ADMISSION PROCEDURES

Candidates for admission for the M.F.A. degree should fill out the M.F.A. Program Application Form, which can be found by clicking here.  

As explained on this form, all applicants to the M.F.A. program must include:

• The completed M.F.A. Program Application Form
• A 1,000-word Statement of Purpose in which you explain why you are interested in pursuing graduate studies in creative writing, and discuss yourself as a writer. You may wish to make reference to professional, academic and/or personal interests, as well as future goals.
• A sample of your creative work in the genre to which you are applying (minimum 15 pages, maximum 25 pages, of fiction; or 10 pages of poetry)
• Three letters of recommendation (the letters of recommendation should be mailed directly to you in sealed envelopes with the signature of the recommender across the flap of the envelope). At least one of these letters should be from a person familiar with you as a writer and also with you as a student.

Completed M.F.A. Program Applications should be sent to:

M.F.A. Admissions Committee
Attn: Robin Troy, M.F.A. Program Administrator
Department of English
Engleman Hall, D Wing
Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street
New Haven, CT 06515

Candidates must also file an application with the Graduate Office. Applications can be obtained by clicking here, or by calling the Graduate Office at (203) 392-5240. Applicants should submit all official transcripts to the Graduate Office.

Again, the deadline for applications is March 1. Applicants will be notified of their status no later than mid-April.

If you are a transfer student from another M.F.A. program and are accepted into Southern's M.F.A. program, you may transfer up to 12 credits toward Southern's M.F.A. program, provided those 12 credits of course work were completed within the prior six years, with a minimum G.P.A. of 3.0. Of those 12 credits, a maximum of two workshop courses may be transferred as elective credits; final decisions about credit transfer are determined by the M.F.A. Admissions Committee. 

If you are currently enrolled as a graduate student in Southern's M.A. or M.S. program and are accepted to transfer into the M.F.A. program, you should contact M.F.A. Program Administrator Robin Troy (contact info below) to discuss how your credits will transfer. A maximum of two workshop courses may be transferred; final decisions about credit transfer are determined by the M.F.A. Admissions Committee.

If you have already graduated from Southern's M.A. or M.S. program and wish to apply to the M.F.A. program, your M.A. or M.S. credits will not transfer to credits toward the M.F.A. program; rather, you will design a 30-credit course of M.F.A. study with an M.F.A. faculty member instead of the traditional 48-credit course of study. A maximum of two workshop courses may be transferred; final decisions about credit-transfer are determined by the M.F.A. Admissions Committee.

If you have any questions about the program or the application process, contact:
Prof. Robin Troy, M.F.A. Program Administrator, (203) 392-9636 or troyr2@southernct.edu.