The New South's Writing Workshop

Master of Arts, Concentration in Creative Writing

Candidates for the M.A. with an emphasis in creative writing must satisfactorily complete 27 hours of graduate coursework, including 12 hours of creative writing. A student must complete either Engl 8160 (Form and Theory of Literary Craft), Engl 8201 (Contemporary Poetry), or Engl 8202 (Contemporary Fiction Craft). Rather than narrowly specializing in a particular area, a student should select courses that complement the student’s undergraduate program in order to achieve a lively understanding of a broad range of English and American literature.

The creative writing thesis must contain at least 35 pages of poetry or 60 to 100 pages of fiction. It must include an introduction or an afterword in which the student discusses his or her approaches, styles, methods, and influences. The nonthesis option is not available to M.A. candidates with an emphasis in creative writing. By the time the thesis is completed, a student must have registered for at least six hours of English 8999 (Thesis Research).