The M.A. in Biography and Memoir provides students with the academic rigor and creative fulfillment to pursue a diverse range of careers in journalism and media, professional writing and publishing, oral history studies, documentary filmmaking, digital communications, archival work, and other professions, or to continue their academic pursuits with a Ph.D.

The Graduate Center’s M.A. Program in Biography and Memoir is one of the only programs in the world to offer a uniquely rich series of courses to students who wish to study biography and memoir, or to become biographers and memoirs writers themselves. Our affordable program offers academic excellence and serves as an intellectual and cultural hub of activities, talks, and opportunities for mentorship.

Our students come from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds, and complete a foundational course of study that addresses topics such as research and methodology, ethics, and writing style. Students also choose from an array of electives from across the Graduate Center’s masters and doctoral programs, including English, history, art history, film studies, urban politics, and psychology, and study side-by-side with students in these programs.