A number of you have expressed a desire to develop your own creative writing while acquiring a Master of Fine Arts in Writing degree from Spalding University. In response to those requests, we have expanded our academic calendar to accommodate your teaching schedules. Spalding University has already established a respected MFA in Writing program with a spring/fall semester schedule.Our summer semester with residency abroad, designed with teachers’ schedules in mind, takes place with an intensive study-abroad residency of creative writing workshops and lectures, followed by personally tailored instruction through at-home correspondence that focuses on your writing. You may study in any one or two of our areas: fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, writing for children and young adults, screenwriting, and playwriting. The residency abroad takes place in during the summer, followed immediately by an at-home mentored writing period that ends in March. The nine-month semester allows you the luxury of more time than our spring/fall semesters to complete your writing, with six or seven weeks between each of the five packets of writing due during the semester. This schedule provides a break from March to mid-June, allowing for the wind-up of your own teaching year.

Each of our summer residencies is situated in a different locale, providing a wide range of cultural experiences. Past and future locations include London/Bath, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Rome, Paris, Dublin/Galway, and Prague. The curriculum includes visits to literary and historical sites and attendance at concerts, theatre, and museums. In addition, students will read, in English, work by important foreign writers as well as by American authors.

Our summer semester provides an opportunity for teachers to pursue their MFA in Writing while earning graduate and education recertification credits. Students earn 16 graduate credit hours in each of the program’s four semesters. An MFA degree, like a Ph.D., is a terminal degree. (Check with your local school district for requirements in your area for recertification or a change in salary level.) Application deadline for the summer semester is February 1.

Once accepted into the program, students may attend spring, summer, or fall semesters. Students have the option of completing the entire four-semester program by attending only summer semesters. Tuition for the summer semester is the same as for fall and spring semesters, which begin in Louisville. Students who are U.S. citizens may apply for federal student loans to cover tuition and living expenses, including travel. For more information about our program and our experienced, publishing faculty, click here. Explore our website (see menu to left) for more information.We are happy to talk with you about this new educational opportunity and the special features of our curriculum.

With all best wishes from the Spalding MFA team.