MFA - Master of Fine Arts

A 10-day residency initiates term one, with program faculty delivering formal talks on elements of craft, as well as seminars on aesthetic issues and works from the literary canon. Students participate in faculty-guided genre and mentee workshops, and discussion sessions. They also attend readings and lectures by guest faculty and visiting writers and talks by editors and publishers. Assigned readings focus on principles of craft and techniques appropriate to the genre, providing the opportunity for deeper analysis from a writer’s point of view and a broader understanding of literary traditions.

The residency is followed by a five-month tutorial period with four submissions, at prescribed intervals, of original creative writing and annotations on readings. These submissions are critiqued by the faculty mentor. The nature and direction of the reading and writing projects during the tutorial period are planned and agreed upon during the residency through individual conferences with the faculty mentor, and are tailored to the specific needs of the student.

Term two extends the student’s accomplishments in term one and begins with a 10-day residency. In plenary sessions and smaller group settings, program faculty offer presentations on elements of craft, as well as seminars on aesthetic issues and works from the literary canon, often involving pertinent concerns across genres. Students participate in faculty-guided genre workshops, small group sessions with mentors, individual conferences and more general discussion sessions. They also attend readings and lectures by guest faculty and visiting writers and talks by editors and publishers. As in term one, assigned readings focus on principles of craft and techniques appropriate to the genre and the development of the writing life, providing the opportunity for deeper analysis of works from a writer’s point of view and a broader understanding of literary traditions. Each term two student also assumes a more central role in seminars by serving as respondent in at least one session.

The term two residency is followed by a five-month tutorial period with four submissions, at prescribed intervals, of original creative writing and annotations on readings. These submissions are critiqued by the faculty mentor. The nature and direction of the reading and writing projects during the tutorial period are determined by a plan of study worked out by the student and faculty mentor during the residency. Each plan is tailored to build upon work thus far accomplished, as well as to address the specific needs and interests of the student.

Term three begins with a 10-day residency, with activities similar to those outlined above. But in addition to the residency program, and a leadership role as an advanced respondent in a workshop or presentation, students attend a seminar on writing critical essays in preparation for the subsequent tutorial period focused on the writing of an extended critical essay (25 pages). With his or her faculty mentor, each student agrees upon an appropriate topic for the critical paper, as well as supporting readings and a schedule of draft submissions that will occur during the tutorial period. The completed critical paper is due at the end of the tutorial period. The student also submits drafts of original work and annotations in accordance with the negotiated plan of study.

Term four is the culmination of the program and starts with a 10-day residency, with activities similar to those outlined above. Each student takes on additional responsibilities as senior respondent in a residency session, but special emphasis is placed on preparation for teaching a graduating student seminar during the culminating residency and on completing the graduate thesis manuscript. Part of the tutorial period plan of study includes approval and signing of a thesis plan with a thesis director and a second faculty reader, as well as approval of the student’s culminating residency seminar topic. Term four students attend a pedagogy workshop to aid them in the preparation of the seminar each will conduct during the culminating residency.

Term four students attend a fifth, capstone residency at which they present a graduate seminar, present their thesis (a minimum of 125 pages of fiction or nonfiction, 55 pages of poetry) and their annotated bibliography, give a public reading of original work and complete all required program documentation.