Program Overview

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a Concentration in Non-Fiction

The Master of Fine Arts in creative writing is widely regarded as a terminal degree. It is designed to prepare students for careers as published writers in fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. A secondary goal is to emphasize not only preparation for college-level teaching, but also includes preparation of graduates for careers in literary editing and publishing, or as free-lance writers.

Admission

Applicants must have completed a bachelor's degree from an accredited institution with at least a 3.0 G.P.A. Candidates must also submit:

• Writing samples in their genre
• Three letters of recommendation
• Academic transcripts
• A personal statement

Curriculum Requirements

Students in the M.F.A. program must complete 54 total credit hours, consisting of:

• 39 hours of required courses
• 15 hours of approved electives Students must also maintain a 3.00 GPA overall, satisfy a mid-program review at the end of the third semester in the program, and complete all work within three years (full-time students) or six years (part-time students).

Course List

The following courses are required:

• ENGL 650: Creative Writing Workshop (at least 12 credit hours, most of these in the genre area of concentration)
• ENGL 660: Craft of Literary Forms
• Literature (select four of the following):
  • ENGL 507: Chaucer's Canterbury Tales
  • ENGL 516: English Renaissance Drama
  • ENGL 521: British Literature
  • ENGL 523: The Romantic Movement in Britain
  • ENGL 533: Victorian Literature
  • ENGL 538: The Twentieth-Century British Novel
  • ENGL 547: The American Novel to 1920
  • ENGL 548: The American Novel 1920 to Present
  • ENGL 559: New Literatures in English
  • ENGL 561: American Poetry of the Early Twentieth Century
  • ENGL 565: African-American Literature
  • ENGL 566: Asian American Literature
  • ENGL 592: Modern World Drama
  • ENGL 593: Contemporary World Literature
  • ENGL 595: Topics in English
  • ENGL 615: Shakespeare
  • ENGL 659: American Literature 1945-Present
  • ENGL 681: Contemporary Classics: The Thesis Reading List
  • ENGL 682: Literature for Writers
  • ENGL 695: Topics
  • ENGL 727: London Calling: 20th and 21st Century British Literature
  • ENGL 728: Eighteenth Century British Literature
  • ENGL 735: Postcolonial Literature and Theory
  • ENGL 741: Nineteenth Century British Literature
  • ENGL 751: American Literature to 1810
  • ENGL 756: Pocahontas Unplugged: Jamestown, Pocahontas and the Forging of American Identity
  • ENGL 757: American Literature
  • ENGL 758: American Literature
  • ENGL 791: Seminar in Literary Studies
• ENGL 694: Thesis Colloquium (3 credit hours)
• ENGL 698: Thesis Research (3-9 credit hours)
• ENGL 699: Thesis
• Electives (15 credit hours), which may include:
  • ENGL 664: Teaching College Composition
  • ENGL 683: Literary Editing and Publishing
  • Additional Creative Writing Workshops
  • American, British, or World Literature Courses
  • Courses in other fields (approved in advance by the Graduate Program Director)

Additional Requirements

All candidates for the M.F.A. in creative writing must complete a thesis manuscript of publishable quality in their chosen genre. Each student will select an advisor from the graduate faculty and work with that advisor and a committee of readers to prepare the manuscript. At the completion of the thesis, students will schedule an oral defense with the advisor and the committee, at which point the thesis will be adjudged as to its readiness for final acceptance.