Program Requirements
General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate: 33
Required Courses:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 4 workshops | 12 | |
| 3 craft, manuscript tutorial, or special topics courses | 9 | |
| 2 literature, writing, arts, humanities, or social science courses | 6 | |
| 1 elective 1 | 3 | |
| ENG 9995 | Master's Project | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 33 | |
- 1
Those who hold a Teaching Assistantship must take a Practicum in Composition Theory as their elective.
Culminating Events:
Comprehensive Examination:
The comprehensive examination is intended to give students an opportunity to write about the historical and formal context of the literary genre in which they practice. For the exam, they write a 10 to 15 page essay.
The exam is due between the third and fourth terms of the program on the Friday immediately preceding the day on which the Spring term begins. The paper should address issues of craft and aesthetics, but may include other points of reference. The essay should demonstrate a facility for critical discourse and indicate a breadth of knowledge of literary traditions.
Each exam is graded by two members of the Creative Writing Graduate Faculty. Students pass the exam by writing cogent, well-argued, and stylistically polished arguments.
Master's Project:
The master's project is intended to be a work of fiction (at least 100 pages) or a work of poetry (at least 50 pages) that reflects an aesthetically and intellectually sophisticated example of the genre in which the student has worked over the course of the program. The project is due on the second Tuesday in April of the student's fourth term.
The master's project is graded exclusively by members of the Creative Writing Graduate Faculty. Two readers must agree that the project passes. If there is a conflict, the Director of the Graduate Creative Writing Program adjudicates the decision. A project defense is not required.