Otis College Of Art And Design
MFA Writing
Los Angeles, USA
MA
DURATION
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
About: MFA Writing at Otis College, founded in 2000 by Paul Vangelisti, built a recognized curriculum in translation, global literature, publishing Otis Books, and a Visiting Writers Series. The program isn't accepting new applications; 2020-21 is its final year. Core faculty will move to the Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) to create a writing center for BFA students, integrating creative writing, translation, and publishing across art and design education.
Career Outcomes: Graduates work as writers, translators, editors, publishers, educators, and project managers. Careers: writer, translator, editor, publisher, educator. Keywords: creative writing, translation, publishing, literary arts, Los Angeles scene.
MFA Writing at Otis College was founded in 2000 by Paul Vangelisti, and over the next two decades, it emerged as a nationally recognized program with an innovative curriculum, including an emphasis on translation and global literature, the development of a publishing project, Otis Books, and a vibrant biweekly Visiting Writers Series which drew authors to the campus from around the country. The 2020-21 academic year is the last for MFA Writing and the program is not accepting new applications.
However, with this chapter ending, a new one begins for creative writing at Otis. Once MFA Writing winds down with its final cohort, its core Faculty will migrate to the Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS), where in partnership with the current LAS Faculty and leadership they will help develop a new center for writing focusing on the BFA population.
After twenty years, the College takes pride in all that has been accomplished in MFA Writing and looks forward to new conversations across all of the departments and programs about how to weave writing even more intricately into art and design education and practice throughout the College.
