MFA Admission Requirements

The interdisciplinary Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing is offered jointly by the Departments of English and Theatre joining two colleges at ASU—Liberal Arts and Sciences, and Fine Arts. This program allows students the unique opportunity to tailor a course of study to fit individual needs, talents, and goals. The Department of English administers the program, and both departments review applications for admission. Poets and fiction writers work primarily with faculty in the Department of English. Playwrights are supervised by faculty in the Department of Theatre. Students in the program may study with faculty in both departments.

Creative Writing is a 48 hour studio / academic program requiring poets, prose writers, and playwrights 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, offering time to get quality advice on writing and time to explore and develop their talents. The Theatre Department emphasizes collaborative processes—playwrights work with actors and directors to produce informal readings, staged readings, and full productions of student plays.

ASU Creative Writing is characterized by four essential elements of the curriculum: excellence in the workshop / production experience; dedication to individualized instruction—independent study and the final practicum project; innovation in special topics offerings; and an emphasis on various art forms through the interdisciplinary aspect of the program. Research courses are offered on contemporary perspectives emphasizing such topics as “Magical Realism,” “The Long Poem,” “The Long Story,” “Pedagogy Forum for Creative Writers,” “Literature of Obsession,” “Community Outreach Internship,” “Literary Management for Theatre,” and other multi-genre literature and writing courses.

The MFA degree in Creative Writing at Arizona State University is a professional, not a vocational, degree. Regents and Foundation Professor Norman Dubie comments: “We do the fundamental business of the university, sheltering poems and stories regardless of commercial value. We must be honest to our own work, and we must preserve whatever is pivotal, central to the imagination of the whole culture. What can do that, if not the arts? We are devoted to the future and to the past—the faculty must be sensate to generational changes in young writers while upholding the tradition of literature, and talent.”

Application

Applicants should have an undergraduate major in English or Theatre, with a GPA of 3.00 or above; however, students applying for graduate study who do not have either of these undergraduate majors may be admitted on the basis of writing excellence. We no longer require the Miller Analogies Test (MAT) or the Graduate Record Exam (GRE); however, our faculty is interested to see those scores when students submit them. Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation using the forms provided; a personal résumé or curriculum vitae; a statement of career goals including the writer’s intended area of specialization; and a manuscript sample of one of the following: 20 pages of poetry, 30 pages of prose fiction, at least 40 pages of playwriting.

Apply online at http://www.asu.edu/graduate. Have your official transcripts sent (from each college attended) directly to the Division of Graduate Studies, Box 871003, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1003. Pay the Graduate application fee.

Send your creative manuscript, résumé, statement of aims, teaching assistant application materials, and letters of recommendation (Word .doc)(Adobe .pdf) directly to the Creative Writing Program office, Box 870302, Department of English, ASU, Tempe, Arizona 85287-0302. Do not send your writing sample to the Division of Graduate Studies; it will get lost.

Selection

All application materials must be received by January 15th of each year. Selection is based on the following: talent and promise demonstrated in the manuscript sample; academic record; strength of letters of recommendation; and compatibility of the applicant’s career goals with the purpose and design of the ASU degree program.

Graduate Assistantships

Students admitted with regular status to the MFA program may be awarded a teaching assistantship in the Department of English or the Department of Theatre. Students should apply for assistantships at the time they apply for admission. Tuition is waived for all graduate assistants working in a 50% position. Health insurance is provided by ASU for 50% graduate assistants. If awarded a 25% position, the graduate assistant is considered an Arizona resident, and one-half of in-state tuition is waived. MFA candidates may apply for graduate assistantships in other departments and units on campus.

Financial Aid

Fellowships are awarded on a limited basis to graduate students who have submitted excellent application packages. Nomination comes from the academic unit, and the number of awards allocated to each ASU department varies from year to year. Virginia G. Piper Fellowships and Division of Graduate Studies Fellowships are also available for top Creative Writing candidates.

Graduate Student Organizations

The Creative Writing Students’ Association (CWSA) is composed of graduate students who are interested in creative writing. CWSA sponsors activities for participants including a reading series for students and community writers, the CWSA Gala, informal seminars on professional development, and workshops. The organization is re-invented annually by in-coming students. The Graduate Scholars of English Association (GSEA) is the official organization for graduate students in the Department of English. GSEA represents the interests of students from all disciplines in the department and conducts seminars of interest to English students.

Competitions

Each year MFA candidates are invited to participate in writing competitions sponsored by various ASU donors and organizations including the Associated Writing Program’s INTRO Awards, the English Department Glendon and Kathryn Swarthout Awards in Writing, and the Katharine C. Turner Award from the Academy of American Poets. Creative Writing’s Virginia G. Piper Center offers summer travel fellowships and other major awards for members of the Master of Fine Arts program.