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University of Southern Maine · Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing

Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing

MFAMaster of Fine Arts in Creative WritingFunding not verifiedEditorial selection: Best Low-Residency MFA Creative Writing Programs

Overview

A two-year, 60-credit low-residency MFA in which students alternate six-month independent writing projects, done by online correspondence with a chosen faculty mentor, with 10-day in-person residencies in Maine twice a year. Concentrations are creative nonfiction, fiction, poetry, popular fiction and scriptwriting, with cross-genre study encouraged; the program ends with a creative thesis.

Official program name
Stonecoast MFA in Creative Writing
Awarded degree
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
School
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
Portland, MEWhere the program is administered. Most study happens remotely between residencies; residencies take place in The summer residency runs concurrently with the Stonecoast Writers' Conference, whose classes are held on USM's Portland campus..
Delivery / residency
Low-residencyShort, mandatory in-person residencies (often once or twice a year) combined with remote mentored study between them.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Study intensity
Not verified
Duration
2 years
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Required credits
60 required credit hours
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Teaching language
English (not separately stated)
Start
Summer residency / Fall term, Winter residency / Spring term
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Why this degree is listed

Awarded degree is a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing.

Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We list dedicated creative writing degrees only. Eligibility rules

Residencies and remote study

Short, mandatory in-person residencies (often once or twice a year) combined with remote mentored study between them.
Frequency
Two 10-day residencies a year on the coast of Maine.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Length of each residency
Six-month independent writing projects alternate with 10-day in-person residencies.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Location
The summer residency runs concurrently with the Stonecoast Writers' Conference, whose classes are held on USM's Portland campus.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Other
Residencies center on workshops, faculty seminars, student presentations and public readings.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Between residencies
Independent writing projects are completed through online correspondence.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Between residencies
Between residencies students work one-on-one with a faculty mentor they select.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Curriculum, genres and faculty

Genres

Creative NonfictionFictionPoetry

Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Concentrations and tracks

Thesis / dissertation

Literary journal opportunities

  • Students read for Stonecoast Review and move up the masthead.
    Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Internships

  • Opportunities include Stonecoast Review, internships, teaching experience and public readings.
    Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Community and outreach

  • Writing for Inclusivity and Social Equity (WISE) initiative.
    Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

  • Justin Tussing — Associate Professor of English, Director of Stonecoast MFA
  • Rick Bass — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Christa Carmen — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Colin Cheney — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Tom Coash — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Susan Conley — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Ron Currie, Jr. — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Penny Guisinger — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Aaron Hamburger — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Debra Marquart — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Cate Marvin — Stonecoast MFA Faculty
  • Elizabeth Searle — Stonecoast MFA Faculty

As listed on the program's official page on October 9, 2026. Listing does not mean a faculty member is teaching or supervising new students in a given year.

Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.
Personal statement
RequiredOne- to two-page essay on writing background, reasons for attending and goals
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Recommendation letters
Required1 letters — One letter required, two preferred
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
CV / résumé
RequiredResume or CV of professional, volunteer and community experience
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Application fee
Not requiredFree for in-state, out-of-state and Canadian applicants; international applicants pay US $50
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Transcripts
RequiredOfficial transcripts from all colleges attended (University of Maine System transcripts excepted); international transcripts need a NACES/AICE evaluation
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Critical / academic writing sample
Required500-750 word statement on at least three writers in the applicant's genre
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Writing portfolio

GenreLengthRequirement as published
Fictionup to 20 pagesShort story or novel excerpt, maximum 20 pagesSource: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Poetry—Maximum of ten poemsSource: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Creative Nonfictionup to 20 pagesMemoir excerpt, personal essay or literary journalism, maximum 20 pagesSource: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Fictionup to 20 pagesPopular Fiction: science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery or thriller, maximum 20 pagesSource: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Tests

TOEFL iBT
Not verifiedMay be required of applicants whose first language is not English (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE or Duolingo).
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate competitiveness: programs rarely publish comparable figures.

Deadlines

Dates are shown with the admissions cycle the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

  • Application deadline

    March 1 · for Summer residency / Fall term

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
    Year not printed

  • Application deadline

    September 1 · for Winter residency / Spring term

    The school does not print a year with this date.

    Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
    Year not printed

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its applicant category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-year and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other.
CategoryAmountBasis and year
All students — Summer semester (6 credits)Published for low-residency study$3,609.60per semester · 2026-2027Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
All students — Fall semester (9 credits)Published for low-residency study$5,414.40per semester · 2026-2027Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
All students — Spring semester (15 credits)Published for low-residency study$9,024per semester · 2026-2027Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Other published fees

Mandatory fees (Comprehensive & Technology), summer semester
$642 per semesterMandatory
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Mandatory fees (Comprehensive & Technology), fall semester
$963 per semesterMandatory
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026
Mandatory fees (Comprehensive & Technology), spring semester
$1,605 per semesterMandatory
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Funding

We have not verified an official funding policy for this program. That does not mean funding is unavailable. “Fully funded” never means every personal expense is covered. How we classify funding

Funding not verified

Other
Students are referred to the Office of Graduate Studies for scholarship and graduate assistantship opportunities.
Source: usm.maine.edu · verified October 9, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 9, 2026.
  1. usm.maine.edu/academics/academic_programs/creative-writing/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  2. usm.maine.edu/stonecoast-mfa-creative-writing/about-us/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  3. usm.maine.edu/stonecoast-mfa-creative-writing/contact-us/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  4. usm.maine.edu/stonecoast-mfa-creative-writing/people/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  5. usm.maine.edu/stonecoast-mfa-creative-writing/stonecoast-review/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  6. usm.maine.edu/stonecoast-mfa-creative-writing/stonecoast-writers-conference/ — Official program page, verified October 9, 2026
  7. usm.maine.edu/student-financial-services/graduate-tuition-fees/ — Official tuition and fees page, verified October 9, 2026

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Creative Writing Programs is independent and not affiliated with University of Southern Maine. Information is collected from official pages and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.