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Master of Fine Arts in Writing (MFA)

Why Earn an MFA at Pacific University?

Pacific’s unique low-residency MFA establishes a community of artists supporting each other's creative goals and working alongside world-renowned authors to help put their passion to paper. 

Unrestricted by the need to attend regular classes or workshops, the low-residency MFA at Pacific empowers student-authors through flexibility and a focus on a truly interdisciplinary curriculum, with genres informing one another in the pursuit of compassionate storytelling. Infrequent though meaningful on-site collaborations throughout the stunning Pacific Northwest act less like traditional classes, and more as extended conversations between yourself, your peers and your mentors with artistic and personal growth always at their core.

Apart from several in-person residencies, the adaptability of the low-residency MFA at Pacific means that you can develop as a writer from anywhere, regardless of setting. With no regular online classes or asynchronous coursework, the low-residency MFA easily accommodates your career or personal obligations while leaving plenty of space to hone your creative process through a fusion of self-guided discovery and empathetic mentorship. The traditional graduate school model, with its long in-person workshops and inflexible schedules, can limit who has access to the MFA experience, something that Pacific’s low-residency program seeks to eliminate in combination with a focus on socially-equitable pedagogy.

Encouraging your maturation as an author are Pacific’s distinguished faculty and support staff, which includes visiting writers excited to help expand your artistic scope. Champions without prescription, the faculty that make up Pacific’s MFA, with whom you’ll work closely over the two-year program, come from all genres and backgrounds and bring with them the knowledge that can only come from decades of combined publishing experience. Whatever your writing style or goals, your program mentors will help accomplish what you set out to do, whether that is finding professional outlets for your work or simply gaining a better understanding of writing as a craft.

COURSE CATALOG

What Can You Do with a MFA?

As with other graduate degrees in creative disciplines, the low-residency MFA at Pacific equips you not only with the skills to thrive as you make your way through the program, but also with strategies to continue learning and writing after you graduate. A writing practice is crafted over a lifetime, with constant evolution and exploration built off a foundation of the techniques and mode of inquiry fueled by your time in the MFA program. To help support this lifelong learning, Pacific’s low-residency MFA has cultivated a robust alumni network, frequently inviting graduates back for workshops, special events and residencies where they can continue to learn from faculty and create new connections with current students.

Perhaps the greatest outcome of your participation in any MFA program is the cohort of fellow authors and artists you become a part of upon graduating. This group of thoughtful, diverse writers is an invaluable resource as you create and revise new projects. Whether as a ready-made reading group or a network of professionals invested in one another’s success, the alumni group housed in the Pacific MFA continues to grow with varied voices and perspectives. There is no set path for low-residency MFA graduates, but every single one leaves the program an expert in their craft poised to make an impact with their art.

APPLY NOW

Admissions Information
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March 1, 2025, is the priority due date for the Summer/Fall 2025 semester that will begin with residency from June 19-29, 2025, on the Pacific University campus in Forest Grove, Oregon. 

We will accept applications until May 15, as space allows.

Residency Writers Conference

Designed for authors at every experience level, the Pacific University Residency Writers Conference is a 10-day craft intensive where you can learn from prominent writers and collaborate with current MFA students to expand your writing practice and cultivate new ideas. Perfect for those looking to see if the low-residency MFA is right for them, the Residency Writers Conference provides a sneak peek into the kinds of conversations and workshops MFA programs foster. Featuring visiting lecturers, the diverse Pacific MFA faculty, program alumni and a wide variety of participants and perspectives, no two Conferences feel alike, allowing participating authors to leave newly energized to tackle their creative projects.  

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Work with Award-Winning Writers

The writers who teach as part of the faculty for the MFA program are outstanding for both their level of national or regional literary achievements and for their teaching abilities. These accomplished writers share a sense of joy around their work and around the community they comprise, bringing their diverse writing styles and voices to the mix.

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Meet our Faculty
Contact Us

Pacific University Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program
503-352-1531 | mfa@pacificu.edu
530 NW 12th Ave., Portland, OR 97209
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday

Pacific University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, one of seven accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Additional curriculum and student outcome information is available in the academic catalog.