Program Overview

Overview

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Theatre (MFA) is Canada's oldest and most respected MFA Program in Creative Writing. It offers an unprecedented 11 genres for potential study, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, playwriting, radio drama, writing for children, lyric & libretto, graphic novel, new media writing, and translation. The program is learner-centered and workshop-driven, providing students with an exciting breadth of choices, award-winning faculty, and a setting in one of the world's most beautiful and livable cities.

What makes the program unique?

• A Focus on Writing: The program emphasizes the creation and critical discussion of original writing rather than the study of literature or literary criticism.
• Eleven Genres of Study: More than any other Creative Writing Program in the world, offering students the opportunity to work in at least three separate genres during the course of their degree.
• Award-winning Faculty: Faculty members are all working writers, with multiple awards, international publication, and production records to their names.

Quick Facts

• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Academic Unit: School of Creative Writing
• Specialization: Creative Writing and Theatre
• Mode of delivery: In person at UBC Vancouver
• Program Components: Coursework + Thesis required
• Tuition (First Year): Domestic: $5,626.02 | International: $9,883.98
• Median Funding: 50% of students receive $18,144 or more funding per year in the first 2 years, before tuition and fees

Admission Information & Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

• Minimum Academic Requirements: The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC).
• English Language Test: Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application.
  • TOEFL: Overall score requirement: 90, with minimum scores of 22 (Reading), 21 (Writing), 21 (Speaking), and 22 (Listening).
  • IELTS: Overall score requirement: 6.5, with minimum scores of 6.0 (Reading), 6.0 (Writing), 6.0 (Speaking), and 6.0 (Listening).

2) Meet Deadlines

• Program Name: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Theatre (MFA)
• Intake: September 2026
• Canadian Applicant Deadline: 6 January 2026
• International Applicant Deadline: 6 January 2026

3) Prepare Application

• Transcripts: All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study.
• Letters of reference: Applicants have to submit 2 references to apply to this graduate program.
• Statement of Interest: Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.
• Supervision: Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

• Fees:
  • Application Fee: $118.50 (Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat), $168.25 (International)
  • Tuition per year: $5,626.02 (Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat), $9,883.98 (International)
  • Student Fees (yearly): $1,144.10 (approx.)
• Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible): $3,200.00

Financial Support

• Funding Statistics: Based on the criteria outlined, 4 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC, with a mean of $19,132 and a median of $18,144.
• Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding): All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education.
• Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA): Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision.
• Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA): Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students.
• Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA): Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

• ENROLMENT DATA:
  • Applications: 16 (2023), 16 (2022), 21 (2021), 7 (2020), 8 (2019)
  • Offers: 2 (2023), 2 (2022), 2 (2021), 2 (2020), 2 (2019)
  • New Enrolment: 2 (2023), 1 (2022), 2 (2021), 2 (2020), 1 (2019)
  • Total Enrolment: 4 (2023), 4 (2022), 5 (2021), 4 (2020), 2 (2019)

Research Supervisors

• Supervision: Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor.
• Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program: Applicants should apply without contacting individual faculty members prior to the application. Identification of potential faculty members in the application form is optional. Faculty members will review applications of applicants they are interested in and get in touch as part of the applicant evaluation.
• Faculty Members:
  • Heatley, Stephen (Theatre, acting, directing, new play development, comedy, commedia dell’arte, solo performance, play producing, Canadian theatre, Canadian plays, Literature, gender/sexuality)
  • Scholte, Tom (Theatre, film, and television)

Related Programs

• Same Academic Unit:
  • Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)
  • Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Distance Education (MFA)
  • Master of Fine Arts in Film Production and Creative Writing (MFA)
• At the UBC Okanagan Campus:
  • Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Further Information

• Specialization: Creative Writing and Theatre
• UBC Calendar: graduate-and-postdoctoral-studies/degree-programs/creative-writingtheatre
• Program Website: Not provided
• Faculty: Faculty of Arts
• Academic Unit: School of Creative Writing
• Program Identifier: VGMMFA-FU
• Classification: Humanities and the arts » Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music), architecture and design » Creative writing, Humanities and the arts » Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music), architecture and design » Performing arts, Humanities and the arts » Arts (arts, history of arts, performing arts, music), architecture and design » Performing arts » Theater Interpretation.