Creative Writing Emphasis Requirements
- 12-15 hours of English and American literature. Students are urged to take literature
courses in the genre in which they plan to write their final portfolio.
- At least 15 hours in 400- and 5500-level writing courses, primarily in the genre in which one
plans to submit one's final portfolio. English 5532 (Advanced Creative Writing Prose) and
5535 (Advanced Creative Writing Poetry) may be repeated for credit.
- Up to 6 hours may be in the departments of Communication Studies or Theatre (as long
as other courses outside the department have not been credited toward graduation).
- Three hours for completion of the Creative Writing Portfolio (English 5599: Research and Thesis)
at the end of the student's last semester (or, under special circumstances, summer
session). The portfolio will consist of the student's own writing and will be expected to
contain new work created for the portfolio, and may contain earlier work done for classes
or outside of class. The portfolio will be evaluated by a Portfolio Assessment Committee,
consisting of the student's 5599 professor, a member of the creative writing
faculty, and a member of the literature faculty. (The 5599 professor can be a creative writing, communication studies, or theatre faculty member.) The student must submit the portfolio to
the full committee by the 13th week of classes of the final semester, and it must be
approved by the student's full committee before the last day of classes.
Typically, the portfolio consists of one of the following:
- 40 pages of poetry.
- 75 pages of fiction or creative nonfiction.
- Two one-act plays or one full-length play.
- Two short-feature screenplays or one full-length screenplay.
Note: Students are expected to include in their portfolio some new work, done outside of
class and submitted only to the portfolio committee.
The portfolio will meet all applicable bibliographical guidelines
customary for the submission of work in the chosen genre. A brief introduction
may be included if the student desires to place his or her work in a historical or other context, or desires to
explain some aspect of the work. After approval, the student is to have one copy bound
for archival purposes, and presented to the department for preservation.
If the committee decides that the portfolio fails to meet the expected standards, the
student has the option of resubmitting the portfolio in another semester. A portfolio may
not be submitted a third time until the graduate committee reviews the record and determines
when the next attempt should be made. In the event of a third failure, the
graduate committee, after a further review, may decide to require additional coursework
or writing work before the candidate may resubmit the portfolio.
