Program Overview

Introduction to the Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA

The UC Riverside Palm Desert Low-Residency MFA is one of the premier writing programs in the world, offering a flexibility that fits into busy schedules without sacrificing experience, opportunity, or community.

Program Overview

The program bridges the divide between busy lives and escaping to write, providing a unique opportunity for students to grow and develop their writing skills. Our alumni include national and international best-selling authors, Emmy Award winners, PEN USA finalist playwrights, acclaimed journalists and memoirists, award-winning poets, top television and film producers, and even a member of Congress.

Program Tracks

Students can choose from the following tracks:

• Fiction
• Nonfiction
• Playwriting
• Screenwriting
• Poetry

Residencies

The program includes five 10-day residencies at the Tommy Bahama Miramonte Resort, providing a unique and inspiring environment for students to focus on their writing.

Industry Connections

Students have the opportunity to share their work with agents, editors, producers, and showrunners, making valuable industry connections that can help advance their careers.

Faculty and Mentors

Our faculty and past guest faculty include Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Emmy Award, and Academy Award winners, providing students with the opportunity to learn from and be mentored by experienced and acclaimed writers.

Program Statistics

• Ranked #1 Low-Residency Screenwriting MFA Program (MovieMaker Magazine)
• 75% publication and production rate within two years of graduating
• Hundreds of books, stories, essays, plays, poems, and screenplays published and produced by alumni

MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts

The MFA program is offered through the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at the UCR Palm Desert Center.