Program Overview

Introduction to the Creative Writing Graduate Major (MFA)

The Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing is offered by the School of Writing, Literature, and Film at the Corvallis campus and as a Low-Residency MFA partner program on the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend, Oregon.

Program Overview

The MFA Program in Creative Writing on the OSU Corvallis campus is a two-year, high residency, studio/research program that interweaves literary artistic practice and literary scholarship. Tracks in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry are supported by writing workshops led by nationally known writers, as well as by courses in form, craft, and theory.

Program Structure and Benefits

Intensive mentoring during the thesis year, training in creative writing pedagogy, professional internships, and opportunities for outreach and community engagement produce graduates who are both accomplished creative writers and advocates for the role of literary arts in American culture and society.

Low-Residency MFA at OSU-Cascades

The OSU-Cascades's Low-Residency MFA is a two-year program combining writing workshop with studies in craft, literature, and vocation. The program offers intensive 10-day residency sessions in June and November and individualized mentorships by nationally known writers throughout the year. The program's intensive low-residency format is designed to balance the modern writer's need for both solitude and community, for both self-reliance and responsibility, giving students the freedom as well as the discipline to write.

Curriculum and Outcomes

The curriculum builds sustainable writing habits, develops skills needed to support a creative livelihood after graduation, and creates an environment for taking imaginative risks.

Requirements

• Major Code: 8920
  • Cascades Low-Residency MFA Requirements:
    • Course List:
      • Code: WR 500, Title: MFA RESIDENCY, Credits: 48
      • Code: WR 503, Title: THESIS, Credits: 6
      • Code: WR 513, Title: LOW-RESIDENCY MFA MENTORSHIP, Credits: 23
    • Total Credits: 77
• Corvallis MFA Requirements: Please refer to the MFA Handbook.
  • Major Code: 8920