Overview

The MFA in Creative Writing at Wichita State University is one of the oldest programs in the nation. Currently in its fourth decade, the creative writing program provides serious, aspiring writers an intensive and challenging apprenticeship in the writing of fiction, poetry and nonfiction, enriched by the study of literature. Throughout the student’s graduate career, distinguished visiting writers and permanent writing faculty offer tutorials, master class seminars and workshops in a program that is highly individualized and designed to maximize each student’s writing potential. The 48-semester-hour MFA concludes with a comprehensive exam based on an individualized reading list and the submission of a book-length manuscript of publishable quality.

Our MFA students have a host of opportunities to look forward to including gaining valuable editorial experience on our literary magazine Mikrokosmos, reading from their work with current faculty members, and attending a fully funded reading series with some of biggest names in contemporary fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The list of visiting tutorial faculty and visiting readers has recently included Pulitzer Prize winning writers and National Book Award winning poets as well as best-selling fiction writers. The Kansas Book Fair, which also brings many writers of this high caliber to Wichita, is also currently held on the Wichita State University campus each fall.

Our students are actively encouraged to submit their creative and critical work to conferences and for publication and have many opportunities to travel to present their work at national conferences each semester. Due to the high numbers of students presenting their work at national conferences, in fact, the department recently began publishing an annual of the occasional papers from our students. We also encourage all of our students to apply for a wide array of scholarships and fellowships including our unique MFA Fellowships which allow successful applicants to have a fully funded year to focus on their creative pursuits.

Recently our students and alumni have been honored with an AWP Intro Prize, several new book contracts and book publications, plus a host of individual publications, presentations and honors in poetry, fiction and nonfiction. Over the last few years, our graduates have been honored with Guggenheim Fellowships, NEA Fellowships, a Hawthornden Fellowship, the Chad Walsh Poetry Prize, Dictionary of Literary Biography Yearbook Award for a first collection of short fiction, the Mid-List Press First Book Prize in poetry, the Goodheart Prize, the Whiting Foundation Writer’s Award, the Winnow Press Fiction Prize, a Bread Loaf Scholarship, the Andrew Lytle Prize, and the Rosenthal Award from the Academy of Arts and Letters, to name only a few. In addition, alumni have had work featured in Best American Poetry, Best American Short Stories, the Pushcart Prize Anthology, the O. Henry Prize Anthology, and American Poetry: The Next Generation.

The degree program for the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in creative writing places emphasis on the development of attitudes, skills, and understanding in the practice of imaginative writing, along with related academic study. Unlike some MFA degree programs in creative writing, the WSU program is not conceived as a studio program. It encourages the development of fine writers who are also able, as a result of additional course work in English, to demonstrate skills useful in teaching, editing, and other areas related to creative writing. The program allows for a core of activity in creative writing leading to a final writing project in poetry, short fiction, the novel, or some other appropriate form. Flexibility is provided in other required course work to allow for a variety of possible interests.

All MFA students are required to take English 800 (Introduction to Graduate Study). Teaching Assistants are required to take the in-service training courses unless specifically exempted.

Applicants must meet the general requirements of the Graduate School. The Director of Creative Writing evaluates the applicant’s transcript, prescribing additional undergraduate hours for those who have fewer than 24 credit hours of acceptable course work in English. Courses in freshman composition, grammar, teaching methods, journalism, speech, etc., may not be included in the required 24 hours. Exceptions may be made for outstanding students who have majored in related fields. Gifted writers may study in the program as special students with no specific degree intentions; however, their admission to any workshop will be at the discretion of the instructor.

Applicants who earned their undergraduate degrees more than ten years before the time of application for admission must be interviewed by the Director of Creative Writing before admission to the degree program.

Applicants who have earned their degrees at institutions in foreign countries (in which English is not the native language) must score at least 600 in the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) Examination before being admitted to the MFA degree program in creative writing.

Applicants who seek to be admitted with full standing in the degree program must submit a sample of original writing in literary fiction (approximately twenty pages) or poetry (four to six poems) to the Director of Creative Writing at the time (or before) they make application to the Graduate School (see Note: # 9, Application Information and Instructions).

A minimum of 24 of the total 48 semester hours required for the degree in creative writing must be taken at Wichita State University. No more than 24 hours of credit may be counted toward the degree from other graduate work taken by the student at Wichita State or at another school. If the credit to be transferred comes from a program in which the student took a graduate degree, the time limits imposed by the Graduate School on other transfer of credit will not apply.

The 48 semester hours of degree course work are apportioned into two categories, required and elective courses.

A minimum of 3 hours per semester in English 801 (Creative Writing: Fiction), or 805 (Creative Writing: Poetry) to a maximum of 12 semester hours.

3 hours in English 800 (Introduction to Graduate Study in English) or the equivalent, required of all graduate students. English 800 should normally be included in the student’s first semester of graduate study.

3 hours in English 830 (Graduate Studies in Drama), 832 (Graduate Studies in Fiction), or 834 (Graduate Studies in Poetry). With departmental consent, each course may be repeated for a maximum of 6 hours credit.

3 hours in English 841 (Graduate Studies in Contemporary Literature), 860 (Graduate Seminar in Special Topics), or another suitable seminar in literature. With departmental consent, seminars may be repeated for a maximum of 12 hours credit.

3 to 6 hours in English 875 (MFA Final Writing Project). 6 hours over 2 semesters is typical.

For purposes of enrichment, candidates emphasizing fiction and poetry must take at least 3 graduate hours of comparative literature, literature in translation, foreign language or an applied course in another art or discipline. The choice is contingent upon the student’s having the proper prerequisites.

Graduate Teaching Assistants are required to take English 780 (Advanced Theory and Practice in Composition), and English 681 (Editing American English) unless specifically exempted, and to participate in the appropriate syllabus group.

Elective courses may be taken to strengthen areas of weakness; to pursue historical, technical, or theoretical studies that the candidates find useful; or to enrich their degree program appropriately. All candidates must successfully complete a minimum of 15 elective hours in English courses numbered 800 and above, with the exception of English courses numbered 515 through 527, which may be taken for graduate credit. Candidates may take up to 26 elective hours in English courses numbered 800 and above and in the approved 500-level courses. Other exceptions may be made as approved by the Director of Creative Writing. Instructors in 500, 600 or 700-level courses will impose more rigorous assignments upon students taking them for graduate credit. Within this unit, as many as 9 hours total of English 880 (Writer’s Tutorial: Fiction), English 881 (Writer’s Tutorial: Poetry), and English 855 (Directed Reading) may be taken.

All candidates are required to pass a written comprehensive examination in the final semester of their course work. This examination is based on a reading list of 30 books chosen from the MFA master reading list by the candidate’s final writing project director and the candidate.

The MFA final writing project consists of a body of original work of publishable quality. The manuscript must be of such length as is appropriate to published books in its genre and is to be written under the direction of a member of the program staff. Candidates may preface their project with a short introduction if they choose.

FINAL WRITING PROJECT REVIEW

Once the candidate has submitted the final writing project, a committee composed of the project director, 2^nd reader and another English department faculty member will examine the work and determine whether or not the project meets the standards of acceptance.

If you have any questions about our program please don’t hesitate to contact the Director of the MFA personally.