Graduate Study

The Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing is for students who have already demonstrated ability in the writing of fiction and poetry. The program offers a balance of intimate and intensive writing workshops with courses in literature, form and technique, and such related electives as creative nonfiction writing and translation. Course work culminates in a thesis--a collection of poetry or short stories or a novel--and the completion of a comprehensive portfolio which includes an annotated biblography of fifty works important to the student's progression as a writer.

Applicants to the program should request our application packet; contact information is available on the MFA application page. Though GPA is considered, we pay the closest attention to your writing sample: 12-20 pages of poems for poets, or two short stories or a chapter or two of a novel in-progress for fiction writers. Apply by January 15 if you want to be considered for any University fellowship or for a Graduate Teaching Assistantship.

Faculty Profiles - Recent Publication

Dan Beachy-Quick Leslee Becker John Calderazzo Matthew Cooperman Mary Crow - Emeriti

Judy Doenges Deanna Ludwin David Milofsky Steven Schwartz Sasha Steensen

Teaching Assistantships

Teaching Assistantships are available on a competitive  basis, as are assistantships for the position of Administrative Assistant to the Director of Creative Writing. Students with Teaching Assistantships or Colorado Fellowships usually complete the MFA in three years; those who don't need financial aid can finish in two.

If you're applying for a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA), make sure to provide a written statement that speaks to your qualifications and enthusiasm for college teaching. Remember, most GTA's will be teaching freshman composition. In your application, emphasize anything that speaks to your formal teaching experience (paid or volunteer), such as tutoring, writing center counseling, or even coaching or outdoor recreation. In addition, remind those who are writing your letters of recommendation to speak to your
potential for college teaching.

Requirements for the Degree:

• Completion of 48 semester credits including 12 credits of thesis work
• Completion of the following required core courses:
  • E513 Form & Technique in Modern Literature: Fiction or Poetry (3 credits)
  • E640 Graduate Writing Workshop: Fiction or Poetry (12 credits)
  • One course (300-level or above) outside the English Department (unless your bachelor's degree was not in English (3 credits)
  • E699 Thesis (12 credits)
  • Pre-20th Century E500+ literature course (3 credits)
    
    
  • View Advising Checksheet
  
  
  
• Completion of portfolio--See portfolio information.
• Completion of thesis and oral defense--See thesis information.

Internship Opportunities in Creative Writing

We offer a variety of for-credit internships (some paid) in such areas as college teaching, public education, arts administration in literature, and literary editing (including the Center for Literary Publishing, the Colorado Review, the Freestone, and the Department's Alumni Magazine. A paid internship as editor of A, a literary magazine staffed by CSU undergraduates, is also available. Though students may take as many internship credits as they like, only six credits in E687 Internship or E684 Supervised College Teaching can be counted towards their 48-hour degree.

MFA candidates can also take a course in Teaching College Creative Writing, which allows them to teach Introduction to Creative Writing.

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This information is not intended to replace your advisor or the information in the CSU General Catalog, the Class Schedule, or the Department Checksheets.

Contact us:  Attn: Marnie Leonard – Through the mail at 1773 Campus Delivery Eddy Hall, Ft. Collins, CO  80523-1773.  On the phone at (970) 491-2403.  By e-mail at Marnie.Leonard@colostate.edu.

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