The School of Arts and Humanities offers the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (https://www.uamont.edu/academics/arts-humanities/mfa-cw.html) to provide opportunity to talented and highly self-disciplined individuals to earn an MFA tailored to fit their lifestyles, interests, and goals and to develop their creative writing, critical thinking, and literary analysis skills to an exemplary level through study under successful and dedicated writer-teachers from a range of backgrounds and aesthetic perspectives.

The mission of the MFA program is directly related to the mission of the university in that it enhances individuals’ abilities to think creatively and critically, to effectively communicate, to be technologically literate, to appreciate and contribute to the cultures of their communities and beyond, and to possess awareness and sensitivity to global issues.

Expected Student Learning Outcomes

A graduate of the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of Arkansas at Monticello will demonstrate:

• A broad knowledge of literary history, particularly in the student’s genre.
• A depth of knowledge regarding modern and contemporary literary works, particularly in the student’s genre.
• The ability to interpret and evaluate sophisticated literary works, particularly in the student’s genre.
• The production of creative work of a quality making it competitive for publication in national journals and with national publishing houses.

Admission Requirements

A student who is admitted to the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program must:

1. Hold a baccalaureate degree from a fully accredited college or university;
2. Have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher;
3. Submit 3 letters of recommendation from writers, editors, or educators qualified to judge the applicant’s potential for success in a graduate online/low-residency writing program;
4. Submit a creative-writing sample: Twenty pages of creative writing indicating talent, discipline, potential growth, and interests and intentions that can be well served by the UAM MFA program;
5. Submit a critical analysis: Three pages exploring some aspect or element of craft in a literary work; and
6. Submit a personal essay of 3 pages addressing the following:
   1. Applicant’s background in the study of creative writing and literature.
   2. Literary influences on applicant’s writing.
   3. How applicant’s work, family, or other obligations will accommodate devoting 20 to 25 hours per week to writing and to the completion of other program requirements.
   4. Reasons why an online/ low-residency MFA program suits the applicant’s level of experience and goals for future development as a writer.

Graduate Assistantships

Contingent annually upon budget approval, Graduate Assistantships may be awarded to a small number of qualified students on a competitive basis. Graduate Assistants teach one online section of an undergraduate English course per semester in exchange for a waiver of graduate tuition costs up to 9 credit hours for that semester. Blackboard (online learning management system) training is required. Graduate Assistants are closely mentored by the Director of Composition.

Student Advising

All MFA students are advised by the MFA Director to assure that program requirements are being met and that each student is progressing toward completion of the degree.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of nine hours of graduate-level work can be transferred from other accredited universities with the approval of the MFA Director and the Dean of the School of Arts and Humanities. No course with a grade lower than “B” can be transferred.

Thesis

The final 6 credit hours consist of ENGL 519V MFA Thesis , in which students complete a book-length manuscript of publishable quality that must be approved by both the thesis-semester Faculty Mentor and another faculty member. In addition, the student must submit a 5-to-7 page critical essay to demonstrate competence as a critical reader, a broad knowledge of literary history, and a depth of knowledge of contemporary literature.