Low-Residency Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Curriculum

Chatham University’s Low-Residency MFA program is a program of 39 hours that can be completed in two years with two summer residencies of 10 days each. The program is very similar to our highly acclaimed residency program with the same innovative focus on nature, environment and travel writing. Several of our faculty in the residency program also teach in the low-residency program

Our low-residency program is different from the residency program in a few ways. First, in lieu of writing workshops each term, students take mentorships with a publishing writer. See a detailed description of the mentorships here. Second, although the literature and content courses students enroll in will be the same as those taught in our residency program, they will be taught in an electronic classroom environment. Third, low-residency students must complete two residencies of ten days each in their first and second summers. Residencies will take place on the Chatham campus in Pittsburgh, and will consist of intensive workshops, craft lectures, panels and readings with well-known creative writers. Residencies take place every year in early August and last 10 days. Finally, low-residency students have the opportunity to take one of our creative writing field seminars along with our residency students, although the field seminar is not a requirement. Field seminars include additional fees, including travel and lodging, and will vary depending on the location of the field seminar. Click here for a description of the creative writing field seminars.

REQUIREMENTS | 39 credits
	Mentorship 1	6 credits
	Mentorship 2	6 credits
	Residency 1	3 credits
	Residency 2	3 credits
	Craft of Travel Writing	3 credits
	Craft of Nature and Environmental Writing	3 credits
	Five content courses, two of which must be literature courses	15 credits

Thesis:
Student must write a thesis, which will be a collection of poems, stories, essays or a novella or novel. They must pass a final oral board on the thesis, and read from the thesis at the second residency.

Residency Requirements and Information

Advising:
Students will be assigned an advisor who will assist them in making sure they are taking the right courses and proceeding on schedule to complete their degree.

Transfer Credits:
We will possibly accept up to six hours of graduate transfer credit if it is in an area relevant to the requirements of the program.