Career Outcomes
Whether you plan to pursue creative writing or other careers, you’ll cultivate a network of alumni, faculty, editors, and other local writers who’ll support you. MFA graduates have found careers in copyediting, advertising, manuscript consultation, editing, literary agencies, small presses, corporate communications, nonprofit organizations, grant writing, and more.
T.S. Leonard ’23
Right now I’m teaching at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, talking about poetics with musicians and composers and engineers — and learning something new every day. I’m thrilled to be exploring the possibilities of collaboration between poetry and music.”
T.S. Leonard ’23
What Careers do Alumni go Into?
A select list:
- Published Author
- Teacher of Creative Writing (college and university level)
- PhD programs in creative writing and education
- Editor
- Creative Director
- Literary Agent
- Publishing House
- Editor in Chief
Where are Graduates Working?
A select list:
- University of California
- Stanford
- Apple
- Salesforce
- SF State
- California Community Colleges
- City College
“Those Who Don’t Quit Are the Ones Who Get Published”
MFA graduate Swetha Amit ’22 talks about exploring genres and persevering through challenges in her writing journey.
Learn How To Get Published
No matter how impressive your writing is, you’ll need to know how to present it to editors, agents, hiring and fellowship committees, and other gatekeepers. Professional development sessions and symposiums will teach you the how-to’s of navigating the publication process, from writing a query letter, to effectively applying for fellowships, to how to approach editors.
A Few Places Where Our Students Publish Their Work
- Riverhead Books
- Knopf
- City Lights
- Simon and Schuster
- Harper Collins
- Norton
- Electric Lit
- New York Times
- New Yorker
- Zyzzyva
- Your Impossible Voice