The M.F.A. in Creative Writing is designed to offer students an opportunity to concentrate more intensively on their writing and to choose, from a wider selection, those courses that will best help them develop as writers. The M.F.A. program does not have a foreign language requirement. This program is recommended for students who may want to apply for creative writing positions at colleges and universities, which often require the M.F.A. degree.
Requirements for the Master of Fine Arts degree include the completion of 32 points (eight 4-point courses) and the following specific requirements: (1) Four graduate creative writing workshops taken in four separate semesters (16 points). (2) One to four craft courses (The Craft of Poetry, CRWRI-GA 1950, or The Craft of Fiction, CRWRI-GA 1960), taught by members of the CWP faculty. Craft courses may be repeated provided they are taught by different instructors (4 to 16 points). (3) Any remaining courses chosen from any department with the permission of that department and of the director of the CWP. (4) A creative special project in poetry or fiction, consisting of a substantial piece of writing—a novella, a collection of short stories, or a group of poems—to be submitted in the student’s final semester. The project requires the approval of the student’s faculty adviser and of the director of the CWP.
To qualify for the degree, a student must have a GPA of at least 3.0, must complete a minimum of 24 points with a grade of B or better, and may offer no more than 8 points with a grade of C (no more than 4 points with a grade of C in creative writing workshops). A student may take no more than 36 points toward the degree.
The M.F.A. degree may also be earned through the Low Residency M.F.A. Writers Workshop in Paris. Under this model, degree requirements remain the same, although Craft courses and Workshops take the form of individualized courses of study with the faculty, including four packet exchanges of student work per semester. All students earning the M.F.A. degree through the low-residency program must also participate in five ten-day residencies in Paris, which involve a diverse series of series of readings, special events, faculty mentorship meetings, and professional development panels.