Creative Writing and Literature Combined M.F.A./M.A.
Program Requirements
- A student who wishes to be awarded an M.F.A./M.A. combined degree in creative writing and literature must be admitted to both programs;
- Fulfill all general university requirements and master’s degree requirements and all course requirements within both programs (double-counting allowed);
- Pass comprehensive examinations in both programs;
- Complete a thesis required for an M.F.A. degree and the thesis required for an M.A. degree.
- Pass an oral examination of materials submitted for item 4 above.
- Finish all requirements in order to be awarded the combined degree instead of the M.A. or M.F.A. separately (i.e., a student may not claim at any time more than one degree for the same work).
Minimum Requirements for Creative Writing M.F.A. Degree: 45 credits
Minimum grade of B required for F600-level courses.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General University Requirements | ||
| Complete the graduate general university requirements. | ||
| Master’s Degree Requirements | ||
| Complete the master's degree requirements. | ||
| Creative Writing Program Requirements | ||
| Complete and pass a written comprehensive examination 1 | ||
| Students may advance to candidacy when their advisory committee deems that they have made satisfactory progress in both academic and writing areas. | ||
| Complete the following: | ||
| ENGL F601 | Theory, Criticism and Methods 2 | 3 |
| ENGL F671 | Writers' Workshop | 9 |
| ENGL F699 | Thesis | 6 |
| Approved electives 3 | 6 | |
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Teaching College Composition 4 | ||
Approved ENGL F600-level elective course 3 | ||
| Literature seminars as determined by the student's advisory committee 5 | 12 | |
Complete four of the following: | ||
| Studies in British Literature: Old and Middle English | ||
| Studies in British Literature: Renaissance and 17th-Century | ||
| Studies in British Literature: Restoration and 18th Century | ||
| Studies in British Literature: 19th Century | ||
| Studies in British Literature After 1900 | ||
| Studies in American Literature to 1865 | ||
| Studies in American Literature from 1865-1918 | ||
| Studies in American Literature after 1918 | ||
| Studies in Comparative Literature | ||
| Contemporary Literature | ||
| Images of the North | ||
Or other approved elective | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 6 | |
| Forms of Poetry | ||
| Forms of Fiction | ||
| Forms of Nonfiction Prose | ||
| Writing for Film and Television | ||
| Total Credits | 45 | |
- 1
Based on a standardized reading list, the examination is to be taken no later than the student’s fourth semester of work. The examination should be held on a Saturday approximately one month into the spring semester.
- 2
Students are required to take ENGL F601 in their first year of study.
- 3
A student may petition the Thesis Advisory Committee and the department chair to take up to 6 credit hours of approved individual study (F697) to be applied toward the English M.F.A. electives requirement.
- 4
Required if you are a teaching assistant or planning to teach.
- 5
A literature class is one that does not have as its primary purpose the training of a student to be a creative writer or to teach composition. Some versions of ENGL F692 and ENGL F693 may meet this criteria.
Minimum Requirements for English M.A.: 30 credits
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| General University Requirements | ||
| Complete the graduate general university requirements. | ||
| Master’s Degree Requirements | ||
| Complete the master's degree requirements. | ||
| As part of the master's degree requirements, complete the following: | ||
| ENGL F699 | Thesis | 6 |
| Pass a written examination based on a reading list developed by the student and the committee 1 | ||
| Students may advance to candidacy when their advisory committee deems that they have made satisfactory progress toward completion of their degree. | ||
| Pass an oral defense of the thesis. | ||
| English Program Requirements | ||
| Complete the following: | ||
| ENGL F601 | Theory, Criticism and Methods 2 | 3 |
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Teaching College Composition 3 | ||
Approved ENGL F600-level elective course | ||
| Electives | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 6 | |
| Studies in British Literature: Old and Middle English | ||
| Studies in British Literature: Renaissance and 17th-Century | ||
| Studies in British Literature: Restoration and 18th Century | ||
| Studies in British Literature: 19th Century | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 6 | |
| Studies in American Literature to 1865 | ||
| Studies in American Literature from 1865-1918 | ||
| Studies in American Literature after 1918 | ||
| Images of the North | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 3 | |
| Studies in British Literature After 1900 | ||
| Studies in Comparative Literature | ||
| Contemporary Literature | ||
| Additional approved elective | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
The examination should be taken in the student's third semester in the M.A. program and will be held on a Saturday approximately one month into the spring semester.
- 2
Students are required to take ENGL F601 in their first year of study.
- 3
Required if you are a teaching assistant or planning to teach.
Note: A student may petition the Thesis Advisory Committee and the department chair to take up to 6 credit hours of approved individual study to be applied toward the English M.A. electives requirement.
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes are measurable statements that describe knowledge or skills achieved by students upon completion of the program.
Students graduating from this program will be able to:
- Produce written work in their chosen discipline of a quality that is comparable to the material being published in contemporary literary magazines and journals
- Write clearly and engagingly; produce sustained coherent critical writing at an appropriate level of sophistication for graduate study
- Complete program in a timely manner
- Demonstrate adequate preparation to pursue a career in writing, publishing, or (with further study) in an academic career in creative writing or a related field; recognition of own work’s strengths and weaknesses; familiarity with the literary marketplace (book and journal); plans and adequate preparation to seek publication
- Consider the graduate program at UAF to be of high quality
- Situate literary and nonliterary texts in English within broad historical, cultural, and theoretical contexts; recognize appropriate literary conventions; and interpret particular texts using close reading
- Write clearly and engagingly about literary and nonliterary texts and be able to produce sustained, coherent arguments at an appropriate level of sophistication
- Be adequately prepared for the next step in their professional lives if going on to work or further study in the field of English
