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.
Degree Requirements
Course Requirements
Writing Workshop: 20 hours
- All workshops, except for ENG 480, ENG 487, ENG 490, ENG 491, and ENG 497, are reserved for graduate students in the Department of English
| 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.