The Master of Fine Arts Program
in Creative Writing

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

~ Mark Twain, Hartford, Conn.

"The difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between the lightning and the lightning bug."

~ Mark Twain

Southern is home to the only full-residency Master of Fine Arts Program in the state of Connecticut. The M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Southern is a terminal-degree program, preparing students for careers as writers, teachers, editors, and professionals in the publishing world. With its main focus on the writing workshop and the creative thesis, the M.F.A. also requires students to study literature at the graduate level.

Located midway between New York City and Boston in New Haven, Connecticut, Southern offers a thriving and long-lived culture, tradition, and community of creative writers. Along with a nationally-recognized, award-winning creative-writing faculty, Southern is also home to the graduate literary magazine Noctua Review, and partial home to the national, award-winning literary arts periodical, The Connecticut Review.

The Creative Writing Program's visiting writers' and editors' series brings nationally-renowned writers to campus to read from their work, as well as editors from such prestigious national publications as Sou'wester, Louisiana Literature, Cincinnati Review, and The Gettysburg Review. Visiting writers have included authors Steve Almond, Dale Peck, Brock Clarke, Marilyn Nelson, Stewart O'Nan, Erin McGraw, Andrew Hudgins, Michelle Richmond, Sandra Rodriguez Barron, Tom Perrota, Michael Martone, Penelope Pelizzon, and Alan Michael Parker, and Allison Joseph.

Our students have been published in journals such as Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, The South Carolina Review, Phoebe, Southern Review, McSweeney's, Quarterly West and American Letters and Commentary, and have accumulated a range of national awards, fellowships, and book contracts.

Admission to the M.F.A. program is competitive, with roughly six poets and six fiction writers admitted each year. The deadline for applications is March 1. Applicants will be notified of their status no later than mid-April.

To see Associated Writing Program's "Annual Report on the Academic Job Market," click here.

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, if possible, 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.

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.

M.F.A. GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS

Each year, two Graduate Assistantships will be awarded to incoming M.F.A. students. M.F.A. Graduate Assistants (G.A.s) receive a stipend of approximately $9,600 for the academic year, paid in several installments, and are expected to assist with professional-development functions and administrative duties within the English Department and M.F.A. Program. The Graduate Assistantships DO NOT INCLUDE TEACHING.

The Graduate Assistantships are not tuition waivers but are designed to offset the cost of graduate school and afford the student time to devote to his or her writing.

Application Procedure

Graduate Assistantship application forms are available in Engleman D-265A from Ms. Tanya Smith, the English Department secretary, or by following this link. M.F.A. applicants who also wish to apply for a Graduate Assistantship must follow each of the following steps:

Complete a Graduate Assistantship application form.
Write a 500-word statement outlining why you are a good candidate for an assistantship, including some discussion of what strengths you can bring to our program and of how an assistantship will help you.
Submit these materials, along with your M.F.A. application, in a single envelope addressed to

Professor Robin Troy, M.F.A. Program Administrator
English Department, Engleman D-265C
Southern Connecticut State University
501 Crescent Street
New Haven, CT 06515-1355.

Application Deadline

All application materials must be received by March 1.

Notification

Phone interviews with the M.F.A. Admissions Committee may be conducted prior to selection. Based on the application materials and possible interview, two M.F.A. students will be selected for assistantships and notified by phone or by email. Again, these graduate assistantships are not graduate teaching assistantships and so do not include teaching.

For more information, contact Professor Robin Troy, M.F.A. Program Administrator, troyr2@southernct.edu, (203) 392-9636.

Other Types of Funding for M.F.A. Students

GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS (GTAs)

Three students in the M.A., M.S., and M.F.A. programs will be awarded Graduate Teaching Assistantships. In order to apply, click here.

GRADUATE RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS (GRFs)

Each year, the School of Graduate Studies awards several Graduate Research Fellowships to full-time graduate students working toward the master's degree or sixth-year diploma program. Each fellowship is in the amount of $8,000. Information about the GRF can be found by clicking here.

GRADUATE STUDENT GRADUATE ASSISTANTSHIPS (GSGAs)

Each year, the School of Graduate Studies awards several Graduate Student Graduate Assistantships to full-time matriculated graduate students in the amount of $16,000. Information about the 2008-2009 GSGA application can be obtained through the Graduate School, (203) 392-5240, http://www.southernct.edu/grad/. An example of the 2007-2008 GSGA application and information can be accessed by clicking here.

CONFERENCE & RESEARCH FUNDING

The Graduate Student Affairs Committee at Southern has increased the
travel support to those students who wish either to attend or deliver a
paper at a scholarly conference outside of Southern. The new limits
are as follows:
                                                         In State            Out of State
One-Day Conference Attendance            $100                   $200

One-Day Conference Presentation          $150                  $300

Two-Day Conference Attendance            $300                  $500

Two-Day Conference Presentation         $500                  $850

GSAC will also make funding available for matriculated graduate
students who are in good standing to conduct research. The maximum
award here is for $550, pending availability of funds. If you are interested in the above, consult the GSAC link on the Graduate School page.

M.F.A PROGRAM OVERVIEW

The M.F.A. in Creative Writing at Southern is a 48-credit, terminal degree that can be completed in two years of full-time study, or several years of part-time study. The M.F.A. culminates in the completion of the thesis, a book-length manuscript of either fiction or poetry. The M.F.A. degree at Southern requires:

Four workshop classes in major genre (fiction or poetry writing) (12 credits)
One workshop class in minor genre (fiction or poetry writing) (3 credits)
Thesis: Book-length manuscript of original fiction and/or poetry (6 credits)
Five classes in literature or literary theory (Ideally, two classes in contemporary literature (ENG 517 may be included here) (15 credits)
Twelve elective credits (minimum of six in English) (12 credits)

Total classes: 14 and thesis (Total: 48 credits)

COURSE NUMBER SEQUENCE FOR WORKSHOPS

English 502 (Prose Fiction Writing I) to be followed by English 503 (Prose Fiction Writing II), which can be repeated for credit

English 506 (Poetry Writing I) to be followed by English 507 (Poetry Writing II), which can be repeated for credit

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FOR THE MAJOR AREAS OF SPECIALIZATION:

ENG 502    Prose Fiction Writing I
The craft and art of creating plot, character, scene, conflict, and style.
Scheduled fall and spring semesters. Prerequisite: ENG 406 or depart-
mental permission. Always scheduled. 3 credits.

ENG 503    Prose Fiction Writing II
Further practice in the craft and art of creating plot, character, scene,
conflict, and style. Scheduled fall and spring semesters. Prerequisite:
ENG 502 or departmental permission. This course may be repeated
for credit. Always scheduled. 3 credits.

ENG 506    The Writing of Poetry I
The craft and art of writing poetry. Scheduled fall and spring semesters.
Prerequisite: ENG 402 or departmental permission. Always scheduled.
3 credits.

ENG 507    The Writing of Poetry II
Further practice in the craft and art of writing poetry. Scheduled fall
and spring semesters. Prerequisite: ENG 506 or departmental permis-
sion. This course may be repeated for credit. Always scheduled. 3
credits.

ENG 590     English Thesis
Research and writing of the thesis in the area of concentration, under the
direction of an English department faculty member. For specific details,
consult the chairperson or graduate coordinator of the department. Pre-
requisite: department permission. 3 or 6 credits.
(Scroll down for Thesis details)

A SAMPLE OF COURSES TO FULFILL REQUIREMENTS IN LITERATURE, LITERARY THEORY, & ELECTIVES WITHIN THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

ENG 504     The Teaching of Writing
ENG 505     Applied English Linguistics
ENG 508     Contemporary Critical Theory
ENG 509     Contemporary Poetic Theory
ENG 510     History of the English Language
ENG 511     Love and the Body in Medieval Consciousness
ENG 514     English Medieval Literature
ENG 517     Research Methods and Critical Theory
ENG 518     Philosophy of Composition
ENG 519     Teaching College Writing
ENG 521     Feminist Theory and Literary Criticism
ENG 522     Wright, Ellison, and Baldwin
ENG 523     Contemporary African-American Literature
ENG 524     The Harlem Renaissance
ENG 525     17th Century Poetry
ENG 529     African American Rhetorical Theory
ENG 531     Feminist Rhetorical Theory
ENG 536     Early Victorians: 1837-1870
ENG 537     Later Victorians: 1870-1914
ENG 538     Victorian Novel
ENG 542     Shakespeare
ENG 548     Modern and Contemporary Drama
ENG 552     English Renaissance
ENG 555     The 18th Century: Age of Satire
ENG 557     Romantic Period
ENG 559     20th Century English Literature
ENG 560     20th Century American Drama
ENG 562     The American Novel Before 1850
ENG 564     Poe, Hawthorne, and Melville
ENG 565     Emerson, Thoreau, and Whitman
ENG 566     20th Century American Poets
ENG 567     Mark Twain, Howells, and James
ENG 568     American Novel: 1900-1945
ENG 569     American Novel Since 1945
ENG 580     Chaucer
ENG 581     Medieval Women and Literature
ENG 583     Arthurian Legend
ENG 584     Milton
ENG 585     Seminar on Special Topics in Composition/Rhetoric
ENG 586     Seminar in American Literature
ENG 587     Seminar in British Literature
ENG 588     Seminar in Comparative Literature

THESIS

For completion of the M.F.A. degree, each student will produce a creative thesis, a book-length manuscript of original, imaginative work under the advisement of a member of the creative-writing faculty and the consultation of a second reader. This manuscript may consist of a novel, a novel excerpt, a memoir, a collection of stories or poems, or a combination of the above as agreed upon by the advisor and the second reader. The thesis process culminates with a thesis defense, a rigorous questioning and investigation of the student's thesis by the advisor and second reader. The production of the creative thesis typically takes at least a year and consists of multiple drafts and revisions based on meetings with the advisor and second reader, but may take longer if necessary to attain the quality of work required by the faculty readers.

Detailed thesis guidelines that apply to theses for all graduate programs in the English Department can be found by clicking here.

SOUTHERN STUDENTS' SUCCESS

A sampling of past Southern creative-writing students' successes, as both graduates and undergraduates, includes:

Jessica Forcier, finalist in 2010 AWP Intro Fiction Awards
Tony Fusco's poetry collection, Jessie's Garden, and numerous poetry prizes including The Sunken Garden Poetry Prize, The Alan Ginsburg Poetry Contest, The Wallace W. Winchell Contest, The Al Savard Poetry Contest, and The Trumbull Arts Festival Contest
Tom Lombardi's novel, My Summer on Earth
Sheila Squillante's first-place win in the 2003 "The Story of Your Life" Memoir Contest judged by Nora Ephron, Beverly Donofrio, and Suki Kim; her first-place essay "Love, Loss and Another Day at Work" in Glamour magazine; her receipt of a Writer's Grant and Travel Grant from the MacDowell Artists Colony; her honorable mention for the Intro Poetry Project, the national competition sponsored by AWP of all U.S. graduate writing programs. She now serves as Assistant Director of the Creative Program at Penn State.
Sarah Wareck, finalist in AWP's 2003 Intro Fiction Awards, and one of seven winners of Chicago Readers' national fiction contest. Runner up for Sarabande's 2007 Mary McCarthy Prize
Shawn Taylor, winner of Gulfstream Magazine's First Fiction national contest, 2004
Tara Jill Ciccarone's honorable mention in Zoetrope All Story's national award for fiction; honorable mention for Glimmer Train's national award for new fiction; was included in Mississippi Review's Prize Edition in 2000; and was nominated for a Pushcart Prize for fiction in 2001
Allyson Wuerth won the New England Association of Teachers English Poetry Contest, 2005.

A partial list of the national journals in which our students have published includes New York Times Sunday Magazine, Ploughshares, McSweeney's, Sou'wester, FENCE, nerve.com, Louisiana Literature, Voices Along the River, AGNI, American Letters & Commentary, Beloit Poetry Journal, CROWD, Hayden's Ferry Review, Quarterly West, Sycamore Review, Coe Review, Cimarron Review, Midwest Review, Miller's Pond, Artisan, Bellowing Ark, Alaska Quarterly, Oxford, Third Coast, Connecticut Review, The South Carolina Review, Red Rock Review, Chiron, Laurels, New Letters, Phoebe, Clackamas Literary Review, Arubutus.net, The Southeast Review, Typomag.com, Nerve.com, LetterX.com, The Pedestal Magazine, Epiphany, Post Road, Prairie Schooner, Mochila Review, Beacon Street, Whirligig, Cottonwood, and Berkeley Fiction Review.

A partial list of fellowships and university positions held by former students:

Jason Labbe, Henry Hoyns Fellow, University of Virginia, 2005-2006
Allyson Wuerth, Stadler Semester Poet, Bucknell University, 1998
Wayne Harrison, Oregon Literary Fellowship, 2004, and Fishtrap Fellowship, 2003
Sheila Squillante, Katey Lehman Fellow in Creative Writing at Penn State, 2000-Jeffrey Voccola, Assistant Professor of English at Kutztown State University
John Rosse, Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Landmark College
Marcel Burch, Assistant Professor of Developmental English at Norwalk Community College

For more information:

The Master of Fine Arts Program in Creative Writing