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2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California

25 Ranked Colleges
310 Degrees Awarded
$37,300 Avg Cost*
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. College Factual has developed its “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

Creative Writing is the 120th most popular major in the country with 7,164 degrees awarded in 2021-2022.

Across California, there were 507 creative writing graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 310 creative writing graduates with average earnings and debt of $63,735 and $51,649 respectively.

For this year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California” ranking, we looked at 25 colleges that offer a degree in creative writing. That schools that top this list have a program in creative writing in which the largest percentage of students at the school are enrolled.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head! If you don’t have time right now, you can bookmark it for later.

Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree creative writing students.

Top 25 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Creative Writing in California

1
Antioch University - Los Angeles crest
Antioch University - Los Angeles
Culver City, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Antioch University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California. Culver City, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s creative writing degrees to 29 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Creative Writing at Antioch University - Los Angeles

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California Institute of the Arts. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. California Institute of the Arts is located in Valencia, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 8 masters’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full CalArts Creative Writing Report

3
4
California College of the Arts crest
California College of the Arts
San Francisco, California

Out of the 25 schools in the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California College of the Arts landed the #4 spot on the list. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 8 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at California College of the Arts

5
Antioch University - Santa Barbara crest
Antioch University - Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Antioch University - Santa Barbara. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California. Antioch University - Santa Barbara is a private not-for-profit institution located in Santa Barbara, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 5 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Full Antioch University - Santa Barbara Creative Writing Report

6
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Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, California

With a ranking of #6, Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. MSMU is a private not-for-profit institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 17 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at MSMU

7
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Otis College of Art and Design
Los Angeles, California

Otis College of Art and Design ranked #7 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified masters’s creative writing students in 2021-2022.

Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full Otis College of Art and Design Creative Writing Report

8

Saint Mary’s College of California did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking, coming in at #8. Located in Moraga, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 23 degrees to qualified masters’s creative writing students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Creative Writing at Saint Mary’s College of California

9
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Chapman University
Orange, California

Chapman University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking. Orange, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s creative writing degrees to 12 students in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 92%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read more about Creative Writing at Chapman

10
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University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

University of San Francisco ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. Located in San Francisco, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 26 degrees to qualified masters’s creative writing students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at USFCA

11

With a ranking of #11, Dominican University of California did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. DUofC is located in San Rafael, California and, has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 4 masters’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read more about Creative Writing at DUofC

12

University of California - Riverside ranked #12 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. University of California - Riverside is a large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 45 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 88%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Creative Writing at UCR

13
National University crest
National University
San Diego, California

National University came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking. National University is located in San Diego, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 30 masters’s creative writing degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%.

Full National University Creative Writing Report

14
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San Francisco State University
San Francisco, California

San Francisco State University ranked #14 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 25 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 85%. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.8% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Creative Writing at San Francisco State University

15

California Institute of Integral Studies did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking, coming in at #15. San Francisco, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out masters’s creative writing degrees to 0 students in 2021-2022.

Read more about Creative Writing at California Institute of Integral Studies

16
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San Diego State University
San Diego, California

San Diego State University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 17 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 90%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Creative Writing at San Diego State University

17

With a ranking of #17, California State University - Fresno did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. Fresno State is a large school located in Fresno, California that handed out 15 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at California State University - Fresno

18

California State University - Long Beach ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s creative writing degrees to 10 students in 2021-2022.

With a freshman retention rate of 87%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at California State University - Long Beach

19

University of California - Irvine came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 16 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at UC Irvine

20
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University landed the #20 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking. San Jose State is a public institution located in San Jose, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 8 masters’s degrees in 2021-2022.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.

Full San Jose State Creative Writing Report

21

University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking, coming in at #21. UC Davis is a large public school situated in Davis, California. It awarded 12 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 91%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Read full report on Creative Writing at University of California - Davis

22
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University of Southern California
Los Angeles, California

University of Southern California came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking. University of Southern California is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 37 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at University of Southern California

22
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Holy Names University
Oakland, California

Holy Names University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking, coming in at #22. Located in Oakland, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 0 degrees to qualified masters’s creative writing students in 2021-2022.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Full Holy Names University Creative Writing Report

22

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #22 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 0 masters’s creative writing degrees in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at CSUSB

22
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La Sierra University
Riverside, California

La Sierra University landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Creative Writing Major in California ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 0 diplomas to qualified masters’s creative writing students in 2021-2022.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Creative Writing at La Sierra University

Notes and References

References

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