At the heart of the Graduate Writing program are the fiction and poetry workshops as well as the literary seminars. In the weekly workshops, students critique each other's writing through a rigorous presentation schedule. The seminars propose complementary intensive reading around practical critical problems and unite fiction writers and poets in discussion of literary, historical and genre issues. Topics and instructors rotate on a regular basis.

In addition, the literature and critical theory curriculum of the Graduate Writing program develops the student's ability to analyze and articulate personal and theoretical responses to society and an artist's role in culture. This study encourages students to make thoughtful choices about their lives and to understand the repercussions and potential of their conduct. Diverse courses investigate current issues in international literature, contemporary arts, philosophy, and the professional context of art production.

At Otis, the ultimate goal of graduate education is to demystify the student's perception of the larger professional world of fine arts and literature and to launch emerging writers into lasting practices. Toward that end, it is expected that the final thesis project will be a publishable book; a full roster of visiting writers and members of the national literary community are brought to campus every semester; and the publishing ventures of the Graduate Writing program—both the semiannual New Review of Literature and the small press Otis Books/Seismicity Editions—are integrated into the graduate experience through fellowships and an optional minor in publishing. The Graduate Writing program faculty is made up of working fiction writers, poets, translators, essayists, anthologists and editors who have achieved recognition in their fields and who join the students in building an eclectic, vibrant and expanding literary community in Los Angeles.