Message from the Chair

Welcome to the Department of Creative Writing at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). 

Here, you will find information on our MFA program and undergraduate course offerings. 

Our Hybrid MFA program is a 48-hour, terminal degree-granting program. Students concentrate in poetry, fiction, screenwriting, or creative nonfiction and craft and revise original works in their workshop courses while also taking form and theory and readings courses. With some course offerings in the Department of Spanish included into our degree plan as options, students may opt to take some courses in Spanish and choose to write their thesis projects in English, Spanish, or both. Overall, the coursework helps students prepare a book manuscript in-progress with critical introduction, which will become their thesis.

We also encourage MFA students to select courses, beyond their genre tracks, to take literature and elective courses that align with their artistic goals and interests. Our degree plan also allows for students, should they be interested, to pursue a graduate certificate in Mexican American Studies (MAS) while simultaneously pursuing the MFA in Creative Writing.

At the undergraduate level, we also offer an 18-hour minor in Creative Writing, teach the courses in the Creative Writing concentration for the B.A. in English, and have a Creative Writing certificate. Some students also opt to take our undergraduate courses as electives. Our undergraduate student magazine, Gallery, provides students across campus a place to submit their creative writing and visual art for publication consideration by student editors. We are also home to the national literary magazine, riverSedge and our podcast Write by the River: Escribiendo el río. 

Our department hosts a lively Visiting Writers Series open to all students across campus and community members. Recent guests include Sandra Cisneros, Mona Susan Power, and John Murillo to name a few. This upcoming Fall 2026, we’ll co-host Reyna Grande, and in Spring 2027, Efrén Olivares. Our department also organizes student open mics. We invite all students on campus regardless of major to participate.

We are proud of our faculty and alumni book publications, awards, honors, and fellowships and invite you to peruse our newsletters and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. Please reach out if you would like more information on our programs. We hope to see you at our events throughout the year!

Sincerely,
Emmy Pérez
Chair