MA and MFA in Creative Writing

Northwestern’s School of Continuing Studies offers two graduate degrees for students of creative writing: the Master of Arts in Creative Writing (MA) and the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA). Students in both programs work closely with faculty through workshops and individual mentoring. As part-time degree programs with committed, established faculty, the MA and MFA curricula offer the best features of residential and low-residency programs.

The creative writing programs provide students with artistic nurturing in a community of writers, both faculty and peers; exposure to the aesthetics of writing; and participatory readings and events - all within a flexible curriculum. Students focus on fiction, creative nonfiction, or poetry in a workshop environment. They work closely with the program's faculty, who help them recognize and address the strengths and weaknesses in their writing.

While an advanced creative writing degree helps distinguish students as capable writers, the creative writing programs also offer the opportunity to teach and gain experience in the publishing industry through optional internships. Some graduates go on to become successful published writers, others to pursue careers in publishing and editing, and still others to teach creative writing.

Recent and continuing faculty include:
Brian Bouldrey
Sheila Donohue
Stuart Dybek
Reginald Gibbons
Miles Harvey
Aleksander Hemon
John Keene
Mary Kinzie
Alex Kotlowitz
Simone Muench
Ed Roberson
S.L. Wisenberg

Curriculum

Master of Arts in Creative Writing

The Master of Arts program permits students to develop their particular talents through small writing and literature classes, where they receive close attention from faculty. The MA offers three specializations: Fiction, Poetry and Creative Nonfiction. The 10-course curriculum includes three workshops in a concentration, five electives, and one cross-genre writing seminar.

Core Curriculum (4 courses)

• 3 workshops in one genre
• 1 cross-genre course

Electives (5 courses drawn from literature studies, in the MALit program, special topics courses, and seminars and internships in teaching and publishing)

• Must include 2 literature studies courses
• 2 independent study courses (maximum)

Thesis (1 course)

• 1 writing thesis course

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

The MFA program incorporates single and multiple-genre study, including numerous opportunities for study within Northwestern University's community of writers. The MFA is a partially funded, interdisciplinary graduate writing program with three tracks: Fiction, Poetry and Creative Nonfiction. The 18-course curriculum allows students to explore writing in depth and includes ten core courses, six elective courses, and two thesis courses.

Core Curriculum (10 courses)

• 5 workshops in one genre
• 1 cross-genre course
• 1 Seminar on Teaching Creative Writing
• 1 Practicum Internship in Teaching
• 2 Interdisciplinary Project Seminar Workshops

Electives (6 courses drawn from literature studies and special topics courses)

• Must include 3 literature studies courses
• 2 independent study courses (maximum)

Thesis (2 courses)

• 2 quarters writing thesis

Thesis

The final project of the both the MA and MFA programs is a creative thesis, an original work of high literary merit (judged on the basis of art as well as craft). The creative thesis is structured and revised under the supervision of a faculty member. The project may be one long piece or a series of shorter pieces. It may include or be an expansion of work written during the student's course of study as long as it represents a culminating effort to shape stories, prose pieces, a long piece, or a group of poems into a coherent, self-sufficient work. This large-scale project supplements the smaller-scale study of craft with the invaluable experience of creating a larger work. And for students who plan to pursue book-length publication after graduation, the master's creative thesis may be the first version of a work in progress.

Electives

Electives are chosen from the graduate course offerings in literature (MALit), creative writing special topics courses (MCW 490), and the seminars and internships (practica) in teaching and publishing. Since good writers also need to be good readers, students must take electives in literary studies. Recent electives include courses on reading poetry; the narrator in fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; and writing humor. Independent studies with faculty mentors round out the program and provide an opportunity to strengthen writing portfolios.

Faculty Mentors

Besides drawing from the pool of faculty teaching the on-campus workshops, students may complete an independent study via email with an instructor from the Faculty Mentor List. This list provides students with a wider variety of instructors with diverse writing styles and teaching methods to choose from. The mentors list changes annually, though new mentors may be added more frequently. Click here for instructions on how to register.

Publishing Internships

Chicago has a long history as a home to distinguished literary and cultural journals that seek out up-and-coming writers. Creative writing students can learn first-hand about this publishing arena and how it works by interning at a literary journal and receiving up to a whole class' worth of credit. Students develop projects based on experience at a journal under the guidance of publishing director Susan Harris (sharris@northwestern.edu), faculty member, editor of Words without Borders, and former director and editor-in-chief of Northwestern University Press. The practicum — along with the 10-week course Seminar on the American Publishing Industry (MCW 575) — prepares students for publishing careers. Students may contact one of the following organizations and request a placement or contact a place of their own choosing.

Teaching Practicum

Both the MA and MFA programs qualify degree-holders for entry-level teaching in college-level writing programs. Although participation in a practicum does not guarantee graduates a teaching job, the practicum in teaching enables students to get hands-on teaching experience while receiving credit. The practicum — along with the 10-week course Seminar on Teaching Creative Writing (MCW 570) — prepares students for a teaching career. S. L. Wisenberg (wisenberg@northwestern.edu), faculty member and creative writing program co-director, guides students. Students may contact one of the following organizations and request a placement, or contact S. L. Wisenberg (wisenberg@northwestern.edu) for placement options.