Everyone (Core Curriculum)

All students will complete 7 quarters of academic study. Six quarters of workshops & seminars. One quarter of thesis development where you finish work on your final creative manuscript. All of the courses below are asynchronous -- our students' curriculum is tailored to each individual student in mentor-focused course work. Each student takes three courses per quarter during the first 6 quarters of study: a workshop in your major, a literature course in your major, and a workshop in your elective or minor (what we call your "cross-genre"). In your seventh-- and final -- quarter, each student is enrolled in two classes -- a thesis course and a professional development course. 

Six low-residency workshop courses

CWLR 211 (E-Z). Low-Residency Genre Workshop (2) Workshop with Residency. Focuses on the production of original work. Includes introductory study of the chosen genre. Emphasizes technique structure, style, and form. F. Fiction; N. Nonfiction; P. Poetry; S. Screenwriting; T. Playwriting. Each segment is repeatable as its content changes to a maximum of 16 units.

CWLR 212 (E-Z). Low-Residency Genre Workshop (4) Workshop. Focuses on the production of original work. Includes introductory study of the chosen genre. Emphasizes technique structure, style, and form. F. Fiction; N. Nonfiction; P. Poetry; S. Screenwriting; T. Playwriting. Each segment is repeatable as its content changes to a maximum of 16 units.

Six low-residency seminars

CWLR 201 (E-Z). Low-Residency Seminar in Literature, Theatre, and Film (4) Seminar with Residency. A study of a period, style, author, or issue in relation to literary, theatrical, or film history. F. Fiction; N. Nonfiction; P. Poetry; S. Screenwriting; T. Playwriting. Each segment is repeatable as its content changes to a maximum of 20 units.

CWLR 202 (E-Z). Low-Residency Seminar in Literature, Theatre, and Film (2) Seminar. A study of a period, style, author, or issue in relation to literary, theatrical, or film history. F. Fiction; N. Nonfiction; P. Poetry; S. Screenwriting; T. Playwriting. Each segment is repeatable as its content changes to a maximum of 20 units.

Six low-residency cross-genre workshops

CWLR 221 (E-Z). Low-Residency Cross-Genre Workshop (2) Workshop with Residency. Focuses on the production of original work. Includes introductory study of chosen cross-genres. Emphasizes technique structure, style, and form. Each segment is repeatable as its content changes to a maximum of 12 units. F. Fiction; N. Nonfiction; P. Poetry; S. Screenwriting; T. Playwriting. Each segment is repeatable as its content changes to a maximum of 12 units.

CWLR 221 (E-Z). Low-Residency Cross-Genre Workshop (2) Workshop. Focuses on the production of original work. Includes introductory study of chosen cross-genres. Emphasizes technique structure, style, and form. Each segment is repeatable as its content changes to a maximum of 12 units. F. Fiction; N. Nonfiction; P. Poetry; S. Screenwriting; T. Playwriting. Each segment is repeatable as its content changes to a maximum of 12 units.

Seven units of thesis and one unit of professional development

CWLR 299. Research for Thesis (1-7) Thesis. Research for and preparation of the thesis. Graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC). The course is repeatable.

CWLR 200. Professional Fundamentals.

Five in-person residencies

Each student is required to attend five in-person residencies. Learn more about the residencies. 

Fiction 

As an MFA student emphasizing in fiction, you are expected to compile a significant amount of both creative and academic writing and are encouraged to finish a full manuscript.

As a fiction major, you will complete:

• A thesis with a minimum of 120 pages (although we encourage you to complete an actual full manuscript, which is typically more than 200 pages)
• An extensive study of craft and literature (read approximately 10 to 15 books per quarter and write several critical papers a month)
  • This is accompanied by lectures (online and in residency)
  • Your reading list is devised in consultation with your professor and will contain works that directly correlate with your creative aims
• A lecture during your final residency on a topic relevant to your course of study, as part of your professional development curriculum
• Three longer critical works (two 10-page papers and one 20-page paper based on an area of interest in your cumulative readings, creative work, and outside study)

Nonfiction

As an MFA student emphasizing in nonfiction, you are expected to compile a significant amount of both creative and academic writing and are encouraged to finish a full manuscript.

As a nonfiction major, you will complete:

• A thesis with a minimum of 120 pages (although we encourage you to complete an actual full manuscript, which is typically more than 200 pages). This manuscript can be a memoir, essay collection, creative nonfiction, single-or-multi topic examination or historical work. All genres and forms are welcome.
• An extensive study of craft and literature (read approximately 10 to 15 books per quarter and write several critical papers a month)
  • This is accompanied by lectures (online and in residency)
  • Your reading list is devised in consultation with your professor and will contain works that directly correlate with your creative aims
• A lecture during your final residency on a topic relevant to your course of study, as part of your professional development curriculum
• Three longer critical works (two 10-page papers and one 20-page paper based on an area of interest in your cumulative readings, creative work, and outside study)

Playwriting 

Throughout the program, you will complete several plays and an intensive critical study of the form.

As a playwriting major you will complete:

• A thesis that will be either:
  • A full feature play (approximately 100 pages)
  • or several one-act plays (totaling approximately 100 pages)
• An extensive study of the craft of playwriting including reading and viewing several plays each month, and reading critical and analytical books on the craft of playwriting (about 15 to 20 plays per quarter)
• A lecture during your final residency on a topic relevant to your course of study as part of your professional development curriculum (the topic will reflect your course of study, creative work, and area of interest and will usually be reflective of your cumulative critical papers)
• Three longer critical works (two 10-page papers and one 20-page paper based on an area of interest in your cumulative readings, creative work, and outside study (these will be assigned by your professors)

Screenwriting

Throughout the program, you will complete several scripts and an intensive critical study of film or TV.

As a screenwriting major, you will complete:

• A thesis that will be either:
  • A full feature script (approximately 100 pages)
    or
  • Two one-hour spec television scripts (approximately 50 to 60 pages each, generally a pilot and a first episode)
    or
  • Four half-hour television scripts (approximately 30 pages each, generally a pilot and three subsequent episodes)
• An extensive study of the craft of screenwriting including viewing several films and/or TV shows, reading several scripts each month, and reading critical and analytical books on the craft of screenwriting (about 15 to 20 films/scripts/books per quarter)
• A lecture during your final residency on a topic relevant to your course of study as part of your professional development curriculum (the topic will reflect your course of study, creative work, and area of interest and will usually be reflective of your cumulative critical papers)
• Three longer critical works assigned by your professors (two 10-page papers and one 20-page paper based on an area of interest in your cumulative readings, creative work, and outside study)