Writing Graduate Courses & Requirements

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Download the Fall 2023 Coursebook

Requirements for Graduation

Curriculum subject to change.

The required 60 points for the MFA degree must include:

  • Three 6-point workshops and one 9-point thesis workshop.

  • At least 21 points total of Graduate Writing Program lectures, seminars, and/or master classes.   Independent studies, internships, Special Projects Workshops, and courses taken outside the program cannot be counted toward this 21-point requirement.

  • At least one lecture over your four semesters of coursework.

  • Enough points in additional classes inside or outside the Writing Program (which can include internships or independent study credits), to complete the minimum of 60 points.

  • Nonfiction students are required to take one seminar with a substantive research component in order to satisfy the research requirement for the concentration. At least two seminars that satisfy the research requirement—typically focused on reporting or research methods—will be offered each year.

If you wish, you may earn more than the 60 points necessary to meet the minimum requirement for graduation.

In addition, a thesis of work composed (or substantially revised) since entering the program is required for the degree. A thesis conference with your two faculty thesis evaluators is optional. This is not a thesis defense—your evaluators, in consultation with your concentration director, make the decision to pass or fail the thesis before the conference takes place. Unless a student is pursuing the Literary Translation joint course of study, a thesis may not consist of work in more than one genre unless approved by both concentration directors.

For students entering the program Fall 2020 or after: A poetry thesis must be a minimum of 35 pages. A prose thesis must be between 22,500 and 50,000 words. If your thesis is longer, you must make a selection and include a synopsis.

For students who entered the program before Fall 2020: A poetry thesis must be a minimum of 35 pages. A prose thesis must be between 90 and 300 pages. If your thesis is longer, you must make a selection and include a synopsis.

Independent Study and Internships

Independent study courses and internships for credit count as electives; they may not be used to satisfy other graduation requirements. No more than 6 credits of independent study and/or 3 credits earned by an internship may count towards the 60 points required for graduation. Internships for credit are offered by a number of magazines, publishers, and New York City literary organizations.

An internship (course number R6401) requires the approval of the chair or the administrative director following submission of a written proposal (including the name of the supervisor); students must demonstrate that the internship will provide substantial literary experience (i.e., an internship with a literary magazine in which the student evaluates and edits manuscripts would count, while one where the student primarily answers the phone and does clerical work would not). Each internship requires a written evaluation by the supervisor, to be submitted to the administrative director.

Internships usually require 15-20 hours of work per week. For a one-semester internship, students are therefore expected to work a total of 195-260 hours. From one to three points may be earned for one semester's internship, depending on the hours worked, the student's needs, and the chair's discretion. An internship may extend over two semesters, provided the student works a minimum of 110 hours per semester.

An independent study (course number R6400) requires that the student find a faculty member to work with. Please note that faculty availability for independent studies is very limited, and approvals are highly selective. It is strongly suggested that you approach an instructor with a clear plan - in writing - for what you wish to do and what you would expect from him or her. Each independent study requires a minimum of three meetings and written work as mutually agreed upon. The number of credits earned (between one and six) depends upon the amount of work, the student's needs, and the chair's discretion.

Course Requirements

The following regulations apply unless otherwise stated in writing:

  • Under no circumstances are students allowed to audit a Writing Program course.

  • Attendance is mandatory. Unexcused absences may result in failure.

  • No work can be submitted for credit to more than one course, although a workshop may review earlier work (which has been substantially revised) with the permission of the workshop instructor.

  • Collaborative work with authors not enrolled in the class is not permitted.

  • Prose workshops meet for three hours and each student is required to produce at least three submissions for class discussion according to a schedule determined at the start of the semester. Typically, at least 35 pages of prose must be submitted for each workshop course; thesis workshops require about twice that amount. After each submission the student must meet with the instructor for an editorial conference. Students in workshops are required to discuss each other's submissions in class and to supply written editorial comments on each submission at the end of the class.

  • Poetry workshops meet for 3 hours weekly and each student must produce at least 8-10 new poems per semester. Thesis workshops generally require final portfolios of a minimum of 20 pages of poetry. Students in workshops are required to discuss each other's submissions in class and to supply written editorial comments on each submission at the end of the class.

  • Seminars, lectures, and master classes require class participation and written work as assigned by the instructor. Since these are reading and discussion courses, the written assignments will normally run to no more than a total of 15 pages during the semester. Instructors are available for individual conferences.

Failure to comply with any of the above may result in failure for the course.