Master of Fine Arts in Writing Degrees at Albertus Magnus College

Excellence, Access and Innovation

Follow your dreams – on a schedule you devise. 

At Albertus Magnus College, you can earn your MFA in writing in just two years – without sacrificing family time or making demands on the job that pays your bills.

Traditional MFA programs force you to be a full-time student. Low-residency programs encroach on your career and family life – and that’s assuming you have the luxury of taking off two weeks each year.

The MFA in Writing at Albertus lets you follow your dreams – on a schedule you devise.

Albertus Magnus provides fully online and low-residency options for students to pursue an MFA.

Three times each semester, you'll meet for intensive classroom sessions and writing workshops. These meetings can take place either virtually in an online forum or in-person at our New Haven campus. The rest of the time, you pursue your studies online at your own pace – guided by an award-winning faculty and encouraged by a community of like-minded student writers.

This convenient yet demanding program develops the insights, discipline, and skills of the professional writer.

Blending personalized attention to the individual’s needs with the utilization of Internet technology to create a virtual community of writers, the MFA in Writing at Albertus Magnus College combines flexibility with excellence, and provides a formative experience for writers seeking to hone their craft.

Students successfully completing this program will demonstrate

  • A knowledge of the conventions of specific writing genres
  • An understanding of the creative process
  • A knowledge of market trends in specific areas of professional writing
  • The ability to develop an effective project synopsis, outline, and submission materials that conform to industry expectations and standards
  • Highly developed writing skills
  • The ability to plan and execute a major project in a specific genre of writing

Program Format

The Master of Fine Arts requires a minimum of thirty-six credits for completion. It is designed to be delivered in either a fully online or a blended format and schedule that will maximize potential student access. Classes meet three times each during the fall and spring semesters -- in either an online or in-person format -- with the remaining instruction and coursework occurring online.

A Blended or Online Learning Environment

  • Three times each semester, classes either meet virtually in an online environment or meet "on the ground" at our New Haven campus. The choice is yours!
  • Each session lasts 2 ½ hours for each 4-credit course.
  • Detailed course packets provide MFA students with an outline of readings and assignments for the entire 15 week semester
  • Students maximize interaction with each other and their professors through the MFA learning community website and through on-campus meetings once every five weeks.
A Portfolio Process
  • Students will work toward creating a portfolio of publishable work in their chosen genres A portfolio mentor advises and guides the student through the course of study
  • A process that is focused, efficient and meaningful
  • MFA students can enroll as full-time graduate students and complete the program in two years.

Faculty Authors

  • Students are guided by faculty which includes published poets, novelists and authors of academic monographs as well as creative non-fiction.
Flexibility

Admission Requirements

  • A completed application and a $50 non-refundable application fee
  • Bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a minimum cumulative G.P.A. of 3.0 on a 4.0 system*
  • Official transcripts from all universities or colleges attended
  • For non-native English speakers, minimum TOEFL score of 550 paper-based, 80 internet-based, or 213 computer-based
  • Proof of immunization in accordance with Connecticut State requirements
  • For applicants who intend to use Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Educational Benefits Military, university and college transcripts Certification of Eligibility letter or, for reservists, Notice of Basic Eligibility Veteran’s Intent to Register form
  • Two letters of recommendation specifically addressing suitability for the program
  • A written essay of 750 to 1,000 words, double-spaced, on “The Writer’s Journey,” detailing the applicant’s personal reflections on the writer’s craft and reasons for applying to the program
  • A sample of written work in one genre as follows: Nonfiction: A completed composition or portion of a piece of at least 2,500 words and a maximum of 5,000 Fiction: A completed composition or portion of a piece of at least 2,500 words and a maximum of 5,000 Poetry: Between 5 and 10 pages containing at least five completed poems
  • A one-page writer’s résumé, providing a profile and indication of the area of writing interest, summary of educational and writing experience (including any publications, current submissions, or works in progress), and employment history

Recent Visiting Writers

Dick Allen Lauren DeStefano Daniel Donaghy
Tom Hazuka Nancy Kuhl Leslie McGrath
Pat Mottola Mark Oppenheimer Tim Parrish
Ethan Rutherford Eric Sasson Margot Schilpp
Vivian Shipley Lisa Siedlarz Brian Francis Slattery
Sarah Pemberton Strong Chris Torockio Jessica Treat
BJ Ward Cynthia Zarin Claire Zoghb

Selected Student Publications

The MFA in Writing is designed to assist each student in acquiring the repertoire of skills of professional writers. The ultimate proof that these skills have been acquired is in the publication records of our students. The following is a list of student publications that we are aware of so far.

Elizabeth Gilliam (poetry '17):

Benjamin Thomas (fiction '15):

Gerard Bianco

Gerard Bianco (fiction '13):

  • “A Tattoo” at Burningwood Literary Journal
  • The Deal Master (2012) (a self-published novel)
  • Discipline: A Play (2011; selected as a finalist in the 2013 National Indie Excellence Awards)

Benjamin Christensen (fiction '14)

  • “The Blue Line” (Static Movement, January 2012)
  • “Snow & Cognac” (Static Movement, March 2012)
  • “Caves” (Another Sky Press, March 2013)
  • “Beautiful Thieves” (Scars Publications, September 2012)
  • “New Years” (The Speculative Edge, March 2013)
Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson (fiction '14)

  • “Fetch,” (Soul Reflections, Wicked East Press, 2013)
  • “Forgotten Manners,” (Ink Monkey, 2013)
  • “Foreign Tongue,” (Meat for Tea: The Valley Review, volume 8, issue 2, 2012)
  • “X,” (Colere, 2012)
  • “Mixed Nuts,” (Epiphany, issue 13, 2012)
  • “Melting the Ice,” (Weirdyear, 3 April 2011)

Bette Isacoff (nonfiction '13)

  • Star Crossed (Headwinds Publishing, November 2013)
Coral Moore

Coral Moore (fiction '13)

  • “Deep Water” (a short story single with Dreamspinner Press)
  • Elements of Rebellion (a self-published novel with an impressive sales record)
  • Broods of Fenrir (a series of self-published urban fantasy books with good sales)
Krista Surprenant

Krista Surprenant (poetry '14)

  • “Seminole County, Florida,” (SN Review, Winter/Spring 2013)
  • “Planting Paper Flowers,” (SN Review, Winter/Spring 2013)
  • “Sitting in the Classroom,” (SN Review, Winter/Spring 2013)
  • “Third Street Miracle,” (Blast Furnace, volume 3, issue 1, April 2013)

Program Credentials

Albertus Magnus College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc., through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, a non-governmental, nationally recognized organization whose affiliated institutions include elementary schools through collegiate institutions offering post-graduate instruction. The MFA in Writing Program is a member of the Association of Writers & Writing Programs.

For general questions contact: 
Professional & Graduate Studies
Albertus Magnus College
700 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511
203-773-8505

For further information contact:
Sarah Harris Wallman, Associate Director
(203)773-4473 or swallman@albertus.edu