M.F.A. in Writing

The Master of Fine Arts in Writing Program at USF offers students an intimate, personalized learning experience in the heart of San Francisco’s vibrant, eclectic literary scene. Founded in 1986, the MFA Program is designed to instruct writers in creative techniques, nurture their individual development and vision, and help them thrive in the larger community of writers.

The MFA Program offers workshop and literature seminars in fiction, poetry, and nonfiction. Small classes foster supportive relationships between faculty and students and engaged commitment among peers. All courses are taught by accomplished practicing writers, so that literature seminars and workshops in each genre pay detailed attention to the how and why of a writer’s craft. In cross-genre literature seminars, students can explore a secondary genre and the principles common to all. For the creative thesis, a book-length manuscript, students receive intensive faculty mentoring in the early stages as well as in the final semester when they complete the work.