Creative Writing Major, MFA

Creative Writing Major, MFA    (available for fall 2014 admission)

The MFA degree with a major in Creative Writing promotes a combination studio/academic course of study allowing degree candidates to hone their skills as writers and grow as artists through rigorous application of craft. Students receive critical feedback on poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction in writing workshops, scrutinize aspects of genre in special topics classes and investigate larger theoretical and historical contexts for creative work in Literature and Rhetoric, Writing, and Linguistics classes.

The program culminates in a thesis project comprised of a book length manuscript of original creative work. While the MFA is an ideal stepping stone for those students who plan to teach creative writing at any level and those who wish to pursue a PhD degree with a major in English, concentration in Creative Writing, the faculty of the Creative Writing Program at the University of Tennessee believes that study and practice of literary arts is intrinsically valuable and our program is designed first and foremost for those students who wish to dedicate their lives to writing well.

1. Students must complete 12 hours chosen from the following four courses:
   ENGL 580 
   ENGL 581 ENGL 582 ENGL 686 
2. Students must complete 12 hours chosen from the following courses:ENGL 505  ENGL 507  ENGL 508  ENGL 509  ENGL 513  ENGL 514  ENGL 520  ENGL 521 ENGL 531  ENGL 540  ENGL 541  ENGL 550  ENGL 551  ENGL 552  ENGL 560  ENGL 561 ENGL 575  ENGL 576  ENGL 583  ENGL 584  ENGL 585  ENGL 586  ENGL 588  ENGL 589 ENGL 590  ENGL 591  ENGL 593  ENGL 594  ENGL 610  ENGL 611  ENGL 620  ENGL 621 ENGL 630  ENGL 631  ENGL 640  ENGL 641  ENGL 650  ENGL 651  ENGL 652  ENGL 660 ENGL 661  ENGL 662  ENGL 670  ENGL 671  ENGL 672  ENGL 680  ENGL 682  ENGL 690 ENGL 694 
3. Students must complete 6 hours of ENGL 555 .
4. Foreign Language Requirement:
   MFA candidates must demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language. This requirement can be fulfilled in one of the following ways: Completion of a second year of language at college level with a grade of C or better, completion of French 302 or German 332 with a grade of B or better, or by passing a foreign language examination as administered at the University of Tennessee.
5. Final Examination:
   MFA candidates must pass an oral examination, which consists of a public reading from the candidate’s creative thesis, followed by a question-and-answer session open to both the public and the professorial committee.