MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE WRITING

Martin Lammon, Coordinator
E-mail: mfa@gcsu.edu

MISSION

The M.F.A. degree prepares artists—in this case, short story writers, playwrights, novelists, poets, and other writers—to study their craft seriously and create publishable works in their respective genres. Although students in the program will typically focus on one genre, they are expected and encouraged to explore at least one other genre. To this end, the program will prepare resourceful and open-minded writers rather than specialists. Because great writers are also great readers, the program will also expect students to study literature and other graduate courses in linguistics, criticism, and composition theory in the Department of English, Speech, and Journalism. In this way, the program prepares talented writers by taking advantage of complementary, current departmental talents and strengths. Creative Writing courses will emphasize studio work (peer workshops and mentoring from distinguished, publishing writers) that will be complemented by studies in literature, poetics, prose form and theory, and the teaching of creative writing. The program enhances a student's curricular experience with superior extracurricular experiences not only in creative writing but also in editing, publishing, arts management, education, and community service. Finally, the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing is designed to fulfill the University's institutional mission—to be the state's designated public liberal arts university—a mission ideally suited to creative writing. The writer more than any other artist is a student of all the liberal arts, ranging among the humanities, the social sciences, the fine arts, and the sciences, a student whose work is both in the classroom and in the world at large.

REGULAR ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Admission to the M.F.A. in Creative Writing Program is competitive and based primarily (but not exclusively) on the candidate's Writing Portfolio. Students regularly admitted to the program will successfully meet the following criteria.

1. Writing Portfolio. Submit 15-20 poems (typed, single-spaced); OR submit no more than 50 pages (typed, double-spaced) of short fiction, essays, or one-act play(s); OR chapter(s) from a longer work of fiction or creative nonfiction; OR one act of a full-length play. Note: Plays may be typed in a standard dramatic format.
2. Statement of Purpose. Submit a 500-word essay (typed, double-spaced) in which you discuss expectations and goals for your writing, as well as any other relevant points you may wish to make regarding your studies in the M.F.A. program.
3. Submit three letters of recommendation from teachers or other references able to comment on your creative writing and your potential for successful graduate study.
4. Submit two copies of official transcripts for all undergraduate and graduate studies. An appropriate four-year degree is required for admission. Transcripts should reflect prior coursework in both intuitive and discursive writing as well as critical reading. Student transcripts should demonstrate a 3.0 G.P.A. (based on a 4.0 scale) in the final 60 hours of undergraduate work and in all prior graduate-level work. Note: Students admitted who hold the M.A. in English or another M.F.A. in Creative Writing degree have slightly different degree requirements, as described in that section.
5. Submit one copy of official test scores in the general test of the GRE or the MAT. Acceptable scores are usually in the 50th percentile or higher.

PROVISIONAL ADMISSION

Students who do not meet regular admission criteria may be admitted provisionally. After completing nine hours of coursework (at least one course should be in literature) with at least a "B" in each course, the student may be granted regular admission status. Students enrolled with provisional status are not eligible for graduate assistantships.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Basic Requirements:

1. Students admitted to the program that hold the M.A. in English, or another M.F.A. in Creative Writing degree, complete 36 hours (27 hours coursework and 9 thesis hours). All other students complete 42 hours (33 hours coursework and 9 thesis hours). See below for specific requirements relating to coursework and thesis work.
2. Only grades of "B" or higher in graduate courses will count towards the M.F.A. degree. Students who receive more than one grade of "C" or lower in a graduate course will be dropped from the program.
3. No more than six hours of coursework may be transferred from another M.A. in English or M.F.A. program (where a student did not complete his or her degree), and no hours may be transferred in a student's major writing genre. Only courses in which the student earned a "B" or higher will be considered for transfer credit.
4. The M.F.A. degree is designed to be completed in two years and must be completed in no more than four years. All degree work (with the exception of accepted transfer credits), including the thesis, must be completed in residence.

PROGRAM OF STUDY

Most students take 33 hours of coursework:

8-12 hours: 5000-level and 6000-level workshop in major writing genre (2-3 5000 level workshops)

4-8 hours: Two workshops (5000- or 6000-level) in at least one other writing genre (1-2 workshops)

4 hours: Teaching Creative Writing Seminar (6024)

4 hours: Poetry & Poetics (6025), or Prose Form & Theory (6026)

9 hours: Non-Creative Writing courses (at least one at the 6000-level)

Students who already have an M.A. in English or another appropriate degree take 27 hours of coursework. These students take either Poetry & Poetics (6025) or Prose Form & Theory (6026), and one Non-Creative Writing courses (9 hours total, at least one seminar at the 6000-level). All students also complete the M.F.A. Thesis (9 hours).

OTHER REQUIREMENTS

Foreign Language. Students are expected to achieve the fourth level of study in a modern foreign language. If students did not meet this requirement in their prior undergraduate or graduate work, they must demonstrate proficiency in a modern foreign language. Students either must earn a "B" or higher in the 2002-level language course or must pass a translation exam administered by the Department of Modern Foreign Languages.

Thesis and Thesis Defense. All students should settle on a director for their thesis during the second semester of their enrollment. With the thesis director, the student will establish a committee of two other departmental graduate faculty members and one outside reader (optional) proficient in that student's major genre. The student and thesis director will then establish a timetable and proposal for the thesis. The student's thesis will be a full-length creative work of publishable quality (for example a novel, a collection of short stories, a collection of poems, a full-length play, a collection of essays or book-length work of creative nonfiction). Students may take no more than six thesis hours in any one semester. Students must enroll for at least three thesis hours and defend their thesis in their final semester. The thesis defense will include a presentation of aesthetic and other issues related to the student's work, questions and comments from the thesis committee and others in attendance, and a short reading from the thesis.

ADVISEMENT

The general advisor of all students working towards the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing degree is the Coordinator of the M.F.A. Program. However, students should work closely with their thesis advisers and thesis committees in planning coursework as preparation for a specific thesis project.

GRADUATE TEACHING FELLOWS

Graduate Teaching Fellowships are awarded selectively to students in the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing in order to provide such students with an educationally and professionally valuable opportunity to gain experience as college-level classroom instructors in a supervised, evaluated setting. The policies and procedures for the awarding of Graduate Teaching Fellowships, and for supervising and evaluating the success of individual Teaching Fellows, are as follows:

Eligibility:

Students enrolled in the M.F.A. Program in Creative Writing are eligible for Graduate Teaching Fellowships through either:

1. Holding an M.A. degree from an accredited institution in either English or a closely related area, in which case the student must have passed 18 graduate hours or more of courses in English or courses which are demonstrably similar to those he or she would have taken in English (e.g., a course in composition instruction or pedagogical theory offered by a school of education rather than an English department); OR
2. Passing 18 graduate hours in English at GCSU, or other accredited institutions (or a combination of hours at both GCSU and other institutions, at least 9 hours of which must be passed at GCSU) with grades of B or better in all courses. Teaching Fellows are also required to take the graduate seminar "Theories of Composition and Literature" before or during their first semester of teaching).

NOTE: First year students eligible for Teaching Fellow appointments must also take Theories of Composition and Literature (ENGL 6112), unless they have had a similar course in their previous degree program (as determined by the M.F.A. program coordinator and the department's Composition coordinator). First year students on assistantship but not eligible for a Teaching Fellowships will serve as consultants in the University Writing Center and in other departmental capacities.

Eligibility does not guarantee that a student will receive a Graduate Teaching Fellowship.

Selection of Graduate Teaching Fellows:

Selection of Graduate Teaching Fellows is competitive on the basis of grades, faculty evaluations from external recommendations and GCSU faculty, and other considerations such as evaluation of a students' suitability for classroom teaching by the Coordinator of the M.F.A. Program, the Department Coordinator of Composition. In every case, students are selected and assigned courses contingent upon program needs and availability of courses.

Training of Graduate Teaching Fellows:

Graduate Teaching Fellows who do not already hold an appropriate graduate degree, and who have not already taken a similar pedagogy course (as determined by the M.F.A. Program and Composition coordinators), will be required to take ENGL 6112, Theories of Composition and Literature. Also, all Graduate Teaching Fellows will be required to attend various training and orientation sessions, led by the Coordinator of Composition, in order to receive instruction in practical pedagogical strategies. In addition, all Graduate Teaching Fellows will be required to attend regularly scheduled discussion sessions, led by the Coordinator of Composition, concerning their progress and the challenges they have faced in the classroom.

Supervision of Graduate Teaching Fellows:

Graduate Teaching Fellows are under the general supervision of the Coordinator of the M.F.A. Program, the Coordinator of Composition, and the Department Chair. Graduate Teaching Fellows will be assigned courses in consultation with the Coordinator of the Creative Writing Program and the Department Chair. The Coordinator of Composition serves as primary faculty mentor, who assists Teaching Fellows with the conduct of these courses and any problems that might arise. Other faculty members in the Department of English, Speech, and Journalism also assist in mentoring Teaching Fellows.

Graduate Teaching Fellows will be expected to consult regularly (several times per semester) with the Coordinator of Composition and other faculty mentors who will make themselves available to assist Graduate Teaching Fellows in conducting their courses; however, at all times the Graduate Teaching Fellows is fully responsible for the actual conduct and instruction of such courses.

Evaluation of Graduate Teaching Fellows:

All Graduate Teaching Fellows will be evaluated both through normal University and departmental faculty course evaluation procedures, as well as through procedures intended specifically for them:

1. All Graduate Teaching Fellows will administer Student Opinion Survey forms and narrative student evaluations for every course they teach; these forms will be tabulated and returned to the Department Chair, who will evaluate them and forward them to the Coordinator of Composition.
2. As soon as practicable, the Coordinator of Composition will meet with each Graduate Teaching Fellow to discuss the student evaluations.
3. At least once each semester, the Coordinator of Composition or another appropriate faculty member will attend each Graduate Teaching Fellow's class for assessment and evaluation. Subsequent to this class, the Coordinator of Composition or other faculty member (in which case the Coordinator of Composition should also be present) will meet with the Graduate Teaching Fellow to provide constructive feedback about the strengths and weaknesses of the meeting observed.

None of these procedures is intended to preclude more extensive evaluation and support of Graduate Teaching Fellows where appropriate.

Courses Available for Graduate Teaching Fellows, Teaching Loads, and Summer Teaching:

Graduate Teaching Fellows will be assigned only to ENGL 1101, English Composition I; ENGL 1102, English Composition II; ENGL 2110, Topics in World Literature; and ENGL 2208, Introduction to Creative Writing, except in exceptional circumstances. Teaching Fellows may also be assigned as "mentors" to undergraduate majors completing their Senior Capstone Projects. Generally, Graduate Teaching Fellows will teach two identical courses per semester (a total of four per academic year) in order to limit the strain of multiple preparations. Exceptions to the 2/2 teaching load and the two identical courses per semester assignment will be reviewed and granted on a case-by-case basis. Graduate Teaching Fellows are eligible for summer teaching when it is available, are limited to two summer courses during their program, and will be compensated at the normal rate for part-time instructors for summer teaching.

CAREER INFORMATION

The Master of Fine Arts degree program is foremost about preparing writers to publish their works. Here, you will be immersed in writing and reading, preparing your book of short stories or poems, your novel, script, or memoir, getting ready to send your manuscript to agents or publishers. While your writing life comes first, the program also helps to prepare students for work as teachers, editors, arts administrators, and other positions in fields related to writing, reading, and the arts. Students take a special course, "Teaching Creative Writing," and also have opportunities to work with the faculty on editing and arts programming projects, acquiring skills useful to future job searches after graduation.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Please visit the Creative Writing Web site for more details about the program, courses offered, and the creative writing community at GCSU. Direct inquiries about the program, graduate assistantships, and other forms of financial assistance should be directed to the M.F.A. Program Coordinator, CBX 44, Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville, GA 31061. Telephone: (478) 445-4581. Fax: (478) 445-5961. E-mail: mfa@gcsu.edu.