Program Overview
Spend two years reading, writing, and workshopping alongside a community of writers. The 32-unit, in-person program begins each fall, with classes held Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 9:15 p.m. Workshops center on your writing in fiction, poetry, or nonfiction. Share new work, receive feedback from peers and faculty, and strengthen your craft through revision. Craft seminars explore the writers, movements, and techniques that shape your own work.
Program Specifics
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Learn more by attending an info meeting, open house, or graduate fair. Individual visits can be scheduled by contacting the MFA in Writing program, mfa@usfca.edu.
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Fall 2027: The program starts on Tuesday, August 24. There is a required weekend orientation in mid-August before the start of the fall semester.
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With a 4-unit workshop and 4-unit seminar each semester, students should expect to spend around 20 hours a week, give or take, on school work outside of class.
Program Timeline
Requirements include three workshops, four elective seminars, and two semesters of one-on-one thesis work.
| Year | Fall | Spring | Summer (optional) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Workshop & Seminar (8 units) | Workshop & Seminar (8 units) | Thesis (optional) (4 units) |
| 2 | Workshop & Seminar (8 units) | Thesis & Seminar (8 units) |
The USF MFA program helped me find my way to the stories I wanted to tell. The program encouraged me to take my work seriously, and taught me practices that I continue to use in my writing life. For the first time, I felt immersed in a literary community, forming friendships with fellow writers that have lasted through the years.”
Kate Folk ’11 author of Out There and Sky Daddy, a California Book Award Silver Medalist
Who will teach me?
Learn from published authors and working writers who bring their craft, experience, and perspective into every workshop and seminar.
