An MFA is a higher credential than the MLitt, and is the internationally recognized standard for teachers of Creative Writing in secondary and tertiary higher education most consider the MFA the qualification required to teach creative writing in North America and Europe.St Andrews is one of the first universities in the UK to confer an MFA degree. Within the programme, students will be able to focus on producing a substantial piece of creative work under the supervision of a world-class writing faculty, and on preparing themselves as teachers of writing in a variety of instructional contexts. Since our MFA Year 1 students complete the same taught classes as our MLitt students, there is a far stronger emphasis placed on contact time than in other universities. Both Masters of Fine Arts degrees are two-year postgraduate degrees, and consist of two distinct phases of study. In addition, there are two career skills modules – in MFA Year 1, ‘Research Skills for Creative Writers’ in MFA Year 2, ‘Practical Pedagogy for Creative Writers’.