Admission Admission to the M.F.A. degree program in creative writing is based primarily on the excellence of a substantial writing sample in fiction, nonfiction or poetry. An admissions committee made up of members of the English graduate faculty with specialties in creative writing examine applications for excellence and promise. Normally, prospective candidates for the degree of Master of Fine Arts are expected to have completed work in an undergraduate discipline resulting in a Bachelor degree in English. Graduate Record Examination scores are required, as are letters of recommendation and a personal statement.
Final approval is granted following an oral defense of the thesis.
The core of the program is the workshop, where students submit their own writing for discussion and critique. This writing will make up the bulk of the thesis, which will be completed under the close supervision of the thesis adviser and two additional thesis committee members. The non-creative writing courses will be the same as those taken by Ph.D and M.A. students.