Requirements
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: |
15 (9 hours of which must be in the designated specialty) |
ENGL 5734: Form and Theory of Fiction |
6 |
| 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.