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SJSU Catalog

English and Comparative Literature
MFA - Creative Writing
Requirements for Admission to Classified Standing
In addition to meeting minimum requirements for admission to the Graduate Division outlined in this catalog, an applicant must have:
A minimum of 24 semester hours of acceptable undergraduate course work in the major beyond freshman composition;
A 3.0 grade point average in major courses;
Approval by the departmental MFA in Creative Writing Committee;
For a foreign student, TOEFL score of 610 or higher.
Requirements for Admission to Conditionally Classified Standing
Students who do not qualify for classified standing but who meet university requirements for graduate admission and whose past performance gives promise of satisfactory completion of requirements for admission to classified graduate standing may, with the approval of the departmental MFA in Creative Writing Committee, be admitted as conditionally classified in the MFA program.
Requirements for Admission to Candidacy for the MFA in English
Admission to candidacy for the Master of Fine Arts degree in English requires favorable action by the departmental MFA in Creative Writing Committee. Applicants will observe the stipulations relative to such items as transfer credit, time limit, completion of the core requirement and scholarship stated in this catalog.
All candidates for the Master of Fine Arts degree in Creative Writing, are required to:
- Complete an approved 48 unit program with a grade point average of 3.0 or better. At least 36 of these units must be graduate-level (i.e., 200-numbered) courses. Any upper division courses to be applied to the MFA must be approved in advance by the Creative Writing Director.
- Demonstrate competency in the theory and practice of literary production and scholarship by passing ENGL 201C.
- Demonstrate reading proficiency in a second language by passing a language examination. (This requirement is waived for students whose first language is not English or who have, within five years of achieving candidacy, earned a grade of "B" or better in the fourth semester of an acceptable foreign language course).
- Write a substantial work, with critical introduction, in one of the four program emphases, Poetry, Fiction, Nonfiction, or Script Writing.
- Pass the MFA Comprehensive Examination.
| Course Requirements | ||
| Core Course | 3 | |
| ENGL 201C | ||
| Practicum | 18 | |
| All courses repeatable for up to 12 units of credit. | ||
| Complete eighteen units from: ENGL 240, ENGL 241, ENGL 242 | ||
| Literary Research | 15 | |
| Complete five courses from: ENGL 139, ENGL 202, ENGL 203, ENGL 204, ENGL 208, ENGL 211, ENGL 215, ENGL 216, ENGL 217, ENGL 225, ENGL 226, ENGL 227, ENGL 229, ENGL 230, ENGL 232, ENGL 233, ENGL 253, ENGL 254, ENGL 255, ENGL 256, ENGL 292, ENGL 298 | ||
| Professional Training | 6 | |
| Complete six units from: ENGL 257, ENGL 259, ENGL 298 | ||
| Thesis/Capstone Requirement | 6 | |
| Creative project in candidate's emphasis area. | ||
| ENGL 299 | ||
| Total Units: | 48 | |
