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Committing to a creative writing program is a big decision. An MFA can be expensive and requires a lot of time and effort. As a full-time English professor who already has a BA in English and an MA in Literature, I am in a unique position to review the MFA in Creative Writing at Southern New Hampshire University. I first began the program in July of 2021, and since I am a full-time instructor at Miami Dade College, I have been attending part-time, taking one course every ten-week term. In this article, I will give an overview of the program. In future articles, I will discuss each of the classes.

The MFA in Creative Writing at SNHU is a completely online program. This was important for me because I am a single mom with a full-time (and part-time) job. I did not have the time or finances to participate in an on-campus residency. Some people question the effectiveness of online learning, and admittedly, it is not for everyone. However, I have always appreciated the flexibility of online courses. I have always been self-directed and able to learn independently from reading, videos, and instructor feedback. Since I hold a Quality Matters Teaching Online Certification, including a certificate in Evaluation of Online Course Design, I will not only discuss the content of the program, but also the way it is presented in an online format.

At the time of writing this article, I have completed seven single-course terms. Each term in the SNHU MFA is 10 weeks long. I feel that the amount of work required in each course has been doable, even on my hectic schedule. I have been able to maintain a 3.89, and I have to admit, most of the point deductions were simply the result of forgetting an assignment or not paying close attention to the requirements in the grading rubrics.

The online courses are delivered using the Brightspace learning management system, which has been user-friendly from the student perspective. The

Courses are open for preview a week before the start date and closed courses can still be viewed for almost an entire semester after the end date. The home page for each course features announcements, instructor contact information, and thumbnails for each of the weekly modules, making it easy to navigate and communicate with the professor. Each of the weekly modules follows the same structure with a module introduction, module overview, reading and resources, and then the various activities due for that week. Courses are available for preview one week before classes begin, and students are able to view closed course for almost an entire semester after the course is over.

The program does a good job of maintaining engagement. For most weeks, students must post their initial weekly discussion on Thursday, and then respond to two of their peers by Sunday. (This initial post is extremely important in the first week because students who do not post by the deadline are dropped as “no shows,” students who register for but do not attend a class.) In the Creative Writing Program, students will also participate in numerous peer review sessions using the Annotate software linked within the modules. Instructors also demonstrate their engagement by releasing weekly announcements related to the module topic. In the classes I have had so far, grading has been completed, with personalized feedback in about a week. I have also found my instructors to be responsive to email, usually responding within about 24 hours when classes are in session.

The learning modules do an excellent job of scaffolding the learning experience. In this process, students start with small assignments that prepare students for larger and/or more complex future assignments, giving them an opportunity for feedback along the way. Usually, the final project in the course is a composition that includes elements that have already been submitted or workshopped earlier in the course. I have found that I simply needed to revise some of the elements of previous assignments and put them together as one cohesive paper.

Overall, my experience with my professors has been a positive one. Naturally, some are more personable than others, but all have been helpful. I will not be providing reviews of individual professors because interactions between professors and students depends on a number of factors, including a student’s own behavior. Each student is assigned an advisor, who checks on students regularly and would be the point of contact if a student is having an issue with an instructor.

Because I am only taking one course at a time, I am only a third way through the program. I will provide updates during my thesis process and after the program is over. However, from what I have experienced so far, I have found the program to be both convenient and well developed. I feel I am not only learning how to improve my craft, but also how to manage my business and my brand.