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2025 Best Creative Writing Schools in the Southwest Region

10 Colleges in the Southwest Region
466 Creative Writing Degrees Awarded
If you pursue a degree in creative writing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #120 most popular program in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 10 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Creative Writing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 466 degrees in creative writing annually.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Creative Writing School

Best Creative Writing Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of creative writing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Creative Writing School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Creative Writing Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Creative Writing
Bachelor's Degrees in Creative Writing
Master's Degrees in Creative Writing
Doctor's Degrees in Creative Writing

The creative writing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Creative Writing Schools in the Southwest Region. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Creative Writing in the Southwest Region

The schools below may not offer all types of creative writing degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Southwest Region Schools in Creative Writing

1
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In TX
100 Creative Writing Degrees Awarded

Every student pursuing a degree in creative writing needs to look into The University of Texas at Austin. UT Austin is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Austin. A Best Colleges rank of #46 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UT Austin is a great university overall.

There were roughly 100 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UT Austin in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in creative writing from The University of Texas at Austin

2
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In AZ
73 Creative Writing Degrees Awarded

University of Arizona is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a degree in creative writing. University of Arizona is a fairly large public university located in the city of Tucson. A Best Colleges rank of #110 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means University of Arizona is a great university overall.

There were roughly 73 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at University of Arizona in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in creative writing from University of Arizona

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BA in Creative Writing & English Program Name

Develop your creativity and gain practical skills with a creative writing degree program –featuring 100% online classes – through a bachelor's from Southern New Hampshire University.

More information about a degree in BA in Creative Writing & English from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In TX
45.5% Growth in Graduates

It is difficult to beat Southern Methodist University if you wish to pursue a degree in creative writing. SMU is a large private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Dallas. A Best Colleges rank of #142 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SMU is a great university overall.

There were about 11 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at SMU in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in creative writing from Southern Methodist University

4
Texas State crest
Texas State University
San Marcos, TX
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In TX

Texas State University is a great option for students pursuing a degree in creative writing. Texas State is a very large public university located in the city of San Marcos. A Best Colleges rank of #396 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Texas State is a great university overall.

There were roughly 20 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Texas State in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in creative writing from Texas State University

5
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In AZ
37.0% Growth in Graduates

NAU is a very large public university located in the city of Flagstaff. A Best Colleges rank of #221 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means NAU is a great university overall.

There were roughly 27 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at NAU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in creative writing from Northern Arizona University

6
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In TX
44 Creative Writing Degrees Awarded

UTEP is a very large public university located in the large city of El Paso. This university ranks 49th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 44 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UTEP in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in creative writing from The University of Texas at El Paso

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
6th Most Popular In TX

Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a very large student population. This college ranks 20th out of 115 schools for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 10 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at Austin Community College District in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in creative writing from Austin Community College District

Sponsored
Masters Degree Type
MFA in Creative Writing - Online Program Name

Embrace your passion for storytelling and learn the professional writing skills you'll need to succeed with our online MFA in Creative Writing. Write your novel or short story collection while earning a certificate in the Online Teaching of Writing or Professional Writing, with no residency requirement.

More information about a degree in MFA in Creative Writing - Online from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
9th Most Popular In TX
58.3% Growth in Graduates

UT Rio Grande Valley is a fairly large public university located in the medium-sized city of Edinburg. This university ranks 30th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were roughly 12 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UT Rio Grande Valley in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in creative writing from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

9
Master's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In OK

Located in the suburb of Edmond, UCO is a public university with a large student population. This university ranks 8th out of 31 schools for overall quality in the state of Oklahoma.

There were about 10 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at UCO in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in creative writing from University of Central Oklahoma

10
Bachelor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In TX
34.8% Growth in Graduates

Located in the remote town of Nacogdoches, SFASU is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 39th out of 115 colleges for overall quality in the state of Texas.

There were about 23 creative writing students who graduated with this degree at SFASU in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in creative writing from Stephen F Austin State University

Best Creative Writing Colleges by State

Explore the best creative writing colleges for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 905 154
Arizona 670 109
Oklahoma 565 49
New Mexico 416 35

View All Rankings >

One of 4 majors within the Writing Studies area of study, Creative Writing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Majors Similar to Creative Writing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Professional, Technical, Business, & Scientific Writing 318
Rhetoric & Composition 223
General Writing 119
Other Rhetoric & Composition/Writing Studies 1

View All Creative Writing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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