UCR Palm Desert's Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts is designed for professionally oriented writers who are interested in a variety of literary forms. MFA students concentrate their work in one genre -- fiction, screenwriting, creative non-fiction, poetry, or playwriting -- but are required to take workshops in at least one other area.
This literary diversity reflects the approach of most working writers and poses an alternative to the narrow focus mandated by more traditional writing programs. Fiction writers find that their prose work benefits from working within the formal constraints of the screenplay or the poem, while screenwriters grow by exploring the stylistic and linguistic freedoms offered by other forms.
Located in the thriving Coachella Valley, just east of Palm Springs, the Palm Desert MFA program takes full advantage of the incredible resources nearby as well as its proximity to Los Angeles. In only its second year the Program boasts a faculty of renowned writers and hosts a diverse array of acclaimed novelists, playwrights, poets, screenwriters, editors, publishers, agents, actors, producers, and directors as regular visitors.
Seminar and workshop courses are offered in the late afternoon and evenings, so that working adults can tailor the program to fit their needs. The Program culminates in a thesis screenplay, novel, collection of short stories, essays, poems, or other manuscript agreed upon by the student and graduate advisor.