Location:

Austin, United States

Program Type:

Full Degree

Degree Level:

Master

Specialty:

Creative Writing

Program Overview

Program Description:

The Department of Creative Writing at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) offers a 48-credit bilingual online Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program. The goal of this unique bilingual program is to prepare writers for the publishing marketplace and for teaching and editing careers, both in the United States and Latin America.

The degree plan consists of 42 credits of coursework (14 courses) followed by six credits of thesis during which the student completes a culminating project. Students in the program, the only one of its kind in the U.S., are trained at a professional level in the reading and writing of the genres of fiction, poetry, play writing, screen writing, essay, and literary translation.

Read more about this program in an article dated January 25, 2007 from InsideHigherEd.com: Going Borderless and Bilingual.

LANGUAGE INFORMATION

The MFA in Creative Writing is a bilingual program intended for students who have some mastery of both English and Spanish; however, English-only or Spanish-only students can complete the program. Some support services and processes may vary for Spanish-only students. These students should contact the Creative Writing Department at UTEP prior to applying for the program in order to understand these variances.

La Maestría en Bellas Artes con énfasis en Creación Literaria es un programa bilingüe dirigido a estudiantes que tienen algún dominio tanto del idioma inglés como del español. Los estudiantes monolingües, sin embargo, podrán completar el programa. Algunos de los servicios y procesos de apoyo pueden variar para el idioma español. Estos estudiantes deberán contactar al Departamento de Creación Literaria de UTEP antes de aplicar al programa, con el fin de entender estas discrepancias.

COURSES

The degree requires 14 courses (42 credits of coursework) followed by six credits of thesis during which the student completes a culminating project. Of the 10 courses that are offered online, several may be repeated with different topics. Using this menu approach, students will easily be able to build a 48-credit program that fits their needs. Non-UTEP students who want to take MFA courses must get permission from the MFA Advisor.

All courses are offered by UT El Paso.

Form and Theory (9 credits)

• CRW 5321 Narrative Theory and Poetics
• CRW 5364 Forms and Techniques of Fiction
• CRW 5365 Forms and Techniques of Poetry

Workshop (15 credits)

• CRW 5366 Advanced Fiction Writing
• CRW 5367 Advanced Poetry Writing
• CRW 5369 Advanced Playwriting
• CRW 5372 Advanced Screenwriting
• CRW 5373 Advanced Creative Non-Fiction

Literature (12 credits)

• CRW 5368 Variable Topics in Creative Writing:
  • Asian-American Poetry
  • Kafka: Consciousness and Reality
  • Physics in Fiction and Poetry
  • The Politics of Narration
• CRW 5382 Studies in Form:
  • History of Freeverse
  • London and Madrid: The Creative Experience
  • Postmodern Metafiction
  • Recasting Fiction: American Fiction of the 1960s and Beyond
  • The Novel

A graduate level literature course can sometimes be taken from another UTEP department, such as English or Languages and Literature, with an advisor’s approval.

Electives (6 credits)
These courses may be taken from any department with an advisor’s approval. You can also take an extra workshop or an Independent Study.

Thesis (6 credits)

• CRW 5398 Thesis I
• CRW 5399 Thesis II

The thesis will consist of a book-length manuscript of original fiction, poetry, play, group of essays, or screenplay, accompanied by a preface. Each candidate is required during the first semester of thesis credits to submit a thesis proposal and a sample of the thesis-in-progress to the thesis committee.

Total Credits: 48

PARTICIPATING INSTITUTION AND ADVISOR

UT El Paso

Daniel Chacon
Associate Professor, Online MFA Director
(915) 747-6255
danchacon@utep.edu

Degree Awarded: Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing

Additional Program Information

Accreditation:

SACS - Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

Financial Aid:

Yes