Undergraduate Program Director

Graduate Program Director

The Department of English offers a Master of Arts degree in Creative Writing (Plan C), a studio/academic program. The emphasis is on the writing of fiction or poetry or both, with supplemental courses in literature. The cornerstone of the program is a 2-semester sequence in either fiction or poetry. The first semester ("Narrative Craft and Theory" or "Poetic Craft and Theory") introduces the student to a broad range of literary techniques and models and to the practice of criticism at the graduate level. The second semester ("Seminar in Fiction Writing" or "Seminar in Poetry Writing") provides a graduate-level workshop in which student manuscripts are discussed in the context of the preceding course. Each of the four courses may be repeated, with a change in subtitle, up to three times. In addition, students are required to take at least two literature courses (6 s/hrs) from department courses providing graduate-level introductions to the study of English. The program also provides a variety of options in creative writing and other areas. Students may take workshops in fiction, poetry, or expository writing and special workshops which cover other forms and genres (e.g., autobiography, personal journalism, creative nonfiction). Courses are also available in the teaching of writing, in business and technical writing, in article writing, in literary criticism, and formal academic research and writing. Creative writing students may also take courses in the department's large programs in Rhetoric and Composition, Professional Writing, and Modern Studies.

The most important feature of the program is the final project ("thesis") - a substantial collection of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, which grows out of the student's course work and independent study. The student's adviser will assist in the planning and development of this project, which is then submitted to a three-person committee for evaluation. An informal colloquium ("oral examination") concludes the student's work in the program.

The Department of English also offers a limited number of students the option of a creative dissertation in the English doctoral program. Students must meet the academic standards of the program in literature (as demonstrated by previous course work, GRE scores, and a qualifying examination); they must also show exceptional promise as creative writers with the expectation of substantial publication before the completion of the doctorate. It is assumed that students applying to this program wish to enter careers as college teachers and mean to compete for academic positions with the best writers and scholars produced by American graduate schools.

Students in the doctoral program may take more creative writing as well as literature courses, including 12 s/hrs at the graduate seminar level. A major portion of the student's course work in literature should be selected in preparation for the first part of the preliminary examination - a written exam covering a literary period, genre, or special topic which the student has designated as a supplemental teaching area. A second, oral part of the examination covers the student's plans for the creative dissertation. Students interested in teaching composition or applied writing may include work in those areas in their program of study. Each student is advised by a three-member advisory board, which normally serves as the nucleus of the student's dissertation committee.

The program publishes a national literary magazine, the Cream City Review, which is edited by graduate students and advised by a faculty board.

Graduate Program Director

The Department of English offers a Doctor of Philosophy degree in English with a Concentration in Creative Writing (Plan C), a studio/academic program. The emphasis is on the writing of fiction or poetry or both with additional substantial work in the study of literature and literary criticism/theory. The cornerstone of the program is a 2-semester sequence in either fiction or poetry. The first semester ("Narrative Craft and Theory" or "Poetic Craft and Theory") introduces the student to a broad range of literary techniques and models and to the practice of criticism at the graduate level. The second semester ("Seminar in Fiction Writing" or "Seminar in Poetry Writing") provides a graduate-level workshop in which student manuscripts are discussed. In addition, students are required to take at least 24 credit/hrs. of literature, 12 credit/hrs. in graduate level creative writing courses, and 12 credit/hrs. in electives, including those that may be transferred in from the student’s MA or MFA degree. The program provides a variety of options in creative writing and other areas. Students may take workshops in fiction, poetry, or expository writing and special workshops, which cover other forms and genres (e.g., autobiography, personal journalism, creative nonfiction). Courses are also available in the teaching of writing, in business and technical writing, in article writing, in literary criticism, and in formal academic research and writing. Creative writing students may also take courses in the department's large programs in Rhetoric and Composition; Professional Writing; Cultural Theory; and Media, Cinema and Digital Studies.

A major portion of the student's course work in literature should be selected in preparation for the first part of the preliminary examination - a written exam covering a literary period, genre, or special topic which the student has designated as a supplemental teaching area. A second, oral part of the examination covers the student's plans for the creative dissertation—a substantial collection of fiction, poetry, or nonfiction, which grows out of the student's course work and independent study. The student's adviser will assist in the planning and development of this project, which is then submitted to a five-person committee for evaluation. Students interested in teaching composition or applied writing may include work in those areas in their program of study. Each student is advised by a three-member advisory board, which normally serves as the nucleus of the student's dissertation committee.

Applicants must meet the academic standards of the program in literature (as demonstrated by previous course work, GRE scores, and critical writing samples); they must also show exceptional promise as creative writers with the expectation of substantial publication before the completion of the doctorate. It is assumed that students applying to this program wish to enter careers as college teachers and mean to compete for academic positions with the best writers and scholars produced by American graduate schools.

The program publishes a national literary magazine, the Cream City Review, which is edited by graduate students and advised by a faculty board.