Low Residency Master of Fine Arts in Narrative Media Writing
Low Residency Master of Fine
Arts in Narrative Media Writing
Earn your Master of Fine Arts in Narrative Media Writing and write a publishable nonfiction manuscript or a marketable screenplay in two years. There are two tracks offered in our low-residency MFA program: Narrative Nonfiction and Screenwriting.
Overview
Do you want to write a nonfiction book or a marketable screenplay and earn a Master of Fine Arts in just two years? We offer a low-residency program at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, home of the Peabody Awards and one of the top journalism schools in the country.
Our program is designed to help writers hone their skills and generate work that will be published and produced.
Our program is at once rigorous and supportive. We expose students to a roster of diverse and accomplished authors, screenwriters, literary agents and other industry professionals who work with our students in an inclusive and inspiring learning environment that nurtures each writer’s emerging craft and voice. We offer students an unparalleled opportunity to develop narrative journalism and screenwriting skills that will equip them for long and varied careers.
Students explore long-form storytelling through research-based narratives that rise to the level of literature.
Educates students in new creative opportunities in telling stories that matter for large and small screens.
MFA Narrative Nonfiction
Director Moni Basu
Moni Basu is the director of the low-residency Master in Fine Arts in Narrative Nonfiction program and the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence at Grady College. Basu has been a distinguished professor of practice at Grady College since 2015, serving as a visiting writer and mentor in the nonfiction MFA program launched by the late Valerie Boyd, who died in February 2022.
Previously, Basu was the Michael and Linda Connelly Lecturer in Narrative Nonfiction at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications. She was named UF’s Teacher of the Year in 2020.
Before teaching, Basu was an award-winning senior writer at CNN and a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She covered the Iraq War and wrote an e-book, “Chaplain Turner’s War.” Basu has also served as an editor-at-large for The Bitter Southerner and The Groundtruth Project.
MFA Narrative Screenwriting
Director Nate Kohn
Kohn directs the low-residency MFA Screenwriting program, in addition to serving as a professor in Entertainment and Media Studies and director of Ebertfest, the Roger Ebert Film Festival. Dr. Kohn teaches advanced screenwriting, producing for film/television, documentary film, and qualitative methods and directs the Cannes Film Festival and Cannes Lions Study Abroad programs.
Dr. Kohn is an award-winning producer of feature films and television programs. He produced “Zulu Dawn” starring Burt Lancaster and Peter O’Toole; the independent feature “Somebodies,” which premiered at Sundance (2006) and the feature length documentary “Bayou Maharajah” that premiered at the SXSW Festival (2013), among others. He also produced the Emmy Award-winning short documentary, “Ebertfest 2012;” and he was executive producer of several Peabody Awards specials for PivotTV/Participant Media (2014, 2015 and 2016). He has served on juries and mentored screenwriters at the Atlanta, Hawaii, Kerala and Bahamas International Film Festivals. He is a board member of the Arkansas Cinema Society, and is the author of of the book “Pursuing Hollywood: Seduction, Obsession, Dread” (AltaMira Press, 2006), and numerous scholarly articles.
Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction
OVERVIEW
The narrative nonfiction concentration places journalism at its core, unlike many other low-residency programs. It is designed for students who want to develop their research, reporting, and writing skills to take on topics of national and global importance, beyond the self-focused genres of memoir and personal essay. The narrative nonfiction concentration is for people who have had some writing experience, but who want to explore long-form storytelling research-based narratives that rise to the level of literature. . It’s ideal for mid-career journalists and other industry professionals who want to elevate their careers and write a book. This program paves the way for nonfiction writers to use their talents and skills to engage the world.
COST
Tuition rates and student fees can change each year. Based on 2022 credit hour cost, a person completing this program at the recommended pace would have paid $35,424 in tuition. Please use the estimated cost calculator on the bursar’s office website to calculate one academic (Fall/Spring) year’s current tuition.
This program is an E-Rate program, so choose “yes” for the E-Rate line item within the calculator.
Online students pay the following fees: Connect UGA, Green, and Technology. The total for those fees in the fall semester of 2022 was $147 for students enrolled in exclusively online courses.
Potential additional costs include textbooks, exam proctoring fees, and technology* upgrades.
* Students are required to own a computer with current operating system and access to high-speed internet service. Additional equipment like headphones and a voice recorder may be necessary.
FINANCIAL AID
Visit the Office of Student Financial Aid for information about financial assistance for the Online Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction Program. Consult your employer about the availability of tuition reimbursement or tuition assistance programs. Active duty military, veterans, and military families should visit Veterans Educational Benefits to take full advantage of available financial assistance and educational benefits.
ADMISSIONS
Online Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Nonfiction admission requirements:
Students applying to The University of Georgia must be accepted by the UGA Graduate School. Anyone holding a bachelor’s degree from any institution accredited by the proper regional accrediting association is eligible to apply for admission to the graduate school.
Applications are accepted starting in fall semester prior to anticipated fall semester matriculation. Apply by April 1 for best consideration.
CURRICULUM
Our two-year, online low-residency MFA program embraces the changing needs of students — particularly working professionals — by allowing them to complete their degrees without having to relocate or pause their lives. The low-residency format offers two things that every successful writer needs: a strong, supportive community as well as the freedom and solitude to write.
Students are required to register for five semesters over the course of two years. Each 15-week semester begins with a weeklong campus residency that features a demanding program of daily craft sessions and writing workshops. During this time in Athens, students immerse themselves in an intensive writing environment.
We bring in acclaimed authors and top-notch industry professionals to lead our sessions and workshops. Among past speakers in the nonfiction program have been Kiese Laymon, Beth Ann Fennelly, Natasha Trethewey, Tom French and Tommy Tomlinson (ABJ ‘94), just to name a few. The screenwriting program has featured David Kramer (ABJ ‘90, UTA president), Gregory Nava (“Selena,”), Joey Lauren Adams (“Come Early Morning”), James Ponsoldt “(The Spectacular Now”) and Craig Zobel (“Mare of Eastown”).
After students successfully complete coursework, they are expected to submit a book manuscript or portfolio of work for the Narrative Nonfiction track, or a finished screenplay or teleplay for the screenwriting track.
CONTACT
Questions about the MFA Narrative Nonfiction Program?
Moni Basu
Charlayne Hunter Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence; Director of the MFA Narrative Nonfiction Program
THE RESIDENCY
The residency portions of the MFA Narrative Nonfiction program run for eight days, with students immersing themselves in an intensive writing environment for a full, enriching week. The residency provides students with the opportunity to build a sense of community with their peers and to engage in a serious, focused study with their faculty mentors. Each residency includes daily seminars and craft lectures, as well as panel discussions and readings by faculty members, visiting writers, editors, agents, and other publishing and entertainment-industry professionals.
Mentors
Rosalind Bentley
John T. Edge
Latria Graham
Melissa Fay Greene
Patricia Thomas
Jan Winburn
Low-Residency MFA in Screenwriting
The MFA Screenwriting concentration is designed for feature film and television writers who want to take their writing skills to the next level and who understand the advantages that the MFA degree affords. The screenwriting degree program is aimed at both experienced writers and passionate first-time screenwriters who want to explore new creative opportunities in telling stories that matter for large and small screens. The screenwriting degree program allows students to work one-on-one with experienced mentors who are currently vital members of the entertainment community and who understand the challenges and opportunities found in new technologies. Most of all, the program is for writers who value the power, purpose, and meaning of stories well told.
COST
Tuition rates and student fees can change each year. Based on 2022 credit hour cost, a person completing this program at the recommended pace would have paid $35,424 in tuition. Please use the estimated cost calculator on the bursar’s office website to calculate one academic (Fall/Spring) year’s current tuition.
This program is an E-Rate program, so choose “yes” for the E-Rate line item within the calculator.
Online students pay the following fees: Connect UGA, Green, and Technology. The total for those fees in the fall semester of 2022 was $147 for students enrolled in exclusively online courses.
Potential additional costs include textbooks, exam proctoring fees, and technology* upgrades. * Students are required to own a computer with current operating system and access to high-speed internet service. Additional equipment like headphones and a voice recorder may be necessary.
FINANCIAL AID
Visit the Office of Student Financial Aid for information about financial assistance for the Online Low-Residency MFA in Narrative Media Writing Program. Consult your employer about the availability of tuition reimbursement or tuition assistance programs. Active duty military, veterans, and military families should visit Veterans Educational Benefits to take full advantage of available financial assistance and educational benefits.
ADMISSIONS
Online Low-Residency MFA in Media Writing admission requirements:
Students applying to The University of Georgia must be accepted by the UGA Graduate School. Anyone holding a bachelor’s degree from any institution accredited by the proper regional accrediting association is eligible to apply for admission to the graduate school.
Applications are accepted starting in fall semester prior to anticipated fall semester matriculation. Apply by April 1 for best consideration.
CURRICULUM
Our two-year, online low-residency MFA program embraces the changing needs of students — particularly working professionals — by allowing them to complete their degrees without having to relocate or pause their lives. The low-residency format offers two things that every successful writer needs: a strong, supportive community as well as the freedom and solitude to write.
Students are required to register for five semesters over the course of two years. Each 15-week semester begins with a weeklong campus residency that features a demanding program of daily craft sessions and writing workshops. During this time in Athens, students immerse themselves in an intensive writing environment.
We bring in acclaimed authors and top-notch industry professionals to lead our sessions and workshops. The screenwriting program has featured David Kramer (ABJ ‘90, UTA president), Gregory Nava (“Selena,”), Joey Lauren Adams (“Come Early Morning”), James Ponsoldt “(The Spectacular Now”) and Craig Zobel (“Mare of Eastown”), among others.
After students successfully complete their screenwriting coursework, they are expected to submit or a finished screenplay or teleplay for the screenwriting track.
Contact
Questions about the MFA Narrative Screenwriting Program?
THE RESIDENCY
The residency portions of the MFA Screenwriting program run for eight days, with students immersing themselves in an intensive writing environment for a full, enriching week. The residency provides students with the opportunity to build a sense of community with their peers and to engage in a serious, focused study with their faculty mentors. Each residency includes daily seminars and craft lectures, as well as script readings and discussions, visiting scriptwriters, directors, and other publishing and entertainment-industry professionals.
mentors
Connie Burge
She has sold feature film scripts to Universal, Disney, Twentieth Century Fox and Sony Studios before moving into the field of television. She created “Savannah,” the first one-hour drama for the WB Network (now The CW), followed by the long-running series “Charmed,” and the re-boot of the original “Charmed.”
She was a writer and co-executive producer of the television series: “Instinct,” based on the novel “Killer Games” by the award-winning novelist James Patterson, and was a writer and executive producer of “Royal Pains” for the USA Network. Other television shows she has written and produced include: “The Fosters,” “Starter Wife,” and “Ally McBeal,” among others.
John Strauss
On the television side, John has been an executive producer/show runner on more than ten different television series, including “Mozart in the Jungle.” He is currently serving as executive producer for Peabody Award Winning best drama series, “David Makes Man.”
He is currently writing pilots for Warner Brothers Television and Netflix, and recently finished adapting an online game, “League of Legends,” into a computer animated television series, “Arcane”. Strauss is also adapting “There’s Something About Mary” as a Broadway musical.
Tamlin Hall
He has more than 15 years of experience in the arts as an actor, writer, director and producer. His feature film directorial debut, “Holden On,” garnered acclaim for its authentic depiction of mental illness and addiction. The film won awards across the country and was nominated by the Georgia Film Critics Association for the Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema.
Hall founded the social impact 501©3 nonprofit arts organization IAMHOLDENON. Based in Atlanta, Hall’s nonprofit currently produces the uplifting documentary series, “Hope Givers” (Georgia Public Broadcasting/PBS Learning Media). He was recently selected as a coveted Mandela Washington Fellowship Reciprocal Exchange Awardee through a documentary film he is attached to direct in Kenya.
Ramin Serry
Nathaniel H. Kohn
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Hear tell Podcast
Listen to the narrative nonfiction podcast Hear-Tell which features writing from current low-residency MFA students, alumni, faculty and visiting lecturers.
