Main Campus Traditional Program

Consists of workshops in chosen genres, culminating in a final project (the master’s thesis or manuscript) that showcases the writer’s cultivated talents, in the form of a poetry collection, novel, memoir, screenplay, or full-length play. The M.F.A. requires students to major in one genre but encourages them to explore the other genres as well, allowing for creative movement within disciplines. Structure and focus in screenwriting and playwriting can also be applied to fiction and nonfiction, and lyricism and metaphor in poetry can also enhance description and dialogue in the other genres, for example. Students can also engage in course work in varied areas of directing and acting, in film history and literature, in literary criticism and translation, with supplemental courses selected from departments such as Comparative Literature and Foreign Languages, English, Hispanic Studies, and Media and Cultural Studies. Students can gain practical aspects of filmmaking from courses in Studio Art and Theatre.

Course Requirements Minimum requirements consist of 56 units of course work (12 courses) and 8 units of master’s thesis or manuscript project. The core curriculum includes the following:

• 1. Students in the Creative Writing Track

(fiction, nonfiction and poetry) are required to take six workshop courses in their chosen genre (18 units total). Students in the Writing for Performance Arts Track (playwriting and screenwriting) are required to take four workshop courses in their chosen genre (12 units).

• 2. CWPA 201 (4 units)

• 3. Two graduate seminars from Creative Writing

and Writing for the Performing Arts (8 units).

• 4. Two graduate seminars from any

department(s) outside of Theatre and Creative Writing. Seminar subject matter should be relevant to student’s thesis or manuscript project. Requirement can be met with upper-division courses, with instructor and graduate advisor approval, as an appropriate 292 course (8 units).

• 5. Three electives in workshop, graduate

seminar or thesis or manuscript, with the following limitations: Students may take a maximum of six workshops (24 units) within their chosen genre, and a maximum of 16 thesis or manuscript units within the normative time to degree (six terms). Students are encouraged to take seminars or cross-genre workshops, as available; elective thesis or manuscript units beyond the 8 required units must be approved by the student’s thesis or manuscript advisor and graduate advisor (12 units).

• 6. Thesis or manuscript (8 units) In the areas

of playwriting and screenwriting, the final written project is a full-length play of two or three acts (90-130 pages) or screenplay or teleplay (approximately 130 pages). In the areas of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, the final written project is a poetry collection, novel, short story collection, or essay collection. Each student is paired with one or two faculty members who serve as thesis advisor(s). Two faculty readers, in addition to the advisor(s), evaluate the thesis work. The length of the final project breaks down as follows: Poetry 40 – 65 pages, Fiction 100 – 150 pages, Creative Non-fiction 100 – 150 pages, screenplay, teleplay or play 90 – 130 pages.

Normative Time to Degree Main campus: 6 quarters;

Palm Desert Low Residency Program Consists of workshops in chosen genres and course work culminating in a final project (the master’s thesis or manuscript) which showcases the Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts / 210 writer’s cultivated talents, in the form of a poetry collection, novel, short story collection, essay collection, memoir, full-length work of nonfiction, screenplay, or full-length play. The M.F.A. requires students to write in two genres, allowing for creative movement within disciplines. Structure and focus in screenwriting and playwriting can also be applied to fiction and nonfiction, and lyricism and metaphor in poetry can also enhance description and dialogue in the other genres, for example. Students engage in course work in varied areas of directing and acting, in film history and literature, in literary criticism and translation. Requirements consist of 56 units of course work.

Course Requirements

• 1. Six low residency genre workshop courses.

• 2. Six low residency literature, poetry, and film

seminars.

• 3. Six low residency cross genre workshops.

• 4. Thesis or manuscript. In the areas of

playwriting and screenwriting, the final written project is a full-length play of two or three acts (90–120 pages) or screenplay or teleplay (approximately 120 pages). In the areas of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, the final written project is a poetry collection (approximately 60 pages), novel, short story collection, essay collection, memoir or full- length nonfiction work (between 100-200 pages). Each student is paired with three faculty members who serve as the thesis advisor(s).

• 5. One unit Professional Fundamentals Course.

Normative Time to Degree 7 quarters