You want to tell stories. You want to write poems. But you can’t find the time. You need Regis’ Mile High MFA, a low-residency program that lets you stay at your job and close to your family but pushes you to make time for writing. You’ll leave the program with a polished thesis manuscript, along with an action plan for putting your writing into practice in the world.
Regis University’s Mile High MFA provides students one-on-one instruction in poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction, with optional semester studies in scriptwriting, graphic narrative, picture books, or editing. Along with theory, workshops, seminars and readings by accomplished authors, the MFA’s unique focus combines a thorough instruction in the craft and business of writing with the practical application of writing as a career.
Program Format Online courses with on-campus residencies 2x per year
Credits for Completion 54 credit hours
Cost of Tuition $680 per credit hour
Degree Overview
The Mile-High MFA requires the successful completion of four 16-week writing semesters and five nine-day residencies. Students will begin with an Orientation at their first residency and end with an MFA Degree Ceremony in their final residency. Following each residency (except the last) will be a semester-long study in which students will work one-on-one with a faculty mentor. By their final residency, students will have written and revised 240-400 pages of prose (fiction, nonfiction) or 160-240 pages of poetry, hybrid or flash fiction, along with at least 16 book annotations, a thesis proposal, a book-length thesis, a critical preface to their thesis, a Writing in the World Action Plan and an MFA Portfolio.
Writing in the World
During the residencies, you will attend seminars on the real-life applications of writing. By your final residency, you’ll submit a Writing in the World Action Plan in which you describe how you will use your writing talents to contribute to your community, either in a professional capacity or through community outreach. Examples include running a writing workshop at a local prison or library, writing for a nonprofit, organizing a reading series or running an after-school “Teen Writers” workshop.
Career Preparedness
In addition to study in the major genres of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, our program offers single-semester studies in graphic narrative, picture books, scriptwriting and editing, as well as internships in teaching and publishing.
Program Details
Get all the details on our Mile High MFA creative writing program, including course requirements and application materials.
This specialization will require 12 additional semester hours, for a total of 67 credits. Dual-genre students will take three residency workshops and three semesters in their main genre (i.e. the genre in which they will write their MFA thesis) and two residency workshops and two semesters in their secondary genre.
Creative Writing Pedagogy
This specialization will require 12 additional semester hours, for a total of 67 credits.Creative Writing Pedagogy students will take four 3-credit ($555 per credit) 8-week online courses (Writing as Social Action; Creative Writing in the Literature Classroom; Literary Criticism and Theory; and Writing and Rhetoric of Nonfiction) via Regis University’s MA in Literature and Creative Writing.
Residency Overview
Twice a year, in January and July, students will attend nine-day residencies, from Friday evening to the following Sunday afternoon, with an “Intermezzo” on Wednesdays. Residencies are inspiring, invigorating gatherings of like-minded writers that provide students with the opportunity to learn their craft, workshop their writing, attend readings by award-winning writers and immerse themselves in the writing life. Our brilliant yet down-to-earth faculty mentors will eat, drink and converse with students, providing lessons and advice on writing and the publishing world.
During each residency students will meet (either in person or via phone or Zoom) with the faculty mentor they will be working with during the succeeding semester and (together with that mentor) finalize a semester study plan. Out-of-town students will work with the program director to arrange for housing in a hotel or on-campus residence hall.
How to Apply
To apply to the Mile High MFA Creative Writing program, you will need:
The first step in the application process is to contact an admissions counselor, who can evaluate your prior learning credit, provide information regarding financial aid and tuition assistance and help you through the entire application process. A faculty phone or virtual interview may be required after review of your admissions application.
Tuition and Fees
Program tuition:$680 per credit hour Total program credits:54 A $350 nonrefundable enrollment deposit is required to secure your place in the program, and will be applied toward your tuition.
Curious about financial aid options? Regis offers a variety of scholarships, grants and other programs to help you pay for school. Visit Financial Aid to learn more.
