MFA Degree Structure

UAA's Creative Writing & Literary Arts MFA requires nine courses (45 credits) over a three-year period. Each course is five credits and one course per semester is considered a full-load. It is estimated that the student's academic work will amount to 15-20 hours of work weekly.

Students are required to attend the entire duration of three Residencies. At the fourth Residency, students are only expected to attend on the day they deliver their colloquium although they may attend all or a portion of the Residency if they'd like.

 MFA Schedule

Literary Practicum

We want students to use their talents in a way that engages the world beyond the written page.  In the spring semester of their second year, students undertake their Literary Practicum.  The Practicum offers students practical experience in writing, publishing, teaching, arts administration, or any pursuit that encourages creativity and initiative. 

Possible projects could include: working on literary magazines; attending or presenting at literary writing conferences; collaborating with other artists or scholars on projects; producing or editing a publication; teaching writing workshops or courses; developing curricula for classroom use; undertaking extensive research projects related to their creative work.

The practicum is flexible enough to allow students to parcel the five credit requirement among different options, including attendance at the annual Kachemak Bay Writers' Conference held in Homer, Alaska each June.

MFA Handbook

For more detailed information about how the MFA is structured, please review the MFA Handbook.