Prose and Poetry, MFA Dual-Genre Specialization
Students enrolled in the dual-genre specialization will take workshops in two specific genres, for example, fiction and nonfiction, nonfiction and poetry, poetry and fiction, thus enabling their ongoing creative and technical development as writers in two distinct genres.
Curriculum
| Course | Title |
|---|---|
| Writing Workshops - (4 workshops per genre, a total of 8 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 (one unit) | |
| Graduate-level literature courses taken from LIT, ENGLISH, COMP_LIT, or other departments of literary study (3 units) | |
| Elective (1 unit) | |
| Special Topics in Creative Writing | |
| Independent Study (not to exceed one unit) | |
| Seminar on Journal Publishing | |
| Practicum in Teaching Creative Writing | |
| Practicum in Publishing | |
Students may take MCW 479-0 as an elective if not taken as one of the eight units of writing workshops. | |
Students may request permission to take an additional graduate-level literature course as their elective | |
| 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 (judged on the basis of art as well as craft). 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, with each poem on separate pages. The creative thesis is structured and revised under the supervision of a faculty member (or faculty mentor) and a second reader. The project may be one long piece or a series of shorter pieces. It may include or be an expansion of work written during the student's course of study as long as it represents a culminating effort to shape stories, prose pieces, a long piece, or a group of poems into a coherent, self-sufficient work. This large-scale project supplements the smaller-scale study of craft with the invaluable experience of creating a larger work. And for students who plan to pursue book-length publication after graduation, the master's creative thesis may be the first version of a work in progress. (Note: Students may not take writing workshops alongside thesis.)