The Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Creative Writing, usually housed within the English Department, has become a progressively more popular field of study among students and budget conscious administrators. But for all its popularity, it is a field that has been left generally unexamined by scholars. While there have been numerous scholarly studies and books on English and the Ph.D. in English literature in the United States, there has been very little work done on the MFA in Creative Writing. Much of the literature on the program within the discipline itself has been fairly non-existent or anecdotal. What is taught in a Creative Writing program, why it is taught, how it is taught, and who teaches it are three relatively simple questions for which there has been few answers. This dissertation is one attempt to uncover answers to these questions and, perhaps, to ask new ones. A review of the existing literature, including material from all MFA in Creative Writing programs in the United States, as well as a questionnaire to MFA program directors, will be used to learn more about this relatively new academic discipline. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]