MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing

It’s Your Time to Write.

Have you always known there was a story inside you? Or are you compelled by the stories of others, yearning to figure out just what makes people tick? The online MFA in Creative Nonfiction at Bay Path University will help you reveal, unravel, and give expression to the stories you already know–and the stories you yearn to uncover. Here, you will find your voice, develop your style, hone your craft, and master the art of storytelling.

Why Choose Bay Path's Creative Writing Program? 

Ours is one of the first no-residency programs in the country and the only one to focus solely on the rich and varied genre of creative nonfiction. 

We have a steadfast commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, demonstrated in the wide range of identity, culture, and lived experience of our faculty and students–and in the rich variety of stories that emerge from our writers. Our dynamic student body includes women, men, and non-binary writers; writers who are in their twenties, and writers who will graduate with their MFA in their seventies; writers from a variety of cultural and ethnic backgrounds; writers who are mid-career, and writers who are “finally” ready to create the space to write their stories. 

The award-winning writers and editors on our MFA faculty are active practitioners and literary citizens who are generous with their knowledge and experience in the worlds of writing, publishing, and teaching. In the Bay Path MFA, faculty and students share a passion for writing and literature, and we believe in the integrity and meaning of the bonds that form when we support each other and our creative work.

Classes are small and intimate. Faculty get to know you and your writing well–and you get to know your fellow students. Guided feedback helps you improve the quality of your work. In our online MFA, ideas and curiosity are encouraged in a safe and respectful space. Every writer matters and every student has a voice. 

Our distinctive curriculum includes foundational work alongside elective courses that allow you to explore your writing passions–and discover new ones. 

Electives topics include:

  • Nature and Environmental Writing
  • Writing About Family
  • Spiritual Writing
  • Writing About Race, Culture and Identity
  • Reading As a Writer
  • The Medical Narrative and Expressive Writing
  • Reading and Writing Contemporary Women’s Stories
  • Trauma Narratives and Social Justice

You’ll select a professional track in publishing, teaching creative writing, or narrative medicine. Each track offers you an opportunity for classroom learning and real-world practice.

  •  Publishing: In the first semester of this two-semester track, we will explore and demystify the world of publishing through visits and one-on-one interviews with publishing professionals. For the second semester, students select an internship that supports their personal and professional interests in writing and publishing. Recent interns have worked online and on site at literary magazines, small presses, independent bookstores, and at Bookshop.org.  
     
  • Teaching Creative Writing: This two-semester track is focused on the  pedagogy and practice of teaching creative writing. With faculty guidance and support during the first semester, students develop a writing course or series of workshops. In the second semester, they will have the opportunity to teach the course or facilitate the workshops they have created, either online or on the ground. Recent onsite teaching locations near students’ homes have included schools, libraries, churches, and elder communities.
     
  • Narrative Medicine: The newest addition to our professional tracks, Narrative Medicine is a four-course sequence focused on the healing potential of expressive writing. The track offers interdisciplinary classes in medical and trauma narratives (memoir, essays, and poetry) illuminating and interrogating the interior lives of patients, clinicians and caregivers. Using the techniques of creative nonfiction, students share their own journeys and the journeys of others, applying a social justice lens to the stories of trauma, illness and healing. For the last two courses in the sequence, NarMed track and Teaching track students work together, under faculty guidance, to learn pedagogy and expressive writing techniques and to facilitate real-world writing and healing workshops for patients, clinicians, or caregivers. MFA students who choose this track earn a Certificate in Narrative Medicine along with their MFA.

We offer a bi-annual optional Summer Seminar in Ireland. It’s the perfect opportunity for you to focus on your work, distracted only by the beautiful Dingle Peninsula and the hospitality of the Irish people.  

What Happens After the MFA Degree Program? Our graduates have been published in literary and commercial magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. Some have published books that began in our program. Others are teaching creative writing, working in publishing, or in educational, institutional, and corporate communications. 

“Honestly, I just wanted a few workshops to get me writing again, not an entire degree, but these classes are so enriching, and the people are so fun, that I had to keep going. And now—I can’t believe it’s true—I’ve published my first book, entirely thanks to Bay Path's MFA.”

-Kim Livingston G’21, and author of Walks Like a Duck

"Bay Path’s top-notch program helped me to move into a new position writing news features full time for The Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton.”

-Andy Castillo G'19 

“I am so grateful for the flexibility of the program and the overwhelming support I received from the faculty. It allowed me to figure out motherhood and writing at the same time. Enrolling in the MFA program at Bay Path was one of the best decisions I have ever made for my education and for my growth as a human being in general.”

-Sierra Buck G’22

“My Bay Path MFA experience was supportive and well-rounded. I was able to explore different styles of writing and research, and able to engage in a meaningful internship that gave me real life experience working as a storyteller in the community. After graduation, I was hired as a daily news reporter for the Springfield Republican, thanks to the tremendous support from Bay Path’s Sullivan Career Center. I’m still connected to my thesis professors and peers, and I’m excited to write every day.”

-Aprell May Munford G’21

I feel extremely supported by Bay Path. While at Bay Path, I interned with the Springfield Library and Museum. I received help with redrafting my resume from the Sullivan Career Center; Crystal Senator-Brown really gave my resume the edge. Elizabeth Cardona and Janine Fondon referred me to many career postings. All of those people helped me get the job.”

"I live on a ranch in Nogales, Arizona, where I am involved with communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. My writing mission is to amplify the voices of the people who live on borders and whose lives are affected by politicians’ rhetoric. The fantastic education that Bay Path’s MFA provided me has made and will continue to make mine a better voice for my community."

-Tony Sedgwick G'20

“The Bay Path MFA program moved me from being someone with a story to tell to a real storyteller. For the rest of my life, I will be grateful for skills and connections I gained, which enabled me to craft and publish my first book and hopefully many more.”

-Anne Pinkerton G’16, and author of Were You Close

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MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing Online Degree program Frequently Asked Questions

When can I start the Master's in Creative Nonfiction Writing Online Degree program?

The MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing offers rolling admissions, with classes starting in September, January, and May.

Can I complete the MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing Online Degree program while working full-time?

The majority of our students are working full-time and many are also caring for families or elders. We work closely in one-on-one advising sessions to help students navigate their course selections and guide them to the right number of courses per semester, always mindful of their personal circumstances and responsibilities.

How many courses and credits are there?

The online MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing is a flexible 39 credit program, which you can complete on a full-time or part-time study basis.

Is the MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing program offered online?

Yes, the course schedule is 100% online and there is no residency requirement. Students learn in a small, intimate, highly dynamic, and interactive online community.

Who teaches the courses in the MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing Online Degree program?

Our extraordinary faculty are teaching practitioners, who are accomplished memoirists, journalists, food and travel writers, poets, novelists and editors, with a wealth of real-world expertise.

How much is tuition for the MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing Online Degree program?

The cost per credit is $785/credit.

Can I get help paying for my MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing Online program?

Yes, financial aid is available in the form of Stafford Loans, with no income requirements.

Do you accept transfer credits?

Yes, graduate credits can be transferred into the MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing Online program with the approval of the MFA leadership and the Bay Path Registrar’s office.

Do I have to take a standardized test for admission?

No. The GMAT and GRE are not required.

Will I have access to learning resources?

Yes. Students have access to mentoring, tutoring, library resources, academic resources, and career services.

Fill in the form today and one of our admissions counselors will be happy to answer any other questions you may have.

The Bay Path Advantage in Creative Nonfiction

Learn from award-winning practitioners in the field

Our award-winning MFA faculty are accomplished memoirists, journalists, food and travel writers, editors, and publishers with a wealth of real-world expertise.

A Unique Program

The Bay Path MFA is one of the first no-residency programs in the country and the only one to focus solely on the rich and varied genre of creative nonfiction.

Skills that prepare you professionally

Learn to write exceptionally well, how to navigate the publishing world successfully, and how to parlay your skills into professions that include journalism, copywriting, editing, public relations, communications, and teaching.

Student testimonials

"Bay Path’s top-notch program helped me to move into a new position writing news features full time for The Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton.”
- Andy Castillo G'19

"I live on a ranch in Nogales, Arizona, where I am involved with communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. My writing mission is to amplify the voices of the people who live on borders and whose lives are affected by politicians’ rhetoric. The fantastic education that Bay Path’s MFA is providing me has made and will continue to make mine a better voice for my community." 
-Tony Sedgwick G'20

Q&A with the Program Director, Leanna James Blackwell, MFA

What’s the value of degree in Creative Nonfiction Writing

Writing can be a lonely profession, so a supportive community is vitally important to keep you going. The community of a good MFA program says, Yes, you can do this, finish this, publish this! And, perhaps more importantly, Yes, you have something to say. Yes, your story matters.

From a career perspective, an ideal MFA program prepares students not only to write exceptionally well but also to teach the craft of writing, navigate the publishing world successfully, and parlay their skills into professions that include journalism, copywriting, editing, public relations, communications, and teaching.

Why do writers choose Bay Path for a MFA in Creative Nonfiction Writing?

For our faculty. They are not only acclaimed authors and editors but experienced educators who are passionate about teaching and mentoring and who give students an exceptional amount of attention at every stage of the writing process. They also represent the culturally diverse, pluralistic world we live in, which means that students from a multiplicity of backgrounds feel their experience is reflected and understood.

For the strong community among our students, fostered by the intimate online environment that faculty create, and by the core philosophy of the program: respect for each writer’s individual journey. Within the highly interactive online classroom, students learn to give respectful, supportive feedback in a confidential space. Although they live in locations across the country, students form deep connections and friendships that last beyond graduation.

For our curriculum’s professional tracks and electives. Our Publishing, Teaching and Narrative Medicine tracks give students practice and connections in those professions, such as online internships with literary magazines or book publishers, and teaching experience in a college classroom or community setting. And our electives allow students to learn about a wide array of creative nonfiction disciplines, including writing about travel and food, spirituality, women’s stories, nature and the environment, health and wellness, and culture and identity.

For our every-other summer trip to Dingle, Ireland, an optional week-long immersion in reading, writing, exploring, and culture with fellow writers and acclaimed guest authors. Students describe it as “magical” and some have called it one of the most meaningful experiences of their lives; many return multiple times.

About Bay Path University

Our Mission and Vision

Since Bay Path opened its doors to students in 1897, its goal has been to provide a practical, affordable, and career oriented education to meet the needs of companies, organizations, and communities, while preparing students to realize their dreams, and to make a lasting difference in the world.

Accreditation

Bay Path University is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education.

Flexible and Affordable

Bay Path was one of the first universities to pioneer online learning.  Our courses are a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous, letting you study when it works for you and allowing you to take care of your work, family and other commitments.

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