Writing

Overview

The Johns Hopkins University MA in Writing reflects our university’s international reputation for academic rigor and creative innovation. Rooted in craft and led by working writers, our high-quality program is both challenging and supportive: We’re here to offer clear, straightforward, thoughtful feedback while creating a culture that encourages risk-taking.

At JHU, you will not only boost your writing, revision, and editing skills, but also learn how to read like a writer, to give and receive feedback, to find publishing opportunities, and to live the writing life.

Explore Many Genres and Styles

We offer concentrations in nonfiction or fiction writing, each offering its own core courses and required electives that will explore craft elements like form, voice, structure, and style.

• Nonfiction Track: pursue long-form literary journalism, personal essays, and memoir
• Fiction Track: focus on short stories, novellas, and novels in a variety of genres

In addition to classes in your selected track, you’ll get to dabble in other genres like poetry, drama, playwriting, and screenwriting. Flesh out your schedule with classes from across concentrations, genres, eras, themes, craft elements, and even from our science writing and teaching writing graduate programs.

Live the Writing Life: Summer Residency

Our residency program brings together our community for a week of sessions, workshops, readings, outings, receptions, and, of course, personal writing time. After all, you’re likely to be inspired by your surroundings!

Residency locations vary from year to year. We’ve been to Bar Harbor, Maine; Dublin, Ireland; and Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. Sometimes our writing residencies are integrated with the JHU science writing and teaching writing master’s programs, giving you a chance to connect with even more writers and faculty members.