The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program at University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) emphasizes a literary approach to exploring and redefining relationships between people and place, no matter where such connections exist and how they are expressed. We take advantage of the North’s boundless terrain to help writers discover their own place in the world—not just in Alaska but everywhere. This philosophy encompasses landscape of memory, family, and culture, making it possible to imagine anything and write about it—from the local to the global, from the personal to the communal, from the unlimited mind to the infinite universe.

The MFA is a 45-credit degree program that culminates in a book-length thesis of creative work accompanied by a critical essay and an annotated bibliography. The three-year, accredited degree program offers studies in fiction, poetry and literary nonfiction that will teach students how to master craft, read the classic works that define the traditions and the evolution of their genre, and develop the skills to balance the demands of life with the discipline of writing.

MFA Student Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this program, students will be able to:

*-demonstrate a thorough understanding of historical context, traditions, and contemporary issues in form and theory by situating the content of their own work within their genre.  (Assessment will be based on the quality and extent of the annotated bibliography, the quality and originality of the craft essay components of the thesis, and the presentation and discussion of their work during the thesis colloquium.)

*-demonstrate their skills in craft by producing a substantial body of original creative work and by articulating the craft elements in their genre.  (Assessment will be based on the quality and scope of the creative component of the thesis, the accompanying discussion in the craft essay, and the presentation and discussion of their work during the thesis colloquium.)

*-demonstrate skills necessary for professional employment in literary fields such as writing, and editing by planning, organizing, and presenting works or projects of literary and public value.  (Assessment will be based on the design and execution of a practicum project.)

The Residency

For 12 intensive days each summer, students and faculty gather on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus for an intensive period of workshops, manuscript critiques, seminars, panels, lectures, and readings.  We also make field trips to investigate the intersections between art, literature, science, and the natural world.  To help students prepare for the residency, core faculty lead an on-line course in the month before the session begins.  Students attend three residency sessions for credit and present their theses during a fourth residency at the completion of their coursework.

The Mentorship

Each year, a graduate writer is paired with a faculty writer for a focused study of literature and writing craft.  Together, students and mentors will develop a reading list and a study plan.  During the fall and spring semesters, students regularly submit their creative work and reading analyses, and mentors respond with detailed comments that will guide and challenge the student writer.

Our Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing program offers gifted student writers the opportunity to study with established writers in the unique Alaskan landscape, urban and natural, while taking their writing to the next level.  At the end of the program, students will have completed a book-length thesis of creative work accompanied by a critical essay. 
In a once-yearly summer session, writers and faculty gather on the Anchorage campus to participate in workshops, attend lectures, give readings and improve their writing through a course of study with mentor-based learning.

Northern Renaissance Arts & Science Series

The MFA Program hosts the Northern Renaissance Arts & Sciences Series each summer during the residency period and throughout the year for the UAA community at-large. In collaboration with campus and community supporters, each year distinguished guests—writers, artists, musicians, scientists, cultural leaders and scholars—give performances or workshops to the residency participants and to the public.  Genuine collaboration among the arts, sciences, and humanities fosters creativity, forges new connections among the disciplines, and engages writers and citizens to consider the challenges, ideas and discoveries of our times.