English Graduate Degree Programs

Engage the Power of Words.

Claim your individual voice and vision through one of the three graduate programs offered by our English Department. Find inspiration and support from an inclusive community of writers and scholars in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area’s vibrant literary scene.

Contact Us.

Phone: 510.430.3309
Email: grad-admission@mills.edu

MFA in Creative Writing

Grow as a writer and reader as you prepare to publish, perform, or teach. Focus on poetry or prose (fiction or creative nonfiction) and earn your MFA in two to three years.

MFA in Book Art & Creative Writing

Hone your craft as a writer and a visual artist in this two-year program, the first of its kind in the nation. Access outstanding letterpress, printmaking, and bookbinding resources.

MA in English Language & Literatures

Develop critical writing and research skills as you prepare for doctoral study, teaching, or a communications career. Complete the program in two to three years.

Full-Tuition Fellowships

Apply for competitive fellowships in writing and community engagement, which support projects exploring the socially transformative power of literature.

Faculty Artists & Scholars

Be inspired by published scholars, leading book artists, and award-winning novelists, poets, translators, and journalists. All are dedicated educators who will mentor you one-on-one.

Contemporary Writers Series

Meet renowned writers who visit Mills to read from and discuss their work. Past speakers include Natalie Baszile, Joyce Carol Oates, and Cherríe Moraga.

Alumnae Spotlight

Carolina De Robertis, MFA ’07

Author of The Gods of Tango

“I found a community of intrepid, intensely stimulating faculty and peers at Mills. I also discovered previously unimagined directions.”

Nina LaCour, MFA ’06

Author of We Are Okay

“I have never written more intensively or in a more stimulating environment than I did when I was in the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Mills College.”

Kiala Givehand, MFA '10

Mixed Media Book Artist

“It took attending three other universities to finally find one that fostered female empowerment and personal growth—this was unique both to Mills and to the graduate English program.”

Mike Oppenheim, MFA '11

Author of Baby Doll (the Book)

“The faculty is the keystone of the Mills education. Every single professor I studied with was attentive to my individual needs as a person, as a student, but most importantly, as an aspiring artist.”

Sierra Lomuto, MA '09

Doctoral Student at University of Pennslyvania

“My Mills professors created an academic environment that was as rigorous as it was empowering—pushing me to think more deeply and thoughtfully.”

Meg Day, MFA '10

Author of Last Psalm at Sea Level

“Mills commitment to community and its focus on social justice is evident in the course work, the classrooms, and in the incredible poets by whom I found myself surrounded.”