Creative Writing, M.F.A.

Degree Requirements

• Credit Hours: Students are required to complete a minimum of 45 credit hours in English at the 500 level or above.

• Grade Point Average: Students must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75. Students must also earn a minimum GPA of 2.75 and a minimum grade of B- in all courses applied to the degree.  

• Graduation Requirement: Students must complete a thesis.
  • Master's Thesis: A book-length manuscript (ideally 48 pages in poetry, 150 pages in fiction or nonfiction) suitable for publication on its own.

• Benchmarks: For details, please go to the English Degree Progress tab.

Curriculum Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Creative Writing Workshops *		15
ENGL 618	Graduate Writing Workshop: Poetry
ENGL 618A	Graduate Writing Workshop: Fiction
ENGL 618B	Graduate Writing Workshop: Non-Fiction
Pedagogy Requirement		3
ENGL 609	College Composition Pedagogy
ENGL 688	Creative Writing Mentoring
Non Creative Writing English Courses **		12
Any course at the 500 level or above
Thesis		9
ENGL 698	Thesis or Dissertation
Electives ***		6
Any course at the 500 level or above
Total Hours		45

*

Students must complete fifteen hours of creative writing workshops with three hours outside of the student’s primary genre.  

**

Non Creative Writing English Courses may include any course at the 500 level or above with MFA Coordinator approval except ENGL 611, ENGL 618, or ENGL 618A, or ENGL 618B, or ENGL 688, or ENGL 689, or ENGL 698, or ENGL 790.

***

Electives may include any course at the 500 level or above with MFA Coordinator approval, except ENGL 689, or ENGL 698, or ENGL 790.

Major Learning Outcomes

Creative Writing

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing emphasizes the following as goals and outcomes for students graduating from the program:

1. The mastery of a specific literary tradition relevant to the student's genre and craft;
2. The mastery of the revision process;
3. The clear articulation of aesthetic principles;
4. A solid familiarity with genres other than the student's principal genre;  
5. A firm understanding of the writing profession.