Ranked 20th nationwide among low-residency programs
by Poets & Writers
Program Brochure
The mission of the low-residency MFA program at Murray State University is to provide quality advanced instruction to creative writers while allowing them to live and work where they choose. We are looking for candidates who show strong promise as creative writers and who also demonstrate a commitment to the serious reading of literature. Additionally, we seek students who are self-motivated, able to work independently, and capable of making positive use of criticism to improve their writing. Our foremost goal is to facilitate the creative and professional growth of writers, but the degree also offers the necessary academic credentials for a writer to teach creative writing at the college or university level. It also provides a foundation for careers in other writing-related fields.
Of the 49 hours required for the degree, 13 hours must be completed on campus during the January and July residencies. The remaining 36 hours can be completed via distance learning. These 36 hours comprise three semester-long Graduate Tutorials (6 hours each), a Creative Thesis (6 hours), the New Madrid Field Study (3 hours) and three graduate literature courses (3 hours each). The graduate literature courses may also be completed on campus at Murray State. (While students may transfer up to nine semester hours—“B” or higher—of graduate-level literature courses from another accredited graduate institution, they must complete all residencies, tutorials and the field study within the MFA program.)