StudyLink logoHome
Students on a university campus

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, MFA

The University of British Columbia (UBC), Canada

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Study options for this course

The award How you will study Study duration Course start Domestic course fees International course fees
MFAOnlinefind outSeptemberfind outfind out

About Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, MFA - at The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Program Overview

Creative Writers are at the heart of our cultural industries. Poets, novelists, screenwriters, playwrights, graphic novelists, magazine writers: they entertain, inform and inspire. For more than 10 years, UBC's Creative Writing program has been educating writers through distance education in a program which complements our long-standing on-campus MFA program.

A studio program with the writing workshop at its heart, the distance MFA focuses on the work created by students as the primary text. Through intensive peer critique and craft discussion, faculty and students work together with the same goal: literary excellence.

The MFA granted to distance students is the same degree as granted to on-campus students, and the same criteria of excellence in multiple genres of study apply.

What sets the UBC program apart?

UBC's Optional-Residency (Distance) MFA was the first distance education MFA program in Canada and remains the only full MFA which can be taken completely online. It is designed to be uniquely flexible, allowing students across Canada and around the world to study writing at the graduate level while still living in their local communities and fulfilling career and family obligations.

The program is unique globally for its multi-genre approach to writing instruction: students are required to work in multiple genres during the course of the degree. As a fine arts program rather than an English program, students focus on the practice of writing rather than the study of literature. Students may work on a part-time basis, taking up to five years to complete the degree.

Career Options

Graduates of the MFA program have found success in varied fields related to writing and communication. The MFA qualifies graduates for teaching at the university level and many graduates have gone on to teach at colleges and universities in Canada, the United States and overseas as well as holding writing residencies. Many publish books and win literary awards. Others go on to work in publishing, and graduates have become book and magazine editors.

Although the MFA is a terminal degree, some graduates go on to further study in PhD programs in the US, UK and Australia.

The Optional-Residency MFA is particularly well suited to teachers: our teacher-students have been able to gain an advanced degree while continuing their careers.

Entry requirements for this course

Contact The University of British Columbia (UBC) to find course entry requirements.

Courses you may be interested in at other institutions

Below are some suggested courses at other providers that you may also be interested in:

Jewelry Design Lab Summer Course

IED – Istituto Europeo di Design

Find out more

Political Science Bachelor of International Liberal Arts

International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) at Yamanashi Gakuin University

Find out more

Bachelor in Management Bachelor Degree

TBS Education in Barcelona

Find out more

Italian Language Courses in Sicily Certificate, Summer Course, Winter School

The Italian Academy

Find out more

Filmmaking - 1 year Foundation

ESRA Film School Paris

Find out more

Postgraduate pathways and pre-masters at other institutions

If you do not meet the entry requirements for this course then consider one of these postgraduate preparation courses from another institution:

Extended Care Paramedicine

Edith Cowan University Online (ECU)

Find out more

Nursing

James Cook University Online (JCU)

Find out more
See all Postgraduate pathway courses

Other courses at The University of British Columbia (UBC)

There are 317 other courses listed from The University of British Columbia (UBC). A selection of these are displayed below:

Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition and Health BSc

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Find out more

Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy EdD

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Find out more

Doctor of Medicine and Doctor of Philosophy MDPHD

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Find out more

Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition DMA

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Find out more

Doctor of Musical Arts in Orchestral Instrument DMA

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Find out more

Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano DMA

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Find out more

Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice DMA

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Find out more

Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology PhD

The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Find out more
View all 317 courses at The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Related Information

See other universities in Vancouver

Find out more about studying in Canada