Program Overview

Introduction to the MFA in Creative Writing

The MFA in Creative Writing at Southern Connecticut State University is a full-residency, terminal-degree program that prepares students for careers as publishing writers, teachers, editors, and professionals in the publishing world. The program focuses heavily on the writing workshop and the creative thesis, while also providing opportunities for students to study literature at the graduate level and train for teaching collegiate-level writing.

Program Overview

The MFA in Creative Writing is a 48-credit, terminal degree that can be completed in two years of full-time study or several years of part-time study. The program culminates in the completion of a thesis, a book-length manuscript of original fiction, memoir, and/or poetry.

Curriculum

The MFA curriculum requires:

• Four workshop classes in major genre (fiction or poetry writing) (12 credits)
• One workshop class in minor genre (fiction or poetry writing) (3 credits)
• Thesis: Book-length manuscript of original fiction, memoir, and/or poetry (6 credits)
• Five classes in literature or literary theory (15 credits)
• Twelve elective credits (minimum of six in English) (12 credits)

Workshops

The program offers the following workshops:

• ENG 502: Prose Fiction Writing I - The craft and art of creating plot, character, scene, conflict, and style.
• ENG 503: Prose Fiction Writing II - Further practice in the craft and art of creating plot, character, scene, conflict, and style.
• ENG 506: The Writing of Poetry I - The craft and art of writing poetry.
• ENG 507: The Writing of Poetry II - Further practice in the craft and art of writing poetry.

Thesis

The thesis is a book-length manuscript of original, imaginative work under the advisement of a member of the creative-writing faculty and the consultation of a second reader. The manuscript may consist of a novel, a novel excerpt, a memoir, a collection of stories or poems, or a combination of the above as agreed upon by the advisor and the second reader.

Faculty

The program has a distinguished faculty, including:

• Rachel Furey: Fiction Writing
• Jeffrey Mock: Poetry Writing
• Tim Parrish: Fiction Writing
• Vivian Shipley: Poetry Writing

Funding and Admission

Admission to the MFA in Creative Writing is separate from the general English Master's admissions process. Each year, the program selects a maximum of six graduate students in fiction/memoir writing and six students in poetry writing. The program offers a limited number of Graduate Assistantships that waive all fees and provide $9,600 for the year. Other means of financial support include administrative graduate assistantships, competitive graduate assistantships, fellowships, and adjunct teaching positions.

Literary Review and Visiting Writers Series

The program is home to the national student-run graduate literary magazine Noctua Review and the Visiting Writers and Editors Series, which brings nationally-renowned writers to campus to read from their work.

Student and Alumni Publications

Students and alumni of the MFA program are prolific and actively publishing authors, with publications including:

• Nancy Antle, Ordinary Albert
• Christine Beck, Blinding Light
• Chris Grillo, Heroes' Tunnel
• Meg Cowen, Elastic Shriek Machine
• Lori DeSanti, Saltwater Under Brittle Sky
• Ryan Leigh Dostie, Formation: A Woman's Memoir of Stepping Out of Line
• Lynn Houston, Mauled Keeper
• Lisa Mangini, Perfect Objects in Motion
• Joy Mlozanowski, Night Flying
• Patricia Mottola, Under the Red Press
• Nancy Manning, Undertow of Silence
• Martina Powell, chronicle the body
• Ira Rosofsky, Beautiful Nerve
• Shelley Stoehr, Saving Bone
• David Walker, Blue Tooth
• Brendan Walsh, Buddha vs. Bonobo