Students first complete the 3-semester MA in Creative Writing before continuing on (following a Letter of Interest and acceptance from the program director) to the MFA for two additional semesters.
MFA = 49 Credits (30 credits from the MA in Creative Writing + 19 additional credits)
Students continuing on to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing will revise their Master of Arts thesis based on the feedback of their outside reader (an agent, editor, director, or producer) to produce a publishable manuscript, or begin anew project in the same genre or a different genre from their MA thesis. Additionally, they will produce and present a literary analysis paper, complete a term-long internship in teaching or publishing, and submit a final portfolio that chronicles their work in the entire program, all of which demonstrate their understanding and utilization of their literary tradition and the best practices of teaching pedagogy or the publishing/writing industry.
First MFA Semester: CW 612 : Literary Analysis (6 credits)
MFA Residency: CW 616R (3 credits)
Second MFA Semester: CW 614 : Project Revision (3 credits) and CW 620 : Internship in Creative Writing (6 credits)
Final MFA Residency: CW 650R (1 credit)
CW 612 : Literary Analysis
Acknowledging and understanding the diverse forms, styles, and ongoing tradition of the student’s chosen literary genre.
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
- describe the breadth and depth of knowledge of the historical context and tradition of the range of forms, conventions, and styles within their selected major area.
- demonstrate an understanding of the literary tradition and where their own work lives within that literary spectrum.
- demonstrate mastery of literary analysis by writing a formal MFA level extensive craft paper (25+ pages).
- demonstrate a mastery of an oral presentation that is a cutting of the extensive formal essay (15 minutes).
CW 620 : Internship in Creative Writing
Students will either teach creative writing or intern at a publisher or writing organization.
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
- demonstrate an understanding of how best to teach or work in a variety of artists-in-residency or publishing venues.
- demonstrate competency in the best practices of teaching creative writing or in the business of supporting writers and their work in a publishing or writing organization.
- demonstrate mastery of genre-specific elements at all levels, both to teach and to model those elements.
CW 650 : The Professional Writer
An abbreviated (2-day) residency workshop on the Life of a Writer, post-MFA: querying and submitting to agents and editors; marketing your work; networking among readers and writers; literary citizenship; making money as a writer.
The Final MFA Portfolio
At the end of the student’s MFA experience they will submit a final portfolio, demonstrating their understanding of the best practices of effective teaching and sustaining creative work, including the ability to critique and facilitate the creative work of others honestly and vigorously while continuing to produce one’s own creative work.
Final M.F.A. portfolio will include:
- revised M.A. thesis (or a new project in the same or a different genre);
- 25-50 page craft chapter or essay
- copies of materials developed and written during the internship;
- final annotated bibliography of readings from the entire program;
- final summary of program work vis-à-vis a self-analysis paper.
At the completion of this program, students will be able to:
- understand the legal and ethical standards and the practical issues of the teaching or publishing profession, and demonstrate that knowledge in the residencies and portfolio work of the program;
- demonstrate competency in the best practices of creative writing pedagogy or the business practices of the publishing industry;
- demonstrate advanced writing competency in their own creative work;
- demonstrate an advanced knowledge of contemporary literature in their area of study in an oral and written presentation of their analysis of assigned texts.
MFA Residency #1
Students will begin the MFA coursework during the final MA residency, known as the Capstone residency (CW 525R), by attending additional modules taught by faculty with advanced degrees. Students will receive a formal reading list from their CW 612 faculty and develop their analysis plan in those meetings.
Project Term #1 -CW 612 . Literary Analysis
6 Credits
Reading, analyzing, and preparing an extensive (25-50 page)graduate paper that demonstrates the students’ understanding of the history, tradition, various forms, and diverse styles of contemporary literature in one area of study–fiction, creative nonfiction, film, drama, or poetry. Reading list will be provided by the faculty and students’ essays’ approach must be approved by faculty mentor and the Program Director. A formal presentation of this essay will take place at the subsequent residency, CW 616R .
CW 614 . Revision Term
3 credits
Students will either continue to work with a faculty mentor to revise their MA creative thesis and prepare it for publication/production OR begin a new project, either building upon the strengths of the Master of Arts thesis or in a new genre previously studied in the first (Foundations) MA semester.
Residency #2 – CW 616R . Writing in Education/Publishing
3 Credits/Residency Course
Students will be required to make a formal presentation of their CW 612 literary analysis essay. Students will complete work generated by team-taught modules to prepare them for an internship in teaching, publishing, or a writing organization. They will meet with peers and faculty to create and deliver mini-lesson plans for proposed courses or a study plan in publishing or some other writing organization. Such work must draw upon the best practices of the industry. By week’s end, students will have an internship plan and internship supervisor assigned to them.
Project Term #2 – CW 620 . Writing in Education/Publishing Internships
6 Credits
Students will either teach creative writing or intern with a writing organization, such as a magazine, small press, or literary agency. Students will document their work through student portfolios and will be supervised by a faculty mentor. In whatever experience students select, they must demonstrate student contact hours of no fewer than 40 hours per term for teaching and 20 hours per week for internships with writing organizations. Students will present a final analysis of their teaching or publishing experience at term’s end.
CW 630 . Continuous Registration
1-6 Credits
This optional course allows students to continually register when needed for further revision in preparation of their final project or to experience an independent study in a second genre.