UW Offers M.F.A. in Creative Writing |
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Sept. 28, 2004 -- The University of Wyoming will offer a master of fine arts (M.F.A.) degree in creative writing beginning in the fall of 2005. Applications are now being accepted and the registration deadline is Feb. 1.
"Live and write on the mountain plains" is the theme the new M.F.A., offered through the Department of English in the College of Arts and Sciences. Admission requirements, include writing samples and a statement of purpose, are outlined on the creative writing Web page www.uwyo.edu/creativewriting. In addition, students must apply to the UW Graduate School.
Ann McCutchan, creative writing program interim director, says the UW program offers two outstanding curriculum components that will set it apart from other M.F.A. programs around the country -- a required professional internship in which writing skills are used on the job, and nine credit hours of electives that encourage interdisciplinary study.
"Students will leave here with the experience of an internship in the real world, doing editing, grant writing, magazine writing and so forth," she says. "This will enhance their skills."
She says at least 12 UW professors in other fields, including several outside of the fine arts, are interested in working with creative writing students. A student interested in nature writing, for example, might take some biology courses. A student writing a novel set in an archeological dig site might study archeology.
The 42-credit hour program allows students to choose from three areas of concentration -- poetry, fiction or creative nonfiction. Nearly half of the hours are dedicated to workshops in writing, in which students bring in their work to be read and criticized constructively.
"The focus each semester will be to craft that work, improve it, and write more and more," explains McCutchan. "When students complete the program, they will have a sizeable thesis, which might be a book of poems, a collection of essays or short stories, or even a novel."
Most people entering this program will intend to be writers or writing teachers, she says, noting that the program will be attractive both to undergraduates as well as older students who have been out of school and working in careers.
"Those people are interesting, serious and have varied experiences to draw upon for their writing," says McCutchan.
"Developing the M.F.A. has been a collaborative effort," she says. "I am confident this M.F.A. is going to enhance the UW English department and nurture the environment for creative work at UW."
The two-year M.F.A. program will replace the creative writing master of arts in English degree program. The Department of English will continue to offer an M.A. in English with concentrations in literary studies, and in rhetoric and composition. Undergraduates can continue to earn a minor in creative writing or obtain a bachelor of arts with a concentration in creative writing.
For more information, call McCutchan at (307) 766-5247 or e-mail annmcc@uwyo.edu. Posted on Tuesday, September 28, 2004
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