Regis University’s Mile-High MFA in Creative Writing is a low-residency program that lets you stay at your job and close to your family while pushing you to make time for writing. You’ll leave the program with a polished thesis manuscript, along with an action plan for putting your writing into practice in the world.
The Mile-High MFA provides students one-on-one instruction in poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction. Along with theory, workshops, seminars and readings by accomplished authors, the MFA program’s unique focus combines a thorough instruction in the craft and business of writing with the practical application of writing as a career.
Jesuit Vision The Mile-High MFA celebrates the ways in which storytelling impacts our social and cultural lives, promotes social justice, and enacts change in the world. Our program is a place for writers from various backgrounds, genres, specializations, and aesthetics to come together and learn from one another in an open and supportive environment. We value writers who are socially engaged, who critically examine the assumptions and social privileges of discourse, and who seek to further a literature and community that respects and values diverse perspectives and authorships. Our program emphasizes anti-racist, liberatory, and humanist pedagogies, stemming from the Jesuit values central to our university.
The Mile-High MFA requires the successful completion of four 16-week writing semesters and five ten-day residencies. Students will begin with an Orientation at their first residency and end with an MFA Degree Ceremony in their final residency. Following each residency (except the last) will be a semester-long study in which students will work one-on-one with a faculty mentor. By their final residency, students will have written and revised 240-400 pages of prose (fiction, nonfiction) or 160-240 pages of poetry, hybrid or flash fiction, along with at least 16 book annotations, a thesis proposal, a book-length thesis, a critical preface to their thesis, a Writing in the World Action Plan and an MFA Portfolio.
Writing in the World
During the residencies, you will attend seminars on the real-life applications of writing. By your final residency, you’ll submit a Writing in the World Action Plan in which you describe how you will use your writing talents to contribute to your community, either in a professional capacity or through community outreach. Examples include running a writing workshop at a local prison or library, writing for a nonprofit, organizing a reading series or running an after-school “Teen Writers” workshop.
Career Preparedness
In addition to study in the major genres of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, our program offers a Graduate Workshop exploring the publishing world (market trends, working with agents, first book deals, query letters, and more).
Program Specializations
Dual-Genre
This specialization will require 12 additional semester hours, for a total of 67 credits. Dual-genre students will take three residency workshops and three semesters in their main genre (i.e. the genre in which they will write their MFA thesis) and two residency workshops and two semesters in their secondary genre.
Creative Writing Pedagogy
This specialization will require 12 additional semester hours, for a total of 67 credits. Creative Writing Pedagogy students will take four 3-credit ($555 per credit) 8-week online courses (Writing as Social Action; Creative Writing in the Literature Classroom; Literary Criticism and Theory; and Writing and Rhetoric of Nonfiction) via Regis University’s MA in Literature and Creative Writing.
BA/MFA Dual-Study Degree
The BA/MFA dual-study degree allows undergrads to earn a semester’s worth of credit towards their master’s degree while completing undergraduate credits, so students can earn a master’s degree in one year.
Three undergraduate creative writing courses with grades of B+ or better.
Undergraduate Major or Minor in English or Writing, with 3.0 GPA or better in EN courses.
Program Features
12 undergraduate credits are applied to the MFA degree (6 for the first semester, 3 for the intervening 9-day residency, and 3 for the second semester) during the student’s senior year.
Student completes the MFA degree in three semesters instead of four and attends four residencies instead of five.
BA/MFA Application: At the end of the student’s junior year, the student will submit
A five-page writing sample in the genre they will want to study in graduate school
A one-page letter of interest; and
A letter of recommendation from a Regis College English writing instructor
Residency Overview
Twice a year, in January and July, students will attend ten-day residencies, from Friday evening to the following Sunday afternoon, with an “Intermezzo” on Wednesdays. Residencies are inspiring, invigorating gatherings of like-minded writers that provide students with the opportunity to learn their craft, workshop their writing, attend readings by award-winning writers and immerse themselves in the writing life.
The Mile-High residencies offer concentrated periods of time when students can hone their writing in small peer workshops orchestrated and facilitated by our faculty. The workshops will take place every morning and include some writing lessons/prompts by the faculty member, critiques of student work by faculty and peers, and group discussions of a variety of writing issues. Students will attend a minimum of six of the seven workshop classes to receive credit for their residency.
Afternoon Craft Seminars/Panels/Readings
In the afternoons, students will attend seminars on the theory and craft of writing, as well as panels on interpretations of canonical and contemporary works, on examples of “Writing in the World” projects (ways in which one may make use of their writing talents for the public good), on the teaching of writing, and on the business of writing and publishing, and readings by current students, alum, faculty, or visiting writers. Students will attend a minimum of ten craft seminars, panels, and/or readings to receive credit for the workshop portion of their residency.
Intermezzo
A unique feature of the Mile-High MFA, our Wednesday “Intermezzo” is an opportunity for students to pull back from their busy activities and enjoy what our campus, the Mile-High City, and the Rocky Mountains have to offer, or to enjoy some quiet writing time. Revitalized by their Intermezzo experience, and with a strengthened sense of community among students across genres, students will dive into the second half of their residencies with renewed fervor and focus.
Thesis Defenses
Every residency will feature public thesis defenses, when our graduating students will formally defend their theses.
MFA Degree Ceremony
At the end of each residency we will celebrate our graduating students in an MFA Degree Ceremony. All students, as well as family and friends of the graduates, are invited to attend. The ceremony includes a formal welcome from our Assistant Director; an excerpted reading of the best Critical Preface of the graduating class; excerpts from the graduates’ theses; and descriptions of the graduates’ Writing in the World Plans.
The first step in the application process is to contact an admissions counselor, who can evaluate your prior learning credit, provide information regarding financial aid and tuition assistance and help you through the entire application process. A faculty phone or virtual interview may be required after review of your admissions application.
Tuition and Fees
Tuition for the 2024-2025 academic year: $721 per credit hour Total program credits: 78 Tuition is one part of the overall cost of attendance, which includes all expenses students may have, including basic living costs. For more information about tuition, fees and your estimated cost of attendance, visit our Cost of Attendance for Adult Undergraduates and Graduate Students page. Tuition and fees are subject to change.
A $350 nonrefundable enrollment deposit is required to secure your place in the program, and will be applied toward your tuition.
Curious about financial aid options? Regis offers a variety of scholarships, grants, and other programs to help you pay for school. Visit Financial Aid to learn more.
Correspondence semesters with two 10-day in-person residencies
Non-terminal degree
Terminal degree
Emphasis on the study of literature, research skills, and social action and community engagement.
Emphasis on book manuscript creation and publication
Small class sizes, maximum 12:1 student-faculty ratio, but often much smaller
One-on-one instruction, 5:1 student-faculty ratio
Critical writing, Fiction, Creative Nonfiction, Poetry, and Screenwriting
Genre focuses in Fiction (Literary, YA, Speculative); Creative Nonfiction (Memoir; Historical Essays; Personal Essays); and Poetry with Critical writing components (book annotations; thesis proposal; critical preface; thesis defense)
Award-winning faculty; interdisciplinary faculty
Nationally renowned, award-winning faculty; only Low-Residency MFA program in Denver; only Jesuit MFA in Creative Writing program
Students take 24 credits in their specialization and 12 credits in the MA core, including the final Capstone course, resulting in a critical introduction and 40–75-page creative manuscript or a 75–100-page critical thesis, or the Experiential Capstone, involving internships, applied projects, literary projects or service projects.
By their final residency, students will have written and revised 240-400 pages of prose (fiction, nonfiction) or 160-240 pages of poetry, hybrid or flash fiction, along with at least 16 book annotations, a thesis proposal, a book-length thesis, a critical preface to their thesis, a Writing in the World Action Plan and an MFA Portfolio.
Emphasis on social justice in both the curriculum and possibilities for service in the Experiential Capstone
Social justice oriented with an emphasis on Community-Engaged Pedagogy
Professional Development course in penultimate term, preparing students for publishing, conferences, and writing
Writing in the World Action Plan, seminars on business of writing and professional development and networking opportunities
Educator Enhancement Certificate: English
Pedagogy Certificate; Dual-Genre Specializations; Internships in Editing, Teaching, or Publishing
Alumni working as writers, teachers or educators, Public Relations and media personnel, government and nonprofit workers, consultants and advocates
Alumni working as writers, teachers or educators, editors, publishers, literary agents, Public Relations and media personnel, government and nonprofit workers, consultants and advocates, psychologists, lawyers, and community organizers.
Recent Alumni accomplishments: tech-writer for Google; professional podcast writer for History of Colorado; affiliate faculty at a variety of colleges; K-12 teaching advancement; positions at editing/publishing/marketing firms; contracts with literary agents; instruction of community-engaged writing workshops; organization of literary conferences; creation of literary reading series; creation of literary journals; creation of creative writing community organizations.
publications
The purpose of your MFA in Creative Writing cover letter is to 1. introduce yourself to the program directors as a creative writer and scholar. 2.Tell us a bit about your creative writing background, 3. your previous experience working within a writing community (academic or otherwise), 4. your writing influences, 5. your writing goals, and 6. why you believe our low-residency program model will be a good fit for you. Directors are looking for the following in your overall application materials: 1. Preparedness for a graduate degree program: 2. Awareness of genre conventions (in creative writing sample) 3. Awareness of aesthetic tradition (writers your work is inspired by).
Submit a short story, chapter excerpt, personal essay, memoir excerpt, or series of poems (each poem on its own page) representative of the genre you are applying in. Genres are: Fiction (literary, speculative, young-adult), Creative Nonfiction, and Poetry.
