MFA in Creative Writing

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The MFA in Creative Writing is a two-year course of study in fiction, creative nonfiction or poetry with the option for a third year (dual-concentration) in an alternate genre. The program takes as its central mission the education and formal training of serious writers and is distinguished by its commitment to the writer as an intellectual functioning within a cultural context.

Combining work in writing, craft and literature, the MFA requires completion of a creative master’s thesis and 10 courses, including intensive writing workshops, craft seminars, and literature courses.

Students are admitted to the program primarily on the strength of a manuscript of original work submitted with the online application, which is judged according to its literary merit and its indication of the author’s readiness to study writing and literature on the graduate level.

For more information, contact the MFA in Creative Writing:

Saint Mary’s College
1928 Saint Mary’s Road
PMB 4686
Moraga, CA 94575-4686
(925) 631-4762
writers@stmarys-ca.edu
stmarys-ca.edu/mfawrite

Learning Outcomes

Students in the MFA Program graduate with improved competency in their writing, particularly in their chosen genre (fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry). In addition, they receive a sophisticated introduction to information technology as well as the professional aspects of the writing life.
Students will be able to:

ENGAGE at a professional level in the writing of their chosen genre (fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry).
ARTICULATE the correspondences between their own writing and the corpus of literature and thought which primarily informs their aesthetics.
USE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY with a high level of sophistication, either for the purpose of academic research or for the purpose of primary research that may inform a given piece of writing.
WORK EFFECTIVELY as professional writers: publish work in literary journals and magazines; solicit and procure literary agents; solicit and procure publishers for manuscripts or book projects; give public readings; apply for and receive funding for literary projects; exhibit a preparedness for finding employment in various professional fields, such as education, journalism, public relations, publishing, arts administration, and technical writing.