{"id":754,"date":"2012-09-10T20:03:54","date_gmt":"2012-09-10T20:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad1213\/sas\/programs\/master-of-fine-arts-in-professional-writing\/"},"modified":"2021-12-16T11:59:13","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T16:59:13","slug":"master-of-fine-arts-in-professional-writing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/sas\/programs\/master-of-fine-arts-in-professional-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE AND PROFESSIONAL WRITING"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Master of Fine Arts in Creative and Professional Writing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 676px\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 867.55px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Anthony D&#8217;Aries, Graduate Coordinator, HI 219A<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 436.44px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Phone: (203) 837-3252<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 867.55px\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 436.44px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">dariesa@wcsu.edu<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 867.55px\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 436.44px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Fax: (203) 837-3953<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 867.55px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Department Secretary, HI 205<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 436.44px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Phone: (203) 837-8878<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 867.55px\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 436.44px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">richardsl@wcsu.edu<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 867.55px\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 436.44px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Fax: (636) 246-7589<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 674.95px\" border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 40px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><em>Faculty:\u00a0 <\/em><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 631.95px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">B. Clements; K. Custer; A. D&#8217;Aries, O. De Los Santos; E. Hagan; M. Lewis, J. Roche.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Creative and Professional Writing Overview<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">The Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Creative and Professional Writing is a terminal degree program founded on the belief that writers who can work in multiple genres are best equipped for professional careers and that writing across genres has both practical and systemic benefits for the writer. The low-residency structure of the program offers a convenient course of study for traditional students coming directly out of undergraduate programs as well as for nontraditional students who have decided to return to school after a short or long hiatus due to family, career, or other commitments. All course-work is online. Students are required to attend four residencies as part of the degree. These are offered on-campus twice a year,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Program Goals <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">The MFA in Creative and Professional Writing seeks to provide writers with the skills they need to maintain professional writing careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Objectives<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">Students in the MFA in Creative and Professional Writing program will: <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">1.\u00a0 acquire the ability to produce publishable-quality writing, <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">2.\u00a0 will engage in experiential learning in the fields of writing, publishing, or teaching, and <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">3.\u00a0 will acquire familiarity with professional expectations of flexible and adaptive career writers.\u00a0<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Learning Outcomes<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">1.\u00a0 Students will demonstrate ongoing competence in one creative and one pratical genre. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">2.\u00a0 Students will produce publishable work in one creative and one practical genre. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">3.\u00a0 Students will demonstrate either proficiency to teach writing or practical knowledge of a professional application in the writing world. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times\">4.\u00a0 S<\/span><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times\">tudents will demonstrate awareness of traditions, conventions, and innovations in one creative and one practical genre.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Admission Requirements<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">A student who wishes to obtain an M.F.A. in Creative and Professional Writing must hold a baccalaureate degree from an institution of higher education. The program welcomes students from diverse educational backgrounds; no degree in English or in any humanities field is required.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">In addition to the application, each prospective student must\u00a0submit two writing samples: a 20 to 50 page portfolio of previous writing and a brief essay. The portfolio may consist of writing in any genre, but the department prefers a combination of creative and practical writing samples, if possible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\"><a href=\"http:\/\/wcsu.edu\/graduate\/application.asp\">Graduate Application<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/graduate\/forms\/mfa-documentation.asp\">MFA Additional Admission Documentation<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wcsu.edu\/graduate\/forms\/mfa-questionnaire.asp\">MFA Genre and Schedule Questionnaire<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wcsu.edu\/graduate\/forms\/essay.asp\">Essay Form<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">All materials should be forwarded to the Office of Graduate Admissions, Western Connecticut State University, 181 Write Street, Danbury, CT 06810 or sent as an attachment to <a href=\"mailto:graduateadmissions@wcsu.edu\">Graduate Admissions<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Degree Requirements<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">The student will select one creative genre (such as fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, or drama) and one practical genre (such as public relations\/marketing, technical writing, or magazine feature writing). The student will designate one of those genres as the primary genre and the other as a secondary genre. Additionally, the student will work in a multigenre workshop each semester, which will involve reading, critiquing, and possibly writing in disciplines other than the two specializations. All course work other than the online multigenre workshop follows the mentorship model, where each course consists of one-on-one consultation between one mentor and one student.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">The student may opt for a two, three, or four year plan for completion of the degree. In the three and four year options, the student will declare at the outset of the program the residencies and corresponding semesters in which s\/he plans to enroll. The student will attend four residencies over the course of the program. All residencies are held in Danbury.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><strong>Master of Fine Arts in Creative and Professional Writing<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 777.59px\" border=\"0\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt\"><em><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times\">First Semester<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Course Rotation<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 543 Online Multi-Genre Workshop I<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 536 Reading for Writers I (Primary Genre)<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 539 Genre History, Criticism, and Theory<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 542 Writing in the Primary Genre I<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><em>Second Semester<\/em><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 579 Online Multi-Genre Workshop II<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 537 Reading for Writers II (Second Genre)<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 576 Writing in the Primary Genre II<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 578 Writing in the Second Genre<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><em>Third Semester<\/em><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 582 Online Multi-Genre Workshop III<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 569 Internship or Teaching Practicum<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 571 The Individual Aesthetic and Process<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 577 Writing in the Primary Genre III<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\"><em>Fourth Semester<\/em><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 583 Online Multi-Genre Workshop IV<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">4 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 447px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">WRT 584 Thesis\/PDE<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 58px\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">8 SH<\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.59px;text-align: center\"><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times,serif;font-size: 12pt\">Every Fall and Spring<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: small\"><em>\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: times new roman,times;font-size: 12pt\">Additionally, the student will be required to complete an enrichment project that complements the course of study. Such a project might involve starting a new publication, volunteering at a nonprofit literary center, working as a contract writer, or learning a foreign language.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Master of Fine Arts in Creative and Professional Writing Anthony D&#8217;Aries, Graduate Coordinator, HI 219A Phone: (203) 837-3252 dariesa@wcsu.edu Fax: (203) 837-3953 Department Secretary, HI 205 Phone: (203) 837-8878 richardsl@wcsu.edu Fax: (636) 246-7589 &nbsp; Faculty:\u00a0 B. Clements; K. Custer; A. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":747,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-754","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/754","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=754"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/754\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catalogs.wcsu.edu\/grad2122\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=754"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}