The low-residency BFA in Creative Writing Program is a 120-credit program open to transfer students who have already completed approximately 60 liberal arts credits. Students may be eligible to bring a combination of transfer credits and/or credits awarded for prior learning and experience into the program. This is determined through Goddard’s Assessment of Prior Learning process. Students just beginning their undergraduate studies can begin in Goddard’s BA in Individualized Studies Program before transferring to the BFA in Creative Writing Program.
Goddard College’s low-residency BFA in Creative Writing Program is designed specifically for students who are passionate about writing and committed to living a writing life. The program focuses on fine arts literary endeavors, and is the first low-residency BFA program in the country, and allows students to develop their writing in an environment of independent, student-centered learning. The program combines in-depth craft development with literary and critical studies in the context of a progressive liberal arts education. Students begin each semester with an eight-day residency on the Goddard College campus in
Central Vermont and then carry out the work of the program in their own community, working with the support of a faculty advisor.
During the on-campus residency, students develop their learning goals and plan the work of the semester one-on-one with their faculty advisor and through small advising group meetings. Each residency offers workshops on writing genres, and seminars on craft, reading strategies and literary studies, as well as workshops and discussions with visiting writers. Students also share their creative work with fellow students and faculty through residency readings. The BFA in Creative Writing Program shares its residency with the BA in Individualized Studies Program, fostering conversation across disciplines and encouraging a continued understanding of the connections between artistic and scholarly practices.
Goddard’s low-residency format facilitates flexibility and mobility throughout the semester. During the semester, students complete five packets of written work while maintaining close communication with faculty advisors. Students engage in an ongoing dialogue with their advisor, who offers feedback, constructive criticism, advice, and general support. In addition, students participate in faculty-facilitated online Group Studies; these include writing workshops, editing Guideword, the program’s literary journal, and engaging in lo-fi publishing projects in which students take the means of production and distribution into their own hands. Over the course of the program, students produce a significant creative manuscript in their chosen genre, as well as a substantive critical context paper. Graduates of the program who are interested in continuing their studies at the master’s level receive special consideration for admission into Goddard’s low residency MFA in Creative Writing program.
The low-residency BFA in Creative Writing faculty members are published writers committed to excellence in their craft, the development of individual voice and unique style, and engagement with an active writing life that involves literary community building and ongoing scholarly exploration. Students work closely with faculty advisors during each residency to plan the work of the semester. They continue this supportive and sustaining mentorship throughout the semester, benefiting from the experience, insights, and critical feedback of their advisor.
