Department of English

Requirements

    Graduate Curriculum

The graduate program offers a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing. There are three options in three major genres, all of which require the completion of a creative thesis:

• Fiction • Poetry • Playwriting

The graduate curriculum is based upon the recommendations outlined by the AWP for creative writing graduate programs, but it also includes a professional focus so that students who graduate from our program will have expertise in areas such as pedagogy and new media creative writing. You may download the Graduate Policies and Procedures: MFA in Creative Writing for more information.

A. Credit Hours Required

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, a terminal degree, requires 50 graduate credit hours. This includes 6 thesis hours; 15 hours of creative writing workshops; and courses in literature, digital and professional writing, professional development (GEDI courses), and pedagogy.

The Admissions Process

The criteria for admissions follows those established by AWP and peer institutions. Candidates are required to submit one of the following, depending on their specialties:

  • A 25-page portfolio of original fiction (stories or novel excerpts)
  • An original one-act play, or excerpts from an original full-length play
  • An original 15-page portfolio of poems

The committee also reviews the following materials to determine whether or not to grant acceptance into the program:

  • Academic record, including GRE scores
  • Publications, awards, and professional record
  • Three letters of recommendation, preferably from former professors and/or creative writers

Course Requirements for MFA in Creative Writing at Virginia Tech

Courses Hours (50-hour minimum)

Courses:
ENGL 6704: Creative Writing Workshop: Fiction
ENGL 6714: Creative Writing Workshop: Poetry
ENGL 6724: Creative Writing Workshop: Playwriting

15
(9 hours of which must be in the designated specialty)

ENGL 5734: Form and Theory of Fiction
ENGL 5744: Form and Theory of Poetry
ENGL 5754: Form and Theory of Drama

6
(3 hours of which must be in the designated specialty)

ENGL 5034: Practicum (P/F) 3 for credit
ENGL 5994: Research and Thesis 6
ENGL 5764: New Media Writing 3
ENGL 5054: Composition Pedagogy 3
GRAD 5004: GTA Training Workshop 1
GRAD 5114: Pedagogical Practices 3
GRAD 5124: Library Research Skills - English 1
ENGL: Multiple courses (See listings)
Literature and Theory Electives
Special Topics Seminars with Literature Faculty
Up to 3 hours may come from independent studies in Editing a Digital Journal or Writers in Residence
9

Graduate Courses for Students in the M.F.A. Program at Virginia Tech
New courses:

ENGL 6704: CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP: FICTION
An advanced course in fiction writing conducted in a workshop setting. The primary focus is on the writing of original short stories, novellas, and novels.

ENGL 6714: CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP: POETRY
An advanced course in poetry writing conducted in a workshop setting. The primary focus is on the writing of original poems.

ENGL 6724: CREATIVE WRITING WORKSHOP: PLAYWRITING
An advanced course in playwriting conducted in a workshop setting. The primary focus is on the writing of original plays suitable for production.

ENGL 5734: FORM AND THEORY OF FICTION
A course in which the forms and theories which have influenced the development of fiction are analyzed, with an emphasis placed on the relationship between theory and creative practice.

ENGL 5744: FORM AND THEORY OF POETRY
A course in which the forms and theories which have influenced the development of poetry are analyzed, with an emphasis placed on the relationship between theory and creative practice.

ENGL 5754: FORM AND THEORY OF DRAMA
A course in which the forms and theories which have influenced the development of playwriting are analyzed, with an emphasis placed on the interplay between theory and performance.

ENGL 5764: NEW MEDIA CREATIVE WRITING
A course in which the primary focus is on the composition of an original hypertext.

Existing Courses:

ENGL 5034: PRACTICUM
Practical training in teaching composition at the university level. Required of all Graduate Teaching Assistants in English. PASS/FAIL ONLY. Pre: Appointment as an English GTA.

ENGL 5054: COMPOSITION THEORY AND PRACTICE
Theory and practice of teaching composition at the college level. Analysis and implementation of theories of teaching composition, including basic writing skills.

ENGL 5994: RESEARCH AND THESIS
Variable credit course.

ENGL 5974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Under this rubric, Service-Learning and editing tutorial courses will be offered on a PASS/FAIL ONLY basis. Variable credit course.

ENGL 5984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.

ENGL 5894: FINAL EXAMINATION
For all MFA candidates who have completed their program of study. Not to be included in minimum 50 hours required for degree. PASS/FAIL ONLY.

ENGL 5064: TOPICS IN LANGUAGE
Rotating topics in language study, exploring various theories of language and their bearing on literary interpretation, rhetoric, and textual criticism. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5164: STUDIES IN BLACK AMERICAN LITERATURE
Rotating studies in Black American literature, focusing on its roots in folk and oral traditions; on key periods, such as the Harlem Renaissance; or on themes, genres, or selected figures. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5174: STUDIES IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY TEXTS
Rotating studies in twentieth century literature in English. Typically, the course will concentrate on a kind of writing, a movement, a theme, or a critical issue. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5234: STUDIES IN LATER ENGLISH AUTHORS
Rotating studies in the works of one or two later English writers, such as Dickens, Hardy, Tennyson, Woolf, Joyce, Yeats, and others. Contents will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5244: STUDIES IN AMERICAN AUTHORS
Rotating studies which offer intensive treatment of one or two American authors, with particular attention to historical, biographical, cultural, and/or critical and theoretical contexts. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5314: GENRE STUDIES
Rotating studies of particular genres--lyric, biography, literary criticism, speculative fiction--in relation to their social, intellectual, and literary contexts. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5334: SPECIAL TOPICS IN LITERATURE
Approaches to the study of literature that cross the boundaries of genre, period, and nationality, exploring innovative combinations of texts, critical methods, and interpretive approaches. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5354: COMPARATIVE STUDIES IN LITERATURE
Rotating studies in global literature and theory, focusing on comparisons of authors, works, periods, or genres of different regions, countries, and/or cultures. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5454: STUDIES IN THEORY
Rotating studies of the major issues, figures, and movements in literary and critical theory. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5534: STUDIES IN LITERARY HISTORY
Rotating studies in literary history. Topics, periods, and approaches will vary; may be repeated once for credit.

ENGL 5544: CURRENT TOPICS IN LITERARY STUDY
Special topics in frontier areas of literary study. Reserved for and taught by distinguished visiting faculty. Content will vary; may be repeated once for credit.