Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, offers one of the top MFA programs in the country. Poets & Writers ranks the program number nine in country, nine in poetry and seven in fiction. Huffington Post considers the program one of the most underrated MFA programs in the country, as it struggles to consistently stay in the top 10 nationally. Cornell University MFA graduates also receive a fully-funded one-year lectureship.
Both the Huffington Post and Poets & Writers ranked this program in their top MFA list -- number 5 and number 39, respectively. Huffington Post reports that the university also has a top-rated creative writing doctoral program as well. Students in the program choose either the literature or composition track; either track emphasizes creative writing. Florida State has a teaching-apprenticeship program in which it nominates a number of MFA students to teach two sections of freshman English.
This university ranks number 50 on PW's 2010 list, and is featured in the top 25 on Huffington Post's list. The program gets nods from the Huffington Post for its strong funding resources. Students take courses in fiction, novel, drama and poetry writing, and a course in film and television scriptwriting. For students who wish to pursue a career in teaching, a student assistantship is a part of the program.
UNLV offers one of the most competitive fellowship programs in the country according to the Huffington Post, and ranks number 33 out of 50 in PW in 2010. Students admitted to the program have the opportunity to study abroad; the program is the only one in the nation that gives students credit for time spent abroad in the Peace Corps. The school believes that time spent abroad fosters creativity by encouraging a connection to the world.