Description Degree Offered Admission Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Contact Info

Description

The MFA Program in Creative Writing offers workshop courses in fiction, creative nonfiction, and poetry, emphasizing the art and craft of literary writing and concentrating on the student's written work.

Degrees Offered

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Admission

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions and Registration section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. Please be sure to submit all requested material by the established deadline(s).

In addition to the general admission requirements, applicants must provide:

• Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) score, which must have been taken within the last five years
• GPA of 3.0 or higher for the last 60 semester hours earned as an undergraduate
• Evidence of an earned bachelor’s degree
• Three letters of recommendation
• Statement of background and goals
• Resume
• A portfolio of fiction, poetry, or creative nonfiction. The portfolio must be in English and in the applicant’s primary genre (15 pages of poetry, 30 pages of fiction, or 30 pages of creative nonfiction). This manuscript is the most important element of a candidate’s application. It will be evaluated by a committee of Creative Writing faculty to assess the candidate’s readiness for graduate study. The committee’s decision is based upon its qualitative assessment for the manuscript’s competence in standard English and originality, and the author’s demonstrated potential to succeed as a creative writer.
• For applicants from countries where English is not the official language, or for an applicant whose bachelor’s degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution, an official score of at least 233 (computer-based test; or equivalent score on the paper-based test) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required.

Application Due Dates

All students applying for fellowships must apply by the Fall Priority deadline date.

U.S. Applicants

NOTE: This program will not accept applications for the Spring semesters after Spring 2006.

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing	Jan 15	Jan 15	Oct 15

International Applicants

NOTE: This program will not accept applications for the Spring semesters after Spring 2006.

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing	Jan 15	Jan 15	Jul 1

International Transfer Applicants

NOTE: This program will not accept applications for the Spring semesters after Spring 2006.

Program(s)	Fall Priority	Fall	Spring	Summer
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing	Jan 15	Jan 15	Sep 1

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

A student with a baccalaureate degree in a subject other than English will be required to take graduate survey courses in British and American literature. Students must also prove proficiency in a foreign language at the first-year level prior to completing the degree program.

Each student must complete at least 36 credit hours, including 9 credit hours of writing workshops. Near the end of the degree program, each candidate will write a book-length creative thesis.

Required Creative Writing Courses—9 Credit Hours

• CRW 5020 Graduate Writing Workshop (3 credit hours)* may be repeated for credit
• CRW 6025 Advanced Graduate Writing Workshop (3 credit hours)* may be repeated for credit

Required Literature Courses—6 Credit Hours

• LIT 5039 Studies in Contemporary Poetry (3 credit hours)
• LIT 5097 Studies in Contemporary Fiction (3 credit hours)

Restricted Creative Writing Electives—6 Credit Hours

• CRW 5020 Graduate Writing Workshop (3 credit hours) May be repeated for credit
• CRW 5130 Form and Theory in Creative Writing (3 credit hours) May be repeated for credit if taken in different genres.
• CRW 5932 Teaching Creative Writing (3 credit hours)
• CRW 5937 Special Topics Seminar
• CRW 5948C Creative Writing Service Learning
• CRW 6025 Advanced Graduate Writing Workshop (3 credit hours) May be repeated for credit
• CRW 6946 Florida Review Internship

Literature Electives—6 Credit Hours

• LIT 6009 Literary Genres (3 credit hours)
• LIT 6105 World Literature (3 credit hours)
• LIT 6246 Major Authors (3 credit hours)
• LIT 6365 Movements in Literature (3 credit hours)

Electives—3 Credit Hours

Thesis—6 Credit Hours

• CRW 6971 Thesis (6 credit hours)

The candidate will complete a book-length manuscript (fiction, poetry, or other genre) of publishable quality, written and revised in CRW 6971, Thesis, that will meet both departmental and university requirements for the thesis. There is no non-thesis option in Creative Writing.

Financial Support

Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see Financing Grad School, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.

Key points about financial support:

• If you’re interested in financial assistance, you’re strongly encouraged to apply for admission early. A complete application for admission, including all supporting documents, must be received by the priority date listed for your program under "Admissions."
• You must be admitted to a graduate program before the university can consider awarding financial assistance to you.
• If you want to be considered for loans and other need-based financial assistance, review the UCF Student Financial Assistance website at http://finaid.ucf.edu and complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form, which is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Apply early and allow up to six weeks for the FAFSA form to be processed.
• UCF Graduate Studies awards university graduate fellowships, with most decisions based on nominations from the colleges and programs. All admitted graduate students are automatically considered in this nomination process. To be eligible for a fellowship, students must be accepted as a graduate student in a degree program and be enrolled full-time. University graduate fellowships are not affected by FAFSA determination of need.
• Please note that select fellowships do require students to fill out a fellowship application (either a university fellowship application, an external fellowship application, or a college or school fellowship application). For university fellowship applications, see Financing Grad School
• For information on assistantships (including teaching, research, and general graduate assistantships) or tuition support, contact the graduate program director of your major.

Contact Info

Jeanne Leiby, M.F.A., Associate Professor
Phone Number: 407-823-5254
englgrad@pegasus.cc.ucf.edu