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Overview
MFA students are required to take 48 credit hours of coursework as listed below. They must also complete a creative thesis of high literary merit, pass a written examination based on the thesis, and pass an oral examination in defense of the written examination and creative thesis.
MFA Core Workshops: 16 credits
WR Seminars in Strand: 8 credits
Electives: 16 credits
Thesis (WR 503): 8 credits
Note: Students admitted before Fall 2017 may use these requirements or those of their catalogue (entry) year. Please note that the new requirements (a) Have electives available across the English department, and up to 8 credits outside the department by advisor approval; (b) No longer require a Reading List; and (c) clarify the expectation of two WR seminars within your strand, or that are cross-strand and include your strand.
Core Workshops: 4 classes
WR 521, WR 522, and WR 523 are restricted to students admitted to the MFA in the strand. Students will take the Workshop in their strand no fewer than four times and no more than six times, to earn a minimum of 16 credits. First-year students are required to take core workshops in their first two terms.
WR Seminars in Strand: 2 classes
Seminars must focus on the student’s strand (i.e. fiction, nonfiction, or poetry) or be a cross-strand course that includes the student’s strand. Fiction seminars are all listed as WR 507: Fiction; poetry seminars are all listed as WR 507: Poetry; and nonfiction seminars include WR 528, WR 556, WR 557, WR 558, and WR 559. Other MFA seminars may be included by advisor approval.
Electives: 4 classes
Graduate ENG and/or WR courses chosen from within the department. Of these, students are encouraged to take at least one MFA seminar outside their genre. Up to 8 credits may be taken in LING 590, TA 574, or TA 575 or, with advisor approval, in graduate courses outside the department in an area related to the student’s thesis.
Thesis (WR 503): 8 credit hours to be arranged
MFA students must also complete a creative thesis of high literary merit, pass a written examination based on the thesis, and pass an oral examination based on the written examination and creative thesis. For a more detailed timeline, visit the MFA in Creative Writing Graduation Deadlines page.