University of King's College offers Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction, a master's degree in Creative Writing programme in Halifax, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered in a hybrid format. Tuition for international students is CAD 41,370 per year (CAD 14,517 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Master's Degree
Field:Creative Writing
Duration: 2 years
Delivery: Hybrid
Local tuition: CAD 14,517 / year
International tuition: CAD 41,370 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction at the University of King's College is a two-year, low-residency program combining a nine-day, in-person summer residency in Halifax each June with a week-long winter residency held online each January, and independent study under mentor guidance between the two sessions. Coursework addresses the craft, research, and structure of nonfiction writing, together with instruction on the business side of publishing, including marketing, working with literary agents, and understanding industry trends. Over the course of the program, students develop two major pieces of work: a book proposal and a manuscript. The program is open to writers at different career stages, including mid-career writers, working journalists, and aspiring authors, who arrive with a viable book-length idea in forms such as narrative nonfiction, essay collections, biography, memoir, or nonfiction framed within a novel or short-story structure. Its low-residency, mentor-driven format makes it suited to writers who need to continue working or living outside Halifax while completing a graduate-level nonfiction writing degree, rather than relocating for a fully campus-based program.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:3.00 / 4.0
Admission Requirements: This programme follows King's general graduate admission requirements, with programme-specific detail on its own page. Applicants need a four-year undergraduate degree (or equivalent) and King's general minimum GPA of 3.0 (B average) over the last 60 credit hours; the MFA is offered jointly with Dalhousie University. Applicants whose first language is not English must meet King's graduate English proficiency requirement: IELTS Academic overall 7.0, TOEFL iBT overall 92, CAEL overall 70 with no band below 60, or PTE Atlantic overall 65 with nothing below 54. The programme itself asks for official transcripts and degree certificates within 90 days of the programme start, two reference letters (a mix of academic and professional depending on how long ago the degree was completed), a roughly 500-word personal statement, up to two project ideas (250-500 words each) for the proposed creative-nonfiction project, a portfolio of up to 25 double-spaced pages of prose only — poetry and screenwriting samples are not accepted — and a resume. AI tools may only be used to check spelling, grammar and punctuation.
Application Details
Start Date:June
Application Deadline:For the June 2027 low-residency entry, applications open 1 October 2026; the international final deadline is 31 December 2026 and the Canadian final deadline is 1 March 2027, assessed on a rolling, limited-enrolment basis; the residency runs 5-13 June 2027.
