Graduate

Creative Writing

Degree type:
MFA
Mode of study:
On-campus, Hybrid, Online
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The MFA in Creative Writing Program is a 36-unit interdisciplinary course of study that culminates in a terminal degree that qualifies the holder to teach at the college level. The coursework includes fifteen unit hours in creative writing workshops [including bilingual creative writing when offered], three hours of literary theory, nine additional unit hours in Humanities and Film electives, three hours of electives, and six hours of thesis. We do not allow either the Humanities Internship course nor the Teaching course in our curriculum as units toward the degree. The MFA student completes a critical essay and an original creative writing manuscript in a selected genre.

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Latin American/Latinx Creative Studies

Graduate certificate

Latin American and Latinx Creative Studies offers you creative writing opportunities to develop your intellectual interests and creative skills, while exploring diverse cultures from Latinx-America.

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Modes of Study

Learn more about our Online Study and The Weekend Format.

Our MFA offers two kinds of flexibility: weekend study, meeting six times per semester, and online study, which does not require your physical presence. All courses have an online component, meaning that half of the course is conducted in our course management system, Canvas. Dedicated to the tutorial element of the course (i.e., writing essays and exercises that go only to your professor), your Canvas work prepares you for your in-class meetings. In-person sessions are devoted to workshops of student writing and discussion of assigned books. 

Fully online courses are not radically different in nature from weekend ones. You still write, read, discuss, and respond to your peers' work. Quality and quantity of instruction is the same. Some professors use video conferences to provide the workshop experience; others use the platform creatively to offer written exchanges. The same professors teach weekend and online courses.  

Some students elect to complete the program exclusively online. More often, students mix and match. 

We emphasize that we do not have two separate programs. We have a single MFA program, with courses delivered in two modalities. In a given course, you will find students from the L.A. area, and those from far away.  Whether you complete 100% or 25% of your degree from a distance, online learning is an asset. Canvas make us more available to you, and helps you continue your progress as a writer without any significant gaps. 

OUT-OF-STATE STUDENTS: Please note that not all states are authorized for students to enroll in our fully online MFA Creative Writing program at MSMU. Please visit our State Authorization webpage to confirm if you are eligible to enroll based on your state of residency. 

The Weekend format provides an alternative way of being a graduate student for professionals with complex work and personal schedules. It redistributes the weekly coursework for a traditional fifteen-week semester into six intensive weekends of class instruction. The weekends are non-consecutive and are scheduled two to three weeks apart. Each weekend of instruction in the Weekend format is the equivalent of more than two weeks of coursework in a traditional or evening format. The adult who attends the Weekend format prepares for this intensive learning experience well in advance of the actual two days spent on campus. The Weekend format offers time for students to balance school, career and family responsibilities. 

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