Creative Writing English (3+2 with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing) allows students to complete the B.A. in English (ENG) and the Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA) at Western in five years. To remain qualified for the 3+2, upon earning 60 credits each student must:
- maintain a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and 3.0 within the emphasis in the major;
- earn a minimum grade of B+ in at least two English courses;
- submit an 800- to 1,000-word personal statement describing the student's writing experience and commitment to writing;
- submit a creative writing sample of at least ten pages appropriate to the MFA concentration the student is applying to;
- provide two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be an academic reference addressing the applicant's ability to succeed in a low-residency program.
If any aspect of a student's performance is found to be insufficient, the relevant MFA Concentration Director will recommend denial of acceptance to the GPCW Program Director and the Graduate Studies Dean, and the student will need to find a new emphasis or minor in order to complete the undergraduate degree. Upon meeting the requirements, and completing Year Three (reaching 93 credits in this plan-see "DEGREE PLAN") holding to the same GPA and general performance standards outlined above, the School of Graduate Studies will designate the student as an "MFA candidate in Creative Writing with provisional acceptance." Upon completion of Year Four (reaching 12 8 credits in this plan-see "DEGREE PLAN"), the student will receive their BA and the School of Graduate Studies may designate the student as an "MFA Creative Writing degree-seeking student." Students who have completed Year Four and all other requirements of the 3+2 program and all Western undergraduate requirements (120 total credits, 40 upper-division credits, general education requirements, the ENG undergraduate courses listed under the English Comprehensive Emphasis) but choose to leave the MFA program before completion of Year Five will still have completed the undergraduate ENG Comprehensive Emphasis and have earned the 120 credits necessary for a Western undergraduate degree.
A minimum of 45 credits is required for the B.A. components of the emphasis including a three-credit, upper-division literature elective. In the fourth and fifth years, an additional 60 credits of Creative Writing MFA coursework results in the MFA in Creative Writing degree.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ENG 161 | Introduction to Creative Writing (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| ENG 250 | Critical Approaches to Literature (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| ENG 358 | Global Literatures: Studies in: The Underworld | 3 |
| ENG 371 | Literary Theory and Criticism | 3 |
| ENG 405 | Advanced Writing | 3 |
| ENG 445 | Literary Magazine Submission and Production | 3 |
| ENG 463 | Major British Authors: | 3 |
| ENG 464 | Major American Authors: | 3 |
| ENG 493 | Senior Seminar I: Studies in: Criminal Justice | 3 |
| ENG 494 | Senior Seminar: Studies in: | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality | ||
| Literary Culture of the American West | ||
| Environmental Literature (GT-AH2) | ||
| Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2) | ||
| Women Writers | ||
| Myth and Culture | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Creative Writing: Fiction | ||
| Creative Writing: Poetry | ||
| Creative Writing | ||
| Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| British Literature: Medieval and Renaissance Texts | ||
| British Literature: Milton through the Romantics | ||
| British Literature: The Victorians to the Present Day | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| American Literature Early to Civil War | ||
| American Literature-Civil War to Present | ||
| Total Credits | 45 | |
Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Summer before Year 4 of 3+2 (Year 1, Summer 1 of MFA):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CRWR 600 | The Common Read & Writing Craft | 2 |
| And any ONE of the following: | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Writing Genre Fiction I | ||
| Foundations of Poetry | ||
| Scenes & Sequences | ||
| Foundations of Nature Writing | ||
| Total Credits | 5 | |
Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Fall of Year 4 of 3+2 (Fall 1 of MFA):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select any ONE of the following pairs: | 12 | |
| Genre Writing I- Romance and Mystery Fiction | ||
| Genre Studies I-Romance and Mystery | ||
| OR | ||
| Writing the Feature | ||
| Feature Structure & Genre | ||
| OR | ||
| Poetry Now | ||
| Poetry Craft and Technique | ||
| OR | ||
| Craft of Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Genres of Nature Writing | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Core Creative Writing MFA Courses, to be taken in Spring of Year 4 of 3+2 (Spring 1 of MFA):
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Any ONE of the following pairs: | 12 | |
| Genre Writing II- Speculative and Western Fiction | ||
| Genre Studies II- Speculative and Western Fiction | ||
| OR | ||
| Writing the Television Screenplay | ||
| TV Structure & Genre | ||
| OR | ||
| Poetry Workshop I | ||
| Poetic Lineages | ||
| OR | ||
| Writing Place with New Forms and Techniques | ||
| Writing about Nature and Society | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Upon successful completion of the prescribed courses listed above, University defined General Education, and elective requirements totaling 120 credits (with 40 at the 300-level or higher), students are eligible for their B.A. conferral. Students electing to complete the MFA in Creative Writing must complete the courses of their declared emphasis curriculum.
Western Watershed General Education Requirements
Students must complete all Western Watershed General Education requirements to graduate.
Graduation Requirements
Undergraduate programs require a minimum of 120 semester credits for graduation. Of those 120 credits, 40 credits must be in upper-division courses (those marked 300 and above). Fifteen of these 40 upper-division credits must be earned in courses that are part of the standard or comprehensive major program being pursued.
Students are expected to review all graduation requirements, which can be found in the Western Undergraduate Catalog: Graduation Requirements.
Degree Plans are for planning purposes. They reflect a suggested plan to complete the degree in a projected timeframe per program of study.
"Western Watershed Course(s)” refers to a course from the Tributaries area of the Western Watershed program. These courses should be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor.
Sample Plan
| Year One | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| WWGE | Headwaters: Studiess in Sustainablility (Western Watershed Course) | 2 |
| ENG 102 | Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course(s) | 9 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 103 | Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| ENG 161 | Introduction to Creative Writing (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| ENG 250 | Critical Approaches to Literature (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| Western Watershed Course | 4 | |
| Electives | 2 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Two | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 230 |
Environmental Literature (GT-AH2) or Borderlands: Representing Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality or Literary Culture of the American West or Ancient World Literature (GT-AH2) or Women Writers or Myth and Culture |
3 |
| ENG 372 |
British Literature: Medieval and Renaissance Texts or British Literature: Milton through the Romantics or British Literature: The Victorians to the Present Day |
3 |
| Western Watershed Courses | 9 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 358 | Global Literatures: Studies in: The Underworld | 3 |
| ENG 300 |
Creative Writing: Fiction or Creative Writing: Poetry or Creative Writing or Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction |
3 |
| ENG 371 | Literary Theory and Criticism | 3 |
| ENG 384 or ENG 385 |
American Literature Early to Civil War or American Literature-Civil War to Present |
3 |
| ENG | English Elective (upper-division) | 3 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Year Three | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 493 | Senior Seminar I: Studies in: Criminal Justice | 3 |
| ENG 464 | Major American Authors: | 3 |
| ENG 300 |
Creative Writing: Fiction or Creative Writing: Poetry or Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction |
3 |
| Electives | 6 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 463 | Major British Authors: | 3 |
| ENG 494 | Senior Seminar: Studies in: | 3 |
| ENG 300 |
Creative Writing: Fiction or Creative Writing: Poetry or Creative Writing or Creative Writing: Creative Nonfiction |
3 |
| Western Watershed | Western Watershed course | 3 |
| WWGE 302 | Delta: Studies in Global Knowledge (Western Watershed Course) | 1 |
| Credits | 13 | |
| Summer | ||
| CRWR 600 | The Common Read & Writing Craft | 2 |
| CRWR 601 |
Fundamentals of Writing Genre Fiction I or Foundations of Poetry or Scenes & Sequences or Foundations of Nature Writing |
3 |
| **Summer courses count towards a student’s GPA, Academic Standing, and follow summer tuition fee structure | ||
| Credits | 5 | |
| Year Four | ||
| Fall | ||
| ENG 405 | Advanced Writing | 3 |
| Choose one of the following sets: | 12 | |
| Genre Writing I- Romance and Mystery Fiction | ||
| Genre Studies I-Romance and Mystery | ||
| OR | ||
| Poetry Now | ||
| Poetry Craft and Technique | ||
| OR | ||
| Writing the Feature | ||
| Feature Structure & Genre | ||
| OR | ||
| Craft of Creative Nonfiction | ||
| Genres of Nature Writing | ||
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENG 445 | Literary Magazine Submission and Production | 3 |
| Choose one of the following sets: | 12 | |
| Genre Writing II- Speculative and Western Fiction | ||
| Genre Studies II- Speculative and Western Fiction | ||
| OR | ||
| Poetry Workshop I | ||
| Poetic Lineages | ||
| OR | ||
| Writing the Television Screenplay | ||
| TV Structure & Genre | ||
| OR | ||
| Writing Place with New Forms and Techniques | ||
| Writing about Nature and Society | ||
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 122 | |
Western is committed to doing our part to provide each student a clear path to graduation. This four‐year degree plan is a sample map for fulfilling requirements in the major and General Education. The pathway that you take to your degree may differ somewhat from this illustration, depending on where you start and the detours and side trips you may take along the way. You are responsible for ensuring your overall, upper division, and major‐specific credits as well as GPA requirements are fulfilled for graduation.