The Master of Fine Arts degree consists of workshops in chosen genres, culminating in a final project (the master's thesis) which showcases the writer's cultivated talents, in the form of a short-story collection, novel, or screenplay. Requirements consist of 48 units of course work (12 courses) and 8 units of master's thesis project. Course Work - The core curriculum includes the following:
- 4 workshop courses in genre of choice
- 2 workshop courses in a cross-genre
In addition, students must complete the following:
- 2 graduate-level literature courses from English or Comparative Literature (requirement can be met with upper-division courses in these areas along with the appropriate 292)
- 3 graduate-level seminars from Theatre and/or Creative Writing
- 1 course in literature in translation (upper-division or graduate level) from Hispanic Studies or Comparative Literature OR 1 additional cross-genre course
Thesis Courses
In the area of screenwriting, the final written project is a full-length screenplay or teleplay (approximately 120 pages). In the area fiction, the final written project is a novel or short story collection. Each student will be paired with one or two faculty members who will serve as the thesis advisor(s). Two faculty readers, in addition to the advisor(s), will evaluate the thesis work.