Creative Writing Post-MFA Certificate

A group of MFA students sitting in a classroom participating in a residency writing workshop.

The Next Chapter in Your Writing Career Starts Here

Salve Regina University’s post-MFA certificate in creative writing offers advanced, project-centered study for writers seeking sustained mentorship beyond the master’s level. 

Following Salve’s low-residency model, the certificate provides two residencies and two individualized mentorships. You may finish an existing manuscript, begin a new project, or develop expertise in an additional genre, all while engaging in a committed cohort and high-level editorial dialogue. 

This certificate supports career pathways in teaching, editorial work, arts programming, and literary professions, and serves writers ready to enter the most sustained phase of their creative lives with rigor, clarity, and an expanded sense of what their work can hold.

Program Features

24 Credits

Four courses, two residencies and two mentorships. Average time to complete is one year.

Professor at the front of the class engaging with students during an MFA writing workshop.

Two individualised mentorships focused on long-form structure, whole-manuscript revision, hybrid and cross-genre exploration, and the disciplined practices needed to complete significant creative work.

Drone shot of campus looking over McCauley hall with Ochre Court at west and water view beyond

Residencies take place on our coastal campus in scenic Newport, Rhode Island, offering an immersive experience designed for focused writing, meaningful community building and professional development.

$790 per credit

*Based on tuition rates for the 2026-2027 academic year

Tuition and Fees

Keep Growing Your Voice

"Writers never outgrow the need for close editing and sustained mentorship, and this program is where that work deepens." - Jen McClanaghan, professor and writer in residence

Jen McClanaghan

A Day in the Life of a Newport MFA Student

Spend a day at the winter residency with student Eva Harari '27 and see how community and craft come together during an immersive week in Newport.

MFA student Eva Harari Click to play the video

Certificate Options

Creative Writing Post-MFA Certificate

This low-residency program combines short in-person residencies with individualized one-on-one mentorship, and is designed to maximize convenience for busy working professionals while maintaining the rigor necessary to prepare graduates effectively. Individuals interested in this program must have an MFA degree.

Course Requirements: 
ENG 604: Post-MFA Residency I 
ENG 614: Post-MFA Mentorship I 
ENG 605: Post-MFA Residency II
ENG 615: Post-MFA Mentorship II

Meet Our Experts

Our faculty are not only accomplished writers - they're dedicated mentors invested in your creative growth. You will be matched with best-selling and award-winning faculty authors who write in a similar style or genre. These mentorships ensure that all students graduate from Salve with a well-crafted body of work in fiction, nonfiction or poetry.

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