Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Harness your passion for creative writing and take your expertise to the next level.

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Why Choose a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Fairfield?

Tailored
Degree

Choose to concentrate in one genre, such as poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, or screenwriting, or have a dual concentration in two genres. You are encouraged to work outside your primary genre to enhance your creative portfolio.

Unique
Opportunities

Fairfield University's MFA in Creative Writing offers bi-annual residencies, bringing together a uniquely talented group of faculty, guest writers, students, editors, and agents. Benefit from working closely alongside participants developing relationships while practicing the basics and subtleties of writing and craft.

Career
Ready

Students will have the opportunity to create a portfolio filled with quality real-world work samples among a network of inspired writers. Graduates gain access to The AfterEnders Association, a Fairfield-exclusive web-based community resource for sharing new work, opportunities, contacts, and inspiration.

Expert
Faculty

Fairfield’s award-winning faculty are experienced and published authors themselves. Benefit from their firsthand insights, academic guidance, and individualized attention over your master’s in creative writing. Develop relationships and bonds that will carry on beyond the classroom.  

Program Specifics

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at Fairfield University is a two-year low-residency program that offers concentrations in four genres: poetry, fiction, creative nonfiction, and screenwriting. Students can also choose to pursue dual concentrations or incorporate one of four areas of study into their genre: editing and publishing, literary health and healing, social justice, or spiritual writing.

Highlights

Program Goals

Tuition Information

Admission Requirements

How to Apply

Highlights

Program Goals

Tuition Information

Admission Requirements

How to Apply

Faculty Spotlight

Phil Klay

Phil Klay is a veteran Marine Corps officer and award-winning author. His story collection Redeployment won the National Book Award for Fiction and the National Book Critics’ Circle John Leonard Prize for best debut work in any genre. His novel Missionaries was named one of the Wall Street Journal’s best 10 books of 2020. His journalism appears in major publications like The New York Times and The Atlantic. At Fairfield, he directs the MFA program and founded the Veterans Writing Workshop.

Career Outcomes

Graduates of the MFA in Creative Writing program at Fairfield University can pursue careers as authors, editors, agents, teachers, journalists, public relations specialists, copywriters, content writers, or technical writers. With a strong portfolio of published work and the skills and knowledge gained from the program, graduates will be well-positioned to find work in a variety of fields.

Expand your industry expertise and boost your resume with a certificate that can be directly applied toward your master's degree.

Creative Writing Certificate – The Prologue

The Prologue is a 1-year, intensive creative writing certificate program for writers interested in pursuing an MFA or MFA graduates working on a new project.

Streamline your path to a degree by applying your certificate credits directly toward an MFA without repeating any courses.
Receive individualized guidance from experienced MFA faculty members and authors who provide in-depth feedback to help develop and edit works in progress.
This certificate is offered fully remote with opportunities to connect online throughout the semester.

Starts:

Fall or Spring

Schedule:

Full-Time

Completion:

12 Months  

Cost:

$8,880 (12 credits x $740 per credit hour)  

Degree Courses

Fiction

Credits – 6

The course is an intensive, ten-day program of study. Students must submit two creative pieces to their respective workshop faculty prior to the residency and attend daily workshops. Within the workshops, they must actively participate, both orally and by providing written comments on their peers’ work. Students must attend at least six afternoon seminars, lectures, or panel discussions presented by resident faculty and visiting experts. Preparation for each event involves students having completed a required reading list. After the seminar, a student must submit written critiques of what they learned. Finally, all students must attend evening readings by faculty. At the end of the residency, students work out a semester plan with their assigned mentor for the following semester. This plan must be approved and signed by the mentor and submitted to the MFA administration. Previously ENW 0444.

Non-Fiction

Credits – 6

Poetry

Credits – 6

Stage and Screen

Credits – 6

This course is composed of workshops in the area of Writing for Stage and Screen and all other requirements during one graduate MFA residency. Workshop topics include the writing of plays and screenplay as well as principles and application of dramatic structure. Students will actively participate, both orally and by providing written comments on their peers’ work. Students must attend at least five afternoon seminars, lectures, or panel discussions. Previously ENW 0450.

MFA Residency Full Term

Credits – 0

Fee: 50$

A course that represents attendance at in-person residency at Enders Island, Mystic, CT for the MFA program.

MFA Residency Half Term

Credits – 3

Fee: 50$

A course that represents half-residency (four-day) attendance at in-person residency at Enders Island, Mystic, CT for the MFA program.

Directed Independent Study

Credits – 3

This independent study course comprises a semester’s work with a faculty mentor in preparation for entering the MFA program and as a companion to the certificate program. A schedule and program of study is developed by both the student and assigned faculty mentor, including approximately 15 books and supplemental readings and twenty pages of analysis and discussion of craft during the semester. Students will normally have completed the 12-credit creative writing certificate program and will be either in the process of applying to or already accepted to the MFA program. Previously ENW 0452.

Independent Study: Fiction

Credits – 3

This course is a five-month, intensive distance-learning writing program of study developed by both the student and their assigned mentor. Under the mentor’s guidance, the student will develop a plan to improve their ability to write in one genre of fiction (e.g., the short story, the novel, the historical novel). The student will be required to write a minimum of 100 pages, spread out over five monthly submissions to the mentor, and the mentor will respond with specific written notes analyzing the work’s strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the student will be required to read a minimum of two books per month and to write two essays on some element of the craft, totaling ten craft essays during the term. The mentor will provide feedback on all of the student’s writing, accentuated by both a midterm assessment of the student’s development and a final assessment along with a grade. Previously ENW 0447.

Independent Study: Non-Fiction

Credits – 6 or 9

This course is a five-month, intensive distance-learning writing program of study developed by both the student and their assigned mentor. Under the mentor’s guidance, the student will develop a plan to improve their ability to write short personal essays or the memoir. The student will be required to write a minimum of 100 pages, spread out over five monthly submissions to the mentor, and the mentor will respond with specific written notes analyzing the work’s strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the student will be required to read a minimum of two books per month and to write two essays on some element of the craft, totaling ten craft essays during the term. The mentor will provide feedback on all of the student’s writing, accentuated by both a midterm assessment of the student’s development and a final assessment along with a grade. Previously ENW 0448.

Independent Study: Poetry

Credits – 6 or 9

This course is a five-month, intensive distance-learning writing program of study developed by both the student and their assigned mentor. Under the mentor’s guidance, the student will develop a plan to improve their ability to write poetry. The student will be required to write a minimum of 20 new poems, spread out over five monthly submissions to the mentor, and the mentor will respond with specific written notes analyzing the work’s strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the student will be required to read a minimum of two books per month and to write two essays on some element of poetry craft, totaling ten craft essays during the term. The mentor will provide feedback on all of the student’s writing, accentuated by both a mid-term assessment of the student’s development and a final assessment. Previously ENW 0449.

Independent Study: Stage and Screen

Credits – 6 or 9

This distance-learning independent study comprises a semester’s work with a faculty mentor for the MFA program, focusing on writing plays, screenplays, and cross-genre work as well as work in dramatic and narrative structure. A schedule and program of study is developed by both the student and assigned faculty mentor, including approximately 100 pages of creative work as well as a list of books and supplemental readings, and ten pages of analysis and discussion of craft during the semester. Previously ENW 0451.

Fairfield Mission

Visionary by nature.
Jesuit Catholic by origin.
The driving force of Fairfield is our mission — to impact the world. It prompts us to ask important questions, to embrace our social responsibilities, and to lead by example. And it’s what has made us a premier institution in the Northeast. Let the mission be part of your journey.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Harness your passion for creative writing and take your expertise to the next level.

Get More Information

Why Choose a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Fairfield?

Tailored Degree

Unique Opportunities

Career Ready

Expert Faculty

Program Specifics

Faculty Spotlight

Expand your industry expertise and boost your resume with a certificate that can be directly applied toward your master's degree.

Creative Writing Certificate – The Prologue

The Prologue is a 1-year, intensive creative writing certificate program for writers interested in pursuing an MFA or MFA graduates working on a new project.

Streamline your path to a degree by applying your certificate credits directly toward an MFA without repeating any courses.

Receive individualized guidance from experienced MFA faculty members and authors who provide in-depth feedback to help develop and edit works in progress.

This certificate is offered fully remote with opportunities to connect online throughout the semester.

Faculty Spotlight

Degree Courses

Get More Information

Tailored
Degree

Unique
Opportunities

Career
Ready

Expert
Faculty