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Master of Fine Arts

Clockwise from top: Kajill Aujla , Deepali Raiththa , Rosalina Libertad Cerritos.

Change practice. Change perspective. Change perceptions.

When you choose Emily Carr University for your Master of Fine Arts (MFA), you choose material exploration. You choose to put yourself, your career and your people first by choosing the best delivery mode for you.

Embed yourself in the local scene through a concentrated experience with year-round access to the resources you need. Or choose a hybrid delivery model when your creative research happens on campus and in your home community.

Our MFA degree is offered fully on-campus (full-residency) or split between online and on-campus attendance (low-residency). All program pathways include a thesis project.

Our curriculum emphasizes an innovative approach to contemporary art production, with the flexibility to support your established practice and research initiatives. Our programs bridge disciplines and methodologies, offering a challenging and supportive experience that will significantly enhance your artistic practice and encourage critical inquiry.

Choose between two MFA program pathways:

Full-residency

Our two-year full-residency MFA degree offers a concentrated on-campus academic experience, with year-round access to studios, facilities , and research centres . The curriculum integrates coursework, creative research, material exploration and a thesis project. All elements are grounded in a dynamic, critique-based environment that encourages risk-taking and the growth of material processes and critical perspectives.

During the fall and spring terms, students focus on studio practice development and coursework, emphasizing material exploration and theoretical frameworks. In the summer term, they develop an independent thesis project encompassing practical and written components.

Our program also includes research seminars, studio classes, public exhibitions, and visits from renowned artists and curators, enriching students' practice and professional development.

Low-residency

Our two-year, full-time, low-residency MFA degree offers a hybrid delivery model of online coursework during fall and spring terms and on-campus summer residencies. You'll work both online and independently, delving into research and practice for your chosen fine arts or media arts area.

Designed to provide the best of both worlds, you'll leverage remote learning technologies in a flexible delivery model, with a summer residency where you can focus on your studio practice, allowing you to deepen your creative research and material exploration in Vancouver.

There are many opportunities for low-residency students to connect with their full-residency peers and the wider ECU community by participating in year-round professional development activities and other programming.

Explore our curriculum.

Want to learn more about the specifics of our MFA program? You can Explore our detailed course descriptions and curriculum pathways .

“The opportunity to be a graduate student at Emily Carr not only helped me realize further my potential as an artist, but it also gave me the best community of friends and peers along the way. Being a part of such a diverse cohort of artists expanded my perspectives of the potential that visual art has and has inspired me in ways beyond words. I am thankful to have been among such wonderful individuals and artists in my cohort and to learn from such wonderful faculty and researchers as well.” Kajill Auijla, MFA

Kajill Auijla, MFA 2021

Stories from Our MFA Community

Reyhaneh Yazdani

Gemma Crowe

Malina Sintnicolaas

Our Studios + Facilities

Above: MFA students in their personal studios. Below: MFA candidate prOphecy sun in the Motion Capture Studio.

Graduate programs at Emily Carr University have a strong focus on studio practice with rigorous individual and group critiques that aim to balance the integration of theory, practice, and production.

As a graduate student, you will have your own studio space at your disposal throughout the program, and to shared, dedicated work areas. Graduate students work with Technical Services Coordinators who help with their various studio needs.

A wealth of resources and integrated studios, labs, and workshops housing a wide range of media, analogue and new digital technologies will be available to you. Find detailed descriptions of our shops and studios on our website .

Beyond the Studio

Graduate peer-mentorship program.

The new ECU peer mentorship program for MFA and MDes students fosters professional and academic development, builds relationships and community ties, and strengthens our EDI commitments. This initiative is designed to support Indigenous, racialized, and graduate students of other justice-seeking groups, both domestic and international.

This new program, which started in the 2023-34 academic year, aligns with the NSERC EDI Capacity Building Grant objectives, and its development and implementation are done in collaboration between ECU’s Graduate Studies and Research Office.

Through the program, mentors and mentees have the opportunity to give and receive support, gain professional and academic development, share their experience and knowledge, develop leadership skills, and contribute to creating a more inclusive and supportive graduate community.

Future Creative Catalysts Graduate Research Fellowships

The recently launched Future Creative Catalysts Graduate Research Fellowships supports up to 4 second-year graduate student researchers in the Master of Fine Arts and Master of Design programs in the 23-24 academic year.

Created to champion original and meaningful art and design research, the Fellowships present a unique opportunity for graduate students to elevate their research and professional endeavours through hands-on projects and research-creation activities. The Faculty of Graduate Studies is committed to supporting high-quality research that will contribute to academic progress and societal improvement.

The four recipients of the Fellowship, which aim to connect students with our new 2023-28 Strategic Research Plan, conduct creative research at ECU and beyond that resonates with one or more of the University's strategic research plan themes.

In Touch, a Grad Studies Symposium

The student-led October 2020 week-long symposium focused on exploring research, creative activity, and collective community actions that unfold in the midst of and beyond the COVID-19 health crisis.Student Research Assistants led on organizing and facilitating the activities with support from staff and faculty, in discussing various topics like virtual modes of sharing and the ways digital technologies are integrated in our practice, and mobilizing art and design in the service of social and political transformation.

Through panel discussion, professional development workshops, and guest lectures, this symposium provided a common site of dialogue and inquiry across all graduate programs at Emily Carr University.

CAGS Virtual Symposia | Innovation in Research Creation in Art and Design

Grad students from Emily Carr University presented their thought-provoking work in the 2nd CAGS Virtual Symposia in Spring 2021. The free, week-long event featured unique webinars addressing various challenges, opportunities, and inflection points in Canadian graduate education.

This online event was hosted by CAGS and chaired by the ECU’s AVP Research + Dean, Jake Kerr Faculty of Graduate Studies, and featured six grad student panelists. The panelists presented their research process and creative practice in connection to innovation and research-creation.

Collaborative 4 Minute Thesis Pitch Online EventECU grad students in the MFA and MDes programs participated in the joint ECU + OCAD + AUArts + NSCAD virtual forum in Spring 2021. This cross-school professional development exercise allowed students to present their thesis projects to a wide audience.

Students had the chance to present their thesis pitch, and hear from other master's students across disciplines and institutions. All enrolled students were eligible to participate in this collaborative, non-competitive event.

Griffin Art Projects Residency Awards

ECU has partnered with Griffin Art Projects (GRIFFIN) to celebrate the achievements of its Master of Fine Arts graduates and to support their transition from academic studies to professional practice. Through this partnership, ECU MFA graduates are eligible for three prestigious residency awards that offer studio space, a materials budget, and unique programming opportunities. These include open studios, youth outreach programs, artist talks, and studio visits from GRIFFIN's director, Lisa Baldissera, and other visual arts professionals. Facilitated by Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship, this partnership is made possible thanks to the support of RBC. Learn more about these awards here .

About GRIFFIN: A non-profit art residency and gallery located in North Vancouver, Griffin Art Projects (GRIFFIN) supports artists in the production of new work through its residency program, and in creating new research on contemporary Canadian and international art, artists and art collections from around the world in its exhibition program. GRIFFIN hosts visiting artists from the region and the world, who receive temporary studio space or accommodation.

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Find information about more than two hundred full- and low-residency programs in creative writing in our MFA Programs database, which includes details about deadlines, funding, class size, core faculty, and more. Also included is information about more than fifty MA and PhD programs.

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MFA Programs Contact Form

Help us keep this database current. If you have updated information on one of the programs listed in the MFA database, let us know.

MFA Programs Database

Help Keep This Database Current

Our MFA database includes essential information about low- and full-residency graduate creative writing programs in the United States and other English-speaking countries to help you decide where to apply.

Adelphi University

Poetry: Jan-Henry Gray, Maya Marshall Prose: Katherine Hill, René Steinke, Igor Webb

Albertus Magnus College

Poetry: Paul Robichaud Fiction: Sarah Harris Wallman Nonfiction: Eric Schoeck

Alma College

Poetry: Leslie Contreras Schwartz, Jim Daniels, Benjamin Garcia Fiction: Karen E. Bender, Shonda Buchanan, Dhonielle Clayton, S. Kirk Walsh Creative Nonfiction: Anna Clark, Matthew Gavin Frank, Donald Quist, Robert Vivian

American University

Poetry: Kyle Dargan, David Keplinger Fiction: Dolen Perkins-Valdez, Stephanie Grant, Patricia Park Nonfiction: Rachel Louise Snyder

Antioch University

Poetry: Cathy Linh Che Prose: Lisa Locascio Nighthawk

Arcadia University

Poetry: Genevieve Betts, Michelle Reale Fiction: Stephanie Feldman, Joshua Isard, Tracey Levine, Eric Smith Literature: Matthew Heitzman, Christopher Varlack, Elizabeth Vogel, Jo Ann Weiner

Poetry: Genevieve Betts, Michelle Reale Fiction: Stephanie Feldman, Joshua Isard, Tracey Levine, Eric Smith

Arizona State University

Poetry: Sally Ball, Natalie Diaz, Alberto Álvaro Ríos, Safiya Sinclair Fiction: Matt Bell, Jenny Irish, Tara Ison, Mitchell Jackson, T. M. McNally Creative Nonfiction: Sarah Viren

Ashland University

Poetry: Dexter Booth, Marcelo Hernandez Castillo, Adam Gellings, Tess Taylor, Vanessa Angélica Villareal Fiction: Kirstin Chen, Edan Lepucki, Sarah Monette, Nayomi Munaweera, Vi Khi Nao, Naomi J. Williams, Kyle Winkler Nonfiction: Cass Donish, Kate Hopper, Lauren Markham, Thomas Mira y Lopez, Lisa Nikolidakis, Terese Mailhot

Augsburg University

Poetry: Michael Kleber-Diggs Fiction: Stephan Eirik Clark, Lindsay Starck Nonfiction: Anika Fajardo Playwriting: Carson Kreitzer, TyLie Shider, Sarah Myers Screenwriting: Stephan Eirik Clark, Andy Froemke

Ball State University

Poetry: Katy Didden, Mark Neely Fiction: Cathy Day, Sean Lovelace Nonfiction: Jill Christman, Silas Hansen Screenwriting: Rani Deighe Crowe, Matt Mullins

Bard College

Jess Arndt, Shiv Kotecha, Mirene Arsanios, Hannah Black, Trisha Low, Christoper Perez, Julian Talamantez Brolaski, Simone White

Bath Spa University

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, John Strachan, Samantha Walton, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Alexia Casale, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Lucy English, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Steve Hollyman, Emma Hooper, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, C.J. Skuse, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Celia Brayfield, Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge Scriptwriting: Robin Mukherjee

Poetry: Lucy English, Tim Liardet, Gerard Woodward Fiction: Gavin James Bower, Celia Brayfield, Anne-Marie Crowhurst, Nathan Filer, Aminatta Forna, Samantha Harvey, Philip Hensher, Claire Kendal, Natasha Pulley, Kate Pullinger, Gerard Woodward Nonfiction: Lily Dunn, Richard Kerridge

Bay Path University

Mel Allen, Leanna James Blackwell, Jennifer Baker, Melanie Brooks, María Luisa Arroyo Cruzado, Shahnaz Habib, Susan Ito, Karol Jackowski, Yi Shun Lai, Anna Mantzaris, Meredith O’Brien, Mick Powell, Suzanne Strempek Shea, Tommy Shea, Kate Whouley

Bennington Writing Seminars at Bennington College

Poetry: Jennifer Chang, Michael Dumanis, Randall Mann, Craig Morgan Teicher, Mark Wunderlich Fiction: Peter Cameron, Jai Chakrabarti, Stacey D’Erasmo, Monica Ferrell, Rebecca Makkai, Stuart Nadler, Téa Obreht, Moriel Rothman-Zecher, Katy Simpson Smith, Taymour Soomro Nonfiction: Garrard Conley, Sabrina Orah Mark, Spencer Reece, Lance Richardson, Shawna Kay Rodenberg, Hugh Ryan, Greg Wrenn

Binghamton University

Poetry: Tina Chang, Joseph Weil Fiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Thomas Glave, Leslie L. Heywood, Claire Luchette, Liz Rosenberg, Jaimee Wriston-Colbert, Alexi Zentner Nonfiction: Amir Ahmdi Arian, Leslie L. Heywood

Bluegrass Writers Studio at Eastern Kentucky University

Poetry: Julie Hensley, Young Smith Fiction: Julie Hensley, Robert Dean Johnson Nonfiction: Robert Dean Johnson, Evan J. Massey Playwriting: Young Smith

Boise State University

Poetry: Martin Corless-Smith, Sara Nicholson, Taryn Schwilling Fiction: Mitch Wieland (Director), Anna Caritj Creative Nonfiction: Chris Violet Eaton, Clyde Moneyhun

Boston University

Poetry: Andrea Cohen, Karl Kirchwey, Robert Pinsky Fiction: Leslie Epstein, Jennifer Haigh, Ha Jin

Boston University—MFA in Literary Translation

Odile Cazenave, Yuri Corrigan, Margaret Litvin, Christopher Maurer, Roberta Micaleff, Robert Pinsky (advising), Stephen Scully, Sassan Tabatabai, J. Keith Vincent, William Waters, Dennis Wuerthner, Cathy Yeh, Anna Zielinska-Elliott

Bowling Green State University

Poetry: Abigail Cloud, Amorak Huey, Sharona Muir, F. Dan Rzicznek, Larissa Szporluk, Jessica Zinz-Cheresnick Fiction: Joe Celizic, Lawrence Coates, Reema Rajbanshi, Michael Schulz

Brigham Young University

Poetry: Kimberly Johnson, Lance Larsen, Michael Lavers, John Talbot Fiction: Chris Crowe, Ann Dee Ellis, Spencer Hyde, Stephen Tuttle Nonfiction: Joey Franklin, Patrick Madden

Brooklyn College

Poetry: Julie Agoos, Ben Lerner Fiction: Joshua Henkin, Madeleine Thien Playwriting: Dennis A. Allen II, Elana Greenfield

Creative Writing Programs
Opportunities
Prospective Students

MFA Program Options

Optional Summer Residency
How to Write a Novel
Writing for Video Games
Communications Support
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
Indigenous Engagement
Prize for Best New Fiction
Job Opportunities

Please read the following documents in full for details on our MFA program and application guidelines. These documents provide answers to most prospective students’ questions.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, On-Campus

Our two-year studio course of resident study is learner-centered and workshop-driven. We offer an exciting breadth of genres, small classes and award-winning faculty, all within one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Distance Education

Our distance MFA mirrors our on-campus program and allows for part-time study. Work from anywhere in the world with our esteemed faculty and a community of dedicated fellow writers. Each year we host a popular optional summer residency at our stunning Vancouver campus.

Master of Fine Arts in Film Production and Creative Writing

The MFA in Film Production and Creative Writing is a joint program with UBC Theatre & Film and is primarily a film production degree with an additional focus on screenwriting. The final thesis for this MFA is a completed film which the student normally writes, directs and produces.

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and Theatre

The MFA in Creative Writing and Theatre is a joint program with UBC Theatre & Film , where students will take courses in both the Theatre Program and the Creative Writing Program. Students must be accepted to both programs in order to take this MFA.

UBC Okanagan

UBC’s Okanagan Campus also has a Creative Writing Master of Fine Arts Degree, as part of their Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. This is not connected to the UBC Vancouver Creative Writing Program, and faculty, courses and degree requirements are different.