MFA in Writing Curriculum
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Students in Pacific’s Master of Fine Arts in Writing program earn a graduate degree in fiction, nonfiction, or poetry over the course of two years through five intensive residencies, coupled with four semesters of guided study.

In the belief that writers can and must lead full and interesting lives, the program embraces students who have full-time jobs and other obligations, helping each to design an individualized course of study to be carried out in collaboration with a faculty mentor.

MFA in Writing Faculty and Students

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

Like the faculty, Pacific’s MFA students are talented and committed writers from around the globe. While they are in various stages of life, they share a devotion to their art. They write because they can’t help it. They write to pay attention to their inner lives and to the lives of others. From baristas to brain surgeons, our MFA students understand implicitly that the apprenticeship they receive here is ongoing and that writers discover their original voice and moral point of view over time. They know that the process requires patience and the ability to embrace the muscular discipline that literary writing demands. 

The MFA Residency + Guided Study

The Pacific University MFA in Writing program residencies are an opportunity for students to connect with faculty mentors and guest authors in idyllic settings focused on the craft of writing. Over the 10 intensive days of events, students meet some of the best minds of the literary world.

Each day is filled with an expansive selection of presentations and events designed to provide tools and inspiration for the art of writing. In the mornings, students typically attend a craft talk and workshops. After lunch they may choose among a number of talks, panels, classes and readings. Each evening closes with readings by the faculty and students. In addition to the scheduled events, the residency includes time for contemplation, writing and informal gatherings. Though students in the program specialize in a particular genre for their degrees, the residency offers opportunities to experience and appreciate the relationship among all the literary genres.

Toward the end of the residency, each student is paired with a faculty advisor and together they create an individualized study plan that outlines the student’s projects for the guided study that follows. The residency is both a rich reward and a stimulus for the months of solo work that lie ahead.


Pre-Residency

  • Worksheets: Submit four poems, no more than 10 pages in all, or a prose piece of up to 4000 words for faculty and peer review.
  • Peer Review: Prepare detailed comments on all manuscripts in workshop group.
  • Study Proposal: Submit a semester study proposal that includes writing goals, areas of interest, and a tentative reading list.


January & June: 10-Day Residency

  • Workshops: Receive close critique and participate in critique for others.
  • Presentations and Readings: Attend lectures, classes, presentations, readings, and discussions by writers and degree candidates.
  • Advisor Conferences: Participate in strategy sessions with advisor to design an individualized semester study plan.
  • Study Plan: Refine initial study proposal and define goals, reading list, projects, and deadlines for the guided study.
  • Residency Review: Submit required responses to craft talks, classes, roundtable discussions, and lectures.

Explore the Residencies

The study plans that shape each semester’s work in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing program grow from the students’ own interests, needs, and developing visions and guide the trajectory of their work. During the guided study students send writing to their advisors and, in turn, receive critiques and support, including specific suggestions as well as general advice for the developing craft and course of study.

Guided Study

  • Workload: Devote 20-25 hours per week to implement study plans and projects.
  • Creative Project: Develop a body of carefully edited work (20-30 pages prose, 10-15 poems).
  • Exchanges/Packets: Submit work to advisor (5 exchanges, 1 about every 3 weeks).
  • Reading: Complete assigned readings (20 works per semester).
  • Reading Responses: During the first two semesters, write commentaries on 12-15 of the assigned readings. During the last two semesters, create an annotated bibliography for the assigned readings.
  • Log: Keep record of exchanges with advisor.
  • Midterm Assessment: Assess progress toward goals in study plan.
  • Semester Assessment: Evaluate semester progress.

The Experience of Guided Study

Program Completion

The MFA degree requires successful completion of at least four semesters of study and five residency periods. During the course of the program, students read approximately 80 works of literature, about which they write commentaries during their first two semesters and bibliographic annotations during their last two semesters. They complete an analytical paper on an author, a literary theme, or another aspect of contemporary letters. For their thesis, they prepare a polished manuscript of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry. At their fifth residency, students discuss their work in a thesis review and do a public presentation that includes a critical introduction to a reading of their creative work. 

Degree Requirements

Upon completion of the program, degree recipients will demonstrate mastery-level rhetorical skill and imaginative originality in creative works. Graduates of Pacific’s MFA in Writing program are encouraged to apply to teach undergraduates on Pacific University’s campus in Forest Grove, Oregon. 

 

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

Related News

Media Mentions

Summary
Jan. 24, 2025 | The Gleaner newspaper in Kingston, Jamaica, covered the investiture ceremony for Kwame Dawes, a professor in Pacific's Master of Fine Arts in Writing program, who has been named the Poet Laureate of Jamaica.

Upcoming Events

Forest Grove, Taylor-Meade Performing Arts Center, McCready Hall

June Commencement celebrates degree candidates in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program, during its annual summer residency in Forest Grove. Pacific University celebrates the Class of 2025 on June 28.