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MAWP

The Master of Arts in Writing and Publishing offers advanced training in the art and craft of writing poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. The program combines the practical experience of writing workshops and studies in literature with course work in language and style, pedagogy, editing, publishing, and other topics. The Master of Arts in Writing and Publishing attends to publishing as an integral part of the practice of the creative writer and affords interested students the opportunity to gain first-hand experience with various facets of the publishing industry.

Courses are offered weekday evenings on the Lincoln Park Campus and online.  Check with the program director or www.english-exlibris.com for online course offerings.  The program may be completed in as little as two years, but part-time options are available for working students.

The MA in Writing and Publishing seeks to meet the needs of a range of students, including the following:

  • Students with interest and experience in creative writing, including fiction, poetry, and a variety of nonfiction genres.
  • Professional writers, including freelance writers and staff writers for general and trade publications or the Internet.
  • Feature writers for daily, weekly, or monthly newspapers.
  • General and specialized editors employed by publishing houses, magazines, and corporations.
  • Working professionals for whom high-quality writing is an essential component of their jobs.
  • Current and prospective teachers of English and/or writing at the secondary or post-secondary level.
  • Students seeking a master's-level foundation for further graduate work in creative writing, English, teaching, or related fields.

Electives in the MA in Writing and Publishing may be used for graduate certificate programs, such as the Certificate in Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges and the Certificate in Digital Humanities. With planning, combined MA + certificate programs may require no additional coursework to fulfill all requirements.

Students participating in a combined MA + certificate program should consult with their academic advisor to determine what coursework might count toward both programs. A separate application process for the certificate is required. Students who are interested in any of the following combination programs should contact the Graduate Student Services Office for additional information.

  • Writing and Publishing + Digital Humanities Certificate
  • Writing and Publishing + Teaching English in Two-Year Colleges Certificate
  • Writing and Publishing + Women’s and Gender Studies Certificate
Program Requirements Quarter Hours
Degree Requirements 48
Total hours required 48

Learning Outcomes

​Students will be able to:

  • Create original works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction that demonstrate appropriate skills of narrative and lyric writing, such as the use of description, exposition, and research.
  • Offer constructive criticism on works in progress that illustrates understanding of forms (the prose poem, the short story cycle, the lyric essay, etc.), and/or elements of voice, structure, and idea development.
  • Apply the knowledge, vocabulary, and tools of writing craft in professional contexts, such as teaching, presenting conference papers, producing creative and multimedia content, and editing.
  • Demonstrate an understanding of literary production across diverse contexts, cultures, structures, systems, and traditions.

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements

Writing Workshop:  20 hours

Course Title Quarter Hours
Select five from the following:20
INTRODUCTION TO CREATIVE WRITING
WRITING WORKSHOP TOPICS (May be repeated with different topics)
TRAVEL WRITING
WRITING FOR MAGAZINES
SCIENCE WRITING
WRITING FICTION
WRITING POETRY
NOVELS I
NOVELS II
WRITING THE LITERATURE OF FACT

Literature:  4 hours

Course Title Quarter Hours
Select one from the following:4
CHAUCER
STUDIES IN ARTHURIAN LITERATURE
STUDIES IN MEDIEVAL LITERARY FORMS
TOPICS IN MEDIEVAL LITERATURE
STUDIES IN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE PROSE
STUDIES IN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE POETRY
STUDIES IN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE DRAMA
THE ESSAY: HISTORY, THEORY, PRACTICE
MILTON
STUDIES IN SHAKESPEARE
TOPICS IN RENAISSANCE LITERATURE
STUDIES IN THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY NOVEL
STUDIES IN RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY DRAMA
STUDIES IN RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY AUTHORS
TOPICS IN RESTORATION AND EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY LITERATURE
STUDIES IN ENGLISH ROMANTIC PROSE
STUDIES IN ENGLISH ROMANTIC POETRY
STUDIES IN VICTORIAN PROSE
STUDIES IN VICTORIAN POETRY
STUDIES IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH FICTION
NINETEENTH-CENTURY IRISH LITERATURE
TOPICS IN NINETEENTH-CENTURY BRITISH LITERATURE
STUDIES IN THE MODERN BRITISH NOVEL
STUDIES IN MODERN BRITISH POETRY
STUDIES IN MODERN DRAMA
MODERN IRISH LITERATURE
CONTEMPORARY IRISH LITERATURE
TOPICS IN MODERN BRITISH LITERATURE
STUDIES IN AMERICAN AUTHORS
STUDIES IN THE MODERN AMERICAN NOVEL
STUDIES IN MODERN AMERICAN POETRY
STUDIES IN AMERICAN DRAMA
TOPICS IN AMERICAN LITERATURE
LITERARY THEORY
TOPICS IN LITERATURE
TOPICS IN GENRE AND FORM

Electives in Language, Literature, Publishing and Teaching:  8 hours

Course Title Quarter Hours
Select two from the following:8
STRUCTURE OF MODERN ENGLISH
HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE AND STYLE FOR WRITERS
STYLISTICS
THE ESSAY: HISTORY, THEORY, PRACTICE
TEACHING CREATIVE WRITING
TEACHING LITERATURE
TOPICS IN GENRE AND FORM (Variable)
TOPICS IN PUBLISHING (Variable)
TOPICS IN TEACHING (Variable)
TOPICS IN EDITING (May be repeated with a different topic)
Any courses in literature if not used to satisfy the Literature category requirement, above
Courses from other programs may be substituted only with approval of program director

Open Electives:  16 hours

Course Title Quarter Hours
Select four from the following:16
INDEPENDENT STUDY
INTERNSHIP
Any graduate-level courses in writing, literature, criticism, publishing, and teaching offered by the English department and not used to satisfy other requirements, above
Up to two graduate level courses offered by the Writing, Rhetoric, and Discourse Department
Courses from other programs may be substituted only with approval of program director. Note: No more than two courses from outside of the English Department may count toward Open Electives

Online Degree Option

The MFA/MA program is committed to offering at least 3 online and/or remote-enabled courses every regular academic quarter. Yearly offerings will include 4-5 workshops, 2 publishing courses, 1-2 literature courses, and a variety of electives. Online summer session and December intercession courses can also count toward your degree. Check with the program director or www.english-exlibris.com for online offerings.