Program Overview

Prose and Poetry, MFA Publishing and Professional Development Specialization

The Prose and Poetry, MFA Publishing and Professional Development Specialization is designed to immerse students in the contemporary literary publishing industry. Courses are taught by faculty with hands-on experience in the book industry.

Curriculum

The curriculum includes:

• Writing Workshops in genre (5 units)
  • Poetry Workshop
  • Fiction Workshop
  • Creative Non-Fiction Workshop
  • Poetry for Prose Writers
  • Prose for Poets
• Teaching Writing (1 unit)
  • Seminar on Teaching Creative Writing
• Publishing and Professional Development courses (4 units)
  • Seminar on Journal Publishing
  • Seminar in Publishing: The Industry
  • Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing
  • Practicum in Publishing
• Graduate-level literature courses (2 units)
• Elective (1 unit)
  • Special Topics in Creative Writing
  • Independent Study
• Capstone Writing (2 units)
  • Capstone Preparation and Writing
  • Capstone Writing & Revision

About the Thesis

The final project of the MFA program is a creative thesis, an original work of high literary merit. Prose work should be at least 140 double-spaced pages and no more than 170 pages. Poetic work should be between 35-50 single-spaced pages. The creative thesis is structured and revised under the supervision of a faculty member and a second reader. The project may be one long piece or a series of shorter pieces, and it may include or be an expansion of work written during the student's course of study. The creative thesis is a culminating effort to shape stories, prose pieces, a long piece, or a group of poems into a coherent, self-sufficient work. It may be the first version of a work in progress for students who plan to pursue book-length publication after graduation. Students may not take writing workshops alongside thesis.