The College of New Rochelle / Graduate Program / MFA Program
- Curriculum
- Concentrations
- Application Requirements
- MFA Reading Series
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Faculty
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHT

MFA Reading Series
The MFA reading series features distinguished writers and scholars whose work reflects the Serviam mission of the MFA program and The College of New Rochelle.
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OUR MISSION
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing strengthens the relationship between imaginative writing and the greater good by training writers in the craft of narrative and the calling of service.
Our writers are dedicated to sharpening their skill and illuminating often overlooked human experiences. Inspired by the Ursuline motto Serviam (“I will serve”), we believe writing can be a noble vocation, and a cultural practice uniquely positioned to foster empathy and give voice to the voiceless.
We are a supportive community of writers in New Rochelle and Harlem whose concern is for the well being of others rather than the self alone.
CONCENTRATIONS

Creative Nonfiction
Creative nonfiction students have the opportunity to learn from and work with acclaimed memoirists, essayists, and long-form journalists throughout their time in the MFA program.
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Fiction
Fiction students have the opportunity to learn from and work with acclaimed novelists and short story writers throughout their time in the MFA program.
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Open House
Register for the next Open House for all prospective graduate students interested in the MFA program.
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SOCIAL JUSTICE

Our writers want to educate, advocate, and liberate.
From our foundation experience, Storytelling Craft and Calling, through the final semester’s act of Literary Citizenship, a service project in which students volunteer imagination and industry to community organizations that promote well being, the MFA at CNR demands that the value of written expression be measured in relation to the common good.

Contact Us
For program information:
- Steven Hobbs, Program Director
- Phone: 914-654-5209
- Email: shobbs@cnr.edu
For admission information:
- For more information contact a graduate admission counselor
- Phone: 914-654-5452
- Email: grad@cnr.edu
FACULTY

Mitchell Jackson
Mitchell S. Jackson’s debut novel The Residue Years was praised by publications including The New York Times, The Paris Review, and The Times of London. Jackson is the winner of a Whiting Award and The Ernest J. Gaines Prize for Literary Excellence. His novel was also a finalist for the Center for Fiction’s Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, the PEN/ Hemingway Award for First Fiction, and the Hurston/Wright Legacy Award. His honors include fellowships from TED, the Lannan Foundation, the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA), the BreadLoaf Conference, and the Center for Fiction. His writing has appeared in publications including The New York Times Book Review, Salon, and Tin House.