Creative Writing (MFA)

Summary

The MFA program in Creative Writing meets the needs of students who want to strike a balance between the development of individual creative talent and the close study of literature and language. Candidates in the program will find it appropriate training for careers in freelance writing, college-level teaching, editing and publishing, arts administration, and several other areas. The application deadline for graduate-assistantship consideration is February 1. Applicants must submit a writing portfolio (10 pages of poetry or 20 pages of prose) and a one to two-page personal statement directly to the Department of English, Creative Writing Program. To enter the program without deficiency, candidates must have the equivalent of at least a minor in English (18 semester credits in language, literature, linguistics). Students who enter with a small number of deficiencies may be allowed to make them up within their graduate program. Candidates whose native language is not English must have a TOEFL score of 550 or above. The GRE is not required for this program.

Catalog Year

2019-2020

Degree

Master of Fine Arts

Total Credits

48

Locations

Mankato

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Program Requirements

Common Core

Exploration of the business of creative writing and the tools for writing and research in the field.

Prerequisites: none

Restricted Electives

Writing Seminars/Workshops - Choose 12 Credit(s). Courses are repeatable with new content.

Advanced workshop in writing personal essays and literary journalism.

Prerequisites: none

An advanced course in writing short stories and novels.

Prerequisites: none

An advanced course in writing poems.

Prerequisites: none

Specialized workshops in topics such as computer-assisted writing, teaching the writing of poetry in the secondary school, or discipline specific writing.

Prerequisites: none

Workshop in writing personal essays and literary journalism.

Prerequisites: none

Workshop in fiction writing.

Prerequisites: none

Workshop in poetry writing.

Prerequisites: none

Topics relating to creative writing. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Form and Technique - Choose 9 Credit(s).

Study of the underpinnings of creative nonfiction.

Prerequisites: none

Study of the underpinnings of fiction.

Prerequisites: none

Study of the technical underpinnings of poetry.

Prerequisites: none

Contemporary Genres - Choose 6 Credit(s).

Study and analysis of selected works in fiction and nonfiction since 1945.

Prerequisites: none

Study and analysis of poetry since 1945.

Prerequisites: none

Career-related - Choose 6 Credit(s). (Other courses acceptable with consent of advisor)

Practice in writing various types of reports for a variety of purposes and audiences. Includes study of primary and secondary research methods.

Prerequisites: none

Editing the content, organization, format, style, and mechanics of documents; managing the production cycle of documents, and discovering and learning microcomputer and software applications for technical editing tasks.

Prerequisites: none

Creating both on-line and hard copy documentation for products, with emphasis on computer software and hardware documentation for users. Attention also to policies and procedures as written for a range of uses, e.g. employee handbooks, manufacturing processes, and usability testing.

Prerequisites: none

Introduction to the major theories of the nature of composition and their pedagogical application.

Prerequisites: none

Topics relating to creative writing. May be repeated with different subject matter.

Prerequisites: none

Theory and practice in the development and production of proposals, focusing on the researching, writing, and management of proposals by technical communicators.

Prerequisites: none

Literary and non-literary translation.

Prerequisites: none

On-site field experience, the nature of which is determined by the specific needs of the student's program option.

Prerequisites: none

Trends in film theory and criticism. Practice in critical analysis.

Prerequisites: none

Unrestricted Electives

Choose 0 - 8 Credit(s). In consultation with an advisor, select 0-8 credits of courses in categories (such as literature) not listed above.

Other Graduation Requirements

All courses must be in English with the exception of those specifically approved by the Graduate Committee in English; 75% of all coursework must be taken at the 600-level. Students also are required to present a reading/oral defense as part of their thesis project, a book-length collection of writing in the student's chosen genre.

Capstone Course

Choose 4 Credit(s).

Independent capstone experience, guidelines of which are determined by the requirements of a particular program option.

Prerequisites: none