities and leverage them for class projects,” Murdock said. 

Dr. Straayer plays a parallel supportive role for Murdock and other young professionals. As a former graduate student, Dr. Straayer was recognized for her mentorship of new teaching assistants ; and now, as a working teacher, she maintains her commitment to advising new educators. “I want to help them develop curriculum, see their strengths as teachers, and ultimately lean into what they’re good at and not try to be something they’re not in the classroom,” she shared. 

Figuring out “your window into pedagogy” takes time, Dr. Straayer said, but these semester-long collaborations give graduate students like Murdock and Voss the time, space, and community to explore their pedagogical values – and, perhaps most challengingly, how to translate them into structured classroom activities. “How do you funnel all of your teaching values into one moment?” Dr. Straayer mused. “It’s a tough question.”

Dr. Straayer makes time at the end of each day to sit with this question, reflect on what went well in the classroom, and consider which areas might call for revision or more structured collaboration with Murdock or other teachers in the department. “It’s so fun and helpful working with Mary, getting to know the students, seeing their energy, and hearing their discussions,” Dr. Straayer said. 

In both WRA 331 and WRA 333, the lines between teacher, learner, and writer are productively blurry – and in these collaborative communities, moments of teaching and learning are always unfolding. 

For more information about the MiW, P2W major, and the graduate program in Rhetoric and Writing, please visit the WRAC website . 

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Yale to move forward with new dramatic arts building

A scene from the 2022 Yale Repertory Theatre (Yale Rep) production of “Choir Boy” by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 M.F.A., who is professor in the practice of playwriting at the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and playwright-in-residence at Yale Rep. The production was directed by Christopher D. Betts ’22 M.F.A. (Photo by Joan Marcus)

Yale University has committed to developing a landmark theatrical arts building that will bring faculty, staff, students, and guest artists under one roof and further establish downtown New Haven as a lively center for education, performance, and culture. 

A pivotal lead gift, along with other essential gifts, enables the long-envisioned project, known as the Dramatic Arts Building (DAB), to proceed. It will be the new home of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and Yale Repertory Theatre (Yale Rep). The building also will be a home for Yale’s undergraduate Program in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies (TDPS), and will provide dedicated rehearsal space for the Yale Dramatic Association (Dramat), the university’s oldest and largest undergraduate theater group.

“ These exceptional acts of generosity assure that Yale — long a premier institution for educating dramatic artists and scholars — can pursue the exciting work of designing a venue worthy of the university’s proud legacy and boundless ambitions in theater,” said President Peter Salovey. “We are grateful for the confidence that all of our donors have shown in Yale’s vision for an inspiring facility that promotes the fullest creative expression of our talented theater community, and in our faculty’s and students’ ability to offer insight, joy, and meaning through art.

“ As Yale’s president and a longtime resident of New Haven, I also am pleased the new building will contribute to the city’s cultural vibrancy and economic vitality.”

The building will be the home of the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale and Yale Repertory Theatre, and a home for the undergraduate Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies program. It will also provide dedicated space for the Yale Dramatic Association.

Toronto-based architecture firm KPMB Architects has begun preparing an initial vision for the building, which is expected to occupy space near the existing Yale Rep, in the neighborhood of Chapel, York, and Crown streets. The university now plans to ask the firm — co-founded by Yale alumna and project architect Marianne McKenna ’76 M.Arch. — to proceed to the next phase of design. Well known for its work on cultural and arts buildings, KPMB designed Yale’s Adams Center for Musical Arts, a multi-use music complex for the full range of university students that opened in 2017.

The current vision calls for an inviting, technologically sophisticated, and environment-friendly building filled with natural light. It will include a state-of-the-art new theater and stage for Yale Rep and the Geffen School, as well as rehearsal spaces, purpose-built classrooms and offices for Geffen and TDPS faculty and staff, and areas for casual meetings. The building will also house production workshops for costumes, lighting, projections, scenery, and sound, now in various campus locations. Bringing these functions together in custom-built, proximal spaces is expected to create practical efficiencies and put performers and behind-the-scenes theater artists into close and regular contact. The Dramat will use the main stage for a major annual production.

“ This new building will unite scholars and artists who have long been divided among multiple facilities,” said Provost Scott Strobel. “It will become a locus of creativity and collaboration. Faculty studying theater history will work alongside professional playwrights, who will share hallways with student designers, directors, and actors. With this project, we will integrate scholarship, education, and practice under one roof. We will empower students and faculty to boldly shape the future of the dramatic arts.”

Among the nation’s most esteemed theater conservatories, the David Geffen School of Drama is also known for being tuition-free for all degree and certificate candidates,  thanks to a 2021 gift  from entertainment executive and philanthropist David Geffen. The school is one of the only graduate-level professional conservatories in the world that provides training in every theater discipline: acting, design, directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, technical design and production, and theater management. It enrolls more than 230 students across nearly a dozen degree and certificate programs.

Geffen School alumni include the actors Angela Bassett ’80, ’83 M.F.A., Paul Giamatti ’89, ’94 M.F.A., Frances McDormand ’82 M.F.A., Lupita Nyong’o ’12 M.F.A., Da’Vine Joy Randolph ’11 Cert.Dr., and Meryl Streep ’75 M.F.A.; playwrights David Henry Hwang ’83 M.F.A., Tarell Alvin McCraney ’07 M.F.A., and Lynn Nottage ’89 M.F.A.; and former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts Rocco Landesman ’76 D.F.A., among other arts luminaries.

But the school — now approaching its centennial, in 2025 — is spread among numerous buildings, some nearly 100 years old and few originally designed for teaching or producing theater. Yale Rep, the highly regarded professional theater in residence at Yale University, operates out of a former church.

“ This is a huge step toward aligning our facilities with the talents and aspirations of our exceptional faculty, staff, and students,” said James Bundy, the Elizabeth Parker Ware Dean of the Geffen School and Yale Rep artistic director. “It will be a place where people are excited to come to work and study, and to make and experience art. They’re going to feel a sense of purpose and aspiration, and the building will send a tangible message that reinforces Yale’s abiding commitment to artistic practice.” 

The Dramatic Arts Building will put theater artists — undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, established professionals, and scholars and teachers — into frequent contact, sometimes purposefully, sometimes through happy coincidence. 

As the home of the Geffen School and Yale Rep, the building will accommodate school faculty, staff, and students as well as guest artists involved in Yale Rep and school productions. Importantly, it will also integrate other Yale theater communities — the faculty and students of the undergraduate Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies program and the Yale College students involved in Dramat productions.

“ Having the opportunity to share the same spaces and move through the same hallways as other members of Yale’s dramatic arts community will be energizing and heartening to everyone,” said Shaminda Amarakoon, a professor in the practice and chair of the technical design and production program at the Geffen School and director of production for Yale Rep. “Often we are siloed in our own projects and don’t have the chance to observe and appreciate the work that our colleagues are doing until they get to the stage for public performance. Now we’ll get to experience these projects while they’re still in process.” 

Theatrical endeavor permeates Yale. In addition to the productions of the Geffen School and Yale Rep, the Dramat — founded in 1900 — annually stages a series of major shows. Including senior projects and other undergraduate productions, there are more than 200 in Yale College each year. More than a thousand Yale undergraduates participate in theater-making. 

“ You could attend a theatrical performance at Yale five times a week and never even begin to see everything possible,” said Emily Bakemeier, Yale’s vice provost for arts and faculty affairs, who is helping lead planning for the Dramatic Arts Building. “This project is going to be transformative for Yale’s scholars and teachers and legion of theater-makers, who will be united for the first time. They’re bursting with talent and energy, and we’re excited for them to have exactly the right kind, quality, and mix of spaces, technologies, and adjacencies to make the very most of it.”

The building will put these theater artists — undergraduate, graduate, and professional students, established professionals, and scholars and teachers — into frequent contact, sometimes purposefully, sometimes through happy coincidence. 

“ We’re already seen as one of the most serious places to do theater as an undergraduate,” said Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis. “This will further enrich the Yale College experience. Faculty from the Geffen School regularly teach our undergraduates, and this will lead to new learning opportunities and more interaction with professional theater artists.”

As dean of Yale College, Lewis said, “one of the things I’m aiming at intellectually is continuing to strengthen the sinews connecting the College to the graduate and professional schools. The drama building, by also incorporating the Dramat and our Program in Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies, is going to serve this ambition beautifully and naturally. It’s going to create a lot of synergies.”

Just as the Dramatic Arts Building aims to unite and integrate diverse theater communities within Yale, it also aims to bring the people of Yale and New Haven into communion, university leaders said. They envision a space that naturally enables and welcomes residents of the city and region to experience the energy of artistic creation — “a space,” as Bundy put it, “that faces New Haven and is transparent to New Haven, where light and warmth and people and stories can be accessed by anybody.”