Masters Of Fine Arts
GENERAL INFORMATION
The MFA in Creative Writing trains students to write in a variety of genres and to study literature from the point of view of a working writer. Recent graduates have become not only published authors of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, plays, and screenplays, but also journalists, editors, publishers, and college-level and secondary-level teachers. The degree program culminates in the submission and oral defense of a thesis consisting of a creative work of poetry, fiction, and/or scriptwriting. The MFA in Creative Writing normally takes six semesters to complete. .
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Fellowships and Teaching Assistantships are available on a competitive basis. The department funds about 70% of accepted applicants per year. All students teach creative writing courses (no composition or literature), and outstanding applicants may be nominated for a Chancellor's Fellowship or an Arts and Sciences Council Diversity Fellowship. In addition to the above, there are a limited number of positions available such as reading series organizer and office assistants.
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- A BA degree, with English major or at least 18 semester hours of English.
- Satisfactory scores on the verbal and analytical writing sections of the GRE General Test (approximately 600/5.0).
- Submission of a complete online application. (How to apply.)
COURSE WORK
Students must take 45 hours of coursework (15 courses) in the following areas:
- 4 courses (12 hours) of writing workshops (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, scriptwriting, publishing).
- 4 courses (12 hours) in Literature.
- 2 courses (6 hours) in two of the following: Studies in Poetry; Studies in Fiction; Studies in Literary Movements.
- 2 courses (6 hours) of electives.
- 9 hours of credit for thesis writing.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
Students earning the Creative Writing MFA must complete a foreign language requirement, either before or after enrolling at CU-Boulder, by:
- Completing a fourth-semester (second-semester sophomore) college language course with a grade of C or better; or
- Presenting other evidence of competence in a foreign language to the director of Graduate Studies.
HOW TO APPLY
No application materials are to be sent to the English Department. All materials, besides official transcripts, must be uploaded via the CU online application. View or download the MFA admissions information document for more information.