Faculty of the Creative Writing Committee offer an interdisciplinary Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing. The program is offered jointly by the Department of English in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Department of Theatre in the Katherine K. Herberger College of Fine Arts.

One of the unique features of this interdisciplinary program is that, because it utilizes faculty research, creative activity, and teaching interests of two academic units, a student may tailor a course of study to fit individual needs, talents, and goals. The Department of English administers the program and reviews the applications for admission. In the English Department, the studio/academic program requires poets and prose writers to divide work equally between writing workshops and literature courses. This flexible curriculum allows candidates time to study with several gifted writers and scholars in a stimulating atmosphere, time to get quality advice on writing, and time to explore and develop their talents. In the Department of Theatre, the studio/academic program emphasizes the collaborative process of playwriting. Working with actors and directors, playwrights’ workshops include informal readings, staged readings, and workshop production of students’ plays.

Admission. In addition to meeting the general requirements of the Division of Graduate Studies, applicants must have an undergraduate major in English or Theatre, with a GPA of 3.00 or above. Applicants who do not have an undergraduate major in English or Theatre may be admitted provisionally, on the condition that they make up deficiencies in course work. Deficiencies in undergraduate preparation may be removed while pursuing the MFA degree; courses taken to remove deficiencies may not be counted toward the degree. Applicants must also submit the following:

Selection Procedures. Completed application forms should be sent directly to the Division of Graduate Studies. All other materials and manuscripts, including the teaching assistant application form, should be submitted to the Department of English by February 1. The Creative Writing Committee reviews the materials and manuscripts and makes recommendations for admission by March 15. Guidelines for admission recommendations used by the committee include the following: applicant’s academic record and capabilities for successful graduate study; talent and promise demonstrated in the manuscript sample; strength of letters of recommendation; quality of applicant’s undergraduate background; and compatibility of the applicant’s career goals with the purpose of the degree program.

Program of Study. In poetry and fiction, the program of study requires a minimum of 48 semester hours of graduate credit approved by the student’s supervisory committee, the director of the Creative Writing Committee, and the dean of graduate studies. Of these, 24 semester hours must be creative writing courses and must include nine semester hours of ENG 580, and nine semester hours of any combination of ENG 562, 563, 594, 598, 662, 663, and 664. The course 594 Conference and Workshop may be taken twice to varied offerings. The literature component of 24 semester hours must include ENG 591, 665, and two ENG courses in literature selected by the student’s supervisory committee or the director of the creative writing committee such as ENG 667. In playwriting, the program of study requires a minimum of 60 semester hours of graduate credit approved by the student’s supervisory committee, the director of the Creative Writing Committee, and the dean of graduate studies. The program of study must include the following: THP 519 (six semester hours), 560 (15 semester hours), 561 (three semester hours), 598 (three semester hours), and 693 (nine semester hours). The literature component of 30 semester hours must include THE 500, 504, 505, 520, and 521.

Credit Before Admission. Subject to the recommendation of the supervisory committee, students with a completed MA or PhD degree in English or Theatre may have up to 15 semester hours of literature credit applied to the MFA program of study. A maximum of nine semester hours taken before admission and not as part of a completed degree at ASU and/or another institution may be used to fulfill degree requirements. All course work for the degree must be completed within the six-year time limit.

Comprehensive Examinations.. A final written comprehensive examination is required and is scheduled once each semester and once during the summer. Upon completion of course work, the student is required to take the written examination. Official application is made through the Division of Graduate Studies. The student is also required to notify the Creative Writing Committee of intent to take the examination at least 30 days in advance. A student is not eligible to apply for the written examination until a program of study has been filed. If the candidate fails the examination, a reexamination may be administered no sooner than three months and no later than one year from the date of the original examination. Permission for reexamination must be obtained from the student’s supervisory committee, the director of the Creative Writing Committee, and the dean of graduate studies. Only one reexamination is permitted. Students are examined in the following areas:

Playwrights are examined in the following areas: (1) European and American drama and (2) dramatic theory and criticism. The examination is constructed and graded by members of the Creative Writing Examination Committee.

Practicum and Performance Requirements. ENG 580 Practicum or THP 693 Applied Project is required of all students in the program. For nine semester hours of credit, the student creates a book-length volume of poetry, short stories, novel, drama, translation, or creative nonfiction (except literary criticism). This project must be approved in advance by the student’s supervisory committee on the basis of sample pages and a summary of the proposal. The supervisory committee must evaluate and approve the final project. As the last requirement for the degree, the candidate must read or perform from the practicum or applied project before students and members of the faculty.

Research and scholarly endeavors inform the creative work of the faculty, which includes publication of poetry, fiction, and drama; collaborative production with musicians, fine printers, and visual artists. Special research courses are offered on contemporary perspectives emphasizing such topics as “Magical Realism,” “The Long Poem,” “Pedagogy Forum for Creative Writers,” “The Literature of Obsession,” “Sexing the Modern,” “Internship for Community Outreach,” “Death and Transfiguration,” “Poetry as Witness,” and “Latino and Latina Theatre.”

Research and creative activity is enhanced by vigorous faculty and student involvement in producing a national literary magazine, Hayden’s Ferry Review, an ASU student publication. Creative writing faculty and graduate students participate in public outreach programs, including workshops at ASU for adults and high school students in rural and metropolitan areas of the region. Public lectures and readings by faculty members, original play productions and reader’s theatre, and a regular series of public readings, lectures and conferences featuring writers of national renown provide a forum for exchange among artist, audience, scholar, and student. Recent conferences, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and other agencies, have brought together writers, editors, and publishers, focusing attention on issues in publishing creative work.

See Creative Writing.