Master of Fine Arts in Writing (MFA)

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

The Master of Fine Arts in Writing is part of The Creative Writing Programs (CWP) at Hamline University. The MFA is a terminal degree for students who wish to pursue careers as writers and want to teach writing at the college level or seek professional work in the literary marketplace. Hamline’s MFA program, established in 1994, was the first MFA degree in Creative Writing in Minnesota.

The program, offered full- or part-time, allows students to develop the process and craft of writing in a rigorous, engaged, and supportive environment. Faculty who teach in the program are all accomplished, working writers. Our small class sizes provide an intimate setting in which students will establish trust and rapport with classmates and receive one-on-one advising and feedback from their professors. They also are able to work one-on-one with nationally known Visiting Writers who visit campus.

Many students will focus primarily on one genre in the advanced stage of the program as they move toward thesis. Students can choose from poetry, fiction (e.g, realistic, speculative, mystery, etc.), creative nonfiction (e.g., personal and lyric essay, memoir, biography, etc.), or any combination of genres. Elective courses are offered on topics such as composition theory & pedagogy, point of view in fiction, graphic novel, hybrid narratives, and shorts (fiction and CNF), to name a few.

MFA students who graduated with a Hamine BFA degree may count up to 8 credits from the BFA toward the MFA as follows:

WRIT 3450 - Runestone may count in place of the MFA pre-professional course or may be applied as an elective
Students may apply one Forms and Elements course (WRIT 3110, 3120, 3130, 3140) to the Groundings requirement in the appropriate genre (WRIT 8110, 8120, 8130)

MFA Degree Requirements (48 credits and 3.0 GPA):

NOTE: At most, 4 credits of independent study coursework may be counted toward the MFA degree.

Core Seminar (4 credits):

WRIT 8000 - MFA Core

Required Craft Courses (20 credits):

Two Groundings Courses

Students take two of the following fundamentals courses, which cover craft techniques in depth in the genre.

Three Workshops

Two of the three workshops must be in the student’s chosen genre.

Pre-Professional Course (4 credits):

Students choose one of the following options.

Elective Courses (12 credits):

Elective course options include topics courses and additional Groundings, Workshops, and Pre-Professional courses.

Thesis (8 credits):

The MFA thesis is a two-part process, Thesis I and Thesis II. Each is one semester long. If necessary, Thesis I or II can be extended to two semesters, although the student will have to register again for the course.